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  1. #1
    lazarus_04 Guest

    Default Baby squirrel VERY constipated

    I don't know if this is life threatening or not, but it has me worried enough that I can't sleep. Long story short, my 6-7 week old squirrel is seriously constipated. He tries and tries to poop, but its really hard for him. Sometimes his poop is so hard that I have to help him with q-tips and warm water, which he actually holds still for, something that he never does. This has only been going on for a day, and I thought he was getting better when he pooped a bit, albeit it was a bit hard for him, But I took a look at him again and noticed that the area upwards of his bum is round and hard to the touch. He is really full of poop, and it is very hard. Is there anything I can give him, not to soften the poop that's coming, but to soften the poop that's already there?

    You'll have to excuse my ignorance, but I just found him and his brother a few days ago, and I've never rescued baby squirrels before...

  2. #2
    squirrelsrule&bunniestoo's Avatar
    squirrelsrule&bunniestoo is offline Licensed rehabber specializing in squirrels and bunnies, Ohio
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    Default Re: Baby squirrel VERY constipated

    His poop is dark and hard because he is dehydrated. I would recommend either giving him 2 pedialyte feedings in between his regular feedings or taking out one regular feeding and give a feeding of just pedialyte instead to rehydrate him. It is normal for their poop to be like that for the first few days since they were probably without food for at least a couple days before you found them.
    Another possible cause of his trouble could be what you are feeding him. What kind of milk are you feeding him and how much does he get at each feeding? Is it his belly that is full and hard? Perhaps you are overfeeding. His belly should be full but not tight to the touch when he is done eating (I think others describe it as a slightly deflated balloon?).
    SQUIRRELS RULE AND BUNNIES TOO!

  3. #3
    lazarus_04 Guest

    Default Re: Baby squirrel VERY constipated

    I've been feeding him and his brother esbilac puppy milk mixed with water, 1:2 ratio. When I first brought them home, I checked to see if they were dehydrated. They seemed fine. The little guy's brother's been eating the same thing, but he's fine. Pooping rather spectacularly really...lol I could try giving the big one a bit of olive oil to help things along on top of the extra water if you think that would help?

  4. #4
    lazarus_04 Guest

    Default Re: Baby squirrel VERY constipated

    Ooop! Part of my post disappeard. He isn't ever bloated, its just the area forward of his bum that's round and hard. The big guy's a bit of a pig, but we rarely give him as much as he wants. If he's still hungry, he'll go munch on the dry kittend food that's in the cage. Something else that disappeared from my previous post: We switched to KMR kitten formula for a bit, not because we wanted to, but because the only store open around our area didn't have any esbilac left. The woman who was there told us she'd taken wildlife rescue training courses and that she herself had raised squirrels. She said that KMR was the same as esbilac except less strong, and that dry kitten food was best...

    *sorry about the double post*

  5. #5
    Mars Guest

    Default Re: Baby squirrel VERY constipated

    Good morning,

    Nix the kitten food. That may be causing the problem. The oil may be given once but if you don't see improvement do not repeat it. Extra fluids, as suggested, is very good. I would try stimulating him to help hem go. Use a tissue, cotton pad/ball with quick gentle downward motion to massage his pooping end. It may that a few minutes or several tries to get him cleaned out. I'll check back later. Others will be with more help.

  6. #6
    lazarus_04 Guest

    Default Re: Baby squirrel VERY constipated

    I will do anything for my babies! Thanks Gamma Baby and Mars, for replying so fast! You have no idea how comforting it feels to finally get a hold of someone who knows what they're doing!

    So, I got up to feed them this morning, and Mr. Big pooped! A big poop, but glorious glorious poop! Without grunting! ...unless he'd been working at it all night... Umm, a few question here if I'm not bothering you guys too much. Can Gatorade be used as a replacement for Pedia-Lite for a couple of hours? And if so...man this sounds so dumb but, what flavour? Is there one in particular that's best? Annnd, I will defer to all experts here , what is the best dry food to give squirrels, on top of veggies and fruits? Ahhh so many question!

    Sorry for being so crazy, but I'm just so HAPPY the little guys seems to be doing better. I had a terrible night spent worrying!

    I'll keep everybody posted, but I think Mr. Big might be out of the woods.

  7. #7
    squirrelsrule&bunniestoo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Baby squirrel VERY constipated

    Glad he pooped good this morning! I give my squirrels rodent block along with their fruits and veggies. You can order it at Chris's squirrel store (link at the top of the page). It has complete nutrition for baby squirrels and some rehabbers feed their babies soley the rodent block after they are weaned. I do not do that but do give them as much of it as they want in addition to their fruits and veggies.
    SQUIRRELS RULE AND BUNNIES TOO!

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    Default Re: Baby squirrel VERY constipated

    So glad everything came out OK . We really do need a "Pooping Forum" here on TSB.! Actually this happens a lot, but it is nerve-wracking every time it does. Hooray for Mr Big!
    Island Rehabber
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  9. #9
    lazarus_04 Guest

    Default Re: Baby squirrel VERY constipated

    Purina Dog Chow, rodent block and monkey biscuits, oh my! lol! I'll check that out later. For now, my babies are good, I'm good, I need a nap. All that worrying has tired me out!

