possibly sick flying squirrel

[wlavaughn]

found a baby flying squirrel possibly 6-9 wks old. how old should he be to ween him off puppy milk. also I have had him for about 2 wks have not seen any signs of bowel movement in his cage. he semmed kind of weak today,please help

[Pam]

wlavaughn, I moved your post to the emergency section. I'm afraid it got overlooked.

:Welcome to TSB!

[MrBooMY]

If he is not pooping you'll have to get him pooping ASAP or he'll get poisoned by his own poop. I know it helps to give them a drop or two of mineral oil and maybe some simethicone. Also a warm bath with a belly massage should also help. You have to stimulate them to use the bathroom when they are only 5-6 weeks old. I use a q-tip dipped in warm water, just flick it over their genitals really fast and it usually works every time within 10 seconds. Hope everything goes well for you.

[Buddy'sMom]

:bump

:thinking Not sure why, but it seems like this request for advice is not being seen by our (very busy) rehabbers?? :dono :dono

[cr8zyanimalgirl]

Have you been stimulating him to go to the bathroom??? You can use the Qtip or use a cotton ball in warm water. If you use the soaking way be very very careful not to twist his intestines. you have to stimulate him everytime he eats. Preferably before he eats.

[jme2323]

did anyone pm gamma's baby or island rehabber? they are usally very quick to help...

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

I was just going to pm Muffin, but see she's found the thread.

[muffinsquirrel]

found a baby flying squirrel possibly 6-9 wks old. how old should he be to ween him off puppy milk. also I have had him for about 2 wks have not seen any signs of bowel movement in his cage. he semmed kind of weak today,please help


You should start giving him some fresh veggies and fruit, and a few shelled pecan pieces, in his cage now. I usually start with apples, grapes and broccoli. Be sure to peel the apples and grapes, and take out the center (stem extension, seeds, etc.) of the grapes. Make sure the pieces are big enough that he has to chew on them, not just get it in his mouth and swallow it. Keep on with the formula in addition to the solid foods as long as he will take it.

You will have to stimulate him to pee and poop. Are you sure there has not been any poop in his cage? It is very small, like chocolate sprinkles. Well, since he is still on formula, more like butterscotch sprinkles!

What kind of formula do you have him on, how often do you feed him, how much, and what with? I know that's a lot of questions all at once, but we need to know the answers before we can help you. Do you have a heating pad under half of his cage? Some of them like the extra warmth longer than others. Set the heating pad on 'low', and make sure it does not have the automatic shut-off feature.

Is there any way you can post a picture of him? That would help us a lot. (Plus, we all like to look at pix of squirrels!)

I'll check back later, and I am sure there will be others on soon to help. Feel free to PM or email me if you have any questions or problems.

muffinsquirrel

[wlavaughn]

Thanks to everyone for the replys. We have been giving him KMR kitten milk, I thought it was puppy milk. We also have been giving him pedalyte to drink,we are feeding him parrot food along with peeled apples,carrots & natural crunchy peanut butter. We have started finding pellets today in his cage. We have been putting a heating pad under his cage, although we did remove it for a couple of days & after the 2nd day he seemed distraut so we out it back & he seems better. I am going to try to post pictures, maybe someone can help me with his age.

[Tere33L]

I hope you have weaned him off of the KMR...never feed a squirrel KMR, that in itself can kill him...use ESBILAC for puppies!!! Good Luck he looks precious and healthy!