PDA

View Full Version : I'm a concerned squirrel mommy... help!



KathrynElizabeth
05-28-2009, 01:20 PM
5 days ago, I found two baby squirrels walking around the patio surrounding my pool. It wasn't the first time I've had baby squirrels in my yard, so I knew to put them both in a container where they couldn't get out of, but the mom could get in. I left the laundry basket where I found them and left them for 5 or so hours until it started getting dark. Since they were still there, my brother and I took them to a wildlife rehabilitation center. The woman there told me there wasn't anything they could do for such young squirrels and without their mother, they would die within a few hours. She suggested we just leave them in the basket outside and wait for their inevitable death. Shocked by that advice, I wasn't about to listen to it. Unfortunately, the little girl died yesterday despite my best efforts to keep her alive. :( The little boy, who I named Namor, is still alright and eating his formula regularly. He isn't dehydrated and his eyes are bright, but I'm worried he might be more lethargic than he should be. The vet told me he looked about three weeks old, so I was wondering if it's normal for a squirrel his age to sleep/nap/lounge/cuddle 23 hours of the day? He crawls around and lifts his head a little bit and is able to hang onto my finger, but I'm still a little concerned. Advice, anyone?

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e261/geeko337/Fiesta-Siesta015.jpg
There's my little boy on the car ride home from the wildlife center napping in a towel, which has since been replaced with an old t-shirt, but the vet gave us the towel and the box saying we shouldn't be touching the little guys with our bare hands. Too bad :p

island rehabber
05-28-2009, 01:35 PM
wow, Kathryn -- you've gotten some awful advice from those folks and I am very very glad you found us. :). First, you can certainly touch him with your bare hands. He will love it and so will you. If your hands are cold, though, warm them up first.

He looks to be about 4.5 - 5 weeks old and will sleep a LOT. In fact most of the time. How much formula , and of what kind, is he taking?

digiandchipper
05-28-2009, 01:38 PM
:Welcome and thanks for saving the little one! I am sorry about the little girl:grouphug
Have you read the all the 'stickies' for squirrel nutrition and such? They do sleep alot for a while but let's make sure everything is okay...

-I would think that even tho he is furred he needs to be warm...do you have a heating pad?
-He needs warm fleece or such instead of towels so his nails don't get caught.
-Are you feeding him the recommended formula (puppy Esbilac)?
-How about poo and pee? See any of either?

Sorry for the questions, just trying to get the full picture:thumbsup

Buddy'sMom
05-28-2009, 01:39 PM
:Welcome and thank you for continuing to look for help after the first advice you got!

First: Do you have him on heat? A heating pad under the box, on low.

If no heating pad, a Rice Buddy -- fill sock 2/3 with rice or dried beans, knot end and microwave about 45 sec (warm but not too hot). One or two would be nice to snuggle.

If not, a water or soda bottle filled with hot water and wrapped in sock or tshirt.

Be back in a minute with info --- but first, what have you fed them since you got them?

:grouphug

digiandchipper
05-28-2009, 01:39 PM
Woohoo, KE...looks like everyone is here...get ready for plenty of help!:D


:thankyou again for saving Namor!

Buddy'sMom
05-28-2009, 01:40 PM
:D great minds think alike! Never mind trying to sort us out -- just answer the questions and someone will help you! :thumbsup

Tomo
05-28-2009, 01:40 PM
IR is absolutely right! Is he pooping and peeing? Do you have him on heat? Keep a heating pad set to low under have of his cage/container. Place a towel between the pad and cage as well. Give him plenty of fleece to cuddle up in and you can even pick him up and hold him in it as well. They love to be cuddled and held close to your heart. What is his feeding schedule? What is the formula you're using, how much, how often? :)

Sarabi
05-28-2009, 01:46 PM
:Welcome :Welcome :Welcome and TG you found us, so sorry about the little girl, but you will get plenty of good advice and help here:grouphug Good luck with him he sure is precious:Love_Icon

Buddy'sMom
05-28-2009, 02:07 PM
KathrynElizabeth, I hope we didn't scare you off with the flurry of questions -- everyone is here to help you with your little guy any way we can. :grouphug

To start, if you haven't already found our initial instructions, look here: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13090

The key things are: warmth, hydration, then puppy formula. They must be in that order or the baby cannot digest the nutrients. It may be that you need to take a step or two back with your little Namor and we can help you do that. They DO sleep a lot at that age, but we can help you figure out if there is anything wrong.

