<![CDATA[SquirrelNutrition.com - Blog]]>Thu, 02 Dec 2021 02:48:12 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[It's A Wonderful Life- Trained Squirrel]]>Thu, 26 Dec 2019 23:30:59 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/its-a-wonderful-life-trained-squirrel
I have probably seen this traditional Christmas Classic, "It's A Wonderful Life," at least 50 times in my 72 years, yet this year was the first time that I saw the brief cameo appearance of a trained squirrel in the movie. We all know that Uncle Billie had a trained crow that used to land on him every time he entered the Baily Building and Loan. But, the squirrel only shows up at the end of the encounter that George Baily has with Uncle Billie after he confronts him in anger over losing the $8000.00 that he was supposed to deposit in the bank.

It's a very brief scene that happens after George Baily leaves and Billy puts his head down on his desk to cry. The squirrel climbs up on his right arm as if to comfort him in his misery. It's so brief that probably thousands of people who have watched the movie over the years missed it too.

I would be interested to hear how many of you missed it also!? I'll bet that in the future all who read this will be watching for this squirrel cameo! Just thought I would share this bit of Squirrel trivia.

<![CDATA[When Raising Pet Rats, You May Be Able To Nearly Double Their Lifespan!]]>Sun, 25 Aug 2019 00:28:24 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/when-raising-pet-rats-you-may-be-able-to-nearly-double-their-lifespan
Thousands of people all over the world raise pet rats. Those that do report that rat are very affectionate and intelligent animals that develop strong bonds with their human caregivers. One big drawback to raising rats is the fact that they have a short lifespan. The average life of a rat is 3 to 4 years with good care and feeding.

One thing you may not know is that there is a substance that was discovered almost 90 years ago that was extensively tested on rats and discovered that it almost doubled their lifespan. The name of this substance is C-60 Fullerene, or C-60 for short. It is made by suspending nano-particles of carbon in a carrier oil such as olive oil. It's a process that is carried out in the dark due to light sensitivity of the carbon and requires constant stirring for 2 to 3 weeks then is vacuum filtered.

Life extension of the rats was only one of the amazing benefits that this research found. The following are links to the scientific studies carried out on this substance along with the findings.

Life extension: https://c60-france.com/media_upload/C60-Fullerene-Baati-Rats-Lifespan-Longevite.pdf

Anti- cancer effect: https://c60-france.com/media_upload/C60-Fullerene-anti-cancer.pdf

Increase in Cardiovascular Health: https://c60-france.com/media_upload/C60-Fullerene-cardiovascular-health-sante.pdf

No toxic side-effects: https://c60-france.com/media_upload/C60-Fullerene-in-oil-is%20non-toxic-toxicite.pdf

Improved brain function: https://c60-france.com/media_upload/C60-Fullerene-improves-brain-function-lifespan-mice-cerveau.pdf

Even with over 25 years of positive finding and benefits of C-60 Fullerene, the Food and Drug Administration refuses to take C-60 off of experimental status. No positive health claims are allowed to be made for it!

At SquirrelNutrition.com I've been giving my 11 ½ year old Eastern Gray squirrel C-60 daily for a long time and she is still going strong! We're also making this product available for anyone who would like to experiment with it on their own. If you opt to try it, we would appreciate any feedback of anecdotal information about results that we could publish on our website.

For further information please visit http://www.squirrelnutrition.com/carbon60.html

<![CDATA[How To Potentially Add Years To The Life Of Your Squirrel or Rodent Pet!]]>Mon, 19 Aug 2019 03:09:36 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/how-to-potentially-add-years-to-the-life-of-your-squirrelUPDATE ON THIS BLOG: Good News! At the end of this Article I've placed a link to where you can purchase Carbon-60 for your Rodent pet. This is the same brand I use on my 12-year-old Gray Squirrel!.........Bill

As a passionate caregiver to an 12-year-old squirrel and an avid Rehabber of orphaned squirrels, I am always on the lookout for things that can add to the health and longevity to my rodent friends! My research over the last 12 years has led me to such things as the Lauric and Capric Acid contained in the unprocessed oil of the coconut and the antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral quality of Colloidal Silver!

But, nothing compares to the research I recently discovered research that was conducted on rodents, (rats and mice,) that left me with my mouth hanging open! There is a substance called “C-60 Fullerene” which was discovered back in the 1930's that was tested on Rodents. During 25 years of testing, researchers never found C-60 to produce any toxic side effects in the rodents. What they did discover was that the rats given the C-60 lived almost twice as long as the rats who did not receive it. The following is the research abstract that stated that their finding were that it almost doubled their lifespan.

That's not the only thing they found! In the following study, rodents were given cancer by transplanting cancerous tissues into various parts of their body. What they found in the group given C-60 was that the cancers were prevented from metastasizing, (spreading!)

In the next study it was found that C-60 improved cardiac function probably due to it superior antioxidant properties. It improved perfusion of heart muscle and had a positive effect on the cardiovascular system!

The following study was conducted to determine if there were any toxic side effects producible by giving large doses of C-60. A group of rats were given various doses of C-60 ranging from 1 mg. All the way up to 1000 mg per day. None of the rats showed any toxic side-effects and they all continued to eat and drink in their usual manner. The ones given 1000 mg per day put on some weight and had some color changes to their stool, but went back to normal when the C-60 was withdrawn! The bottom line was that no toxic side-effects were found with C-60!

The last abstract from research on C-60 has to do with improving cognitive function in mice. This one is a bit technical, but what they did was raise mice that were specifically bred to study changes in their genes as they age. Apparently, these mice are given a synthetic enzyme to speed up the aging process of their brains and they test their cognitive and memory functions on a Morris Water Maze to determine how well they learn and remember. They found that the rodents given C-60 performed better on the Maze in addition to extending their life. The research attributed this to C-60's ability to counter Oxidative stress.

I read in another study that C-60 has been found to be over 150 times more potent than Vitamin C in combating oxidative stress in cellular and tissue function. It also has been found to have a protective effect on the ends of DNA strands. The importance of this comes into play when DNA needs to replicate itself in the formation of new body tissues, Oxidative stress attacks the ends of the DNA strands so that when they replicate, they produce a damaged strand of DNA. It's like making a photocopy of a page, then, using the copy each time to make another copy. Over time, you can hardly recognize what the original page looked like. This damage is what scientists attribute to the changes in our body as we age.

C-60 has the potential for slowing this aging process way down and appears to be the reason that this research has shown that rodents can almost double their lifespan by being given daily doses of this remarkable substance!

I've been giving it to my 11 ½ year-old Eastern Gray squirrel for the last six months and she has been doing fine. She stays very active and seems more alert and stronger. I recently told a man about it who had a squirrel that had a head injury and seemed to be suffering from petite-mal seizures where it would just stare-off into space and seemed to become disassociated from reality. He decided on his own to try it on his squirrel and was happy to report to that his squirrel was acting more normal now and that the symptoms have dissipated!

Even though this stuff has been around for almost 90 years and numerous studies have shown great potential for all the benefits listed above, nothing has been done to officially approve it for human or animal use. Therefore, it can only be sold for experimental use and no health or benefit claims can be made about it.

As promised, below is the link where you can purchase Carbon-60 for your Rodent friend!
I've been using it now for over 6 months on my 12-year-old squirrel and she has been doing fine with zero adverse side-effects! I give her 15 drops a day in her food.
Get yours today and keep me posted on your results by leaving a comment on this post!

A link to the brand we use can be found on our Product Page.

<![CDATA[What To Feed Squirrels To Keep Them Healthy]]>Sun, 11 Aug 2019 02:47:58 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/what-to-feed-squirrels-to-keep-them-healthy
What to feed squirrels is a question I receive almost every day at SquirrelNutrition.com! I've learned a few things over the past 11 years of feeding squirrels, especially since I still have the same squirrel I found frozen in the snow 11 ½ years ago and she is still bright-eyed and bushy-tailed! So, I think I know a little bit about how to feed and care for them to keep them healthy!

The first thing to know is that squirrels are predominantly herbivores, so vegetation makes up a large part of their natural diet. But, that doesn't mean that they never eat animal protein. They need quality protein in their diet to maintain their muscles and hair growth. In the wild, they will eat bugs and worms and even raid bird's nests to eat either the eggs or young hatchlings

Squirrels have unique dietary needs in that they also need a regular source of quality calcium to stay healthy. The reason is that their incisors teeth grow continuously throughout their life at a rate of ¼ to 3/8th inch per month. This tooth growth requires 20 to 40 mg. Of quality calcium per day just to maintain this growth. Pregnant or lactating females require twice that amount. There are high calcium vegetation such as Kale that can help provide calcium, but eating bird's eggs and baby birds can also supplement their calcium needs.

Unfortunately, vegetation and nestling birds and eggs are only available for a short time every year, so squirrels are vulnerable to low blood calcium most of the year. If humans don't help them out with this need, a squirrel's body will pull calcium from their bones and they end up dying of a painful condition called Metabolic Bone Disease. When their bones become depleted of calcium they become lame and usually fall out of the trees and shatter their brittle, calcium depleted bones.

Sunlight is also needed to help squirrels synthesize Vitamin D. Vitamin D also plays a key role in the absorption of Calcium, so 20 minutes of direct sunlight per day is imperative for squirrels that are kept in the house, or, a suitable full spectrum light will help with this need. There was an excellent article that appeared on SquirrelRefuge.org that explains Metabolic Bone Disease and the importance of feeding foods that have the correct Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio. It also has a list of common foods fed to squirrels along with their Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio

At SquirrelNutrition.com we have spent the last 11 years learning and testing foods and Natural substances that can be used to keep squirrels healthy and to treat various conditions that are common to squirrels. We also provide recipes and food lists that are available on request by using one of our handy request forms! We answer all squirrel questions and help to teach people how to care for orphaned babies all the way up to elderly squirrels like our girl Lucky.

