A good thing for baby and young squirrels to chew on

[deborah0302]

Hi everybody - I wanted to share something most households have that my young squirrel really likes to chew on: broken clay flowerpot chips.

I've had trouble getting him very excited about the chew sticks from the rodent aisle at the pet store, or oak twigs and apple twigs. So I wanted to share this. The best flowerpot chips seem to be the unpainted red clay kind that are very inexpensive.

Warm regards, Deborah

[farrelli]

Welcome to TSB! Are you sure that there's nothing toxic in the clay?

Also, one of the first questions we have for new members is what do you feed your squirrel? It's what most people get wrong and what causes the most problems, so we like to get it out of the way.

Please tell us all about him and pics are always appreciated!

[island rehabber]

I use the saucers for underneath terra cotta flower pots as food bowls because they're nice and heavy and babies can't carry them around. They do like to chew them, and I believe they are safe so long as there is no paint or decor on them.
Another free and excellent chewing idea for your squirrels: seashells. Lots of calcium!

[deborah0302]

Hi ! No, I'm actually not sure. I didn't consider anything added in (they don't have paint on them or anything obvious). Island Rehabber's seashells suggestion sounds very good. I will see if I can offer him these instead.

I have just posted another thread, http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...aned-nutrition. This thread contains his nutrition history (and a picture).

Kind regards,
Deborah

[Duckman]

Raw Ceramic Pots don't use any glaze or paint and are just fired Clay. There isn't anything in them that are toxic, and if they will chew on them it should be just fine. I am going to try a few pieces for Rex and the new NR I have (I will be introducing her in a few days) Winkers! They are always looking for something to chew, and I can't seem to find any antlers this year.

[farrelli]

I worry about lead. Much if not most clay has lead in it. This is a big part of why pottery is glazed, to prevent the transfer. People used to drink from unglazed stuff and would get lead poisoning. Even cheap junk from China still has the problem today. I assume all this is true for terracotta as well.

[Fireweed]

I thought the lead was in certain glazes/seal and not the clay itself? What about lime in the clay?

I think this is a neat idea so I just want to make absolutely sure it's safe...

[ALittleNutty]

Cuttlebones, deer antlers and even walnut sized rocks are good teething items. My squirrels favorite is the deer antlers. I pick up sheds when we go out to Texas and they go through them pretty quickly and seem to be their favorite item to chew on.

[deborah0302]

Hello everybody - there is another common household thing my squirrel likes to chew on.

The woven cloth cord that is in the waistband of most sweatpants or in the hood of most hoodies - the cord that you use to tighten or loosen the clothing - he loves a piece of that with a knot tied in it.

Also, he loves the cork from a wine bottle.

I'm pretty sure these aren't toxic.

Deborah

[DarkLies212]

Ambrose somehow found a peanut sized rock and hid that from me for months. I finally found it when I did the transfer about a month ago and it was down to about the size of a dime! I gave him another but he didn't seem to care for it *shrug*