Baby biting feeding tools

[jstalker]

Hello squirrelers!

Here's my situation. I have a little boy just over 8 weeks old. He's been weaning from his formula rather slowly. I posted about it before, and members encouraged me to let him tell me when he was ready to be moved down from feedings. He has since moved to 4 feedings per day rather than 5, but he's been on this stage for a while and shows no signs of wanting to move down. He's actually started eating his rodent block less. Instead, he pees on it. He consistently pees in the bowl of his rodent block. And on his mineral stone. He can be a bit picky about his veggies- he rarely eats them when he's in his cage. Only when I sit him down and continuously hand them to him. He weighs about 250g, and gets 15cc of Fox Valley formula each feeding. However, in feeding, he only bites the end of the syringe, and lets the milk drain down the side of his face, down his belly, etc. I have to fight with him for a long time, and waste a lot of food, before I can get him to suckle a reasonable amount from the syringe. He has gone through multiple syringes, as he bites them dow until there is no point on the end. I am really worried about him ingesting plastic, too. I obviously can't use any nipples on the syringes, as he would absolutely tear through those. I'm really frustrated of trying to deal with him, and worried. It makes feeding time extra frustrating and stressful for the both of us, and I've had to give him a bath because he's gotten his entire body covered in milk before. But I know he wants the formula- he goes absolutely crazy for it, pawing at the syringe, refusing to let it go, trying to keep getting it even after it's empty, etc. What can I do to fix/change this behavior, and to make feeding time better?
P.S. He has taken formula out of a syringe before with no nipple, and had no problem. So I know that it's not that he's unable.

Thanks!

[HRT4SQRLS]

Here's a couple ideas. There are some that just do that. They never met a syringe they couldn't destroy. There isn't really a way to stop it. Have you thought about a small bowl? You could thicken the formula with a little vanilla YoBaby yogurt and see if he will take it that way. Some will... some won't. Let me warn you though, if you think the syringe is messy, you ain't seen nothing yet. They practically swim in it. A bath is guaranteed.

It sounds like your little one thinks his rodent block bowl is a potty box. Some are trained to use a container as a potty box. I would probably remove the rodent block bowl and place a few on the bottom of the bin. They do play with them at first and potty on them but eventually they get the idea that it's food. It sounds like your guy is convinced it's a potty. You could leave the bowl and put a folded paper towel in it. See if he uses it as a potty bowl. You might just have trained him and didn't even know it.

[jstalker]

Thanks for the ideas! I haven't tried a small bowl. I'll definitely try that with him. About the rodent block, that's exactly what I was thinking about doing. I've tried moving the bowl but he still loves to pee in it. It's weird because he didn't do that before... I guess I have a potty-trained squirrel now!

If I try the bowl, do I have to give him more formula, because of how much he will wear rather than eat? And how much more?

[HRT4SQRLS]

If I try the bowl, do I have to give him more formula, because of how much he will wear rather than eat? And how much more?

At 8 weeks I'm not so concerned about the amount. I pretty much let them have what they want. You can judge the amount as you go. I would first see if he will even take it that way. I had one that adored yogurt. She would even eat yogurt as an adult outside. If I gave her a bowl of yogurt, she was 'on it'. A little yogurt (if he'll take it) mixed in with the formula will thicken it some. Just an idea.

[jstalker]

Yeah, I guess I worry more about his amount because he's weaning so slowly. I've never heard of an 8-week-old squirrel still on a 4x a day feeding schedule. But he absolutely wants all of the food I have to offer him. Within the past day he has been showing slightly less energy around feeding time (before, he knew exactly when it was time to feed and would get hungry and energetic). Should I force him to jump down to 3x per day (possibly giving him more formula, too) or let him tell me when he's ready?

[Rhapsody]

At 8 weeks old your baby should be drinking his formula every 5-6 hours @ 7% of his body weight..... so 4x a day is perfectly fine for him to be drinking.

8 weeks old is when I start my babies on hhb and I give it to them first thing in the morning when they are at their hungriest and most willing to eat, then I follow with the formula schedule.

[Coralreefer]

We've had a couple nipple eaters before.
One of our recent ones Bucky would actually rip the tip off and try to swallow it.
She would chew it like a piece of gum and I'd have to get into those machete teeth to fish it out. Little ****! :

We've had luck with "saucer training" nipple eaters.
Just pour the warm milk into a saucer and let them figure out how to drink it.
The first few times they try is kind of a mess but they end up getting used to it.
You have to pour a couple 3cc syringe fulls at a time so the milk isn't that deep. They can lick it up without getting their nose buried under the milk that way. If the milk is too deep they won't lap it up.

As Heart4Squirrels said you could also mix in formula powder with yogurt. This worked with one of ours as well.

[Cesta]

How big is the syringe you're using? Is he maybe frustrated because you're using a tiny one and he feels like he can't get food fast enough? I think we've all had some who flip when you try to take the syringe and re-fill it. Just a thought..

Another possibility for getting formula in him without a huge mess is boo balls. Have you seen the recipes here? They're made from dry formula, ground HHB's, nuts and yogurt or baby food fruit. I've never had a squirrel refuse them. I would worry about his hydration, so you can't just abruptly stop all formula, but maybe replacing one meal at a time with boo balls until he's weaned? Again, just a thought. I would continue to offer HHB's for him to nibble (if he stops peeing on them! ) Putting the HHB in his cube or sleeping spot may stop the peeing behavior.

Whenever I've offered a baby that size a saucer of formula, or formula mixed with yogurt, it's a giant mess. They swim in it. Or they stand in it. Either way-- formula everywhere! They probably enjoy it, but I don't. They definitely get better at it when they're older. Or, as coralreefer said, you can train them by adding a few cc's at a time. I haven't tried that, but it sounds like a good idea. I would make sure the formula is warmed to the temp he's used to, it cools quickly in a shallow dish and he might refuse it if it's too cool for his liking. Picky little buggers...But we love them!

Good luck!