We offer a full range of Squirrel Nutrition Products designed to keep your squirrel(s) healthy and happy! Come check us out at http://SquirrelNutrition.com!
<![CDATA[August 10th, 2019]]>Sun, 11 Aug 2019 02:47:14 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/august-10th-2019<![CDATA[What A Squirrel Can Teach You About Surviving A Mass Shooting!]]>Thu, 08 Aug 2019 03:13:34 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/what-a-squirrel-can-teach-you-about-surviving-a-mass-shootingI never thought that I would ever need to write a Blog Article like this but it seems like the evil present in our world, that has no value for human life, has left us as vulnerable to being killed as a squirrel sitting in the middle of a busy street!

Being near the bottom of the food chain would make you think that squirrels are an easy target. But, ask any squirrel hunter and you will soon realize that killing a squirrel is no easy task! It takes infinite patience and many hours of waiting to bag a squirrel. It also requires that the hunter enter the woods as unnoticed as possible because they will never get a shot at a squirrel that has observed them coming into the woods!

The only ones they will ever have a chance at are ones moving from other areas as they forage for food, and then, only if they stay unobserved by these wary animals. This survival habit of squirrels is what makes them such a difficult animal to kill. And, if you observe and adopt the techniques squirrels use to stay alive, you too can make yourself very difficult to kill!

The first technique squirrels use is their ability to be aware of what is going on around them and to take note of changes in their environment. Squirrels have a distinct advantage over humans in that they have a 180 degree visual field. This is because of where their eyes are located on their head. With just the slightest turn of their head, they can observe what is going on behind them.

If you have ever taken self-defense or military training you would recognize this technique as “situational awareness” or being aware of what is going on around you. In this day and age, being distracted and unaware of what is going on around you can literally get you killed. I cringe when I walk or drive down a street and see young girls and boys walking with their noses buried in their phones either texting or reading their social media, totally unaware of what is going on around them, not realizing that they are prime targets for abduction or other evil schemes.

The same for adults who are texting or talking on their phones while driving. They are many more times more likely to be involved in a motor vehicle crash than someone who is situationally aware. A squirrel constantly scans it's environment looking for things that don't fit or are out of the ordinary. If a squirrel sees a hunter sitting on a log fidgeting with his phone or swatting at a mosquito, it will silently start flicking it's tail, ( a technique called flagging,) which catches the attention of every other squirrel in the area that something is not right. That hunter is going to go home empty-handed!

When you are out in public, especially when you are with a bunch of other people, you are in a prime location for a disaster. This is when you should be in a heightened state of situational awareness, which requires a tremendous amount of self-discipline, because you are usually doing something where everyone is having fun. Too much alcohol can also decrease your ability to be aware of what is going on around you! You should be looking for, and listening for things that don't fit. Like, if someone walks in with a mask on and carrying a gun, you need to be aware and take immediate action!

This brings up the second technique that squirrels utilize that gives them the survival edge. They always place themselves where they have the best view of what is going on. If I go out to my backyard to feed some of my friendly squirrels and give a squirrel a piece of food, they will always take the food and move to a location where they have a better view of what is going on. Often it is 5 or 6 feet up a tree and then they hang upside down by their back feet and will eat the food while constantly keeping watch for danger.

When you enter a public place, it's a good practice to position yourself in a location where you can see what is going on and be able to see who is entering the building. An ideal location would be far away from the main entrance, but very close to an emergency exit! Making yourself aware of where emergency exits are located can literally save your life! That's why airlines have their attendants review emergency procedures and locations of exits before you take off.

The last technique you can learn from a squirrel is how to escape when impending danger is upon them. There are two evasive techniques squirrels use when danger is present. The first is a straight-line run technique. If a squirrel senses danger they will make a bee-line run for a tree and get the tree between them and the perceived danger. The other technique they use is when the danger is seen and bearing down on them. This can be seen when a squirrel is in a street and a car is bearing down on them. They will do a zigzag maneuver. When a predator is closing-in, and about to attack, the zigzag maneuver makes them very difficult to catch.

The application here is that if you observe early something bad about to happen, make a bee-line for an exit that is opposite to where the danger is located. If the danger is immanent, ( like someone shooting the place up,) and you make a break for the exit, don't run in a straight line, that makes you an easy target. Stay low to make yourself a smaller target and zigzag which makes you a more difficult target to hit.

From what I have read about the recent mass shootings where the perpetrators wore body armor I'm amazed that they were not seen by people sooner! I mean someone wearing body armor and carrying a high powered rifle had to stand out like a sore thumb! Were people so distracted that they didn't realize what was going down until these deranged individuals opened fire?

Obviously, there are people out there that do not value human life, that are seeking to take out as many as they can. Unfortunately, even when police respond in record time, there can still be many wounded and killed. People need to stop being so distracted that they lose their situational awareness! Take a lesson from the squirrels, become aware of what is going on around you wherever you are! It just might save your life!

<![CDATA[Hair and Skin Problems In Squirrels]]>Sun, 04 Aug 2019 23:29:57 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/hair-and-skin-problems-in-squirrels
I get emails all the time from people describing various problems with hair loss or thinning of hair on the squirrels in their yard or ones they are raising or retaining in their house. These can range from simple thinning to bald spots or even bloody and scabbed areas of missing hair.
There are several reasons why squirrels experience hair loss that can range from a fungus infection to parasitic infestation and even vitamin deficiency and dietary problems. They can even lose hair by repeated physical activity!
There is a fungal infection called “Dermatophytosis” that is commonly found in squirrels. A fungus requires moisture and warmth to grow. Dermatophytosis is common in the Spring of the year and whenever the weather produces warm and moist conditions. Dermatophytosis attacks the hair shaft at the skin line causing the hair shaft to become brittle so that it easily breaks off. It also produces a mild itch that will cause the squirrel to scratch and bite at the area. This action causes the hair to break off and leave a bald area. There is usually not much skin irritation or scabbing. Just bald spots that spread as the fungus spreads and the squirrel keeps scratching. If this is found on a captive squirrel, one way to make the diagnosis is to grasp a few hairs on the edge of a bald spot and give them a gentle tug. If they break off, it is probably Dermatophytosis.
No treatment is mandatory for Dermatophytosis because the squirrel's immune system will eventually overcome it. I would not recommend seeking a prescription anti-fungal medication for this condition because the potential side-effects of most of these products are worse than the disease.

I use a couple of natural products that are completely safe to use, yet are very effective at treating a fungus. One is cold-pressed organic Coconut Oil. It's important that it is cold-pressed and unprocessed because processing and heat destroys the substances that kill fungus. Another substance that can be added to the squirrel's water and applied topically is Colloidal Silver. Both of these substances can be found on our Product Page.
Another cause of hair loss in squirrels is a parasitic infestation of Mange Mites or Sarcoptic Mange. The insect that causes this is called Sarcoptes scabiei. They can only be transmitted skin-to-skin by close contact and squirrels pass them to each other when they sleep together in cold weather. The mites cannot live off of a warm host for more than an hour and are incapable of jumping from one squirrel to another. A massive infestation to a squirrel can be life-threatening because they are blood-feeding insects and can produce anemia and a weakened immune system. Since they borough under the skin, they cause intense itching which often results in open wounds and scabbing. ( Note: If you have squirrels in a cage that have never been with wild squirrels, it is impossible for them to get Mange!)
There are two ways to treat Mange. The quick way is to use a tiny dose of Ivermectin 1.87% This is recommended in massive infestations where the squirrel's life is endangered.
The other way to treat it is to add a couple teaspoons of Colloidal Silver to the squirrel's drinking water. It doesn't kill the adult mites but will weaken the cell wall of their eggs so that the killer T-Cells of the immune system can penetrate and destroy the larvae. When the adults die, the infestation is gone!
Another thing that can cause hair thinning and loss is low Vitamin D levels. Squirrels synthesize Vitamin D from exposure to direct sunlight, (not through glass.) Glass filters out the spectrum of light needed for this synthesis to take place. We have found that a simple incandescent plant light shining on the squirrel's cage for 4 to 6 hours a day helps the squirrel synthesize Vitamin D. (Note: Oral supplementation of Vitamin D is not recommended because of the difficulty of proper dosing and the distinct possibility of damage to the squirrel's liver!)
Squirrels can experience hair loss and thinning from dietary problems. Excessive salt in the diet can cause the hair to thin and fall out especially in the tail. Squirrels should never be fed salted nuts! Nuts should be raw or unsalted and should comprise no more than 20% of their daily intake of food.
The other dietary cause of hair thinning an loss is hypoprotinuria. This simply means not enough quality protein in the diet. This is a biggie, because there is a misconception out there in the squirrel rhetoric that says that squirrels are strict herbivores and should never be fed anything resembling meat protein. Yet, if you study the dietary habits of squirrels in the wild, you will find that they eat bugs and worms and have been known to raid bird's nests to eat bird's eggs and even baby birds. This activity points out the fact that they cross-over and eat protein.
We discovered this with our 11-year-old blind squirrel recently because she was losing muscle mass and had chronic fur missing from the top of her feet. She also had stopped gnawing so we were having to feed her a dental soft diet and trim her teeth every couple months.
I decided to try adding raw egg yolk to her diet by mixing it in to the soft food balls that we are feeding her. After a couple of weeks she started to put back on muscle weight and now the hair that was missing from her feet is starting to grow back in!
So, squirrels do need high quality protein to keep their muscles strong and to facilitate hair growth!
Squirrels can also lose hair from habitual activity like gnawing at cage wire. When a squirrel wants out of a cage they will often run their teeth up and down the vertical wires of their cage. If they are able to get their nose between the wires, you will often find fur missing from the top of their nose. This loss is caused by their nose rubbing up and down an adjacent parallel wire on the cage.
This sums up most of the reason why and how squirrels lose hair. If you have any questions about squirrels and their behavior you can always check the list of Blog topics on my website http://SquirrelNutrition.com or contact me by e-mail at SquirrelHelp@Gmail.com.
We're always willing to help with your squirrel questions!
<![CDATA[Why Did My Baby Squirrel Suddenly Die?]]>Thu, 16 Aug 2018 17:40:41 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/why-did-my-baby-squirrel-suddenly-dieI get this question a lot from people who write and tell me that the baby squirrel they recently found was fine one day and the next day it quit eating and went downhill and died. Many of them relate that when they inquired to a local Rehabber they were “brow beaten” and told that they obviously were feeding the squirrel the wrong diet and were left with a guilt trip that they killed the baby by not feeding it right!

