squirrel not weaning properly

[littlesquirt]

My baby is about 3 months old now and he is still on formula! I have tried to reduce his feedings down to three times per day but he doesn't seem to eat enough of his solid food, he has gotten a bit skinner too. I made him HHB's, the growth formula. I think it doesn't have enough nuts:whey isolate ratio, so he doesn't really eat them too much. I ground them up and mixed them with peanut butter so he seems to eat them now, but still not that much. He will eat almond slivers, fruits, veggies, pecans etc, but he mostly just chews them for fun and spits them out. Should I do a little tough love? He also doesn't seem to be drinking out of his water bottle and I've seen him try to drink from a cup...not very good. He just sticks his nose in and i think he tries to inhale the water or something because he quickly gets up and does a little sneeze.

ANDD how do I potty train him? He usually does his pees on my bathroom floor when I take him there for feeding, but we have had some accidents. And he doesn't use his litterbox at all.

[Tara]

My baby is about 3 months old now and he is still on formula! I have tried to reduce his feedings down to three times per day but he doesn't seem to eat enough of his solid food, he has gotten a bit skinner too. I made him HHB's, the growth formula. I think it doesn't have enough nuts:whey isolate ratio, so he doesn't really eat them too much. I ground them up and mixed them with peanut butter so he seems to eat them now, but still not that much. He will eat almond slivers, fruits, veggies, pecans etc, but he mostly just chews them for fun and spits them out. Should I do a little tough love? He also doesn't seem to be drinking out of his water bottle and I've seen him try to drink from a cup...not very good. He just sticks his nose in and i think he tries to inhale the water or something because he quickly gets up and does a little sneeze.

ANDD how do I potty train him? He usually does his pees on my bathroom floor when I take him there for feeding, but we have had some accidents. And he doesn't use his litterbox at all.




I'm not a licensed rehabber, but I'm going to try....hopefully someone else will be on soon!
First of all, my girls were still taking 2 feedings of formula at 17 weeks old. I know! I was also concerned and found one of my old posts. According to 4skwerls...at 17 weeks, they really should be weaned. She noted that you wouldn't want to give them Esbilac and blocks for too long, since both foods are fortified. I know that doesn't help much with your 12 week old...but it does give you an idea. My girls eventually weaned themselves not long after my post.

As far as the water, you may want to use a small ashtray, and put small clean rocks (large enough for him not to get choked) in it so his nose doesn't go too far down in the water. It worked well for my girls.

Also, as for the HHB, try cutting them into smaller pieces right before serving. I would always cut my blocks into 2 or 3 pieces, depending on the size, and the girls loved them!

I have no idea about potty training...sorry! I still have 2 tt stains on my carpet that I can't get out! :) Good memories...

Good luck! BTW-4skwerlz is the best when it comes to nutrition. You should probably ask her opinion too! She's done alot of research and I have found her to be very helpful!

[island rehabber]

I would not be overly concerned that your squirrel is not weaning himself. I have had those who wanted their morning formula at 18-20 wks old and I gave it to them....they had the most beautiful winter coats by the time they were released! Formula gives the squirrel all the calcium it needs -- why worry?
As for the potty training, forget it. A squirrel is not a domesticated animal, not a dog or a cat -- or even a ferret. One of the things you must resign yourself to, if you're going to keep him as a pet, is that he will poop and pee wherever he chooses.

[psychobird]

sounds to me like a spoiled little squirrel!!lol
he shouldn't need more than one dish of formula a day, you shouldn't need to hand feed him at his age, i start bowl feeding once a day at 6 weeks of age and have them only on bowl feeding by 10-11 weeks.
try to weigh him every other day and go by that instead of trying to figure out what he is eating.
put his block right in the formula and offer it dry, keep other foods to a minimum until you are sure he is eating the block well.
give him a water bottle also.
potty training is not always easy, make sure you don't clean the litter all the time, clean his cage well, but always leave some pee and poop in his litter box.
do you plan on keeping him or releasing him?

[littlesquirt]

I will give him formula until he doesn't want it anymore. And thanks for the rocks in the water idea, I think that will be great and hopefully with the added weight he won't be able to tip it over! (like he does with everything else in his sight, crazy little bugger).

I think he may be a bit skinny, should I add heavy whipping cream in with the formula?

[littlesquirt]

I will try a spring release, right now it's getting very chilly outside. He hasn't seemed to "wild up" yet, he runs up to every person he sees and climbs up their leg until he is either sitting on their shoulder or on top of their head....where he proceeds to "comb" through your hair.

He is still a cuddly little ball of fur.... except for the chewing part lol. He enjoys chewing everything but his chew toys :S

[Tara]

I will give him formula until he doesn't want it anymore. And thanks for the rocks in the water idea, I think that will be great and hopefully with the added weight he won't be able to tip it over! (like he does with everything else in his sight, crazy little bugger).

I think he may be a bit skinny, should I add heavy whipping cream in with the formula?

I think that's great! You're welcome about the rocks in the water...I thought my girls were going to drown themselves until I did that! The small rocks really worked for them! Just make sure they're more rounded and cleaned up for your boy! He'll get the hang of it! By the time we were done, my girls were drinking coffee directly from my coffee cup! It's all in how they hold their mouth....LOL!
If he's skinny, you could probably add whipping cream-I did. Actually, I would add whipping cream one week (I do think that's supposed to help with weight), and then Dannon plain yogurt the next (supposed to be good for the gut flora from what I've read here). My girls loved both! Watch the dates on those, and buy in smallest container they have...it doesn't last long. Research on here a little more for dosage of each, I can't quite remember the ratio to add. I think I put about a third in with formula, but not positive. A licensed rehabber will be able to tell you exactly.
Hope all is well!

[JohnRegsaver]

i have advice on potty training, put its fecal matter in he area you want him to poop in, i would use a small tin or something and the smells will intice it to go there, its your best bet

the ratio i have been using is 5tsp water 2 tsp esbilac 1 tsp yogurt 1 tsp heavy cream, yogurt and cream at same time, my squirrel has gone from 17grams-102 grams in 3weeks and 2 days with it :)