Outdoor to Indoor Diet

[DarkLies212]

With a soon to be lack of Vitamin D from the sun, what are some good supplements I can give Ambrose? Also, since he will be in a smaller cage, I want to clean up his diet so he isn't so fat. (Don't tell him I said that!)
Right now he is being fed various amounts of: Grapes, lettuce, wild greens, young sunflower plants, dollarweeds (his favorite), kiwi, yellow squash, fresh corn, black sunflower seeds, & either a walnut, almond, peanut, or pecan (at max 2 times a week). His tastebuds change almost daily it seems, so getting him to eat anything entirely before it goes bad is a miracle! Usually whatever he doesn't eat, Midori, my conure, will eat.

He's pretty fat right now. Here's the most recent picture I have of him.

Is it healthy for him to be that fat, given the time of year?

Also, I found a vet who will examine pet squirrels - do you think it's a good idea to have him neutered? If so, when and what diet changes will he have to go through?

[farrelli]

Wow, a third thread. Here again is the healthy diet thread:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...(Revised-2-13)

In this one you mention corn, and that is also something VERY high in phosphorous which should be, at best, a rare treat.

[SugarBugFerret]

Here is the link to the healthy squirrel diet.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...(Revised-2-13)
Do you feed any type of rodent block? There are several that can be used, but Henry's are the best and formulated specifically for a squirrel's nutritional and vitamin needs. You can find them here along with other squirrel yummies. The blocks should be eaten first, before fresh veggies and treats (such as fruit and nuts).
http://www.henryspets.com/squirrel-diet/
This should help you get started with a great healthy diet. Is Ambrose an unreleasable squirrel?

[DarkLies212]

I appreciate all the replies. I wanted to separate the housing and diet into the proper subforums [and have an extensive history in the intro forum], but it looks like the posts blended together.

I thought dried corn was horrible, but fresh corn wasn't as bad if given in moderation? o.0

I will be ordering some Picky Eater blocks shortly! Time to start making that healthy switch!
He can't crack his own nuts and is too socialized to be released. He did get out one time (jumped at me trying to play tag [which he figured out he loved just a week prior] when I was trying to feed him). He freaked out when he was outside of his cage - ran around it trying to figure out what was going on, jumped onto the duck pen right next door to his cage and couldn't figure out how he got there and screamed, reaching for me through the bars (which he could have very easily gone through as it was how he got in in the first place). I grabbed him and he held on to me for dear life and ran right back up to his nestbox/mailbox when I put him back into his cage. All in a matter of what must have been 10 seconds - some of the LONGEST seconds ever, might I add.

[farrelli]

Here is your guide for good and bad foods in terms of phosphorous:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...sphorus-Ratios

You're looking for a ratio of 2:1, calcium to phosphorous. Corn varies, but if memory serves, it's something like 2:80, so quite horrible. The docs above will show you.

I would suggest that for the time being, because he's had a relatively poor diet up until now, that you seriously restrict his phosphorous intake and give him extra calcium. The cuttle bones and antlers that I recommended earlier are good at both keeping the teeth filed down and supplementing calcium. I would also recommend getting the calcium powder from Henry's while you're ordering blocks. You can sprinkle it on his other food for awhile to try to get him back up to par. Do you know what metabolic bone disease (MBD) is? We see it all the time here. It results from a low calcium diet. All the calcium is leached out of their bones over time, and then when they basically have none left, they start showing signs such as lethargy, paralysis, and seizures. Death follows shortly if it's not caught in time and treated immediately. Your guy could have weak bones at this point.

http://www.henryspets.com/calcium-carbonate-powder/

Also, you said that he can't crack nuts? Have you checked his teeth to make sure they're not over gown? They grow something like six inches a year, and if not kept worn down, they can kill them.

[DarkLies212]

Here is your guide for good and bad foods in terms of phosphorous:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...sphorus-Ratios

You're looking for a ratio of 2:1, calcium to phosphorous. Corn varies, but if memory serves, it's something like 2:80, so quite horrible. The docs above will show you.