I'm here to tell you that this diet related death myth is total BS and pure hogwash!

I always tell new caregivers of baby squirrels to be forewarned. Do not get too attached to them for at least 2 weeks! This is the voice of experience from the realization that, unless you know first-hand that the babies did not suffer any injuries from when they fell from its mother's nest, there is always the possibility of a baby squirrel going down-hill suddenly and dying. They can be fine one day, and dead the next.

Unknowing and ignorant Rehabbers are quick to blame new squirrel caregivers with a guilt trip about feeding them the wrong formula. But, my 40+ years of Surgical and Emergency experience has carried over to my avocation as a Squirrel Rehabber.

I learned early-on that there are people out there that don't know what they are talking about with their "knee-jerk" assumptions. The reason I know is that I know how to conduct an autopsy to find a cause of death! I've seen enough of them, and participated in enough of them and scrubbed in on enough trauma cases and know enough physiology to know that people and animals don't go down-hill and die suddenly from drinking or being fed milk or formula.

When baby squirrels are fine one day and the next they go into shock and die, I know it is more than formula that killed them! So, I open them up to see what kind of problem caused the death. Most times it was delayed internal bleeding from blunt trauma to the abdomen. Internal organs have a tough membrane around them called "fascia," which will contain bleeding into the organ when it is injured. Baby squirrels are tough little troopers in that they can act completely normal with an injured liver, spleen, or kidney. The problem comes when either the fascia or the organ starts to fail.

If there is a significant amount of bleeding into an organ, and the fascia breaks down, it causes the organ to leak blood. The animal rapidly becomes so anemic that they die of hypovolemic shock. These babies suddenly stop eating because free blood in the abdomen is very nauseating. They also become difficult to keep warm because peripheral blood is being shunted to the internal organs to keep them going. So, the baby feels cold to the touch.

Organ failure is a little slower but the end result is the same! I've only had one baby that had me stumped. I would find it sleeping outside of the blanket nest every morning. Soon, I realized that it was breathing rapidly and seemed short of breath and needed to be out where there was more oxygen. After another week I found it dead.

Since shortness of breath and rapid respiration were its primary symptoms, I suspected a lung contusion. I checked it's internal organs and found them to be in perfect shape, so I extended my investigation to the chest cavity and found the lungs to be in perfect shape. I was about to chalk-it-up to "unknown" until I separated the lungs to look at the heart.

There it was! The fascia surrounding the heart was full of dark blood, a condition called "Pericardial Tamponade." A very small blood vein had been torn loose and very slowly leaked blood into the pericardial sac. It eventually built up enough pressure to start squeezing the heart so that it became difficult to pump blood. If blood isn't pumped efficiently through the lungs, shortness of breath and tachypnea, (rapid breathing,) become the symptoms.

I say all this not to brag, but to let you know that I know what I'm talking about, and to assure you that if your squirrel suddenly goes downhill and dies, it's not your fault or what you fed them.

I wrote a Blog article 5 years ago about feeding babies. I never bought the myth that milk was bad to feed a baby squirrel nor that a baby needs vitamins during its nursing phase. Because I learned back in College during "Early Childhood Care 101," that all suckling mammals synthesize everything they need for growth and development from the fat, protein, carbohydrates, calcium, and simple sugars contained within their mother's milk or formula.

When a baby is born, it is only developed enough to live and breathe outside the womb. But, it is far from fully developed and there are tissues and organs that still need to develop and mature. The liver during this time is also immature, but, being the master chemist of the body, has a unique ability during this time to synthesize everything that is needed to complete the maturation and development of the tissues and organs from these simple raw ingredients.

I can still hear my professor tell us that, " All vitamins do during this time of synthesis is make expensive urine!" I've searched and searched online for corroboration of what I learned back 40+ years ago, but current textbooks conveniently leave this out!

But, I did manage to dig up an ancient study of squirrel breast milk conducted by the Ohio State University that proved that cow's milk with added milk fat is the closest thing you can find to squirrel breast milk. Between this study and another separate study, they found that squirrel breast milk is up to 24% milk fat. This study is what I base my formula recipe upon.

Here is the link to my Blog article. The link to the Ohio State Study is in the article. Please draw your own conclusions!

The thing I want you to take away from this article is that if your baby squirrel suddenly died for no apparent reason there actually was a reason that was not your fault. And don't let anyone try to convince you that it is!!

I'm not in the pocket of any formula manufacturer so I have no financial ties or interest in promoting their products unlike State Rehab organizations that receive funds for promoting certain products.
<![CDATA[When a Squirrel Has Blood In Its Urine]]>Sun, 01 Jul 2018 01:44:42 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/when-a-squirrel-has-blood-in-its-urineOn or around April 2 of this year, (2018,) I received an e-mail from a man named Mark who informed me that he had a Chipmunk with blood in its urine. He had taken the animal to his Veterinarian who had tried several courses of antibiotics none of which had remedied the situation. I suggested to him that he try to catch a urine specimen on the animal and have it analyzed for the possibility of kidney stones or crystals in the urine.

From what he described, it did not sound good! His animal was bloated and passing blood in its urine. Apparently, the Veterinarian was able to get a sample of blood on the animal and also found that it had an elevated blood sugar level.

My first impression was that this animal was probably going to die because he was feeding it a normal diet that did not include anything but simple plant sugars, so for it to have an elevated blood sugar it probably meant that its pancreas was shutting down.

After I heard that the urinalysis revealed three different organisms including beta-hemolytic strep, I suspected that the strep was hemolyzing or destroying its red blood cells which were being passed through the kidneys and turning the urine dark.

I suggested to him that he give Colloidal Silver a try and told him how I would give it so as to let him draw his own conclusions as to how he would want to give it.

The gentleman gave me permission to reprint our conversations regarding his Chipmunk. So, here is our conversations:

April 2, 2018
Hi, Mark!
I can't tell you what to do regarding your chipmunk, because I'm not a Veterinarian.

What I can tell you is what I would do, and let you draw your own conclusions.

I can also cite some studies that have been done with Colloidal Silver so that you have information and findings that have been collected from research. Big Pharmaceutical Companies here in the United States have a stranglehold on what research gets funded and what doesn't. Only the research that supports patented medications that can produce a profit are the ones that usually get the funds!

Most of the time,you have to go outside the United States to find any credible studies about Colloidal Silver. But, here's one that was conducted in the Pathology Dept. of West Virginia University:

Colloidal Silver Kills 49 Different Strains of Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs!

“In this clinical study titled “The Antimicrobial Efficacy of Silver on Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Isolated From Burn Wounds,” conducted by researchers at the Department of Pathology at West Virginia University, and published in the International Wound Journal in October 2012, a total of 49 different antibiotic-resistant bacteria were isolated from burn wounds and tested against silver. These deadly, drug-resistant pathogens included Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, multi-drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, multi-drug-resistant Vibrio sp, drug-resistant Klebsiella pneumonia, drug-resistant Escherichia coli, multi-drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and 42 others. After exposing these drug-resistant pathogens to antimicrobial silver the researchers concluded, “…all forty-nine antibiotic-resistant bacteria showed susceptibility to the antimicrobial activity of silver…”

The problem is, even when these studies get published in Journals they stay buried there because Big Pharmaceutical companies are not interested in promoting or producing things they cannot patent!

If the Chipmunk is doing fine on Colloidal Silver, I would keep doing what you are doing and have him retested in a month. If he still tested positive for anything, I would add an antibiotic to the mix. Colloidal Silver has been found to work in synergy with most prescription medications.



April 2
Dear Bill,

This is excellent! Exactly the info I needed!

I suspected as much, that at the end of the day it seems that colloidal silver, (despite its obvious curative characteristics,) is being put aside in favor of antibiotic medications, ( produced of course by the big corporations,) so that the name of the game is big profit!

And, on top of that, I believe colloidal silver can and will kill the bacteria isolated in the urine!

Thank-you again for the info! I am aware that you are not a Veterinarian, nevertheless your advice I believe is true and a much healthier way to go with my Chip!

Moreover, it is significant that my own Vet has specifically suggested to me to check with you about a further course of action, stating clearly that he also values the quality of your opinion as an expert on squirrels. He was really surprised about the curative effect of silver (they probably uses only antibiotics in cases like this,) and his advice is basically the same as yours, but I wanted to know your opinion because it's very important to me!

Incidentally, how long can I give him colloidal silver in water? Are there any time limitations in your experience, side effects?

Thanks again, and best!


