Baby squirrel VERY constipated

[lazarus_04]

That's a hilarious story, acorniv! Truly a character that Doughboy!

Humm, now let's see. How did we find the babies. My mother was the one who found Kieran and Keegan (yes, i have finally found the perfect names for them ), so this is her story.

She said she found Keegan, my Mr. Big, lol, in a parking lot surrounded by a bus load of people who were about to go...somewhere or other. He was standing on his hind legs, waving his front paws in the air while people oohed and ahhhed at him.

When the people started getting on the bus, he followed them. My mother, fearing that he would get squashed when the bus left, picked him up and set him on this low, wide cement ledge bordered by flower beds. That's when she found Kieran, my little guy, standing in said flower beds, trying to eat the buds of a growing tulip. She placed them together and they immediately tried suckling each other's ears and tails. My mother didn't want to leave them, but figured the mother would probably come by to pick them up. When she started to leave, they both followed her. So she picked them up again and put them back on the ledge. They followed her again! So this time, she picked them up and walked around the parking area, trying to see or hear the mother.

There was no sign of her. My mother said that it was getting dark by this time and that the two of them were knawing and suckling away at her fingers. That's when she figured that they'd been abandoned or that the mother had died, so she brought them home in two wool socks. She then proceeded to place them in my care...Ha!

Cue the insane research, lol!

We've had them since friday night, which would make it about... 4 1/2 days?

So they weren't exactly TOGETHER when my mom found them, if you know what I mean. But what are the chances that two baby squirrels from two different litters were abandoned at the exact same time and almost the exact same location?

Like I said, Kieran doesn't SEEM sick, he just seems a bit...slow? Like he's behind Keegan by a day or two. For example, Keegan started getting more active two days ago, and Kieran followed him a day after. And as I said, he isn't as, shall we say, frenetic as Keegan, lol! He's mellow yellow. Plus, you know, he doesn't have a poop problem either.

At least I hope that's what this is...I'm a new mother at this, so I'm worrying about EVERY little thing it seems...

[lazarus_04]

Hey, I finally got photobucket to cooperate! Here they are.

Keegan:





and Kieran:






Sorry the pics were so big...I should have known to resize them first.

[lazarus_04]

Hey squirrelsrule? I just noticed that the two squirrels in your pick kind of match the proportions of Kiegan and Keeran. Both healthy looking, just not the same size...

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

lol! Yes, they are quite different in size. That is Lucky and Cody, my fall squirrels from last year. Lucky is the little one in the picture. I got her when she was a pinky. She had a brother and sister too, but they died of pneumonia within the first couple days. Then I got Cody later to go with Lucky because it is always better if they have a friend to grow up with. Cody is about 6 weeks older than Lucky. Here is a picture of the two of them when I first got Cody; you can definetely tell they are not from the same litter:



It is hard to say whether the little guy is sick or not. I would be worried about him, but I am a worrier. If you are only worried about the stress of the one hour car ride to get them to a rehabber, I wouldn't worry at all. They will be just fine in the car. Just put them in a little carrier with something to snuggle with and they will be just fine. I have taken my squirrels back and forth with me to the wildlife center where I volunteer all time when they need feedings during the day and I will be there all day, and they do just fine. The car ride doesn't even bother them. That is your call though. Also, if you pm me more specifics on your location, I may be able to find a closer in home rehabber that may even come pick them up. No guarentees I can find one though, since I am not too familiar with Canada rehabbers.

[island rehabber]

Lazarus, to further overwhelm you I'll put my two cents in again. It worries me that you say Kieran looks "gangly", as this is not a word we want to describe healthy baby squirrels with. (chubby, stocky, roly-poly, those are good words ) How gangly? From the picture you can't tell because we only see his face, and his eyes look bright which is excellent. Can you get us a whole-body shot of him? It would be so much easier to help you decide if he really is skinny -- meaning that he needs a little extra care or may have a bug in his system -- or just a smaller sibling to Mr. Big. And yes, in the same litter you can have a big bruiser and a little runty thing....I had 5 spring siblings last year and one girl was almost twice the weight of her runty brother when they were all 3 wks old. You can also have greys and blacks in the same litter, as they are the same species.

[Gabe]

I agree with IR, it is difficult to see from the pictures. If you compare the ears you can see that the first one is younger than the black one.
Still, he should not be thin, and a ride to a rehabber now is better than having him ill and not thriving.