I would suggest that for the time being, because he's had a relatively poor diet up until now, that you seriously restrict his phosphorous intake and give him extra calcium. The cuttle bones and antlers that I recommended earlier are good at both keeping the teeth filed down and supplementing calcium. I would also recommend getting the calcium powder from Henry's while you're ordering blocks. You can sprinkle it on his other food for awhile to try to get him back up to par. Do you know what metabolic bone disease (MBD) is? We see it all the time here. It results from a low calcium diet. All the calcium is leached out of their bones over time, and then when they basically have none left, they start showing signs such as lethargy, paralysis, and seizures. Death follows shortly if it's not caught in time and treated immediately. Your guy could have weak bones at this point.

http://www.henryspets.com/calcium-carbonate-powder/

Also, you said that he can't crack nuts? Have you checked his teeth to make sure they're not over gown? They grow something like six inches a year, and if not kept worn down, they can kill them.

I actually have that list printed out from a while back! I just never understood how to read it and I forgot where it came from to ask *ashamed*
So, the best foods are those with closest ratios to 2:1? 2something over 2) is bad, right?

He's never acted lethargic (except in the dead of summer - but who isn't down here!) and has complete use of every appendage. Thank god. I've read up on the MBD slightly, but I am by no means an expert

I love playing with his gums and poking at his teeth - he doesn't like it, but he'll tolerate me doing it. In fact, I've got a picture of them! One of his self-portraits as he inspected my new phone. Hmm, now that I look at it, maybe this isn't the best picture to post - his mouth is slightly open so his teeth look a lot longer than they are..I promise they're not as long as they look! Of all the photos I've seen online of over-grown teeth, his are no where near that long. Even when I googled "normal squirrel teeth" his bottom ones weren't as long as the pictures. He has 3 large round stones ( my father picked up from the desert somewhere on a road trip; 10+ lbs similar to these [ http://screen-wallpapers.com/wallpapers/view/2241 ]) and he (Ambrose) mysteriously acquired a large pebble he keeps hidden from me. I thought it was a peanut at first, but it turned out to be a random rock he had in his cage. He moved it every day for about two weeks and now I can't find it. He has a whole lot of branches and bark to chew on and has never chewed on his plastic mailbox (which surprised me since it IS plastic, but I'm not messing with it because he loves it) or the wood of the cage. He just can't seem to crack his own pecans. He's got almonds down, but not Brazil nuts (I think that's what they're called) or walnuts. He can crack acorns, too, but he's just so picky that he doesn't want the oval ones, he only wants the rounds ones - which are all eaten up by the time I find them on the ground XD

I hope that post made a lick of sense. I think..I know I'm rambling now.
I just want so badly for him to live a long, happy, and healthy life that I'm just spewing out whatever I can think of that will help!

Oh, below is his lovely self portrait.


If you'd want a better picture, I can try to take one (no promises as he severely hates my cell phone).

[Rhapsody]

Besides the HHB blocks (which my squirrels love) --MUSHROOMS are GREAT for VITAMIN D
so try and get your little one to eat these things if you can.

[farrelli]

Can't tell much from that pic. Make sure they aren't curled back, really long, or digging into the roof. If you take a pic, putting a pencil behind them is a good way.

Foods should ideally be at least two parts calcium to one part phosphorous. So, at least twice as much cal as phos so as to counteract the cal blocking properties of phos.

They don;t show MBD symptoms until the very end, so while you might be safe, better to be cautious. Supplementing his cal for awhile would be good.

No pressure treated wood. It has serious toxins in it.

[DarkLies212]

Besides the HHB blocks (which my squirrels love) --MUSHROOMS are GREAT for VITAMIN D
so try and get your little one to eat these things if you can.

What type of mushrooms do you feed yours? Are they fresh or dried or cooked down? I thought I read somewhere to avoid mushrooms..maybe just a certain type ^^'

Can't tell much from that pic. Make sure they aren't curled back, really long, or digging into the roof. If you take a pic, putting a pencil behind them is a good way.

Foods should ideally be at least two parts calcium to one part phosphorous. So, at least twice as much cal as phos so as to counteract the cal blocking properties of phos.

They don;t show MBD symptoms until the very end, so while you might be safe, better to be cautious. Supplementing his cal for awhile would be good.

No pressure treated wood. It has serious toxins in it.

They definitely aren't curling back at all. His teeth look better than mine (aside from that lovely yellow-orange color XD) - they're all straight and even.

Thank you for breaking everything down to baby style, I'm so glad you have the patience to do that! I never understood any of this when I was researching Which size of the Calcium supplement should I get - 24, 100, or 200 grams? Also, he weighs more than 3 grams, so how much do I give him and how often?

[farrelli]

Just get the bag I linked to at Henry's and sprinkle it on food. I think it's only one size and like $3.

[DarkLies212]

There's 3 sizes, but I'll get the $3 ^^
Is there overkill with sprinkling?