April 3
Hi, Mark!
I put a few drops of Colloidal Silver in all of my squirrels water bowls and lick-tube bottles on a regular basis. It keeps bacteria and algae from growing in the water. Studies have shown that silver is excreted from the body in the same way as other trace metals such as iron, magnesium, selenium, etc. They are excreted, through the urine, sweat,and the gut.

There are no know allergic reactions or tolerance resistance associated with colloidal silver. The only known side-effect is a condition called “Argeria,” which is a silver/blue coloration to the skin that could occur from drinking more colloidal silver than the body can excrete. In other words, this only can happen if someone massively overdosed on it, ( and I'm talking gallons of it over an extended period of time!)



April 12
Dear Bill,

Hi! According to your instructions, I had his urine analyzed, it was negative regarding calcium oxalate crystals (so no stones). That's the good news!

The bad news is that they also did a bacterial analysis of the urine. They found 3 different organisms, :Staphylococus aureus, Enterococcus, and beta-hemolytic Streptoccus (10⁵ CFU/ml).
The urine sample was collected on the 5th of this month, (April,) and I started giving him colloidal silver on 3rd of April up until today, ( April 12,) a total of 9 days.

Do you think I should continue to give him silver? Can it even kill those bacteria? Or, should I go back to giving antibiotics? He had two courses of antibiotics. The first was Feb 13 to 27 and the second March 18 to 31. Both were unsuccessful.

The Vet suggested that I ask you for a further course of action, ( by the way,he was surprised about silver as a treatment!)

The chippie seems better since starting the silver, no more blood in urine, he's no longer puffed and is eating normally.

So, what do I do,Silver or antibiotics?

Best, Mark


April 12
Hi, Mark!

As I had said before, if the Chipmunk is doing fine on Colloidal Silver, I would keep doing what you are doing and have him retested in a month. If he still tested positive for anything, I would add an antibiotic to the mix. Colloidal Silver has been found to work in synergy with other medications.



June 29, 2018

Dear Bill,

I just wanted to inform you that my little furry friend is fully OK, he's completely recovered, even sugar levels are normal , all thanks to the amazing properties of the silver!

All this, much to my Vets disbelief! His prognosis was a quick and painful death, fortunately, he was completely!wrong!

I do hope he'll prescribe silver as future remedy to other patients but I'm not sure of that, he's not really convinced, (Vet school apparently does not take silver seriously on account that only prescription medications are recommended as we previously discussed).

I wanted to thank you again for you help, it was literally a lifesaver!

God bless you and your family!
Best, Mark


If anyone reading this has a physical problem with one of their animals or even for themselves and would like to try Colloidal Silver please contact me at SquirrelNutrition@Yahoo.com.

You can buy Colloidal Silver at any Health Food Store, but be prepared for sticker shock! Most places charge $20.00 to $30.00 for 4 ounces. We sell 4 ounces for $6.95 with postage it is an even $10.00.

We would love to hear more success stories from all of you!

To your health,


<![CDATA[Baby Squirrels - The Forgotten Victims of a Hurricane]]>Fri, 01 Dec 2017 00:57:32 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/baby-squirrels-the-forgotten-victims-of-a-hurricane

Late Summer is the beginning of hurricane season. It's also the time that late-season baby squirrels are born. Unfortunately, most of these babies are birthed in nests made of leaves. The high winds of hurricanes rip these nest to pieces displacing thousands of newly born squirrels all over the ground.

Most people in hurricane-devastated areas are so occupied with gathering up what is left of their own belongings that they totally miss the naked little bodies of these precious mammals laying among the rubble. Those that are found are often taken to local wildlife rehabilitation services that rapidly become inundated with hundred of tiny little hungry mouths to feed.

After Hurricane Irma hit Florida this year, one Northern Florida rehabilitation facility had over 500 baby squirrels dropped off at their facility. They were so overwhelmed with babies that they were begging for local residents to come and foster these infants. Unfortunately, most were given only basic instructions on how to feed them which left them to struggle with the many unanswered questions that come with trying raise and release a squirrel back to the wild.

Many people don't realize the role and impact a healthy squirrel population plays in keeping the overall ecology healthy. Squirrels are near the bottom of the food chain. A healthy population equals a healthy population all the way up the food chain. When this population is devastated by storms like Irma and Harvey when they ripped through Texas, Louisiana, and Florida, the whole population of wildlife suffers! It can take years for wildlife numbers to recover.

My wife and I have spent the last 10 years rehabbing squirrels and returning them to the wild. We also assist people who are raising squirrels by providing online advice, recipes and education about how to raise and release healthy squirrels. We answer every e-mail and question that comes to our e-mail address, and have helped thousands of individuals with their squirrel questions.

We have a dream of taking this service on the road. To have a mobile classroom that we could take into areas of Natural Disasters to aid in the rescue of orphaned squirrels by educating the people who are willing to foster these babies. To be able educate caregivers by "hands-on" demonstration in the care and feeding of babies and answer any and all questions about their care.

This is a monumental task and something that we simply cannot do on our own. What we need are sponsors who have the love and vision of wanting to help these forgotten victims of storms. At present I bring in only a little over $1200.00 between my Pension and Social Security and the little we make by selling our Squirrel Nutrition Products. My wife and I want to spend the rest of our lives helping people help orphaned squirrels!

We've set up a "Go Fund Me" account to raise money to provide for a Toy Hauler trailer set up as a mobile classroom and a truck big enough to haul it wherever we need to go to save baby squirrels.

The title of our Go-Fund-Me is "For the Love of a Squirrel." We are passionate about squirrels and hope that you will find it in your heart to share our passion. Please come visit us at our website, http://www.SquirrelNutrition.com.

If you have any questions or comments you can always reach me at SquirrelNutrition@Yahoo.com]]>
<![CDATA[Why Did I Find a Baby Squirrel In My Yard?]]>Thu, 02 Feb 2017 05:15:51 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/why-did-i-find-a-baby-squirrel-in-my-yardI felt compelled to write and article about orphaned baby squirrels, mainly because it is the first of February, and this is the month when female squirrels start having their babies. It’s also the month when people start hearing the patter of little feet in their attics.

Female squirrels that are pregnant, go into nesting mode looking for a dry, safe place to have their babies. If your house has an unprotected access to your attic from outside, you are a prime candidate for unwelcome tenants in your attic or crawl space.

At this time of year, an attic has everything a mother squirrel would desire. It’s dry, it’s protected, it has an abundance of materials for shredding to make a nest, it’s even warm, by squirrel standards, from heat escaping from warm rooms below.

The danger this poses to your house is twofold. First is the destructive behavior of building a nest, A female will find and shred any materials in your attic to build a nest. The second is the need of squirrels to gnaw to wear down their ever growing Incisors teeth. If they happen to gnaw on exposed wiring, it is possible for a squirrel to electrocute and set fire to themselves and your house.

There’s also the possibility that a mother squirrel could be killed while she is out foraging for food, and leaving a litter of orphaned babies in your attic that could number up to six. If they don’t find their way out, they will die and decompose in your attic, creating a smell that you won’t forget!

This brings me to the subject of the reasons why people find orphaned squirrel. As I already stated, if a mother squirrel dies, or is killed, her babies will leave the nest when they get hungry. In their wanderings, they fall out of the nest, or in the case of being born in your attic, they may find the attic access hole and fall to the ground. Often, these are never found, and either die or get eaten by cats, birds of prey or other predators.

Babies that are born in leaf nests, ( or Drays as they are called,) are some of the most vulnerable to being eaten or orphaned. Believe it or not, the greatest predators these babies face, are Crows. This is because Crows are intelligent and cunning birds that pre-plan their predation. There are many videos on YouTube that show just how intelligent and cunning these birds are. One of the most eye opening for me, was a study of just how smart the are: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89C5gsdaSXg

After watching this study, I realized that they were the reason why I found my first squirrel, and, why they are the number one reason why a baby squirrel rarely survives to see its first birthday. Crows, with their powers of observation, are able to pre-plan exactly when to attack leaf nests to snatch and eat baby squirrels.

They sit and observe female squirrels when they are in their nesting phase. A female will make multiple nests so she has a primary, and back-up nests to move her babies to if one gets damaged by weather, or if she feels unsafe in any way. The crows will watch when she confines herself to give birth. A female will nurse her newborns for up to two weeks straight after giving birth, never leaving the nest while they triple in size and start getting hair on their naked body. When the time is right, she will leave them for short periods of time to go eat and drink.

This is when the crows know to swoop in and tear the nest apart to snatch the babies. They throw the babies all over the ground before the mother is able to get back to the nest. The screeches from her babies send her into a panic mode, While she scrambles to try to retrieve her babies, the crows double team her. Several will keep her occupied on the ground, while others go around and pick up her babies one at a time and fly off with them to be eaten.

This is a cruel fact of Nature that has gone on for centuries. If predation doesn’t get to them, the weather can. High winds are another reason baby squirrels get orphaned. Leaf nests are very vulnerable to wind and heavy rain. I always know that when a hurricane or bad thunder storms go through an area during birthing season, I’m going to get hundreds of e-mails from people who have rescued an orphaned squirrel or two. They go out after a storm to assess damage, and hear babies screeching for their mother.

Tree climbing snakes and raccoons are also predators that prey on baby squirrels. It’s really amazing that any baby squirrels survive being born in a leaf nest! If they are not born in a hollowed out den in a tree, or in your attic,  it’s not a surprise that the statistic, "that it’s rare for a baby squirrel to survive to see its first birthday," is true.

Squirrel populations wax and wane based upon the number of predators and the availability of food. If you enjoy having squirrels around, feeding them well is a sure way to keep the ones you have healthy. If you want to keep the population numbers in your area healthy, consider putting up a squirrel box or two.

