Pinky Squirrel (eyes not even formed)

[kcassidy]

Someone just brought me a pinky. I've got it warmed up and given it pedialyte.

It ate and defecated so I think it is "okay"

I'm talking SMALL. It maybe a chipmunk, I'm unsure how to tell at this stage.

I'm a licensed rehabber but only since last summer, so I'm new at this.

How often should I feed it? I've mixed up some Esbilac with Pedialyte, it is squeaking away when I feed it.

Any ideas.

[Pointy Tale]

Hi! Im not a rehabber, but I'm writing to :bump your thread and to remind you about all the basics... Warm, Dark, Quiet... then hydration...
Also, I think there is an issue with Esbilac, so hold off, for a moment until experienced rehabber comes on.
Also, I think you have to alternate the food and pedilite (spelling)
Hang tight OK!!!:grouphug

[FallensMommie]

Due to issues with Esbilac it is no longer recommended but Fox Valley 32/40 is: http://foxvalleynutrition.com/prod/products.asp?PLID=1

Here's some info to get you started until somebody gets here to help you. Emergency care for babies: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21626

[CritterMom]

Yes, please don't mix the formula and pedialyte together.

[psychobird]

till your sure of the species i would give pedialyte every 1-2 hours, post a pic for us so we can determine it's age and species.
do you have a gram scale?? weigh him and we can figure out how much to feed.
what do you have for formula?

[kcassidy]

How OFTEN do I feed though :)

Here "she" is?

[kcassidy]

I think it's a she anyway and I had given it some esbilac but I'll stop til you all tell me your thoughts. I have a scale and I can't FIND IT.

I'm getting ready to move and wasn't going to take anymore animals and everything is conflubased :)

Thanks and sorry to be so newbie.

Kim

[FallensMommie]

Yes its a girl :D I see a small red speck on the girls side....is that a bite of some sort or is that a mite? If it is a mite its important to remove and check for more. Make sure to wipe any formula off after a feeding. She looks about a week old to....I see little hairs by her nose and under her chin :D

[Pointy Tale]

Hang tight OK.

If you can't get the Fox Valley, then I think they suggest goats Milk

Here is some quick reading for you....

ps: she is adorable :)

Emergency Care for Baby Squirrels

Don’ts
Don’t try to feed the squirrel.
Don’t handle him more than you have to.
No loud voices, TV, music, or bright lights.
No children or pets in the same room!

-----
1. Warm the Baby (never feed a cold squirrel!)
Quick Methods:
-Cup the baby in your hands or under your shirt next to your skin.
-Fill a plastic bottle with very warm water. Wrap in a cloth, place next to baby, and cover him. Reheat every 2 hours.
-“Rice Buddy”: Fill a sock with 1 cup of rice or dried beans and microwave for 30 seconds. Place next to baby and cover him. Reheat every 2 hours.

2. Find a Box or Container
A shoebox will do for small babies. A baby that can walk will need a larger box with a lid (with holes). Put a clean baby blanket, flannel shirt, or piece of fleece in the bottom of the box. No towels or terrycloth. Squirrels can get tangled in the loops. Place baby on the material and cover him with one flap. If you have a heating pad, turn it on low and place it under half of the box (not IN the box!) so baby can move away if he gets too warm. You can use the plastic bottle or rice buddy described above, but these are only temporary methods until you get a heating pad, since they must be reheated every 2 hours and won't keep baby warm all night.
NOTE: Monitor his temperature so he doesn’t chill or overheat. His feet should feel warm to the touch.

Note: If the baby is injured, is having trouble breathing, has fly eggs on his fur, or is very skinny or dehydrated, he needs emergency care by an experienced rehabber or vet.

3. Rehydrate the Baby

Most babies are dehydrated when you find them and must be rehydrated before you can feed them. Never feed formula or food of any kind to a dehydrated baby!

How to Check for Dehydration
Pinch the skin on the back of his neck. If it doesn’t spring back immediately, the baby is dehydrated. If the pinched skin stays up like a tent for more than a second, the baby is badly dehydrated. Other signs of dehydration: pale grayish gums, dry mouth, sunken eyes, whites around eyes showing, rough spiky fur, dry scaly skin.
NOTE: If baby is badly dehydrated, he will need subcutaneous fluids, which can only be given by a rehabber or vet.

Supplies You Will Need:
--Pedialyte (any flavor)*
--Plastic syringes (1 cc size; no needles. Ask the pharmacist to get these for you) An eyedropper can also work.
These are available at most drugstores.

*If you can’t find Pedialyte at the store, here is a recipe for homemade Pedialyte:

1 tsp salt (teaspoon)
3 Tbsp sugar (tablespoon)
1 quart warm water
Mix all ingredients in warm water. Store in refrigerator.

