Age of Squirrel... Is it Stunted?

[elizalalala]

I picked up a squirrel that was supposed to be 3-4 weeks old tonight from another rehabber. When I got her home I thought she seemed odd for her age. I don't have much experience with a lot of different squirrels yet though so I thought I'd get some second opinions.

The thing that threw me off is that I have papers listing "milestones" for squirrels, and a lot of her milestones are listed as 5 weeks or older. They include attempting to hold the tail in an S-shape, sitting up unsteadily (she is sleepy in the movies below so she isn't as active), upper incisors errupting, longer fur, exploring more actively, reacts more to sound, lurches when walking, & grabs things when picked up. She's also bonier than previous squirrels I've rehabbed, especially in the legs and hips. She's also experiencing very wet, goopy, brown diarrhea. She had it as soon as I got her home, so it started before I got her.

Here she is next to a 2-3 week old squirrel:

She is sleepy in these two movies but you mostly get the idea, she can sit up more than this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Env8jqS1z6k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NkX8dAW8E0

http://eeliza1.photosite.com/~photos/tn/4661024_1024.ts1159247879836.jpg
http://eeliza1.photosite.com/~photos/tn/4661157_1024.ts1159248194196.jpg
http://eeliza1.photosite.com/~photos/tn/4661189_1024.ts1159248278723.jpg
http://eeliza1.photosite.com/~photos/tn/4660744_1024.ts1159247283309.jpg
http://eeliza1.photosite.com/~photos/tn/4660770_1024.ts1159247368145.jpg
http://eeliza1.photosite.com/~photos/tn/4660833_1024.ts1159247512306.jpg

Her teeth:
http://eeliza1.photosite.com/~photos/tn/4661231_1024.ts1159248373537.jpg
http://eeliza1.photosite.com/~photos/tn/4661406_1024.ts1159248649487.jpg

How old does she seem?

[Critter_Queen]

I just looked at the first video, but she looks ok to me...sometimes they have to grow into their limbs at awkward stages...they don't look so disproportionate that it's a bad thing...

I would say she's about four weeks and your other one is about three...maybe a tad less...

I had one with the kind of poops you described in the other thread...it took me forever to get it under control...and then she died the day she finally had good poops. Respiratory infection is what killed her, I think. Anyway, we were able to finally get the diarrhea under control. First thing is to find out if you have changed her diet in any way...frequency, formula, amount per feeding, etc...all those things can cause diarrhea and all you have to do is regulate the feedings and it should fix the diarrhea. But if that doesn't help and she's been on a consistent diet, you can try a little kaopectate...it's not toxic to squirrels. You can give up to .25 cc every four hours to one that size...I'm guessing she's around 80 grams or so? I was told I could dose as much as .50 cc every four hours for a 100 gram squirrel. But try just the diet first...that's probably all it is.

If she had parasites that would explain her boniness...what is she being fed? Are you certain her parasites are gone?

Hope she gets to feeling better soon! Poor little Mulberry and Maple. (cute names!)

[thundersquirrel]

i think she's the right size for her age. i'm a little concerned that her teeth are so red, they seem raw....maybe it's just the pic though.

watch her belly. we had some squirrels this year who would get very thin and bony everywhere except their bellies. all of a sudden their bellies would be bulgy and soft, which means their organs were shutting down. we were never sure what caused it, but it happened a couple times.

do you have any nutri-cal? it's this brown gooey stuff full of nutrients that you can give to squirrels. we just dab some on the nipple tip of a syringe. it's like a yummy vitamin for them.

[elizalalala]

I noticed that the photo of her teeth came out very red, I should have mentioned it. It was the photo lighting I guess, because they don't look like that. Her genitals are very red from all the diarrhea, though. She fusses at me when I help her pee/poop. I'm going to start using some diaper ointment on her and continue to give her baths if she keeps getting herself soiled.

I did finally get my mentor on the phone today. She thought she'd already told me the history of the squirrel, but she had thought Maple was younger and didn't realize she was stunted because she'd only gotten her in yesterday morning. The woman who brought Maple in had been feeding her homemade pedialyte and nothing else for an entire week!

Maple opened her eyes today and has been even more active. I think she may actually be stunted. I also wouldn't be surprised if she has been kept in the dark that whole time. Her bones are the thing that disturbs me the most... she feels very weird skeletally... spiky. Her spine sticks up a lot and seems a bit too curved. She seems to have good coordination, though. Maybe once she starts putting on some real muscle and weight she'll begin to seem like a normal squirrel. Poor little girl.

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

She fusses at me when I help her pee/poop. oh that poor little doll baby!
Does anyone think yogurt would help? That binds my squirrles right up!:dono

[elizalalala]

Yogurt to ingest, or to rub on infected areas? I'm going to assume you mean put a little in her formula, but you never know with these home remedies so I thought I'd check. :) I've heard of fixing bacteria inbalances with it but not diarrhea.

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

yes just plain vanilla dannon yogurt, I had to stop giving that as a treat, & the added baby cereal to the formula. My guys were having trouble even to the extent of draging themself! I stopped both & they are fine now. Hubby gives them too many nuts that dosent help either!:tilt

Maple in had been feeding her homemade pedialyte and nothing else for an entire week!

Maybe the loosness is from the overload of sugar?

[Critter_Queen]

If she was fed "pedialyte" for an entire week, she's VERY VERY malnourished. I'm betting that's why her bones feel so strange. I had a litter of four that only one survived because they were starved before I got them. Their spines feel just like what you are describing. She will start to feel "normal" after about 7-10 days in your care...at least that's how my one lone survivor was. Almost, kinda, dinosaur-like, for lack of a better way to describe how it felt under his skin....

You can use Aveeno Baby lotion for the irritation on the genitals. Diaper rash stuff works ok, but in my experience it just seems to dry it out more. You can also use Neosporin Plus (the kind with the pain relief stuff in it). Are you using a warm, damp cotton ball to stimulate her? That tends to be the least irritating way to do it in my experience.

I would definitely do the yogurt...it needs to have LIVE cultures in it...

It wouldn't hurt to add a weight-appropriate amount of kaopectate to one or two feedings in a row, too...If she is 100 grams she can take .50cc per feeding every four hours...

I hope this is helpful. Please let us know how she's doing today.

[thundersquirrel]

NUTRI-CAL!!!

i'm telling you, get some! it's awesome! it's more specific title is "high calorie palatable dietary supplement for dogs and cats". but it works for squirrels. it's got tons of vitamins and should help your baby build up some muscle. even if it's just a dab at every feeding.

also, don't neglect some sunlight- they need natural sunlight once in a while. make sure she has some shade if she needs it, but if you put her cage in the sun of an open window, it could help.