A squirrel box provides a dry, safe location for a female squirrel to give birth, and protect her babies from predation. If you keep her well fed, she will have healthy babies that will populate your yard. A healthy squirrel population keeps animals all the way up the food chain healthy. As much as I love squirrels, and hate to see them killed, I also know that I cannot preserve and protect all of them.

I have modified the behavior of crows in my area by scaring them out of my neighborhood by using bottle rockets when ever they come around, so they pretty much leave my area alone. The results I’ve had are amazing and my population of squirrels is quite impressive. That, coupled with numerous squirrel boxes around my property, has made my backyard a haven for squirrels, much to the delight of my wife and myself.

For information about Squirrel Boxes, we offer free plans for building them, plus free information about feeding them the right way. To request any information, we have a contact form on the bottom of our home page of our website:﻿ http://www.squirrelnutrition.com/﻿ .

There is also information on how to obtain a Squirrel Box Kit:

Or even a finished Squirrel Box on our Squirrel Mall: http://www.squirrelnutrition.com/squirrel-mall.html

<![CDATA[How To Keep Squirrels Out of Your Attic.]]>Tue, 13 Dec 2016 04:16:37 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/how-to-keep-squirrels-out-of-your-atticI have people write to me all the time, complaining about squirrels living in their attic, and wanting to know what to do about them. Invariably, it is Winter, and they start hearing the patter of little feet, or the sound of chewing, that alerts them to this problem.

In this situation, it is almost always a pregnant female squirrel, who is looking for a safe, dry location to have her babies, and has somehow found an entrance into your attic space. So, the first order of business, is to find where the squirrel has gained access, so that you will know what needs to be corrected once the squirrel has gone.

The dangers of allowing a squirrel to occupy your attic are many. They can make a mess of items you have stored their, many times shredding cloth and paper to use in making a nest. But, the biggest danger of allowing a squirrel to live in your attic, is the danger of fire. Being animals that need to gnaw to wear down their Incisors teeth, all it takes is for them to bite in to an exposed wire, shorting it out and electrocuting themselves. Many times the arching of electricity through their teeth can set fire to their fur and ignite a fire in your attic.

If you opt for professional removal, make sure that you select a service who will humanely remove the mother and babies without doing any harm to them. Professionals who do this usually use a system where the entrance hole is fitted with a one way exit, that allows the female squirrel to exit, but not return to the attic space. They collect the babies and place them in a warmed holding box that is located adjacent  to the exit, then check on a regular basis to make sure the mother has collected her babies and moved them to a backup nest.

After the eviction from the attic, the entrance area needs to be repaired, and/or covered with heavy cage wire to prevent future tenants from a repeat performance.

The best way to prevent squirrels from entering your house, is to give them exactly what they are looking for, before they consider moving in with you. And, that is a safe and dry place to give birth to their young.

A squirrel  nesting box or two placed in trees on your property fulfills that need very effectively. It’s a wooden box with a 3 inch entrance hole, and a predator guard placed just inside the hole. It should be constructed in such a way that it can be cleaned out after the tenant vacates the box. Squirrel nesting Boxes are mainly used during the early birthing season of February/ March, but rarely used during the second birthing season of July/August, because of the heat. ( Heat is also the reason that a squirrel will not use your attic during the Summer.)  
On our website, we offer a full range  of Squirrel House options. On the bottom of our Home page,( http://SquirrelNutrition.com,) is a contact form where you can contact us to request a FREE copy of our Nesting Box Plans.

We also offer a convenient Kit, that contains all the pieces to construct the Squirrel Box featured in our FREE plans, for only $22.95 plus shipping.

And, if you prefer a pre-made box, on our Squirrel Mall, we offer a beautiful custom made Squirrel Box for only $49.95, which includes shipping!

<![CDATA[ Why Does My Squirrel Not Eat Its Nut Square / Nut Ball ]]>Sat, 30 Jul 2016 00:41:14 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/-why-does-my-squirrel-not-eat-its-nut-square-nut-ballPicture
Why a squirrel will not eat a Nut Square / Nut Ball is a question that I am sometimes asked. Since the answer can be multifaceted, I decided to address it here in my Blog.

I've often said that raising a squirrel is much like raising a child. The difference is that what takes place over 18 years with a child, takes place in a year or less with a squirrel. The main similarity is that squirrels, like children, have their own distinct likes and dislikes. They also have their own distinct personalities. One squirrel can be very sweet and compliant, while another can be a royal terror.

The idea of personal likes and dislikes can be seen when you raise multiple squirrels at one time over a long period of time. You observe that what one squirrel will eat, another one will not touch. It's very obvious that they have their own unique likes and dislikes, and that extends into what they will and will not eat. So, personal tastes can play a role in what foods a squirrel will eat.

One thing that is pretty universal among squirrels is the fact that they like nuts. At first thought, it doesn't seem to make sense that a squirrel would not like a Nut Square, after all, it is over 80% Pecan meal. But, in the process of making them, people put different types of fruit puree in the mix. Some use peaches, some applesauce, some strawberries and even avocado. If the fruit that is used, is not one of the favorites of the squirrel, it is possible that the scent of that fruit in that Nut Square turns them off to eating it.

Another aspect of this likes and dislikes idea is that sometimes a squirrel is overfed. When someone writes with a squirrel feeding problem, I always ask how they feed. Nine times out of ten, the people with a feeding problem provide a smorgasbord of different fruits, vegetables and nuts, and allow their squirrel to pick and choose what it wants to eat. I also ask if their squirrel is allowed to have stashes of food hidden in their cage or habitat. Scatter hoarding, ( hiding food,) is a survival instinct that has no place in a captive situation.

A squirrel that is allowed to pick and choose what it wants to eat, very often becomes a problem eater. This can be a real problem when they refuse to eat something as important as a Nut Square.

There's one more aspect of squirrel behavior that I have observed by having my blind squirrel, Lucky for over the past 8 years. And, that is, that she does not eat a Nut square everyday. There are days that she will not touch it, so, I leave in her cage. What I do notice is, that she will nibble on it, and gradually it will get eaten. I also noticed that if I withhold a Nut Square for several days, she will often accept and eat it. Being blind and inactive makes it difficult to keep her from gaining weight, so we try to keep her in a state of being hungry most of the time, and we limit the amount of food she is allowed to consume.

What this tells me is that squirrels instinctively know and will eat what their body needs. In the wild, if a squirrel is needing calcium it will raid a birds nest and eat an egg, shell and all, or chew on the bones of dead animals. They instinctively know what their body needs and will eat accordingly.

All this brings us back to the question of how to get a captive squirrel to eat healthy. The first step is to quit the smorgasbord, and do progressive feeding. Squirrels in the wild do not get 3 meals a day of unlimited quantity. They eat what they can find and take full advantage of abundant times to prepare for hard times. Survival is the name of the game for wild squirrels.

Hunger is a powerful motivator when it comes to getting a squirrel to eat what you want them to eat. This is how you do progressive feeding:

First, you clean out all food stashes in your squirrel's habitat. Starting the next morning, you serve your Nut Square. If the squirrel turns up its nose at it, that's fine, it stays in the squirrel's bowl until it gets eaten. No other food is given until the Nut Square gets eaten. When the Nut Square is eaten, you bring on the next course. If the squirrel eats it, then the next course is served. This continues until the squirrel doesn't want any more food. Nothing is left in the food bowl.

In the evening, you serve what the squirrel will eat, and nothing more. The next morning, you do the same thing. Squirrels are quick learners. It doesn't take long at all for them to make the connection that eating the Nut Square is the way to get more food.

This is an adaptation of a technique my mother used when I was growing up back in the 1950's. It was a rule for my sisters and I that we had to eat at least one bite of everything that was served for dinner, or we would have to sit at the table until we did. My mother always grew a large garden, so there was always different vegetables that were served at meal times that weren't always our favorites. But, the rule was the rule, and it seemed that I was always the one who was opposing the rule. I think my record was to hold out until 8 PM for a dinner that was served at 6PM. If I remember correctly it was over a bite of eggplant. The bottom line is, today there is no vegetable, ( except for slimy Okra,) that I don't thoroughly enjoy eating!

Apparently, squirrels are quicker learners than I was!

<![CDATA[Deadly Skin Disease in Palm Squirrels]]>Sun, 14 Feb 2016 04:54:35 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/-deadly-skin-disease-in-palm-squirrelsPicture
In late July of 2015 a delightful young lady from Sri Lanka contacted me about a skin disease that she was treating on a female Palm Squirrel named Tishi. She was able to send pictures which revealed some kind of flesh eating disease that had engulfed the squirrel's entire tail, and was advancing onto the lower body. The squirrel was quite ill, and had started chewing the tail off segment by segment.
I had no idea as to what was causing this disease, but was willing to try to help her. After learning what she was treating it with, I made a few suggestions and agreed to send her an Immune system boosting herb to try. Time was not on our side, as it took over 3 weeks for my package to arrive. She was able to start giving the drops, and for a while, the squirrels seemed to be rallying. She said that it's appetite came back, but that there was very little change in the appearance of the disease.

Unfortunately, the treatment was too little, too late, because when the squirrel tried chewing off some of the last segments of the tail, it must have opened the artery and the squirrel lost a considerable amount of blood and died of probable hypovolemic shock secondary to sepsis.

Needless to say, we were both devastated that we were not able to help Tishi! A few days later I received another e-mail from this young lady. She had another Palm Squirrel named Timmy that developed a red, raw lesion on one of it's rear legs. She informed me that this was exactly how Tishi's condition had started, and wanted to know what to do. Since she had the herb drops from Tishi, I told her to start giving it to Timmy in the same amount. She sent me an initial picture of the leg.