[Mars]

I can suggest an easy fix that may help your little one. There is a product called Bioplasma ( sometimes called cell salt or salt plamsa ) it is sold at the health food stores. ( also sold at Chris's Squirrels and More ) Place 1 tablet in their formula twice a day for two days and see if you don't see a turn around. Sometimes it is just very hard for babies to make the change from mother's milk to formula. Another help, you may be doing already, is to add a 1/3 part organic live culture yorgurt to your formula every feeding. Vanilla is very well received.

[acorniv]

Just a thought - are blacks different in body type as well as color? Do they start out chunkier? That could explain the difference in their size. But they don't seem hugely different from the pictures - though they only show the head, so there may be a big differene in bodies. The ears might be different because of the blanket being over the back of the little one's head.

Thanks Lazurus for telling how they were found - very interesting! It is possible for it to be babes from two nests if a predator (including Man) altered their environment or took their moms at the same time. We have an issue with this in a neighboring apartment complex right now, where they are trapping all the adults and leaving the babies behind. There is also another thread right now about a squirrel that saw a hawk ( I think it was) make off with Mom and sibs so I suppose one could also take two moms.

Good thing for K&K your rmom came along! I wonder if she took them to you to teach you that parenting is an enormous respnsiblity I definately appreciate what Miss Hickory is teaching my 16 and 12 yo along those lines!.

So interesting that colors can vary within a litter! Thanks, IR.

[lazarus_04]

It's really hard to take pictures anymore acorniv, they're so active! And they keep climbing all over me when I let them out! And I hope my mom isn't trying to teach me a lesson...I've already told her I don't want any kids!

Hmm. I have another pic of him eating...



*snort* This was...the second night we had them. As you can see, my technique for feeding them was lacking a bit, lol! I have thankfully gotten better at it, hardly spill a drop. Kieran's a bit bigger, and his tail has fanned out since this pic was taken. I know its not that clear, but I'm still working on getting a better picture.

I might have used the wrong word to describe him. He's not gangly, as in sick gangly. More like...awkward teenage years gangly? Like his legs are a bit too long for his body. But keegan is definitely chubby, stocky and rolly-polly. He's also a bit of a bully. Always stealing food from Kieran. I have to keep an eye out when they're eating.

Hey mars, is the organic culture yogurt just the regular kind? Or is it a special brand? I think I might try the organic plasma. Kiegan has grown in the few days we've had him, definitely, but its almost like his buddy Keegan hit one of those growth spurts, lol!

I also have a couple of question that popped into my head today. Jeez, I hope I'm not being too much of a bother.

How often should I be letting these guys out and for how long? Keegan is almost hyperactive!

I figure I shouldn't be letting them fall asleep on me, right?

Should I put I heated water pad in their cage?


I also had a bit of a scare an hour ago. If anybody could help me understand it...

I was going to the bathroom down the hall when Kieran chirped at me once. After I got out of the bathroom, I headed for the downstairs. As soon as he lost sight of me, he started chirping continuously and only stopped once I was back in his sight. I let him out of the cage to make sure he was alright, because I had no idea what the noises meant. Gonna have to get me one of those Language of the Squirrels books! What on earth was that?

A few minutes later, Keegan, who had been calmly sitting beside his cage, suddenly shot off, leaped onto his cage, hung there, and started doing these little breathy, high pitched woofing sounds every couple of seconds. I thought he was hurt! So I grabbed him and checked him over. He seemed fine so I put him in his cage and he went straight to his hammock and fell asleep. ??? I almost had a heart attack! They've been so quiet since we got them. This is the first time they vocalize like that.

Oh, and Keegan is still getting better. His poop is soft but firm now. The only thing is that sometimes its like he starts to poo, then stops right in the middle, and you can see the poop kinda pokeing out a bit. That's when I help him out a little. I figure it can't be comfortable having poop stuck in the middle like that, if you know what I mean. But it's happening less and less...

God I am such a worrier...

[island rehabber]

Kieran looks just like my Rocket....and from that pic you just posted he looks well. I was worried that he had an emaciated look...I have seen starved baby squirrels who looked gangly like tiny Doberman pinschers.....when they are at that stage it's often too late to save them.

Those alarm calls you are hearing are because the babies are seeking their mom, or calling out to you because they sense they're alone now and they are scared. Reasurring them as you've been doing is the right way to calm them down, and that's why they can go right to sleep after you've returned to them. Awww.

[lazarus_04]

Woo. I managed to snap a couple of pictures while they were running out of gas!

Sorry in advance for the size, but if I resize them, they get blurry...












Kieran looks fine when he's sitting or climbing, but when he walks on the hardwood, his legs tend to slip-slide. Keegan does too. I put down towels for them to walk on, but...they don't care...

