No idea

[Marcela]

Greetings everyone! I live in Ixtapa, Mexico and there's no squirrel rehabber around. My neighbor's kid found a baby squirrel about a week ago and brought it to me. I had no clue on how to take her of her, but I've been reading a bit. So far, I've learned that she might be around 4 weeks (fully furred but still eyes closed) I'm feeding her Esbilac every 2 - 3 hours. Yesterday she seemed to be choking everytime I fed her. She would open her mouth really wide and seem to pant. I would shake her a little and she would resume to eat normally. Today, she's still doing that and for some reason her genitals seem to be swollen and as I stimulate her to poop or pee she complains a lot. HEEEEELLLPPPPP !!! Any ideas???

[Buddy'sMom]

:Welcome

Sometimes baby squirrels have what's sometimes called a "feeding seizure" -- it isn't really, but they gape and stopp feeding. If you tap them on the nose, they go back to feeding. Check out this link and see if that's what she is doing -- if so, it's "normal." If not, or if she does it any other time, let us know and we can help you figure it out.

Does it look anything like this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYjzxVyjduw

Has she been peeing and pooping for you? Is her urine clear? Does she look like her stomach is bloated? These things will help us help you.

In case you haven't already found it, there are three great articles here on care of baby squirrels: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56

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[ShesASquirrelyGirl]

When you say choking, is the milk coming out of the nose? Or does she look like she is gagging? or does she have a gaping mouth looking like she is sucking air?

Make sure the syringe you are using isn't to big. You need a small syringe that you can control the flow of .
Also make sure you are feeding her on her tummy or in an upright position, never tilted back or on their backs.

Could you possibly get a picture of the genital area?

Use a soft cotton ball dampened with warm water when stimulating the genitals. It will help if the area is sore.
What do you usually use to stimulate?

[Marcela]

Yeah yeah yeah! Thanks Buddy's mom!!! She looks just like the baby squirrel on the video, but it doesn't last that long. I guess it's because I freak out and give her a little shake. She does poop and pee when I stimulate her. and lately, she's been doing it on her own. Her pee is clear and her poop is sort of golden, and I've read it is due to the formula. After every feed her tummy looks... full, I guess, but not bloated.
I was using a dropper but she sucked too fast and I got scared she would aspirate some of the fluid, so I've recently switched to a 3 cc syringe. I calculated the aproximate amount she needs to be fed, and it turned out to be around 25 cc a day, so I feed her 2.5 cc every 2-3 hours, that is 10 times a day. For the last couple of days, I went back to using Pedialyte (1 cc)between feedings, cuz she looked sort of dehydrated (pinching her skin left a tent for a few seconds, and the skin around her chest sort of seemed to hang)
I always feed her on an upright position, holding her by her armpits, and seems to be working fine.
She's being peeing a lot and sort of developed a bit of a rash, I assume (the skin around her legs and genital area is a bit red). I've started to apply a bit of corn starch on the area. Before every feeding I change the damp bedding. Then I proceed to feed her, stimulate her, wipe her clean and apply the corn starch.
Thanks so much for your help. I will keep you posted on Theodora's progress.

[Buddy'sMom]

Some good news for you -- you can space out her feedings a bit more -- AND get some sleep! :) At her age, she can go 3-4 hours between feedings and can go with just one during the night. I know that will help you out .... and it might help her pee less, too. That may help her not pee until you stimulate. Try to keep her as dry as possible, as you have been. You can gently wipe her with a damp cloth or an unscented baby wipe to get the urine off so it doesn't irritate her.

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