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What is Metabolic Bone Disease?

MBD is a calcium deficiency caused by a lack of calcium in the diet.

Why is calcium deficiency so deadly in squirrels?

Calcium does more than build strong bones; it also plays a vital role in all body functions. Every cell in your body contains water plus small amounts of dissolved minerals such as calcium, sodium, magnesium, and potassium. These minerals allow the cells to transmit small electrical signals. Without this cell-to-cell communication, organs can’t function: your heart can’t beat, your nerves can’t transmit impulses; in fact, you would die.

When there isn’t enough calcium in your squirrel’s diet, his body will dissolve the calcium in his bones and use that instead. This eventually causes his bones to become depleted of calcium. Eventually, there isn’t enough calcium left to maintain sufficient calcium in the cellular fluids, and the organs can’t function properly. This is what causes the symptoms of MBD: loss of appetite, lethargy, muscle pain, paralysis, seizures, and eventually death. Humans and most other animals don’t get this type of severe MBD, partly because their calcium requirement is lower and their bones are bigger, allowing them to store more calcium.

How can I prevent my squirrel from getting MBD?

That’s easy:

• Feed your squirrel a formula that’s fortified with vitamins and minerals–like Fox Valley or Esbilac–when she’s a baby.
• Start her on the Healthy Diet at weaning. (See our Instructions for Weaning.)
• Continue to follow the Healthy Diet for Pet Squirrels to ensure a long, healthy, MBD-free life.

What are the risk factors for MBD?

1. Feeding a non-recommended formula such as scalded milk, human baby formula, kitten formula, etc. Babies raised on Fox Valley formula from at least 5 weeks old through weaning never seem to get MBD
2. Weaning too early. We recommend that baby squirrels stay on formula for 14-16 weeks.
3. Weaning on to a diet that does not contain blocks.

How can I tell if my squirrel has MBD?

The symptoms of MBD include loss of appetite, sleeping more, reluctance to climb or jump, nails getting caught in fabric, squirrel seems achy and doesn’t want to be touched, paralysis, and finally seizures. If you see any of these symptoms and your squirrel has any risk factors for MBD, it’s best to begin treatment. If the squirrel responds to calcium treatment, that usually means MBD was present.

Note that every case is different. Your squirrel may show all of these symptoms or only one. MBD can come on slowly, with a progression of symptoms from loss of appetite and sleeping a lot, to hind-end weakness, to paralysis, and finally seizures. But it can also come on very suddenly, with the squirrel seeming fine one minute and down with paralysis or seizures the next. Sudden onset is most common in young squirrels.

Is MBD very common?

Unfortunately, MBD is extremely common in captive squirrels. There are a couple of reasons for this. One, rodents have very high calcium requirements compared with other animals, or humans. Two, squirrels are very picky eaters and often won’t eat any brand of fortified rat diet. This is why we created Henry’s squirrel blocks.

What’s the most common age for a squirrel to get MBD?

Based on our observations of hundreds of pet squirrels over the years, MBD can strike at any age. Probably the classic age of onset is around 18 months old, but we’ve seen it in in squirrels as old as 10 years, and in babies less than 4 months old (always due to improper formula, usually combined with too-early weaning and/or weaning onto the wrong diet).

Can MBD be treated?

Yes! The treatment for MBD is extra calcium, plus fixing the diet. The extra calcium immediately boosts your squirrel’s calcium levels, but to actually cure MBD, your squirrel must also rebuild his bones. This means fixing the diet to include all the important vitamins, minerals, and protein. This takes a long time–usually at least 6 months to a year.

The good news is that with prompt emergency treatment and consistent follow-up treatment, most squirrels recover completely. Sometimes older squirrels (>5 years old) respond more slowly, and sometimes not at all.

Emergency Treatment for MBD

Get calcium into the squirrel IMMEDIATELY, not later, not tomorrow, NOW. Delaying treatment can cause death or permanent paralysis.

You will need:

• Tums, rolaids, or calcium supplement (any kind)*
• a syringe or spoon

Crush one pill and add a little water or fruit juice to make a toothpaste consistency. Use a syringe or spoon to force-feed the mixture.

