found 3 children

[Realuser]

today we went to this abandoned warehouse thing and when we went int here was a lunchbox in the floor.i walked by it and a big rat came flying out. Then i noticed it was a FLYING SQUIRREL! so i said just leave it aloen to my friend and i went to the next room and when i came back he had pulled out 3 babies out of thew lunchbox. I WAS MAD. So i told him that if a human touches them the mother migt kill them. The hole time the mother was staring at us while we put them back. my mom said to leave them and go and cheack every 2 hours or so to see if the mother had come back for them and about 6 hours later they were still in the same place we had put them back. So me and MY BROTHER(animal expert) took them in and started caring for them. They are compared to charts, 5-6 weeks old. We made a box for them and ripped up a cotten towl to make a very nice bedding and put them in it. They grouped toghether. We keep the box halfway on a heating blanket set to low(warm). We fed them diluted puppy formula(warm) out of a 22cc(small) syringe. They adapted to it and did well. We gave each half its weight.


we are planning on KEEPING these flyers as family. Have we done anything wrong so far? WHAT ELSE must we do? They wiggle around to get under eachother and can move decently.

[nutz4squirls]

Flying squirrels are nocturnal (they are awake at night and sleep during the day) if you just found these guys today, you could bring them back to where you found them, supply some heat source such as a hot water bottle, and see if mom comes back for them. These animals are really good mothers and if possible she will come back for them, even if you touched them. Nutz

[nutz4squirls]

Also just for your information. Mom does a much better job raising these kids than we can do. If for some reason you cannot get them back to mom than you should give them to a wildlife rehabilitator in your area. I would be happy to help you find someone that would take them for you. The proper raising and nutrition is critical for these babies and rehabilitators are trained to take care of them properly. Nutz

[Realuser]

it was actually a 1cc syringe. And what we did was found them yesterday, and went back (during the night) every few hours until morning and the mother never came back for them. then from there on is what we have done. When me and my brother were about 10 we raised 6 (regular squirrels) to almost full grown size and them let them go all the way from pinkies. im just scared these are different

[nutz4squirls]

Stay with the 1cc syringe, be very careful not to aspirate them. Keep them warm but not hot. Be sure to clean them everytime you feed them, wipe their face, belly, head, genital area and that will stimulate them to pee and poop. Are their eyes open yet? nutz

[Realuser]

yes, from a chart that had pictures of each stage, they are approximatly 5-6 weeks old. how often should i feed them, and how much per serving? thankyou for your help

[Realuser]

also, im kinda confused on the axact definition on aspirate

[CliffordandDaisy'sDad]

Real, that means don't choke or drown them. You need to be careful and don't give them too much formula too fast, it can choke them or worse end up in their lungs. Also, don't feed them on their backs.
Here's a good way to hold them and the syringe. I found that I have to hold the syringe in a way that I have control over it. Sometimes it will stick and you push a little harder and way too much comes out. Be careful about that.

http://rockyshores.saltyzoo.com/something/Reef2/2003-08-09-8821.jpg

[Secret Squirrel]

Asperiate is when formula comes out of thier nose... too much formula at once can cause phenomia and kill them.

[Secret Squirrel]

Your quick c&ds dad......wonderful info and the photo says 1000 words! U da bomb!

[nutz4squirls]

Aspirate means to get fluid in their lungs. This is usually caused from the getting to much formula out of the syringe to fast. If you see formula or bubbles come out of their nose than they are aspirating. If they aspirate to much they can develop pneumonia (sp) I know you said they were on Puppy formula. Please make sure that it is Esbilac Puppy Formula. They should get apporximately 5% of their body weight. Watch the belly, it should be round and full but not tight. If their eyes are open than you should be starting them on solid foods also. These should consist of fruits,such as apple, grapes, pear, nuts (acorns, walnuts, filberts out of the shell) veggies such as brocolli, carrot, kale, sweet potatoe, a small amount of fresh ear corn. (not to much corn though) they also like meal worms. I don't feed peanuts or sunflower seeds, neither are good for grey squirrels as part of their daily diet. You should offer them a good quality rodent block and/or zupreem primate diet.Their's alot of flyer people on this board, many of them should be able to help you better as far as weaning diet is concerned. I primarily rehab gray and red squirrels, seldom flyers. The diet is a little different. You should also have available to them a femur bone or a deer antler for gnawing on. They will start gnawing in a week or two. They should be getting formula every 3-4 hours at this age. These guys are going to be much more active at night than during the day, as I said, they are a nocturnal animal, up all night and sleeping all day! Hope this helps. Nutz

[nutz4squirls]

Geez, you guys beat me. I was typing away and you got all that in before I could finish my post. Nutz

[CliffordandDaisy'sDad]

LOL I must have starting typing a lot sooner than you guys did.

Nutz, very little sweet potatoe - I know they love it - but "I can't remember right now" I think it has either a Ca blocker or something else that's not good for them.

We need to start a thread about diets for adult grays.

[nutz4squirls]

I think that's a debate on the sweet pototoe. I've been told both ways, that it is recommended and than others say it's not. I'll have to do some research on that one. Corn will block calcium and I only give them a smidgin of that. They do love corn and it get's them nibbling, just can't go overboard with it.:dono nutz

[Realuser]

okay this is wierd, i have found to give 50% of body weight, 25, and now 5?

i found this:

Formula Calculation:
The amount you feed is about 25% of their body weight per day.
Here is a way to figure the approximate amount to feed a 2 oz.
baby if you are feeding 4 times per day.

2 oz. x 28 = 56 grams. Assume 56 grams = 56 cc
56 cc x .25 = 14 cc = the amount to feed per day.
If feeding 4 times a day: 14 cc divided by 4 = 3.5 cc per feeding.

Weights:
1 gram = 0.035274 ounce
1 ounce = 28 grams


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im so scared they arent going to make it! And my brother is EXTREMLY carful to keep them from aspirating.

I AM USING THE ESBILAC FOOD SUPPLIMENT

[Realuser]

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/1405/mybabas1vp.jpg

here they are, i keep them in a dark spot though like i said with a heating pad.

[nutz4squirls]

I'mtalking 5% of body weight per feeding, not per day. nutz

[nutz4squirls]

I noticed your using toweling for bedding. Be very careful they don't get caught in it. Your better off using a teeshirt, something that doesn't have threads. Toes, nails, teeth, etc can get caught in the toweling. It sounds like your doing good with the little guys. :thumbsup nutz

[Realuser]

yes i thought about that, i check on them every 20-30 minutes. i sure hope this works out :)

[Squerly]

From the picture they look pretty good. We're all praying for you...

[nutz4squirls]

It sounds like they'll be fine. Your doing all the right things. Like Squerly said "We'll be praying for them". Nutz:Squirrel

[Squerly]

Any news? :dono

[Momma Squirrel]

Realuser, sounds like you guys are doing a great job, keep us posted and good luck I'm sure things will work out just fine. Lots of help and encouragement on this board so please stay in touch. Also on that heating pad just make sure they don't get too hot and dehydrate.