I need help again!!!

[NutsAboutSquirrels1976]

I have 1 baby that has been in my care since he was just a naked pinkie and now is getting dark with promised fur.. YIPPIE!!

I have another one that I am currently taking care of that suffered brain injuries when he was younger and although he is a handful to feed, he has made obvious progress in the time that I have had him.

Now, I have just received another baby who is a couple of weeks old, has the soft fur covering his body but his eyes aren't open just yet. He apparently feel from his nest and the people who found him said that they left him alone for awhile to see if the mother would come back for him. She she didn't come back after about 4 hours, they went out and got him and contacted my friend who is the one who got me into animal rehab. She called me and said that I was perfect for him and so I brought him home. He was a little dehydrated but that has been taken care of and is now eating formula. The last feeding, he got a little over zealous and sucked too hard and aspirated a little up his nose. I stopped feeding right away, wiped his nose and tilted him head down so that the formula would run out. Once I saw that he had no more coming out, I wiped his nose again and finished feeding. I went to check on him a little bit ago and noticed that he is making a kind of nasal sound, like his nose is stuffed up. I am afraid that he got some into his lungs before i could get him tilted to drain the formula although he is NOT making a clicking sound of anything that would suggest that he did but the nasal sound is really bothering me.

Any advice on what I can do?

[4skwerlz]

I have 1 baby that has been in my care since he was just a naked pinkie and now is getting dark with promised fur.. YIPPIE!!

I have another one that I am currently taking care of that suffered brain injuries when he was younger and although he is a handful to feed, he has made obvious progress in the time that I have had him.

Now, I have just received another baby who is a couple of weeks old, has the soft fur covering his body but his eyes aren't open just yet. He apparently feel from his nest and the people who found him said that they left him alone for awhile to see if the mother would come back for him. She she didn't come back after about 4 hours, they went out and got him and contacted my friend who is the one who got me into animal rehab. She called me and said that I was perfect for him and so I brought him home. He was a little dehydrated but that has been taken care of and is now eating formula. The last feeding, he got a little over zealous and sucked too hard and aspirated a little up his nose. I stopped feeding right away, wiped his nose and tilted him head down so that the formula would run out. Once I saw that he had no more coming out, I wiped his nose again and finished feeding. I went to check on him a little bit ago and noticed that he is making a kind of nasal sound, like his nose is stuffed up. I am afraid that he got some into his lungs before i could get him tilted to drain the formula although he is NOT making a clicking sound of anything that would suggest that he did but the nasal sound is really bothering me.

Any advice on what I can do?

You can use a baby ear-bulb type syringe to very gently clear his nose of any remaining fluids. You could also bring him into the bathroom with you and turn on the hot shower; the steam will help loosen any mucus or gunk. Usually about 15-20 minutes is good. A simple plug-in steam humidifier (the kind you use for a bad cold) can also work. As you know, squirrels breathe through their nose normally, so you really should try to get his nose cleared up.

[NutsAboutSquirrels1976]

Thank You SO much!!! I will try that now and hope it goes well. He isn't having any problems breathing and has a great set of lungs on him (he does the HELP ME MOMMA cry when scared still) but the wheezing sound has me nervous. I will give the hot shower a try and see if the steam helps clear him up and will have to run and get one of those ear-bulb things to see if that can help out as well.

Again thanks for your help, I guess you can say that I am just a very nervous momma.

:thankyou

[PBluejay2]

Be very careful with the bulb thing if you use it (one nostril at a time and not too fast/aggressive. If you have a magnifying glass, take a good look at his nostrils and make sure they look clear (no milk has solidified in them) A cotton ball or tissue dipped in warm water, gently wiping the nose, can sometimes get the blockage out if there is any. Babies often get milk in their noses when they drink too fast, but that doesn't necessarily mean they got fluid into their lungs. Still, you want to keep a watchful eye out for possible pneumonia. Good luck!

[NutsAboutSquirrels1976]

PBlueJay2: The baby (Named Peanut) only seems to make this noise when he is upset or breathing heavily like if excited. I ALWAYS wipe off the nose and mouth area with a warm, damp cotton wipe after feeding and also during if they have bubbled some out of their mouth while eating to ensure that they don't wipe at their face and accidentally get milk in their nose.

I will try the ear bulb idea, along with the shower idea as well. I know that if not careful with the ear bulb that you can cause major problems and that is the last thing I want to do.

Thanks for your help. :)