Our guide to feeding Chippies:
We have put together a compilation of information about feeding your Chippie and keeping it healthy. If it was up to your Chippie, they would (and will) eat anything you feel like giving them, as much as you want to give it to them. As cute as this seems, it is actually very bad for your pet! It is entirely up to you to make sure your pet gets the proper diet that it needs. This page will be a two part guide, unfortunately they go hand in hand. Of course we are speaking of Metabolic Bone Disease, or MDB for short and your pets food / diet.
Metabolic Bone Disease, what is it?
Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) is a deficiency of calcium in an animals diet. It is extremely debilitating and painfull, and WILL CAUSE DEATH IF NOT TREATED! It is caused by an improper diet wherein seeds, nuts, and corn are the major, or only components of a diet. The condition will kill the animal! This is not a theory - it is common because some people ignore the warnings, or simply do not know about MDB, do not follow the dietary instructions, give the animals a diet high in seeds, nuts, and corn, and low in calcium bearing foods. In addition to bone development, calcium is needed for all organic functions, including heart, respiration, blood circulation, muscle, and eyesight. Do not think you and your Chippie will be the exceptions if you feed a diet composed of seeds, nuts, and corn. This deadly diet is often sold in stores under the description "Squirrel Feed" or "Chipmunk Feed" and should be avoided at all costs as the main food for your Chippies. Also avoid commercial "Hamster Feed", "Gerbil Feed", and "Guinnie Pig Feed". The “typical” pet squirrel diet--consisting mostly of seeds and nuts--causes Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD), a fatal disease caused by calcium deficiency. To avoid MBD, squirrels needs a balanced diet including plenty of:
-Calcium
-Vitamin D ("the sunshine vitamin")
-Vitamin C
-Protein
-Fat
If any of these elements are missing, MBD eventually results — it can happen soon after weaning, or show up many years later. Without enough calcium in the diet, the body will take calcium from the bones, causing weak, brittle bones. Because calcium is also involved in cell-to-cell communication throughout the body, neurological symptoms are also common.
Seeds, nuts, and corn are high in phosphorous and contain very low, or no calcium at all! (almonds and hazelnuts do have a small amount of calcium, but also contain phosphorous) The body needs phosphorous as well as calcium, but when phosphorus ratio is higher than the calcium ratio, the phosphorus blocks the absorption of calcium, making it unavailable to the body. If one feeds a low amount of high calcium foods, and a high amount of high phosphorus foods, it will cause MBD. Therefore, calcium foods must be the major component of the diet. Chipmunks love nuts, seeds, and corn and will eat those foods exclusively if given the opportunity. When these foods are the major component of the diet, they are the nutritional equivalent of candy. Your Chippie will choose to eat only the nuts and seeds even when given foods with a proper balance of phosphorus and calcium . When given as small portions of a diet, with high calcium foods being the major item on the menu, seeds, nuts, and corn become just one more nutritional element, in this case a positive element. Again: a diet of seeds, nuts, corn will cause metabolic bone disease if they are the major, or only, components of a diet.
Symptoms of Metabolic Bone Disease:
Activity levels decline, lethargy, sometimes a drop in appetite, , sometimes labored breathing, general body soreness - increasing in severity to seizures and or paralysis, then death if not treated. Symptoms are varied and can include: broken bones, fur loss or thinning, lack of appetite, lethargy, tooth problems, inability to crack nuts, weakness, seizures, paralysis, and eventually death. The very first symptom can vary. A formerly healthy animal can suddenly get a broken bone, have a sudden seizure, loss of appetite, become wobbly in the hind legs, or just seem tired or reluctant to climb. Probably the most common first symptoms are sudden seizures and paralysis of the lower body. Sometimes the animal in question will show symptoms, and then recover and seem perfectly normal. This can go on for weeks, months, or even years. In the later stages of the disease, your Chippie will have trouble using it's rear legs. It will not be the graceful animal that you are used to, flying about the cage. Instead it will be moving slower and noticeably awkwardly, especially the rear legs. If you have a Chippie that is usually out all the time, and it suddenly starts hiding all the time, and is lethargic when forced out of it's hide box, you should immediately begin treatment for MDB! The caretaker may not see the symptoms, or recognize what he or she is seeing until the symptoms become severe and your pet is near death. This suffering and anguish is very preventable, if one feeds a proper balanced diet including high calcium / low phosphorus foods.
The Calcium / Phosphorus Ratio explained:
Calcium and phosphorus “compete” for absorption in the body. When phosphorus is ingested in the diet, as the phosphorus is absorbed through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream, the same amount of calcium is pulled from the body as part of the process. In other words, for every 1 mg of phosphorus your animal eats, he or she must eat AT LEAST 1 mg of calcium (a 1:1 ratio), just to break even. If the required calcium is not available from the diet, the body will obtain it from wherever it can---such as from the bones, where calcium is stored. Most nutritionists recommend that the ideal ratio is somewhere between 1.2 - 2 parts calcium to 1 part phosphorus; that’s a ratio of at least 1.2 to 1 or as high as 2 to 1. So it does no good to feed “high-calcium” foods unless they are also low phosphorus! For example, almonds contain 251 mg of calcium (per 28 grams). Sounds good, right? But that serving of almonds also contains 460 mg of phosphorus. This means that for every 28-gram serving of almonds, your animal would actually LOSE 209 mgs of calcium! He or she would have to eat 209 mgs of extra calcium somewhere else, just to break even. This is called an "inverted calcium/phosphorus ratio" ("inverted" meaning "upside-down"). So you must feed high-calcium foods, but you must also avoid high-phosphorus foods at the same time.
