fish gaping is driving me CRAZY!!!

[taylorleeann]

I have a grey squirrel that is about 4-5 weeks old. I have had her since she was about 1 week old and she has never done this before. She has her top and bottom teeth but her eyes are not open yet. Yesterday she started having these tiny seizures it seems like every 1-2 seconds while feeding her. She will stop sucking and her tongue will stick to the top of her mouth and she will rock her head forward and backward slowly then she will suddenly snap out of it and start eating again. She usually only does this for a couple seconds at a time but she is often doing this more than eating. Since she started doing this, she has aspirated her milk several times which she has never done before and it takes me close to 45 mins to feed her. She also seems to take less formula. She was taking 4 cc's at a time and is now taking a little over 3.

Other than this, she seems to be doing good - she is pooping and peeing well and sleeping soundly. My issue is that I cannot spend 45 mins at a time 6 times a day. I am so tired of feeding her because it takes what seems like FOREVER. I have tried rubbing her in the neck and head and talking to her which will sometimes make her come out of it but then she sucks for a second and starts with the trance again. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. How long does this usually last and is it normal to do it that often during a feeding? Thanks

[wheezer]

Is this what your baby is doing?
If so it is normal. Not all babies do it but some do. They just kind of hypnotize themselves while sucking. This little one did it for almost 5 minutes! I usually just tap them and they "wake" up:)

[wheezer]

forgot the link:tilt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYjzxVyjduw

[taylorleeann]

Yes! That is exactly what she is doing. It is driving me crazy though. I cannot spend 45 mins at a time feeding her. Unfortunately, I don't have that much time in my day to spare. I hope this is a quick phase or I am gonna have to find someone else to take her. I think she is absolutely adorable and I would like to be the one to release her so I guess I will see how it goes. Is it normal for her to eat less? She is only eating about 3 to 3 1/2 cc's when she was eating 4 ccs or more.

[island rehabber]

Try changing whatever you have on the tip of the syringe to break her of the habit. If you don't use a nipple attachment, try one. If you do, take it off or use another kind. Try putting the syringe off to the side, hanging out of her mouth like Bogart with a cigarette. :D I had a major gaper last year who would go into 2-3 minute trances like this and it drove me nuts, too. But it should NOT take 45 mins. to feed one squirrel, and she should be increasing her intake not decreasing. Is the formula very, very warm -- like 100-102 degrees?

[Johnb]

I also had one last year that did the same, many of the suggestions you posted worked for me, also when he would start to gap another thing that worked for me was to put the tip of my pinkie finger in his mouth and he would suck it right away and this would stop him from doing it right away, I would then take my pinkie finger out of his mouth and he would be ready to start feeding again. It's almost like they form a suction with their tongue against the roof of their mouth back in their throat which they cant break loose by themselves, so trying a different nipple or angle is a great way to decrease the risk of the suction forming. Mine had this problem for 8 weeks.
Also another thing that worked for me was when he started doing it I would tap the tip of the "soft" nipple on his tongue one or two times at the most and it would stop him right away.

Good luck , hang in there.



Try changing whatever you have on the tip of the syringe to break her of the habit. If you don't use a nipple attachment, try one. If you do, take it off or use another kind. Try putting the syringe off to the side, hanging out of her mouth like Bogart with a cigarette. :D I had a major gaper last year who would go into 2-3 minute trances like this and it drove me nuts, too. But it should NOT take 45 mins. to feed one squirrel, and she should be increasing her intake not decreasing. Is the formula very, very warm -- like 100-102 degrees?