Umm, are there any toys that you guys can recommend? It seems kind of boring for them to just walk around when I let them out. The only think I have are those hard plastic cat balls that jingle, but the loud noise would probably scare them.

[lazarus_04]

Really island rehabber? That soon after we got them? ...Man, it is going to be next to impossible to release them in 2 1/2 months ...but one must do what one must...did that even make any sense?

[Mars]

Iit's same yogurt we eat. I use Stony field farms Vanilla.

[island rehabber]

Really island rehabber? That soon after we got them? ...Man, it is going to be next to impossible to release them in 2 1/2 months ...but one must do what one must...did that even make any sense?

Believe me, if they are typical squirrels you will want to see them go at 2 1/2 months . Rule of thumb: if you find yourself reaching for the welding gloves as well as the First Aid Kit "just in case", before you go in to change the squirrels' water, IT'S TIME TO RELEASE.

[lazarus_04]

...Oh God...

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

lol, perfect description Island!

[island rehabber]

lol, perfect description Island!

and for once in my life I'm not exaggerating.

[acorniv]

Iit's same yogurt we eat. I use Stony field farms Vanilla.

That's the stuff! Only tasty yogurt I've ever found. One of the healthiest too Great over strawberries with unsalted sunflower seeds on top Yum!

Oh - were we talking about squirrels?

[acorniv]

Is that both squirrels - all the photos look like black variety to me -?

Miss Hickory is not a chubbo like all the other babies here, but she has no exposed bones ( she did when she came here) - no backbone to feel, no ribs to count. She's well muscled, but lean for a baby. Since humans vary, I am assuming this is a nomall variation - she eats well. She also has MUCH shorter hair than any of the squirrels I see photos of. Only her tail has fur longer than a piece of velvet. Her back almost looks painted, and she feels like a short haired puppy so that makes her lopok leaner too.

About activity - you've seen squirrels in the wild and how active they are, right? These are children - multiply that energy by about 10, and you have a baby squirrel. At least that is what I've got, LOL! Just like people children, they dart around like mad and then crash and snooze.


However! MH will get hyper when she is feeling unsettled. If she is hungry for formula, for example, or if something new is in the room - including ( especially) a noise that is new or unwelcome. She runs and runs then. I don't care how hot it is where you live - get a hoded sweatshirt and plan on living in it for the next two months. When you go out you can go sleeveless, but you'll have lots of scratches to explain! When my 12 yo dd and I go out we look like we've had quite a cat fight

Toys - they have the BEST - each other. Alas, we have to substitute here. We wrestle MH - you can offer to by laying your hand palm up and wiggling your fingers. MH will pounce like a cat and then try to beat my hand up. She is super gentle - it's one of the few times I interact wiht her and come out unscathed. For a while I could appear to juggle her - sit cross legged wiht her on one knew and tap the opposite with my fingers - she'd hop[ back and forth and look like I was juggling her.

Any and all plastic toys are loved here. Carryand Bury is the favotite game. MH prefers Playmobil - small plastic figures from Sweden that she likes to carry and bury. We privide polar fleece squares form washcloth sized to towel sized and she tucks her treasures there. Watch out for choking hasards - or so I ahve been told. MH is careful with any size. I know this form contraband she has found. Like children some no doubt swallow everything. Mine doesn't.

BABYPROOF!

I hate to admit this, but one time she found a razor blade I had out for cutting up my cat's meds. Yup - firing squad time for me. But in my defense, I have baby proofed before, but you can't imagine what a squirrel infant is capable of. I'd stuck it inside a book and she found it. I swear she'd seen me use it and went straight for it. Think MONKEY! By the time I got her to drop it, she had run it around her mouth with her hands ( picture holding like a harmonica. Not a scratch. Except on my soul.

Branches are another must have - unsprayed safe trees like furit trees (except avocado!) that can be climbed and chewed on. And you will be needing a BIG cage to put them in. It begins to get expensive... But the cage can be made so it's not as expensive as say a parrot cage.

[lazarus_04]

No no! That's just Kieran, the runt. I posted pics of just him so that I could get expert opinions on if he IS just a runt, or if he is sick. Looks like he's just one small dude.

Here's his bigger brother Keegan! A real humdinger thsi one, lol!








I have to admit though, that I am seriously considering bringing them to the rehab center this weekend. I know myself, and my family, and I'm worried that we'll spoil them WAY too much to then go and release them. They're already wanting to sleep in my pockets...and getting kissed and pet and looked in on every five minutes. Half of our family's come to see them. They actually call every once in a while to see how the little guys are doing...my god were bad!