About one week later, she sent a second picture. In this picture I saw a considerable amount of induration surrounding the lesion, something that the young lady described as “brewing up.” It somewhat had the appearance of getting worse, but within a few day she wrote and said that the lesion appeared to be going away. And indeed it did completely heal and go away.

Since that time, I have receive numerous inquiries, mainly from India, from people who had other Palm Squirrels with similar skin conditions. Each time I received these inquiries I would have them take pictures of the lesions, then I would forward them to the young lady in Sri Lanka to get her opinion on them. Since she still had a considerable amount of the herb left, she was willing to send some to these people to get their squirrel started on the treatment, so that I would have the time to mail more to replace what she had given.

Unfortunately, these people had waited too long to seek help, and their squirrels were already in an advanced stage of the disease. Every time we tried to make arrangements to send the herb, the squirrel would die before arrangements were made.

Over the past few months I've been doing research on flesh eating diseases that are endemic to that area of the world, and believe that I may have found what is causing this devastating disease in Palm Squirrels. I believe it is a condition called “Cutaneous Leishmaniasis,” a flesh eating parasite that is spread by the bite of sand flies.

I also found that the substance that I used as a diluent, preservative and carrier of the herb that I sent, was an effective treatment for this disease. So, it appears that the combination of these substances are effective in the treatment and cure of this disease.

The problem still remained about the time required to get this to people on time to treat their squirrels before it killed them! I believe that we just may have come up with a solution to this problem!

This same young lady, that initially contacted me about her squirrels, has agreed to join me as an associate and representative in her area of the world. We are in the process of getting her set up to compound and distribute this product to the people of India and Sri Lanka, plus any other area that it may be needed. Instead of a 3 week window, we are now going to be able to cut that time to a week or less!

I'm really excited to welcome this young lady, who's name is Shanaz, as she shares our same love and passion for squirrels! But, also the fact that she shares the same values and care for the people who love these little creatures, and will be helping us fulfill our company motto of, “Loving people, one squirrel at a time!”

If you, or anyone you know has a Palm Squirrel with a skin condition that resembles this, or is not responding to treatment, we have set up a Web page with information, pictures and a contact form that will enable us to get this treatment to you.

Please click HERE to access this page!

<![CDATA[How To Get Squirrels To Be Friendly]]>Sun, 18 Jan 2015 04:03:27 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/january-17th-2015Picture
Many people write and ask me how they can get friendly with the squirrels in their yard.  Establishing a close relationship with your squirrels is important for a number of reasons.  One good reason is that if a squirrel shows any signs of disease you will be able to treat that squirrel with medication and not have to worry about another squirrel receiving the medication.

The second reason that it's good to establish rapport with your squirrels is that you can save a lot of money when it comes to feeding.  If you have a squirrel feeding station, the first squirrel to show up usually hogs all the food.  It's usually a dominant squirrel who will fight off all the others, and either eat all the food, or take and bury it.

The first step in establishing rapport with squirrels is to spend time with them.  Squirrels are more active in the morning and in the evening, so pick a time when you can go out and sit quietly in your yard.  I don't normally recommend feeding peanuts, but peanuts in the shell are easiest to use for this exercise.

When a squirrel enters your yard, get its attention by making a sound.  It can be a vocalization or handheld clicker.  You will need to use the same sound each time to get their attention.  When you have the squirrels attention, throw a peanut in their direction.  The squirrel will soon learn to associate the sound with being fed by you.

Squirrels are quick learners, it won't be long before you will be able to go out and make that sound and have squirrels come running.  One thing about squirrels and food, when one is being fed others take notice.  Before long you will have a whole group of squirrels wanting to be fed.  This is where you can use the feeding characteristic of squirrels to your advantage.  Squirrels are insanely jealous of their food.  The bolder squirrels will move in closer trying to be the first fed.  If you remain calm and nonthreatening, it won't be long before you will be able to have them accept food from your hand.

I recently saw a video where a man used a board resting against his knee to make it easy for squirrels to come up to his lap to accept food.  It seemed to work very well, so I would recommend that you try this technique when the time comes.

I would caution you about holding food between your thumb and index finger the first time you try to get a squirrel to take food from your hand.  The reason is that squirrels are very wary the first time they accept food from a human.  They usually move very quickly and unless you hold very still, it's possible to get your finger bitten.  

The reason for this is the way a squirrels eyes are located on their head.  They have 180° vision that enables them to see behind them without turning their heads.  The problem with this kind of vision is that they cannot see things in front of their nose.  When they make their move to come for the food, the closer they get, the more they lose sight of the target.  If your hand moves even 1/4 an inch, your finger could be where the food was a split second ago, and you get bitten.  Until the squirrel gets comfortable with you, it's best to hold your food offerings in an open palm.

When you've established this kind of rapport with squirrels, it makes it much easier to treat them if and when they come down with conditions such as mange.  By having them accept food from your hand you are able to ensure that only the affected squirrel gets treated.  It can also save you a lot of money, because you will no longer have one squirrel eating or burying all the food, and you will actually be able to ensure that the maximum number of squirrels get fed.

The best benefit of all, is to be able to interact up close and personal with these magnificent animals.

For information about how to feed your wild squirrels a really healthy treat, check out our Squirrel Veggie Squares. Each Veggie Square contains the equivalent of a days serving of 35 fruits and vegetables along with the fiber and enzymes. Click HERE for more information.

<![CDATA[Are Green Acorns Poisonous To Squirrels?]]>Sun, 09 Nov 2014 03:20:06 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/are-green-acorns-poisonous-to-squirrelsI have people write me all the time and ask if it's OK to feed green acorns to their rescue squirrels. I have to admit that for years I've regurgitated the same old common belief that is bandied about on the Internet that, " You should not feed green acorns to a squirrels because they are poisonous until they are well aged."

If this belief is true, then I should have a bunch of dead squirrels in my backyard. In addition to seeking what is considered good nutrition for squirrels, I am also an avid observer of squirrel behavior.

This past summer, I took on the monumental task of tearing down an old garage that was supposed to have come down 12 years ago when I built my new garage. The project took most of the Summer. In August I decided to build a garden shed on the site of the old garage. So, this Fall, I have been racing the clock and calendar to get it under roof.

Early in October I was mixing and pouring cement for the floor of the shed. During the month of October is when squirrels start to gorge themselves with food to gain a layer of insulating fat in preparation for the coming winter. Unfortunately, my shed is located between two huge Oak trees that are loaded with acorns. The squirrels were not happy with me because my presence and efforts were disrupting their efforts to gather the acorns they were cutting. Their efforts got so vigorous that I had to erect a tent over my cement work to keep it from being studded with green cut acorns.

 One interesting thing I observed as I endured the raining down of acorns on my tent was the fact that a large number of these green acorns were half eaten! It was then that a light bulb came on in my head, and I said to myself, "Wait a minute! I thought all these years that green acorns were supposed to be poisonous to squirrels!?" How come these squirrels are eating large numbers of them?

As I pondered this question, I started watching and observing the behavior of the squirrels in my backyard. Something had changed. All the squirrels that had led a quiet, symbiotic relationship with each other through the Summer, were suddenly squabbling and chasing each other and exhibiting very territorial behavior, a very hyperactive behavior. Then, I started putting two and two together.

Acorns are loaded with tannin, a substance that is like Meth Amphetamine to squirrels, and is where the term "Squirrly" came from. If squirrels are gorging on green acorns in their effort to gain weight, the tannin is going to give them a lot of extra energy, which in a sense is good because it will help them get the job of scatter hoarding all those acorns completed. The drawback is that they get short tempered with each other because the tannin also brings out the worst in their behavior with each other, which is normally very family oriented and communal.

So, the truth about green acorns being poisonous to squirrels is false. But, I would not recommend feeding green acorns to your captive squirrels unless you are in to getting your lips ripped off at the slightest provocation!

<![CDATA[What to Feed a Baby Squirrel After it Weans Off Formula]]>Sat, 10 May 2014 00:11:15 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/what-to-feed-a-baby-squirrel-after-it-weans-off-formulaPicture
Hi! I'm William Sells from SquirrelNutrition.com. What to feed a squirrel after it weans off formula is one of the questions I am frequently asked. I am in the process of writing Blog responses to frequently asked questions so that I can refer people who write to a specific Blog, so as to save having to type and retype the same answers over and over.

Baby squirrels frequently start to wean around the 7th. to 8th week of life. They normally don't completely stop, but rather slow down in the frequency of feedings. I usually only offer formula a couple times per day when I see them start to refuse regular feeding.By the 8th week they are usually ready to start various solids and are in need of teething objects since their incisors are developed to the point of needing hard object to gnaw on to keep them wearing down because rodent teeth grow continuously. In squirrels, their incisors continue to grow until their 7th to 8th year of age. Since most squirrels life expectancy in the wild is only 4 to 6 years, they rarely reach the age of having to deal with teeth that have stopped growing.

We usually introduce Oak and Maple twigs for teething purposes. Babies enjoy shredding twigs and it is good exercise for their teeth and jaws. It is humorous to watch a squirrel chew on hard objects such as hickory nuts. They will exert so much pressure trying to wear a hole in a hard shell, that they will have to take frequent breaks due to muscle fatigue. The muscles in their jaw will get so fatigued, that when they take a break their jaw will continue to quiver and they often click their teeth in the process. I like to start my babies off on sweet potato. I do this because a baby has to learn to swallow solids. Baby squirrels almost always shred their introductory foods much in the same way they will shred twigs. By using sweet potato, it is easy to see the bright orange pieces of shred on the floor of their cage. When I stop seeing the shredded sweet potato, I know that they have learned to chew and swallow, so I start introducing other foods at this time.