    Thanks everybody! I'll keep you posted. but I think I'll also go ask about toys and such in the non life-threatening...thread.

    P.S. I have to find names for my two little guys. I can't keep calling them Mr. Big and The Runt!

  10. #10
    acorniv Guest

    Default Re: Baby squirrel VERY constipated

    Quote Originally Posted by lazarus_04
    The woman who was there told us she'd taken wildlife rescue training courses and that she herself had raised squirrels. She said that KMR was the same as esbilac except less strong, and that dry kitten food was best...

    I'm pretty brand spanking new at this, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that that woman is completely IGNORANT! Worse. That ignorance seems to be common in wildlife/vet circles. I recently got a somewhat irate email from a vet student (dd of an online friend) who did 3 years at a wildlife center as part of her vet school training and she said the same thing - all they ever feed their squirrels was KMR and I'm going to kill mine with esbilac and virtually everything else I do for her. Do NOT believe everything you read, no matter where you read it - do your own research. After an initial mistake made in haste ( squirrel in hand, needing to be fed) I came to believe the majority of Squirrel Board, only after reading the threads and see whose squirrels are thriving and successfully releasing. I also did outside research on the nutrient content of various milks.

    I was led astray once with advice to feed cow's milk, which has so low a fat content that some consider it posionous ( an innacurate term - it is not poison - but it does not digest well in squirrels). I got wise. I looked up the nutrient and fat content of various animals. I posted this on another thread, and will repost here:

    Milk composition table, in percentages, from Borden, Inc. research:
    Species Solids Fat Protein Carbohydrates
    Cow 11.9 3.5 3.0 4.6
    Dog 24.0 10.5 7.9 3.8
    Cat 20.0 6.5 9.0 6.8
    Gray Squirrel 26.6 12.6 9.2 3.4

    That is from this website: http://www.naturalhorsetrim.com/18.htm
    ________________________________________

    Just Born brand released this statement about what to use for what animal:
    Q) Can the formula be fed to other orphaned wildlife?
    A) Just Born Milk Replacer formulas have been developed specifically for puppies and kittens, and while it may be fed to
    orphaned wildlife, the consumer accepts full responsibility for such use. The puppy formula is best for squirrels, chipmunks,
    rabbits, ferrets, beavers and Virginia opossums. The kitten formula is more suitable for raccoons, badgers, hamsters, guinea
    pigs and bobcats. However, it is important to check with your state regarding its policy on wildlife possession and
    rehabilitation, as it may be prohibited.

    That was from this site:

    http://vetmedicine.about.com/library...m-milkrepl.htm
    __________________________________________________ ________

    For those who want to learn more, here is a pdf about the content of grey squirrel milk (compared with cow's):
    https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/ bitstream/1811/5665/1/V72N01_003.pdf

  11. Serious fuzzy thank you's to acorniv from:


  12. #11
    acorniv Guest

    Default Re: Baby squirrel VERY constipated

    Make that:

    Milk composition table, in percentages, from Borden, Inc. research:
    Species--------Solids-------Fat-------Protein------Carbohydrates
    Cow-----------11.9----------3.5-------3.0-----------4.6
    Dog------------24.0--------10.5-------7.9-----------3.8
    Cat------------20.0----------6.5-------9.0-----------6.8
    Gray Squirrel-----6.6--------12.6--------9.2----------3.4

    That is from this website: http://www.naturalhorsetrim.com/18.htm It also has racoon, oppossum, rabbit etc, for anyone who is rehabbing those

    That should read better. As you can see, cat and squirrel are very close. Just add a little heavy cream or multi-milk and you've got good squirrly formula.

    Gabe has a slightly different chart, and surmised this one might be a bit outdated (or reseach varies?) but this is close enough to gie a good picture of what you're feeding with each form of milk.

    BTW - cats are carnivorres and dogs are omnivores. Squirrels are largely vegetarian but mildly omnivore. Dry kitten food is not good for kittens because it has so many grains/carbs. It is worse for squirrels because it is too high in meat content.

    Oh - and a hunch I have about the various pellet foods - animals only have access to what is offered them. Caged ones are by necessity less picky, so manyfacturers may spend less time and money developing palatable foods than they do for dogs and cats. These foods may be yummier, but I'll bet they suffer in nutritional value because of it ;-).

  13. #12
    lazarus_04 Guest

    Default Re: Baby squirrel VERY constipated

    Official report: Mr. Big is doing much better! He actually pooped 5 or six times since this morning. Still a bit big for him, but at least its coming out. I also noticed that his stool is getting softer when I cleaned his bum bum not long ago. The Pedia-Lite doesn't sustain him for long though, and I'm afraid of giving him too much to eat...

