New mom with lots of questions

[celtgirl]

Hello everyone....I recently found 4 baby squirrels who had toppled out of what appeared to be 4 different trees. I estimated them to be about 5-6 weeks of age, and brought them inside to try to help these little guys through (yes, guys...all were boys). I scared a neighbors cat away from one, but too late... I ended up just taking the 3 in. My daughter and I set up a cozy home with an incubator, and I promptly looked up what to give them. I have them on Esbilac now, but on Sunday night the only thing I had to offer was diluted syrup feed from 3 cc syringes. The tiniest one my daughter dubbed Chestnut, who had some bloody discharge from his nose, made it nearly 2 days. On the night before my daughter's 14th bday he passed on while we were with him....she was totally devasted because, being the smallest, he had captured her heart. I tried warning her that the prognosis for him was not very good....but it is never, ever easy. We started her birthday out by burying him under the lilacs....not a happy moment. The others ( named Chip and Dale....I know, wrong species and not very original :) were doing wonderfully. After yesterday's first feeding, we went to the nursery to find that Chip had died. I was totally dumbfounded. By all appearances they were both doing so well. I am now completely paranoid that something will happen to Dale. I'm looking for any advice on what I may be doing wrong. It would just kill me to lose him, too. I did try calling a rehabber right away, and unfortunately I probably picked the only one who was just SO not nice (or helpful) in any way, shape, or form. The other one who is somewhat local is away on holiday. Just for a bit of background on me, I had worked as a vet tech for 2.5 years, and just recently switched jobs so that I could have the all important health insurance...I've touched base with my co-workers about this often over the last week, but squirrels aren't their forte. Please, please, please....any help would be greatly appreciated. I've cried too much over the last two little funerals and want to avoid a third.

[GhosTS]

Ok..I read your post a couple of times..there are few things I noticed.

1.You mentioned a cat..Cats are bad.(for squirrels.)If he was near the squirrels especially.Their saliva contains deadly bacteria for squirrels.They dont need to bite the squirrel in order to kill him.

2.What do you mean by dialuted syrup.Syrup is not milk.They will have hard time digesting it.Thats...bad.Dont feed them anything other that esbilac.

3.Bloody discharge from the nose..One could be an internal injury from the fall.second..are you sure that its blood from the nose.Not syrup or milk.Little babies can aspirate very easily which will cause deadly pneumonia.Does the remaining baby have a hard time breathing.Breathing from the mouth.Or clicking/wheezing sounds on the chest when he is sleeping.

4.Bloating..how much are you feeding the baby.how often do you feed him.Are you feeding them with liquid esbillac or the powder.The liquid esbilac is too strong.they need the powder.1 part esbilac 2 parts water.Is the stomache hard and enlarged.If it is..its bloat.Its deadly too.

5.If they are 6 weeks old they must have opened their eyes.have they opened their eyes.Another thing I didnt see in your post is waste elimination.Babies till they are around 6-7 weeks ( Some say they dont need it after 5 weeks..but they need some help even after that.) cant poo/pee by themselves.Need a little help.If its not done properly they will get urine poisoning.that can cause death.

Now for Dale..does he have any symptoms mentioned above..( Rehabbers..did I miss something.)

Squerly..can you move this to emergency help forum.Looks like she needs help.ASAP.

[celtgirl]

Thanks for responding so quickly with so much information.
1. I chased away the cat, but didn't see how much contact that it had had with the others, only that it was near the one that was dead. How long would the bacteria take to take effect? Is it possible that Chip succumbed to it days later?

2. I realize that syrup is bad, however, in cases of others babies (like kittens and puppies) that have come to the clinic dehydrated, starved or in shock, the first thing that can be done is to place any type of maple syrup directly on the gums for stimulation and immediate response. I used one drop syrup to 3 cc warm water, and when it was morning I went and bought the (powdered) Esbliac.

3. Yes, I was thinking internal bleeding for little Chestnut, which is why I kept telling my daughter I thought he wasn't going to make it. The remaining baby breathes well, has no clicking that I can tell (he does make a purring noise, though, is that something to be concerned with).

4. Feeding every 4 hours, using the powder Esbilac, mixing as described. The earlier pm feeding last night Dale ate 5-6 cc, but the 4 am (which I wrote the post after completing), he only ate about 2 cc. He refused any more. I stopped using the syringes the 2nd day and went to the bottles, which they seemed to respond better to. That is a concern for me....how much should he be getting? His tummy is not bloated nor hard, he does not look thin, but what is the average amount?

5. Yep, eyes are opened. As far as waste elimination, I use a warm, damp cloth to massage the belly, which seems to work fine. They all eliminated fine. The stool, however, is kind of a brownish, yellowish (which I noted somewhere is bad) color and is not firm, but I wouldn't classify it as diarrhea.

Dale doesn't seem to have any symptoms that are obvious at this point, but then neither did Chip. He was fine at one feeding, gone the next. I'm wondering about the cat saliva. Is there any type of med to counter-act that? Thank you!

[celtgirl]

I forgot to ask, though, what does the clicking noise mean? thanks....

