Bullwinkle needs help please!

[favesis37]

11 days ago we had a terrible storm, when i got home there was this tiny squirrel 1/2 in a puddle and it was storming so bad. she had fur on her head, and her eyes and ears are still closed. i brought her in, named her bullwinkle and am trying to take care of her. the first few days she seemed fine, i have her on a heatting pad on low, giving her puppy formula, and a hydrating mix. she seems to get hot during the day and cold at night. so we adjust the heatting pad. however she seems to be loosing weight, and had some loose stools today. i work nights and she eats great during the day but hubby has a terribel time getting her to eat at night when i am not home. any ideas on what to give her to give her some weight back and how much should she eat and weigh. as close as i can figure she must be around 3-4 weeks old and weighs about 2.5 ounces.
i want to thank you all in advance, it is going to be a long night as i am worried she won't make it thru, she ate great when i got home and peed for me, and all down hubby's arm.LOL he was so impressed.lol. i have got a ton of information of this board to help me thru the last 11 days.

thanks again
kim mom to bullwinkle

[favesis37]

i guess i should tell you, she ,made it thru another night! yippeeeeeeee:crazy

she is on " just born " formula and fed thru a bottle at the side of her mouth.
her hair is now covering herr, just not real thick, eyes still not open. she poo's and pee's fine most of the time.

thanks again
kim

[island rehabber]

First of all, bless you and hubby for rescuing little Bullwinke and doing so well so far. Without seeing her of course it is very hard to know what's wrong, but the first thing that pops out at me is the formula you are using. It may be she is getting too diluted of a formula -- Esbilac puppy powder, one part powder to two parts water, is really all she needs at this point. Any other type of hydrating mix or liquid over a period of time is going to give her loose stools and, eventually, weight loss. I would wean her off the other formula by cutting it in half, then in half again, etc. while increasing the Esbilac. Also, can you get a 1cc or 3cc syringe with a nipple attachment instead of the bottle? It's really harder and even dangerous to feed a squirrel baby with a bottle. So again: until her eyes are wide open and she has some weight back on her I would feed ONLY the Esbilac formula, about every 3-4 hours. Don't let her get cool even for a minute. Does your heating pad have an automatic shut-off? That may be the problem if it does. A cold squirrel should not be fed, and won't eat well anyway. I'm rambling here with everything that comes to mind, but PLEASE feel free to ask questions -- there are some really smart squirrel people on this board! :) :peace

[favesis37]

thank you so much, i am going to pet co today to get the formula you reccomened. she is on the water,sugar,salt formula that is used for hydration. i mix it with the just born. i will also look for a 1cc syringe. any idea how much she should weigh and eat?

thanks again
bullwinkle's mom

[Secret Squirrel]

You have done a excellent job so far with this lil girl.:)
Once you start her on the Esbilac she should start gaining weight slowly...don't try to fatten her up too fast.... as her internal organs need time to adjust to the new food. Island rehabber gave you good advice about gradual introduction to the new formula. You can get a syringe at a drug store (without the needle) or veterinarians carry them.
Feed her every 3 hours and 1.5 -2cc of very warm formula....never feed a cold baby....make sure she is warm first. I always check the babys groin area for coloration.....blueish = too cold...pinkish= just right internal temp.
That way you know she is warm through and through. Once fur starts to cover this area it's hard to see...but by that age they are pretty much healthy and running all over the place :D .

[favesis37]

afternoon all! well got the formula, and she is doing great on it. really seems to enjoy it much better the the other she was on. also found a syringe, put the nipple on it and it is so much easier to feed her then with the bottle i have some control over it. she is eatting 2cc's every 2.5 or 3 hours now, is this to much? she still weighs 2 ounces, but htere has not been a weight loss so that is good right? her poop is solid again, but still the "baby yellow" color.
i know so many questions.


thanks again

[BuckeyeSqrl]

That's great news! Her stool will stay that yellow color until she starts eating solid foods. As long as it is solid, it is fine.

She should be eating 5-10% of her body weight every three hours. Sounds like you're doing things right.

Good job!!

[island rehabber]

afternoon all! well got the formula, and she is doing great on it. really seems to enjoy it much better the the other she was on. also found a syringe, put the nipple on it and it is so much easier to feed her then with the bottle i have some control over it. she is eatting 2cc's every 2.5 or 3 hours now, is this to much? she still weighs 2 ounces, but htere has not been a weight loss so that is good right? her poop is solid again, but still the "baby yellow" color.
i know so many questions.


thanks again

Great news, Mom! Bullwinkle is in good hands....
If you want to, you can keep a log book on her -- how much she eats, when she eats, and whether she peed and pooped, plus her weight each day or every other day. This really helps you see if there is a 'trend' going on, or if everything is just fine. Good luck with her!

[favesis37]

i love the idea of a log, thanks so much. well bullwinkle ate for hubby only 1.5 cc's but she still ate. he called me at work to tell me, he acts all macho, but i could tell he was excited. lol. then tonight we thought my mare was in trouble so i called hubby told him he was going to have to feed her again if i was staying at the farm all night, he said, sure but do i have to poop her? lmao! i said yes, well mare seemed ok, so i came home to feed her and there he was sitting , holding her, with this wet rag, and a look of total confusion. seems i saved the night by walking in then.

[island rehabber]

i love the idea of a log, thanks so much. well bullwinkle ate for hubby only 1.5 cc's but she still ate. he called me at work to tell me, he acts all macho, but i could tell he was excited. lol. then tonight we thought my mare was in trouble so i called hubby told him he was going to have to feed her again if i was staying at the farm all night, he said, sure but do i have to poop her? lmao! i said yes, well mare seemed ok, so i came home to feed her and there he was sitting , holding her, with this wet rag, and a look of total confusion. seems i saved the night by walking in then.

Don't you find it hysterical that most of these guys will stick their hands into a filthy car engine and pull out something oily and gross and peer at it closely for 20 minutes....and not wash their hands for an hour......but a tiny little bit of teeny-weeny yellow poop freaks them out? Hee heeee!!! :rotfl