[taylorleeann]

Thanks for the replies. I will try all of those things. Yes I am feeding her very warm formula, I have to re-heat it about four times during one feeding because she takes so long that it cools. I think she is taking in less formula because she is getting tired by the end of the feeding and does not want to suck anymore. 45 mins is a long time for her to be up at once. One of the reasons that it takes so long is that I have to put the syringe back in the hot water to re-heat it and wait for it to get warm again like 4 times because she eats so slow. She will suck for like one second and then start up the "phantom sucking". I can make her stop by tapping her on the head or just talking to her but it still takes a long time because right after I get her to stop, she suck like one time and starts again. Thanks for the advice, I will try a different tip and try to be patient:thankyou

[I Love Lucy]

Sometimes if you gently blow in their face or take the nipple and gently touch the roof of their mouth it will snap them out iof it. I have a little girl now who will do it for over 5 minutes after she's finished eating. I wipe and clean her face off and that works with her.

Good luck and be patient. Mine have always grown out of it.

[Johnb]

On keeping the formula warm, I have always used one of those single cup coffee cup warmers that are electric, I keep my formula for the "single" feeding in a glass "new" coffee cup on the warmer on the table so I can constantly reach it and refill my syringe with warm formula. You may need to keep the cup off to one side while on the warmer so you don't over heat it. I check the formula ever time before I suck it into the syringe so I know it has not got to hot before I place the syringe into the babies mouth.
This has worked great for me, it keeps that feedings formula at a fairly constant temp and keeps me able to give the baby a steady feeding , also cuts your overall time down for the feeding, "BE Careful" not to let it get to hot while on the warmer though...


Thanks for the replies. I will try all of those things. Yes I am feeding her very warm formula, I have to re-heat it about four times during one feeding because she takes so long that it cools. I think she is taking in less formula because she is getting tired by the end of the feeding and does not want to suck anymore. 45 mins is a long time for her to be up at once. One of the reasons that it takes so long is that I have to put the syringe back in the hot water to re-heat it and wait for it to get warm again like 4 times because she eats so slow. She will suck for like one second and then start up the "phantom sucking". I can make her stop by tapping her on the head or just talking to her but it still takes a long time because right after I get her to stop, she suck like one time and starts again. Thanks for the advice, I will try a different tip and try to be patient:thankyou

[island rehabber]

If you want to go wireless, there are microwaveable cup warmers that are basically a square piece of tile surrounded by plastic (for holding) and you heat it for 2 minutes. It keeps the formula and the mug with water nice and warm but not too hot. I've used this method for years. Once the squirrels are up to several 3cc syringes' worth of formula each, I pre-fill three or four syringes and stick them in the hot water so you can just go 1-2-3 feeding the squirrel. As you know, it's the fumbling in between syringe refills when silly stuff happens -- like squirrels diving into the formula cup, squirrels running up your face :eek:, squirrels tipping the formula cup over......:rotfl

[KimbleSquible]

Scribble went through a gaping phase to. I started tapping him on the bottom or back (he would feed lying uphill on the back of his Winnie the Pooh and I would hold and tap him with one hand and feed with the other) while he fed. It kept his mind on the job at hand. Even now that he is five months old, if I hold him and tap him he settles down and thinks about what is going on in front of him.
Really hope you can sort this out and keep your baby!

[taylorleeann]

thanks so much for all the advice. I recently moved up to the three cc syringe and it takes her so long to eat that the milk in the syringe gets cold several times before she is done with it. I think I will change back to the 1 cc syringe and just keep several of them warm to I can keep grabbing a new warm one. I have a lot going on so my mother in law said that she will help me with her and she has raised several of them. She will be my babysitter during the day so I can have a break and that will help greatly. Thanks again everyone this forum has been a lifesaver!!

[Johnb]

LOL , How true, "keep the formula coming or I'm going nuts on ya"


If you want to go wireless, there are microwaveable cup warmers that are basically a square piece of tile surrounded by plastic (for holding) and you heat it for 2 minutes. It keeps the formula and the mug with water nice and warm but not too hot. I've used this method for years. Once the squirrels are up to several 3cc syringes' worth of formula each, I pre-fill three or four syringes and stick them in the hot water so you can just go 1-2-3 feeding the squirrel. As you know, it's the fumbling in between syringe refills when silly stuff happens -- like squirrels diving into the formula cup, squirrels running up your face :eek:, squirrels tipping the formula cup over......:rotfl