    Wow, so much info! I have officially removed said kitty food from cage and will forever more ban kitty food of all kinds in our house I have sent my dad out to find either zupreem monkey biscuits, rodent block or purina dog chow as a substitute for now. I wish him luck. As for me, I'm adding a dish of water on top of the hamster water bottle, because I noticed the little guys were having a bit of difficulty figuring out what it was for. If they don't start drinking, its syringe time! Aaaand I'm going to the grocers to get fresh fruits and veggies for them, coz they ran out. Phew! Thank God I wasn't working today!

    Hummm. Can anybody tell me exactly how much formula I should be giving 6-7 week old squirrels and how many times a day? I've browsed so many sites, and they all say different things...and the guys are ALWAYS hungry at all hours of the day...

    Thanks so much to all of you! I'll keep updating. Hey, do you think we could move this thread over somewhere else, since my buddy's doing better? I feel kinda bad keeping this thread going now that the danger is over.

  14. #13
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    Default Re: Baby squirrel VERY constipated

    Quote Originally Posted by acorniv
    Make that:

    Milk composition table, in percentages, from Borden, Inc. research:
    Species--------Solids-------Fat-------Protein------Carbohydrates
    Cow-----------11.9----------3.5-------3.0-----------4.6
    Dog------------24.0--------10.5-------7.9-----------3.8
    Cat------------20.0----------6.5-------9.0-----------6.8
    Gray Squirrel-----6.6--------12.6--------9.2----------3.4

    That is from this website: http://www.naturalhorsetrim.com/18.htm It also has racoon, oppossum, rabbit etc, for anyone who is rehabbing those

    That should read better. As you can see, cat and squirrel are very close. Just add a little heavy cream or multi-milk and you've got good squirrly formula.

    Gabe has a slightly different chart, and surmised this one might be a bit outdated (or reseach varies?) but this is close enough to gie a good picture of what you're feeding with each form of milk.
    At the risk of beating that poor dead horse () I've got to put my two cents in here. If you look at the chart above, you'll note that only in one category -- protein -- are cat and squirrel numbers closer than squirrel and dog. Squirrel and dog milk composition are closer in Fats and Carbs, and not far apart in Protein as well. This is why those who have successfully rehabbed hundreds of squirrels (not me -- I mean folks like Chris Clark and Shirley Casey) always use either a puppy powder (Esbilac) or a specially formulated mixture like those made by Fox Valley for squirrels. It is really not advisable to use KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer) or any other pet milk intended for kittens when feeding baby squirrels, for this reason.
    Island Rehabber
    NY State Licensed
    Wildlife Rehabilitator


    "Ancora Imparo" (I am still learning)
    Michelangelo


    *
    If you can't afford the vet,
    You can't afford a pet.
    NEGLECT IS ABUSE.

    "Better one day in the trees, than a lifetime in a cage."

    '...and the greatest of these, is Love. '

  15. #14
    acorniv Guest

    Default Re: Baby squirrel VERY constipated

    Quote Originally Posted by lazarus_04
    I've been feeding him and his brother esbilac puppy milk mixed with water, 1:2 ratio. When I first brought them home, I checked to see if they were dehydrated. They seemed fine. The little guy's brother's been eating the same thing, but he's fine. Pooping rather spectacularly really...lol I could try giving the big one a bit of olive oil to help things along on top of the extra water if you think that would help?

    Lazurus, I am having ongoing feeding/peeing problems with Miss Hickory, and Mars has been a big help. She is VERY knowledgable. But I'd like to mention a couple of things that might help.

    Don't assume that your big guy is well hydreated just because he is pooping. MH is quite the little pooper herself, but they tend to be hard and dry - and black or dark brown. They will look like dead fleas one day and plump rice crispies the next. She does not like drinking water in any form, and formula has been a battle since day one. The funny thing is that whenever I write about this, she runs over and drinks from her tube, so maybe I should post several times a day

    I watch for pee - poop is not enough to indicate they are getting enough fluids. You can also do the pionch test ( not as in ouch pinch, but lifting up a fold of skin between the shoulders and watching how quickly it settles)

    You want them to pee once or twice each day - and to have a nice odorless clear pee fairly often (your internist will tell you the same thing If she has had no pee - or, if she seems to anxiously look for something - suspect dehydration. Give a syringe of pedialyte then.

    This morning, MH got out and inspected every clear vessel in my house, but snorted into water if I held a glass for her to drink from. She knows how to use a tube, and has a tube, but has this idea abotu vessels being better ( yet has not the patience to learn to drink form them yet. I tried dipping some fabric in the water for her to suck and i tried giving her wet celery leaves, and moist foods ( she typically rejects all moist foods - darn the luck) but no go. Finally I give her a syringe of pedialte. Mine will usually take 2 cc's at most, but it helps. I cna also keep the syringe handy and she will sip form it as she romps around. Just don't mix formula with it, because they digest at different rates!

    In case you are wonderin, I stalled a bit on the pedialyte because she is 10 weeks and needs to be able to accept other forms of fluids before she is released.

    Hope that helps And I am SOOOO glad to hear he finally pooped! I know he feels better, and I'm sure you do to. Now you can get proactive before another blockage.

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