Feeding Time

[Rhubarb]

Firt, morning to you all,

Rhubarb and Henry are doing lovely. However, My little man has started to get almost frantic come feeding time. Nothing has changed really from before, but the last 2 - 3 days he will get really wound up. I feed them both in a quiet room where it's just them and me. When Henry anticipates food coming, he smacks his lips continuously and waves his arms around. He even pushes up on his hind legs a lot. Regarding the seizure like actions, this smacking lips action seems to intensify the occurence. I have always fed him slowly, usually a drop or two at a time, but since he has gotten so excited now it usually takes me a good 1 - 2 minutes to get a drop down. His peeing and pooping are superb, so is his weight. I'm wondering if this behavior is normal, and if so, what can I do to help him calm down? Also, what worries me is- I actually have to hold his head on the sides to keep him from moving around and getting his nose instead. He pushes against my hands with his noggin. I'm afraid I'm going to hurt him. I don't grip him and I try to hold him lightly so if he jerks away too abruptly, he won't hurt his neck.

Any thoughts on this?

[FallensMommie]

It might be he is very hungry and needs to either eat more or sooner.

How old is he, how much does he weigh, how much are you feeding per session, and how often are you feeding in between feeding sessions?

This will help us to determine if he needs to increase amount being fed and time intervals between being fed, or if this is his pesonality.

[Rhubarb]

Henry is 3 weeks old. He weighs 63 grams and I feed him exactly 3 ccs per a feeding. I typically feed Rhubarb and Henry every 3 to 3 1/2 hours, except for at night. I make their last feeding at midnight and then resume their schedule at 4 o'clock.

According to the 5% rule, I ought to be feeding Henry about .2 ccs more, but he is so plump- I'm afraid to bloat him.

Also, his diet consists of 2 parts water, 1 part Esbilac, and 1/4 teaspoon of organic yogurt.

[FallensMommie]

I would feed him what the 5% rule says he should have. Bloat comes from overfeeding and to close of feedings where they don't digest the food before the next feeding. It seems like he is wiggle like you are stating because he is getting so hungry he gets besides himself. Feed him according to the 5% rule and feed him first out of the two.

They can also get bloat from sucking down air. Fill the syringe a little with formula and then push the formula out and then refill to appropriate cc's and that will get out the air. Are you feeding them with a nipple that will help too with him not getting frantic as they can suck on the nipple and you can control the amount they get by pushing the syringe which will help also reduce air intact which prevents bloat.

I have a video of Fallen on a syringe I'll post it for you to see how we did it.

I know the one thing I searched for when I got Fallen was "how to feed them" I wanted a video to watch as sight helps me to understand more. I never did find one so hopefully this helps. If you can get a nipple it does make it easier, but the hole you put in it has to be small. I actually test the nipple hole by actually sucking on it :shakehead if I had to suck to hard I would make it bigger until I felt it was perfect. If they have to suck to hard they will get frustrated and give up so the hole size is vital as to not be to big so they don't get to much (which you can control by how much you allow with the push of the syringe) and not to hard to where they have to suck their brains out and get frustrated. Cleaning of the nipple after each feeding session is vital also and to make sure it gets extra rinsing so no soap is left behind.

I'll go find that video now to share with you.

[Rhubarb]

please post the video. I'd like to see it.

And I have been feeding with a nipple, but I will increase the 5%. Does the feeding schedule sound appropriate, or should I shorten the time between feedings? And I haven't considered the inhalation of air either- so that definitely might be something to consider.

Thanks a bunch!

[FallensMommie]

I have it uploading and will post ASAP

I fed Fallen at this age every 3 hours around the clock at the 5% rule.....I'm sure a rehabber will be on to further assist you.

Here is a quick copy and paste from Chris website:
Remember, do not overfeed the animal, the belly should be full and round but not tight. A good guideline to use is the animal should be getting 5% formula to his body weight. If you have a small scale that can measure grams you can figure the feedings that way. A squirrel weighing 100 grams would get 5% of his body weight at a feeding, or 5 ml of formula. But remember, that is only a guideline, every animal is different. Do not go by age but rather the size and condition of the animal.

Formula should be fed every two or three hours depending on the age of the animal. (Example: A 5-week-old squirrel will be strictly on formula and not yet on solid foods, so he will need to be fed every three hours. A seven-week-old squirrel will be nibbling on solid foods, and will need formula about four times a day, or every 4 hours.

It is important to check the size of the stomach before you feed him another feeding. If the stomach size is not smaller by the time the baby is due for another feeding then the animal has not been able to digest his meal from the last feeding. Don’t feed him yet. Stimulate to see if he will have a bowel movement, or urinate. If not, he may have gas,or bloat or may be constipated. If you think this may be the case, then you can soak the lower half of his body in warm water and massage his back, sides and abdomen. He will need to pass gas or some stool to relieve the problem. Don’t allow him to become chilled while you work with him.

[FallensMommie]

Fallen Video of him eating (I hope this helps)
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a320/floridatlc/Family%20pictures/th_MOV05243.jpg (http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a320/floridatlc/Family%20pictures/?action=view&current=MOV05243.flv)

[Rhubarb]

Hey there,

The video certainly helped. Never fails to amaze me how much there is to learn about these little guys. Sometimes it's discouraging.

Anyway, many thanks.

[atlantasquirrelgirl]

It could be that they are not filling up enough. You can try adding a little heavy whipping cream to the formula mixture to add some fat/calories, as well as a dash of rice cereal.

1 scoop Esbilac
1 scoop whipping cream
2 scoops water
dash rice cereal