It's important to keep in mind that once a squirrel stops taking formula, you need to continue to provide them with a daily source of calcium. If they do not get calcium, by the time they reach the age of 6 months they will suddenly lose the use of their back legs and their bones will become brittle and prone to fracture. This is a condition called Rickets or Metabolic Bone Disease and is deadly for squirrels if they go untreated.Squirrels are predominantly herbivores with the only variation being that they will eat an ocassional bug or worm. In the wild they will instinctively eat a diet that will keep them healthy as long as their is an abundance of the foods they normally eat. If natural food sources are absent, they will revert to their rodent ancestory behavior and eat whatever is available to stay alive. This is why they have been known to raid dumpsters and other atypical food sources.I rescued a pair of starving babies from under the eve of a roof that were so hungry they were eating the tar paper from under the shingles. They pooped tar for two weeks before their doodles turned normal. The bottom line is that squirrels will eat anything in a starvation situation.

They will also eat anything that tastes good to them, which can be a bad thing.Somewhere along the line, someone came up with the idea that field corn and peanuts were an ideal diet for squirrels. From a nutritional standpoint peanuts are not a nut at all, but rather a legume. They contain protein and fat which is marginally nutritious because the fat in peanut oil is not of the same quality as the fats contained in true nuts like hickory, walnuts and beechnuts, etc. Field corn is almost pure starch. Starch is converted easily by the liver into sugar. A steady diet of peanuts and field corn will make a squirrel fat, but it has almost no nutritive value. Contrary to popular belief, a fat squirrel is not a healthy squirrel. They can easily become diabetic and suffer from heart disease, neither of which is a pleasant way to die. Unfortunately,so many people get squirrels so hooked on peanuts and corn, that it is nearly impossible to get them to eat a healthy diet. But, squirrels will eat a variety of vegetables and fruit along with all kind of true nuts.

Squirrels also have their own personal likes and dislikes. What one squirrel will eat, another one will not touch. So, a “one size fits all” menu for squirrels does not work. At SquirrelNutrition.com, we offer food lists for squirrels. There's a list of foods that are suitable for squirrels, and another list of foods that should not be fed to squirrels.

You just have to experiment with different foods until you find the ones that a majority of squirrels like.We've developed a couple of products for wild and captive squirrels. Our Squirrel Nut Square Mix is designed for captive squirrels to provide them with their daily source of calcium. It's easy to feed a healthy diet to a captive squirrel because you don't have to compete with the corn and peanut crowd.

We also provide a free recipe for making a product called "Squirrel Biscuits." This is designed for wild squirrels, and is a sneaky way to get them to eat vegetables. It's a pecan meal based recipe, that is designed to be mixed with ground up vegetables and dried into crunchy kibble. All of our recipes are copyrighted, but we provide them free for your personal use. There is a request form at the bottom of our ﻿Homepage﻿ for requesting one or both recipes.

In addition to premade mix for Squirrel Nut Squares, we now make a daily supplement for your favorite wild squirrel(s) called, Squirrel Veggie Squares.  These are the same base mix as Squirrel Nut Squares, but we include three capsules of our exclusive fruit and vegetable powder that adds a squirrel sized dose of 24 different fruits and vegetables. If your favorite wild squirrel(s) are hooked on eating peanuts and corn, this is a great way to get some fruits and veggies into their diet, as well as provide a healthy dose of calcium and other vital vitamins and minerals.

<![CDATA[Do Squirrels Hibernate?]]>Thu, 08 Aug 2013 03:59:59 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/do-squirrels-hibernatePicture
The short answer is, "No, squirrels do not hibernate, but they do sleep a lot!"

Squirrels do not hibernate in winter, but they do not like bitter cold weather, so they will stay hunkered down in their den or drey when it is really cold, opting to stay warm with their friends rather than venture out. When there is a break in the weather, they will venture out to retrieve some of the three years worth of food they squirreled away during the Summer and  Fall. ( Yes, it is estimated that a squirrel will find and bury 3 years worth of food every Summer and Fall!) They are the ultimate survivalists!

When I say that they stay hunkered down with their friends during bitter cold weather, that's exactly what I mean. This is the main way squirrels stay warm in Winter, and how they manage to survive during the coldest of Winters. It is a characteristic they learned when they were babies. If you have ever raised more than one baby squirrel, you know that they sleep in a ball of bodies and keep each other warm. This communal sleeping arrangement carries over into adulthood, especially when it is bitter cold. Even though squirrels can be territorial, this rule is dropped when the weather turns bad. My suspicion is that it is divided upon sex lines, IE., females group together and males group together, because it has been my observation that females will not tolerate males at any time except mating season. I made a video titled," How Squirrels Stay Warm In Winter," that shows this communal sleeping arrangement exhibited by a pair of females I released a few years ago, along with some other facts about how they stay warm in winter. I made a hyperlink of the title for any that would be interested to view it!

Even during warm weather, squirrels are most active in the early morning and late afternoon. This behavior is seen even in captive squirrels. During the day they will often lay very still in a cool shady spot and nap. This characteristic has been termed "splatting," in that they often will spread out their legs and feet and appear to have landed "splat" in that position. My resident blind squirrel, Lucky, pictured above, will often nap and sleep 18 to 20 hours per day. She's up bright and early in the morning for a couple hours, and then a couple hours in the evening. So, even in captivity, they continue this instinctive ritual!

<![CDATA[Do Squirrel Carry Rabies?]]>Thu, 08 Aug 2013 03:52:27 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/do-squirrel-carry-rabiesI've decided to take various subjects that I'm asked about on a regular basis, and write a BLOG about them. That way I can refer people to my BLOG answers much like a website will have a "Frequently Asked Questions" page. I have an ulterior motive in this in that BLOG material gets picked up by the search engines and gives me lots of back links to my site whenever people do searches on topics such as, "Do Squirrels Carry Rabies.

Now to the question. Again, the short answer is "No" squirrels do not carry rabies. Now, if the question were asked, "Can squirrels get rabies?," the answer would be "Yes," however their chances of contracting it is slim to none. In order for a squirrel to get rabies, it would have to hang around with animals that are common carriers. And that just doesn't happen. Many of the animals that would carry rabies are arch enemies of squirrels, and they avoid them like the plague. Plus, a squirrel is so quick at evasion and with 180 degree vision, the chances of them being bitten by a rabid animal are very remote. Most animals that carry rabies, if they ever got hold of a squirrel would more than likely kill it, so there would end the possibility of it carrying and transmitting the disease.

When people come to the Emergency Room with a squirrel bite, it is one of the few bites that does not trigger a rabbis vaccine protocol. An interesting note that I've experienced over the years is that I have been bitten by squirrels numerous times, and I have never had a squirrel bite get infected!

The last bite I had was from a male I was trying to release. He wanted me to stay in the cage with him, and I had other things to do. He kept jumping on me and would not get off. After several attempts to get him to jump off onto one of the limbs in our release cage, he got upset with me trying to brush him off and he ran up to the top of my head and bit deeply into the back of my skull. When I reached up to pull him off, he bit me on the knuckle of my right middle finger, and he bit deep, completely encircling the extensors tendon of that finger. I was working that night in the ER and I showed our doctor the hand wound and she was horrified and wanted to put me on two antibiotics to prevent infection. I told her it wouldn't be necessary, but if it got infected, I would look her up. Long story short, I never needed the antibiotics. It stayed sore for a couple of days because he did tweak the tendon, but it never got infected and was healed in less than a week.

There are also no vaccinations that I know of that squirrels need to take. So squirrels could get rabies, but don't. Their bites don't seem to get infected easily, and they don't need to be vaccinated against any diseases. I suppose this could change in the future if people try to domesticate squirrels, but for now, that's the story about squirrels and rabies.

<![CDATA[Should I Feed A Baby Squirrel Commercial Formula?]]>Fri, 02 Aug 2013 01:40:25 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/should-i-feed-a-baby-squirrel-commercial-formulaLet me preface what I'm about to say with this disclaimer: If you are happy with what you are feeding your baby squirrel, and the baby is doing fine, by all means keep doing what you are doing!

But, if you are not sure and are wondering if there is an alternative to commercial formula, allow me to lay out some facts for you to consider.

To begin, you should always read labels. What you will find on the label of most commercial formulas is the fact that they start with skim milk, then add fillers and finish up with a bunch of vitamins. At first glance, this seems to make sense, after all, who doesn't need vitamins? People should take vitamins to supplement what they are lacking. Because, if you take vitamins that your body doesn't need, especially the water soluble kind, you will simply pee them out. Many doctors will tell you that many people who take vitamins have the most expensive pee in the world!

This begs the question, " What vitamins does a baby squirrel need?" Here again I deffer to what most doctors and pediatricians say when asked the question, " What is the most important part of formula and/or breast milk for the growth and development of a baby?" Almost without fail they will tell you that it is the milk fat and protein in the formula or breast milk that is the most important component. Why the milk fat? Because babies synthesize everything they need for growth and development from the milk fat and protein!  Think about that last statement, that's why I underlined it. They synthesize everything they need for growth and development from the milk fat and protein!

All babies are in that unique stage of life where the main emphasis is on growth and development. Since doctors agree that everything they need in this stage is synthesized from milk fat and protein, why is there a need for formula to be fortified with vitamins?

