Where did I go wrong?

[RestInPeacePip]

I have never rehabilitated a squirrel before, tons of other animals. Puppies, birds, hamsters, rats, but never a squirrel. I work at a pet store and got a call from someone who could not drive and such. I told her was going to take him to a Wildlife refuge if possible. From the information she gave me, she had had him for roughly a month and a half. She told me she gave him 2% milk, I don't know when but from everything I read that was not good. His ears and eyes were open and he had both his top and bottom teeth. I picked him up Wednesday night and she gave me a syringe, similac NOT esbilac. He seemed rather boney being able to feel his ribs and hip bones, I could not feel any ounce of muscle. I knew I could not just pump him full of food so on Thursday I fed him according to a site judging his age at a little under two months. 14cc five times a day and I attempted to get him to eat an orange reading that to be okay for squirrels. This morning (Friday) I woke up to him dead. I am very heartbroken and wonder was it anything I did wrong?:dono

[Legomom]

I'm so sorry that it didn't work out for your little friend. Unfortunately, it sounds like he was off to a bad start already when he came to you. Thank you so much for trying.

Here's a link to use for future reference:
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11782

You might want to get familiar with the information in the 'Squirrel Nutrition' section as well.

I hope you'll stick around & learn all that you can about these amazing creatures. They are a blessing to raise & a joy to watch grow. :grouphug

[RestInPeacePip]

Thank you, my fiance and I were crying when I woke up and saw him. I was praying that he would 'wake' up. I have been looking up tons of information and such. Thank you for the reference. I had seen how tons of people kept them as pets, which honestly got me curious. There is a lot of mixed thoughts on it. I know I have a pet rat and a lot of people think down on that. What are your thoughts.

[Legomom]

Rats as pets are great. My mother has two very sweet sisters, KitKat & PipSqueek.

As for squirrels, well....that's usually up to the squirrel. Typically, greys do not make good pets. Eventually they hear the 'call of the wild' and need to be free. But, some squirrels have no desire whatsoever to be free...some, not many. They are typically bonded to one person & don't take too well to others, so it is difficult to go away for vacations or even an overnight outing. Again, I'm generalizing & I do have an exception. My sweet Christine is a non-releaseable squirrel. She had a severe head injury at a young age. It has left her with balance problems & a lack of complete control over her front paws. She is also very sweet & will let everyone in my family touch her. That may change some day, but for now it's good.

Southern flying squirrels on the other hand are great pets! They will bond to one person & will train that person to fit the flyer's desires.

In any case, it's an amazing blessing to raise an orphaned squirrel and watch it do what it was meant to do...be free in the trees.
Sometimes, we lose one & it rips our heart out, but we were blessed to have had a moment with that precious squirrel & it knew warmth & love before it passed.

[RestInPeacePip]

That makes a lot of sense, thank you for your advice. I am definitely going to do a lot of research and wait a good long while (months) before we think about getting a another furry friend. I know I saw a lot of information on SFSs. I saw they are legal here, and I looked it up and saw that Siberian Chipmunks were as well. It is something that we will be thinking of. Once again Thank you.

[Legomom]

Getting a pet is always a big decision. You are smart to take your time. :thumbsup

Of course, orphans just kind of show up when you least expect it, but now you'll be better prepared should one find you. And, TSB is always here to help. :grouphug

We have a member, Tiny Paws, who is in Ohio as well. She's owned by Timothy, a southern flying squirrel, and several other animals. I'm sure she'd be happy to share any info that you might need.
AND, I may live in Florida, but I'm a Buckeye through & through!! :D