:grouphug :Love_Icon :grouphug

Anne
05-28-2009, 02:12 PM
That adorable baby:Love_Icon :Welcome :Welcome to the board and :thankyou for saving this precious baby. I am sorry for the cruel advice you got from that center, so glad you didn't pay attention to it:D A great deal of vets know nothing about wildlife and have no interest/time to learn. The feel both you and the squirrel will get from your bear hands will be wonderful :grouphug :Love_Icon :Love_Icon I'll check back here later:wave123

island rehabber
05-28-2009, 02:34 PM
Guys, I must leave the house for a few hours but I know Kathryn is in good hands with you all. If she is in the Boston area, dmgualtieri may be able to help her. Will check in as soon as I get back --

KathrynElizabeth
05-28-2009, 09:16 PM
:thankyou All of you are so helpful! I don't have a heating pad, and thus far have just been keeping my laptop on and putting his bed on top of that. I had never heard of a rice buddy before, but I'll definitely try that. Being 16 and without a license and having a mother that isn't so supportive of my bringing a "wild animal" inside the house, I'm improvising. I walked to three different stores, none of which had syringes, but I got Esbilac at the pet store. When I found him, he was dehydrated, so I was giving him Pedialyte and I read that I couldn't mix that with the formula (true? not true? I wasn't about to risk it). Now he's eating however much formula I can get him to take (he doesn't really enjoy the eyedropper in his mouth, but it was all I could find!) which is probably a tablespoon over the course of a full day. He pees, poops, sleeps, squirms, cuddles, nibbles, exudes charm constantly, and not much else :p

It's a relief to hear it's not out of the ordinary for him to sleep so much. He seems like a healthy little guy to me, but I know I'll be asking for help every time he rolls over :)

This is SUCH a great site and I'm so glad I found it! Thanks to all of you so so much!

island rehabber
05-28-2009, 09:31 PM
You're 16? Girl, you write like a PhD in English who just turned 35......:bowdown
I am going to send you a private message so check yours in a minute or so, ok? :D

4skwerlz
05-28-2009, 09:33 PM
Hey Kathryn Elizabeth, He sure is cute! You'll want to make sure you got him completely hydrated. He really can't digest his formula properly otherwise. Why don't you give him some feedings of Pedialyte in between his regular formula feedings until at least tomorrow. Once he's fully rehydrated, he should perk up and his appetite will improve.

An eyedropper can work; just make sure the formula is warm enough. Your laptop as a heat source is better than nothing, but he might enjoy a rice buddy too. You'll have to keep reheating it though. A 2-liter bottle filled with hot water and wrapped in a blanket can also provide some heat.

Feel free to let your mom ask questions and maybe we can alleviate some of her concerns. Squirrels don't carry diseases like most wild animals. They rarely have fleas, don't carry rabies, etc. Of all the thousands of people here on TSB that handle many squirrels every year, I have never heard of one person getting any kind of illness or parasite.

Please keep us posted and we'll help you all we can, and :Welcometo TSB!

tatcat
05-28-2009, 09:44 PM
:wave123 hi katheryn elizabeth :Welcome to our tsb family...you are going to love it here...:thankyou for saving the lil guy...i am so sorry the lil girl didnt make it...:grouphug feel free to ask any questions ya have...i am no rehabber but have learned a great deal since i have been here...i cant wait to see pics of him...

KathrynElizabeth
05-28-2009, 10:36 PM
You're 16? Girl, you write like a PhD in English who just turned 35......:bowdown
I am going to send you a private message so check yours in a minute or so, ok? :D


hahah, thanks! I'll be sure to tell my english teacher she's done a wonderful job with me :D