Common diet mistakes:
Below are the most common diet mistakes made by people with pet
chipmunks:
--Lack of Vitamin D. Vit D is found mainly in fish and meat. This is one reason
why we recommend eggs in the diet. One exception is: mushrooms! They are one of
the few non-meat foods that are high in Vit D. In the wild, squirrels eat a lot
of them. Another (man-made) exception is milk products. In the United States, nearly all milk is
fortified with Vit D, so cheese, yogurt, etc., contain Vit D.
--Too many nuts. Every nut has an inverted calcium / phosphorus ratio. Some are
worse than others; acorns are the best, but still have more phosphorus than
calcium,
resulting in calcium loss.
--Feeding sunflower seeds, corn, and pine nuts. Terrible calcium
/ phosphorus ratios; much
worse even than nuts.
--Not feeding a nutritionally complete rodent kibble as at least 50% (by
weight) of the diet.
--Lack of protein and fat. In the wild, squirrels eat bugs, grubs, carrion, and
birds eggs. We encourage pet squirrel owners to include eggs (scrambled or
hard-boiled with the shell still on for extra calcium), and also insects in the diet. If you can't stand
the idea of feeding live insects, freeze-dried insects can be
purchased online.
--Although not part of a Chippie's natural diet, yogurt and
cheese contain protein, fat, and vitamin D.
Basic Chippie Diet:
+ Fortified Rodent Chow:
This should make up at a minimum 50% (half) of your Chippies diet. Note that this
is NOT a seed mixture marketed for rodents, hamsters, gerbils, guinnie pigs and so on! These are a blended pellet
that is packed with the extra vitamins, minerals, and calcium that small animals require to stay healthy. There are
several available, we personally use the Kaytee Forti-Diet and find that our Chippies love it. We havn't tried
any of the others yet, and are not playing favorites. Forti-Diet is readily available in our area and the little
ones love it! Some examples are listed below, click on the bold / underlined title to see information on the products:
- Kaytee Forti-Diet for Rats and Mice (available at most chain pet stores, Wal Mart etc.)
- Harlan Teklad 2018 Vegetarian Rodent Diet
- Harlan Teklad 8640 Rodent Diet
- Zupreem "Monkey Biscuit" (Primate Diet)
- Mazuri Rodent Block
+ Protein:
Some sources of protein include crickets, waxworms*, and mealworms or superworms**, which are available from most pet stores and also from many online "bug farms". Chippies love to eat them live and wriggly, BUT if
you are squeamish or can't stand live bugs you can also get them freeze
dried. Keep in mind that you will have to keep the live ones in
your fridge so that they will last (they come in their own
little plastic dish similar to a butter bowl with a lid so you
don't have to worry about them running around your fridge). In
the wild Chippies also enjoy killing and eating live moths,
grasshoppers, locusts, and beetles however there isn't a
reliable source for farm raised ones, and wild ones may or may
not have come into contact with poisons or toxins. For that
reason we recommend that you DO NOT
collect your own bugs from the wild! Eggs (hard-boiled or scrambled,
WITH the shell) provide protein and calcium, plus one of the very
few dietary sources of Vitamin D. Nuts also provide protein, BUT
feed no more than 2 per day maximum due to the inverted
Phosphorus / Calcium ratio. Nuts in the shell such as almonds
are a welcome treat that also allow your Chippies to gnaw and
wear their teeth, which like most rodents constantly grow
throughout their lives and must be worn down by gnawing.
*Waxworms although a good source of protein are also very high in fat. They are a welcome treat for your Chippies, just don't overdo it - feed no more than 1 or two per animal per day, preferably every other day due to the higher fat content. They are the "Cheetos" of the insect world, if given a choice your Chippies will always choose them over their required diet and become overweight, yes it's just as unhealthy for your pets as it is for us humans. SIDE NOTE: these guys can be just the trick to tame a wild or shy Chippie, given some effort on your part and some patience and time!
**Mealworms are mostly "shell", or more chitinous. Superworms are a different species that have less of a shell and more of the good stuff on the inside, so if you can get them always choose superworms over mealworms. BEWARE of "Giant Mealworms" as they are regular mealworms that have been sprayed with a growth hormone to make them larger, which will be passed on to your Chippies (no it won't make them larger). Mealworms have to be refrigerated whereas superworms are kept at room temperature. If they bring them to you in a cold cup you DO NOT want them! Superworms will be at room temp. This applies to the "Giant Mealworms" only, not the regular run of the mill mealworms. If you can't get Superworms, mealworms will suffice.
+ Vitamin C:
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin which is essential for normal functioning
of the body. It also aids in the absorption of calcium! Most of us think of citrus fruits as being the best source
of vitamin C. Although citrus fruits are a great source of vitamin C, other not so obvious foods contain vitamin C as well:
Excellent sources of vitamin C include: parsley, broccoli, bell
peppers*, strawberries, oranges, lemons, papaya,
cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, and brussel sprouts. Provide a slice daily or every other day. Rotate choices to give your Chippie
a variety of different foods. You will be able to tell your Chippies favorite foods if you pay attention to them.
*Red, yellow, and orange peppers have about twice the vitamin C of green peppers!