After you give the initial dose of calcium, give 100 mg every 4 hours (50 mg for smaller squirrels such as red squirrels, flyers, or juveniles less than 12 weeks old). The first day, getting calcium dosed quickly is more important than the type of calcium or amount. Going forward, most squirrels will need around 500 mg per day (250 mg for flyers or small squirrels). See the Long-Term Treatment for MBD, below.

*Any kind of calcium pill is okay for the first dose, and you can use Tums for a few days, but long-term it’s best to use plain calcium carbonate (without Vit D).

Dosage Methods

The easiest way to dose calcium longer term is to mix it with a small amount of peanut butter, crushed nuts, yogurt, baby food, or any food the squirrel likes. This way you don’t have to continue to force-feed the calcium, which stresses the squirrel.

Example: If you mix 500 mg of calcium with 1/2 teaspoon of peanut butter and roll it into 5 little balls, each ball will contain 100 mg calcium. You can also mix the calcium with formula or fruit juice which can be licked from a syringe or spoon. You might need to experiment to find what works best for your squirrel.

What to Watch For

Your squirrel’s symptoms should improve within a few hours or days (younger squirrels typically respond faster). If the squirrel is feeling better but still paralyzed, he may have a spinal injury due to his weak bones.

The acute symptoms (weakness, loss of appetite, lethargy, seizures, paralysis) will usually improve within a few hours or days, but this does not mean the squirrel is cured. It will take months to rebuild the calcium in the bones.

More Tips

MBD causes brittle bones that break easily. You should pad the bottom of your squirrel’s cage and keep him away from high places, where he might jump and break a bone.

Heat is soothing for a squirrel with MBD. Use a heating pad set on low heat (make sure he can’t chew the pad or cord) or a rice buddy (a sock filled with dry rice/beans, microwaved for about 20 seconds).

Long-Term Treatment for MBD

1. Calcium Dosage

Starting on the second day, most squirrels will begin with 500 mg elemental calcium per day (250 mg for flyers, etc.) divided into 5 doses. See How to Read a Calcium Label below for more info. Note: the label on Henry’s Healthy Calcium uses elemental calcium.

Keep notes on how much calcium you give so you can adjust the dosage if needed. It is best to work with someone knowledgeable about MBD when adjusting the dosage.

The goal is to give enough calcium to eliminate all symptoms, but not so much that your squirrel is excreting extra calcium in his urine or feces.

• Within 1-5 days your squirrel should be alert, active, and eating, with no seizures or paralysis. If your squirrel is still having symptoms or is having “ups and downs” during the day, you may need to increase the dosage. Or you can try giving smaller doses more often.
• White feces or a white film on dried urine may mean the dosage can be reduced. Giving smaller doses more often can also help with this, as smaller more frequent doses are better absorbed.

Note: Once your squirrel begins eating Henry’s blocks, you should cut his calcium dosage in half because the blocks also contain calcium.

2. The next step to curing MBD is to fix the diet:

• Remove ALL seeds, nuts, corn, and treats, including stashes.

• Follow the Healthy Diet for Pet Squirrels. Your squirrel MUST eat blocks every day (either 2 Henry’s Healthy Blocks per day, or a small handful of rodent block per day).

3. Gradually Reduce the Dosage Over Time

Once you have figured out the best dosage schedule for your squirrel, he is eating Henry’s blocks every day, and he remains stable for 2 weeks, you can reduce the total daily amount of calcium by 50 mg. Continue reducing the dosage every 2 weeks until the squirrel is only getting 50 mg of extra calcium per day. Then after 2 months, try eliminating the extra calcium altogether.

If at any time symptoms return, give an emergency 100 mg dose, then go back to a higher dosage for 2 weeks. Be careful with dosage reductions; watch for any return of symptoms. Relapses are very serious and often fatal.

Note: The MBD treatment is a “standardized” treatment that will get most cases on the road to recovery. However, the treatment for each squirrel may be slightly different, depending on the age of the squirrel, severity of disease, and other factors.

How to Read a Calcium Label

The information below will help you figure out how much elemental calcium is in your Tums. Remember, when dosing calcium, it’s the elemental calcium that counts!