The next question you should ask yourself is, " How much milk fat does a baby squirrel need, and does my formula meet that need?" Most Rehabbers cannot answer that question for you. But, I have an ancient research paper, that predates most modern formulas, that sheds some light on the milk fat requirements of squirrels. It was conducted by the Ohio State University back in the 1960's where they took a number of lactating female Grey Squirrels and milked them to analyze the contents of their breast milk. They were only able to obtain just a few cc's of breast milk and had to use ancient technology in their analysis. What they found was astounding! They found that the fat content of Squirrel breast milk ranged fro 12 to 24%. To put this into perspective, that would mean that Squirrel breast milk is second only to whale and seal milk in the amount of milk fat!  A PDF of this study can be viewed at:

I think it is safe to say that baby squirrels in the wild are raised on milk that is very high in fat. If baby squirrels require a high fat content in the wild, why on earth would you want a formula that has skim milk as the main ingredient?

As a note of interest, the above report by the Ohio State University also mentions that they were feeding their research baby squirrels a combination of whole cow's milk with canned condensed milk added. In other words, they were increasing the fat content of whole cows milk with high fat condensed milk to increase the fat content of their formula. It doesn't say that they were using some powdered milk re placer. It also doesn't say that their babies were dying horrible deaths because they were feeding them formula made from cow's milk!

The idea of Cow's milk killing baby squirrels is a lie that is intended to get you to fear and doubt the idea of ever feeding them regular milk. The fact is, that if you feed a baby squirrel Cow's milk without first boiling it, it can give them diarrhea because their immature gut reacts to the enzymes present in the milk. If diarrhea is left untreated, a baby squirrel can get dehydrated and develop an electrolyte imbalance. If an electrolyte imbalance is left untreated, it can cause a heart arrhythmia, which could lead to sudden cardiac death. All this can be prevented by bringing milk and cream mixture to a boil. Doing so destroys the enzymes and leaves you with a high fat formula that is perfect for baby squirrels at a fraction of the cost.

Some of you may be asking yourself, why would Rehabbers and Formula Manufacturers intentionally mislead people about formula? All I can tell you is to follow the money line. Formula manufacturers make millions of extra dollars per year by expanding the scope of their sales into wild animal rehabilitation. They send their "experts" to the various State Rehab' conventions to explain to the Rehabbers that attend, why their product is superior for various animal species, and present half-truths like the above mentioned diarrhea to death scenario as being the end result of feeding anything else. To seal the deal, I'm sure that lots of money gets dumped back into the coffers of State Rehab' organizations, in exchange for them promoting their products.

It irritates me to no end that this stuff takes place, but it does not bother me. My goal is to provide my readers with truthful facts, and let them draw their own conclusions. I've never lost a baby squirrel to a formula related problem, and I've taken care of babies that were within days of dying from severe malnutrition and advanced metabolic bone disease! My homemade formula has never failed me, and I have no financial interest that would motivate me to lie.

I've taken heat from a number Wildlife Rehab' individuals including a pair that once tried to get my State Rehab' license revoked for, "spreading lies about feeding baby squirrels Cow's milk." I've always patiently refuted all their arguments and even made my State's director of the Division of Wildlife laugh when I explained my position in the ensuing investigation. Needless to say I'm still allowed to rehab' squirrels! 

If you have any questions or comments, you can always contact me at SquirrelNutrition@Yahoo.com.

<![CDATA[Should I Feed My Squirrel Avocado?]]>Tue, 28 May 2013 20:08:19 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/should-i-feed-my-squirrel-avocadoPicture
The short answer is a resounding "YES!"

There is a lot of controversy out there in Squirrel Care Land about whether you should feed squirrels Avocado. If you believe what you read on "The Squirrel Board" about feeding Avocado, you'll get all nervous about certain people's uninformed warning about not giving your squirrels too much Avocado because, after all, it's loaded with saturated fat!

Let's clear the air right now about this saturated fat controversy. You can eat all the saturated fats you want, in their natural form, and not cause a blip on your lipid profile, ( except to bring your lipids into the right balance.) Also, eating saturated fats in their natural form will not cause you to gain weight! Take a close look at Ariel above. She is ready to move to our release cage. She has been fed two large chunks of Avocado every day since she was weaned last Fall. Does she look overweight? On the contrary, she is sleek and trim and an ideal weight for a squirrel her size.

The secret to Saturated Fat consumption is to make sure you consume them in their natural form! The fat contained in Avocados is loaded with all the good Omega Fatty Acids that are needed for growth, development and maintenance of body tissues. The problem comes when Saturated Fats are hydrogenated. Hydrogenation is a process whereby oils in their natural state are subjected to an electrical process where two nickel electrodes are placed in a vat containing the oil, and then electrified. A byproduct of this procedure is hydrogen gas which bubbles up through the oil. The effect of this gas upon the oil is that it destroys all the Essential Fatty Acids, (aka the Omega Fatty Acids.) Essential Fatty Acids, ( as the name implies,) are essential. They are essential for good health. So, why would anyone want to destroy something that is good and essential?

I'm glad you asked! The reason companies hydrogenate their oils is because the essential fatty acids are very fragile and break down very rapidly. When EFA's break down, they cause the oil to go rancid. So, companies destroy what is good just so their product can sit on a store shelf for years without going rancid!

The real health kicker in all this is that the same Hydrogenation process that destroys Essential Fatty Acids, also creates a new and different fat called a "Transformed Fat" or Trans fat. This new, manmade fat is the real culprit in Coronary Artery Disease, but you can't get anybody to admit it. They all dance around the subject, and many products are showing up on Store shelves claiming to be "Trans Fat Free," but you won't see anybody doing anything about eliminating trans fats from processed oils because there is no other method of giving oil a long shelf life without hydrogenation. Eliminating all trans fats would destroy the vegetable oil industry.

The bottom line is, don't be afraid to feed your squirrels Saturated Fat in its natural form! They're not going to become obese, you are providing them an excellent form of energy, and the essential fatty acids they gain will ensure their good health!

<![CDATA[Skin Diseases In Squirrels]]>Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:14:00 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/skin-diseases-in-squirrelsPicture
There is a lot of confusion among squirrel lovers when it comes to skin diseases suffered by squirrels. I get letters and e-mails all the time about how to treat mange in squirrels. I often have to have them make sure that the squirrel does indeed have Sarcoptic Mange verses a skin condition called 'Dermatophytosis."

Sarcoptic Mange is caused by a tiny mite called "Sarcoptes scabiei," that burrows under the skin to feed on the blood of the squirrel. It causes severe itching, a rash, crust formation on the skin and hair loss. The picture on the left shows an Eastern Grey with mange on it's lower back. Notice the red, crusty area in the center of each patch of missing hair. The irritation, rash and crusting of the skin is what differentiates mange from Dermatophytosis. This squirrel would do well by treating it with a small quantity of Ivermectin Paste spread on a Nut Meat. We give approximately 1/2 to 1 drop of Ivermectin 1.87% once a week for 3 weeks to make sure that all active mites and all newly hatched mites are killed. You can order Squirrel Quantities of Ivermectin paste HERE.

Squirrels can also have  a condition called "Dermatophytosis," ( not to be confused with ringworm that carries the same name,) or a skin fungus. The way you can tell this condition from Mange is the absence of irritation, crusting or rash. There is hair loss, but that is all. Dermatophytosis is caused by a fungus that attacks the shaft of the hair where it emerges from the skin. Since it attacks the hair and causes it to become brittle, the hair breaks off at the skin line and falls off leaving a bald area, but no obvious skin irritation. This condition is common in late Winter and early Spring. The treatment is nutritional support. It's usually not fatal and the squirrel will recover from it over time. Feeding squirrels chunks of raw coconut and raw coconut oil can help, because the Lauric Acid and Capric Acid in the raw coconut oil is anti-fungal. In captivity, I spray a strong solution of Colloidal Silver and apply Raw Coconut Oil topically to this condition also. You can obtain Colloidal Silver and Raw Coconut Oil on our Squirrel Mall Page.
<![CDATA[When It's Birthing Season For Squirrels]]>Sat, 23 Feb 2013 05:57:59 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/its-birthing-season-for-squirrelsPicture
Early season baby squirrels are born from late February on through March. Many will die of exposure when their mother's nest is tore open by marauding crows and will be eaten. That's life in the wild!

Many people hate squirrels because they end up finding their way into attics and crawl spaces in order to find a warm and dry place to have their babies. It's not the squirrel's intent to mess up an attic, they just want a safe place to raise their young!

That's why I recommend that people place a squirrel box or two in the trees of their yard. A squirrel box affords a dry and protected environment where a mother squirrel can build a warm nest of dry leaves and grass to give birth and care for her babies. Squirrel Nesting Boxes can help protect your attic from squirrel invasion!

For those who are handy with wood, tools and saws, we offer f*ree plans for building squirrel nesting boxes. Simply write to SquirrelNutrition@Yahoo.com and put "Squirrel Box Plans" in the subject line.

For those who don't have the time, we have one of the finests pre-made squirrel boxes on the market. Our squirrel boxes are made of durable cedar wood and are priced well below what you will pay anywhere on the web!
$43.95 and that includes shipping anywher in the Continental United States! See them HERE.

<![CDATA[Winter Time is Especially Hard on Squirrels]]>Fri, 22 Feb 2013 11:26:53 GMThttp://www.squirrelnutrition.com/blog/winter-time-is-especially-hard-on-squirrelsPicture
Even though squirrels are social animals and group together in drays’ and dens to keep warm in winter, the cold takes its toll on those that are ill prepared for winter weather. A healthy squirrel should have a nice layer of winter fat and thick under fur to cope with the harshness of winter weather. Winter is a good time to feed Avocado to wild squirrels to give them a good source of fat energy.
A little known fact about squirrels is that they have a valve at the base of their tail that is able to open and close and either restricts blood flow through the tail in winter to keep warm blood in the main part of their body. And in summer, that same valve opens to increase blood circulation through the tail to help cool the blood and regulate body temperature as air flows through their bushy tail, that acts as a radiator to dissipate heat!