[Mrs. Jack]

I am not a rehabber, know that. But I do have a thought. Isn't it possible that the squirrels all came from the same tree, that the cat found them soon enough to have.. played.. with them before you found them? In which case it would've affected them all in some way :/ I don't know, antibiotics of some sort? Rehabbers?
Also, Chip could've sustained some injury that wasn't visible or that you could know about.. in which case nothing you could've done would've saved him :(

I'd advise to try not to be paranoid about Dale.. I don't know about you, but when I am nervous or anxious, I am less able to be responsive and do what I need to, my mind is too scattered. Not that I don't understand why you would be, but just focus on your baby, you're doing good- asking questions, seeking proper information. Good for you! I am so sorry for your losses, and on your daughter's birthday too.. but we're not infallible.. just caring and trying our hardest to give something back to nature for all its given us. that's a good thing.
good luck to you and to Dale.

[GhosTS]

I think Mrs.Jack is right.It's possible that all 4 are of the same litter.Squirrels have litters around 2-4 babies at a time.Its not likely to have a one baby.So all the babies fell from the same nest and they walk in different directions.They do that.

Clicking noise is something like a polygraph machine." click click click " when breathing in his sleep.

It is possible that chip had some internal injuries too.from the fall.

I dont think that the bacteria will survive long outside.And if he had any contact with the cat the reaction can come within 1 day to a week or so.An antibiotic is the treatment for that.A wildlife vet can help you in that.

Brownish yellowish poop is ok.The softness can be due to the change in the formula.That happens alot.So keep a bene-bac close by..just in case of an emergency diarrhea.

Bottles are too big for them..They get aspirated easily.A syringe with a nipple attachment is the best.

Can you weigh him.If you can..the proper amount he should be fed is 5% of his body weight in mls.Lets say..if he weighs 100g s he should get 5ml.If he is 6 weeks, every 4 hours can be too much for him.He will need more time to digest.Every 4.5-5 hours will be ok.Make sure he is gaining weight after that.

If the cat hadnt had any contact with him or if he doesnt have any internal injuries...I think he has a chance.

Dont be too paranoid.That can make problems.(Some people after getting paranoid that the baby is thin..try to feed them more and bloat the babies.)

Keep us updated..

[Secret Squirrel]

How is Dale now??
You mentioned incubator...a heating pad placed half way under the the cage/box on low to med heat. Depending on the thickness of the container. Most squirrel once they are stable won't need heat any longer. You will be able to tell if he keeps getting cold...then keep him on the heat until he stabilizes.
You are feeding him the correct formula...just know that he has to digest the food before you feed him again ( and that's were heat plays it's role)
Never feed a cold baby...even if its starving or dehydrated.

Sounds like you are doing all you can do :thumbsup so please keep us posted.
You and your daughter sound like very caring ladies!!!:) Good luck!

[celtgirl]

:thankyou Thank you all SO much....Dale is (fingers crossed) doing well, and I promise I won't go over the edge with paranoia and do harm to him.... it's more the worried mom type thing....I sneak into the room every hour or so just to make sure he's breathing :) I've stopped using the bottle and have gone back to the syringe and am also waiting for 4.5 hours instead of 4 (I still keep sneaking in on him every hour in between the b-day slumber party and lots of girls). It's very possible that they did come from the same litter, although one of them my neighbor brought me from across the street. Since I don't know how long they were on the ground, I guess they could have walked, but they seemed so fragile. We have lots of squirrels in our yard that we feed year-round, but this is the first time we'ver had babies on the ground! I am very glad I found you all...it's been a lifeline. Going to bed now for a bit....I'll keep you posted.

[Mrs. Jack]

Good heavens. A slumber party full of girls, and a pinky squirrel. :bowdown
Try and remember to breathe every now and then, mama! ;)
How is Dale today? How are you doing?

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

I remember reading that cat bites if not treated within 24 hrs with a certain antibiotic will die, dont ask me what that antibiotic is I cant remember.
I agree with Mrs. Jack in her above post stay calm and take 1 feeding at a time. You are doing all you can its up to baby squirrel to do the rest.
We are rooting for you.
And I am sorry about your loss thats a lot to bear:wahoo in a few days time.

[celtgirl]

Dale is doing....wonderfully! He is so full of energy and seems to have just GROWN the last day and a half. He is cute beyond words, and is becoming more and more an individual little personality. One of the gifts my daughter got for her birthday was a digital camera (I'm totally a dinasaur when it comes to technology...I have my trusty 35 mm), but as soon as we read the book I'll share some pictures of him (which, at this point, is pretty much all that she's taken :) ). I still peek in on him a dozen times between feedings to make sure that he's ok, but I feel that he's definately on the right track....hopefully tonight after work I'll figure out the camera......

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

I am so glad to hear he is thriving!
:thumbsup :wahoo

[celtgirl]

Well, I have the pictures on the computer...but can't seem to get them on here. I uploaded the pictures where it said 'manage attachments', but that was as far as it went. HHmmm....I'll keep trying. Just got done feeding...he's so precious.

[Squerly]

Well, I have the pictures on the computer...but can't seem to get them on here. I uploaded the pictures where it said 'manage attachments', but that was as far as it went. Celtgirl, the picture(s) won't actually show up until you click on the "Submit Reply" button. It's very confusing but that's how it works.