stubborn squirrel

[Somebody's Mother]

i am starting to wonder if karen is depressed or just being stubborn. he now refuses to take the formula or gatorade. when i had let him run free on the porch he was a pain to catch but he ate heartily when i did catch him. now he is confined to his smaller enclosure and refuses to eat!?? :dono also i remember you saying something about a buiscuit they can eat? for some reason i keep thinking monkey buiscuit.
last night when karen refused to eat for the third time i sat down with him in the hammock chair and held him and swung back and forth with him. he calmed down but still refused to eat.
i haven't changed formula or feeding apparatus. he does have a bowl with water in his cage. how long till this becomes an emergency? i am getting worried.

[Critter_Queen]

I'm sorry, I don't recall how old Karen is? Maybe he's weaning? What are you offering him to eat besides formula? Why are you using Gatorade?

Hmmm...could be lots of things. More info please. :)

[Somebody's Mother]

karen should be approximately seven weeks old. i just offered the gatorade to see if he would drink anything. he isn't dehydrated so i think he is probably drinking the water. i really haven't checked how much i just empty and clean the bowl each day and put fresh water in.
he is getting some pablum with water each day and some carrot slices and he got ahold of a peanut the other day. he can get right through the shell. no probs. threw the shell out on the rug. haha! he is definitely a teenager.

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

I have never heard of giving gatorade there is a lot of salt in that.:dono
I have always been told to use pedialite?
Maybe he's just having an off day, or throwing his weight around knowing he only has to do what he wants to do?
Have you given any walnuts or pecans yet?
I bet he would love them. I remeber Rippie Boy when he started with nuts, he'd take a bite or 2 and throw them ....The other day my daughter & I were in the woods we found acorns with 2& 3 bites out of..I said to her.."well we know who's been here"!

[Critter_Queen]

I would suggest offering a variety of foods at this age. He very well could be wanting to wean as some squirrels do wean totally as early as 9 weeks old at times.

Each morning I offer Zeke his formula. I draw up the right amount for his weight/age and he'll either take it all or leave some of it. Right after that I offer him a plate of leaf lettuce, halved grapes, baby carrots, Iams puppy food, apple chunks, one walnut and one half pecan...all sprinkled with dried banana pieces, pumpkin seeds and sliced almonds. This way he can eat that if he's hungry during the day until his sun-down feeding.

I start offering these foods individually on a daily basis as soon as eyes are open.

Are you warming the formula to 99-102 degrees? Are you feeding at 4-5 hour intervals? Hmmmm....not sure what his deal is...

Maybe he got into something on the porch that's making him not well?? When did you add the whipping cream to his formula? I have a baby squirrel that just can't take the whipping cream but the other three do great with it...

[Critter_Queen]

PS- I agree with R&LG's mom that Gatorade would not be a good choice for rehydrating. Pedialyte or Lactated Ringer's solution (available by vet) are the two top choices. Also, if you give pecans they should be considered a treat, not food...like squirrel candy. :thumbsup

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

try also a raw sweet potato! Mine love them!

[Somebody's Mother]

i don't think he got into anything on the porch because he is very hyper when he is awake. luckily he isn't hurting anywhere. but i have just discovered that my squirrel can spit. funny little guy.
i will try offering him more. maybe he doesn't like the bottle feeding anymore. i introduced the whipping cream last week. for the whole week he ate it ravenously.
i just don't want anything to happen to him. i mean by the looks of things he should have a good normal life ahead of him.

and btw we have a raised water meter in the front yard and the squirrels use the lid as a table. we can brush the acorn shells off and they will come right back the next day. the squirrels also like to go and turn over my lawn statues. especially the angel sucking his thumb and the bunny. i think i must have some gangsta squirrels.:D

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

very hyper when he is awake.RB was like that also. I found the fuller his stomach was the less he ripped & tore..sort of like a kid.
Hey I gave my little ones small pieces of fresh corn on the cob just now, they are going crazy with it!:D

[Secret Squirrel]

This is just a thought.....my kidz like a routine. Every time I feed, it's the same place at the table, same chair, same towels (but clean), same bowls....nothing changes. I have found that if I stray from the norm....they get squirrelly.....they are in high alert mode and will freeze even if a butterfly floats by the window!!!! Too many changes makes them overly cautious and afraid to eat. Feeding time should be soothing and quiet so the baby can relax and enjoy the meal.
Have you tried mixing ground up rodent block with the Esbilac yet? Put it in a shallow dish and see if he will lap it.:peace

[Somebody's Mother]

thanks for all the assistance. i love this little guy. i keep worrying that something will happen to him.
this morning i picked up carrots and pumpkin seed and walnuts and pecans and iam's puppy food and an apple. i offered the mix to karen. he was ready!! he is still going through the mix and picking stuff out. (our guinea pig was a bit jealous so he insisted on getting some too.)
karen still will no take the formula. i don't know what to do about that. maybe i should offer it in a small bowl in small amounts and see if he will drink it. i think he must be drinking water.
no luck so far finding the rodent block. the feed store asked what type of vermin i was trying to get rid of. :shakehead

[Secret Squirrel]

Rodent block isn't the name of the product....it just what we commonly call it.
Kaytee, Fiesta, Masuri are the brand names and it's rat food...very large pellets...it sorta looks like rabbit food only larger. I don't know what pet stores you have but Superpetz and Petsmart carry it. Of course you can order it from Chris's squirrels and more.

[Somebody's Mother]

YES! Petsmart!! thanks!

[Critter_Queen]

Sounds like Karen is ready to wean...I agree that the rodent block added to the mix you describe sounds good. Just be sure not to offer more than one pecan (half?) per squirrel each day...it's squirrel candy. :)

I'm betting that if he's refusing formula but is readily eating solids he's weaning himself. As long as you continue to offer an abundance of those same kinds of foods every day he should get what he needs from it. The puppy food is really good for keeping their diet balanced, too...and the rodent block will do the same. Try some leaf lettuce, pears, grapes, banana, corn on the cob...

Glad to hear he was ready to eat regardless of what it was! That's always a good sign.

[Somebody's Mother]

this is great because we are vegetarians so we can enjoy the foods too. he seems so happy. turns over his little food bowl and looks at all the goodies and then eats them.

[atlantasquirrelgirl]

Here's something to try. When my older babies start rebelling against eating, I put them back in their cage and slip the nipple through the cage at them. If they don't see the nipple, I move them towards it, and put it in their mouth. Usually, they will eat ravenously when they are back in their comfy familiar surroundings. It's like they get so curious when out of the cage that they are distracted and don't want to eat.

[Somebody's Mother]

thanks atlantasquirrelgirl. yeah i discovered that he will take a little formula if i hide my hand under a cloth in his cage. i forgot about all the distractions when you are out side of the cage.

[momshea4]

My squirrelis also weaning, and I get some formula into him by mixing it with vanilla yogurt and letting him lick it out of a dish. I use Stonyfield Farm organic yogurt... he LOVES it!
I think it's fun with the new foods instead of the bottle/syringe feedings. I'm like a squirrel chef, fixing him up fancy salads lol!