How to Prepare the Pedialyte
Use a plastic syringe (with or without a nipple). Never use pet nursers or doll bottles. They will choke the baby. Fill a coffee mug with hot water. Fill the syringe with Pedialyte and place it in the mug for a couple of minutes. Squirt a drop on the inside of your wrist to make sure the liquid isn’t too hot. It should feel barely warm on your skin.

Proper Position
A tiny baby should be held upright in your hand. A baby with fur can lie on a flat surface on his stomach. A baby that can walk can be held upright or he can drink sitting up. Hold the syringe so the tip points UP to the baby’s mouth and the handle is down. Don’t let the baby get cold. Keep him wrapped up while he eats.

How to Feed Fluids
Place the syringe tip on the baby’s lips (from the side) and squeeze out one drop for him to taste. Don’t squirt a steady stream. Let him swallow one drop before squeezing more. GO SLOW! It sometimes takes a feeding or two for them to catch on. Hairless babies are fed drop by drop. With older babies (once they catch on) you can squeeze slowly for one second, wait for him to swallow, then squeeze more.

If fluids dribble out his mouth or come out his nose, you are going too fast. Stop and tilt the baby’s head down so the fluid drains out (support his head and neck like you would a human baby). Then wipe his nose and mouth with a tissue. Start over, slower. NOTE: There is now a chance your baby will develop aspiration pneumonia from inhaling fluid in his lungs. This is fatal. Please contact a rehabber or vet, or the people at The Squirrel Board, for assistance.

[Nancy in New York]

Where abouts in New York are you...If you are close enough, I could take the little one. Also, I don't know if this was mentioned...If that is formula near her mouth, just wipe if off, we just don't want the little one inhaling any of it. Are you feeding her with a 1 cc syringe? You have to go so very slow...I mean really slow, I'm sure you know, just can't emphasize that enough though...:D
Oh I hope that I didn't offend you about me taking her...I just meant that since you are moving, perhaps it's not a good time to have a little one....

[Pointy Tale]

kcassidy: Hi! R u still there? How you doing.... how is she doing...
Nancy in New York is a great rehabber, so feel free to ask away or even brag away...

[prncsbabs1]

If needed I could do a squirrel transport to Nancy...if you decide

[kcassidy]

I'm going to check if it's a mite... brb. No it is probably from the dog that brought her to the people who gave her to me.

I did wipe the milk off before I put her away.

It is 9pm and I won't be able to get Goat's Milk til the AM from one of my clients, it will be fresh.

How often should I feed her? Do I need to get up every few hours?

Nancy - no OFFENSE. I'll keep her til I move (May 4th) so yes maybe we can talk ;)

I have a student here so off to dinner, will check your answers about timetables in an hour.

Hugs :)

[FallensMommie]

How much is she eating? If she is eating good she needs to be feed every 2 to 2.5 hours around the clock...check her in 2 hrs of her last feeding to see if she is fussing.

[Nancy in New York]

I'm going to check if it's a mite... brb. No it is probably from the dog that brought her to the people who gave her to me.

I did wipe the milk off before I put her away.

It is 9pm and I won't be able to get Goat's Milk til the AM from one of my clients, it will be fresh.

How often should I feed her? Do I need to get up every few hours?

Nancy - no OFFENSE. I'll keep her til I move (May 4th) so yes maybe we can talk ;)

I have a student here so off to dinner, will check your answers about timetables in an hour.

Hugs :)

OK...Let me just go over a few things to start...I'm sure that you are already doing this, so I will keep this brief.

Place a heating pad on low and under the container that you have her in..Put the container half on and half off of the heating pad, and place the setting on low. Make sure that this heating pad is not one that shuts off in a couple of hours. Have lots of fleece in there for warmth, or you can even put her in something like a winter glove, a knit hat, something with warmth and lots of blankets...loosely on top of that.
She needs feeding every two hours, around the clock. You do 5% of her body weight...I am going to estimate her weight at 14 grams, so that would be .6 that she needs every two hours. If you have a 1 cc syringe, a little over half of that. Do you have any tips to put on the syringe? If you don't have any...pm me your address and I can get these out to you Monday. GO VERY SLOW WHILE FEEDING...you do not want anything to come out of her nose...extremely important. If you start to hear clicking, she will need antibiotics immediately...at the first sign of clicking.

She will need stimulating. I take a cotton ball and put warm water on it and gently rub her until you see that she has peed and hopefully pooped. Most likely she will not poop every time.

Make sure that she is in a spot where no other animals can get to her....

Here is the goats milk recipe...


Jackie (Jackie in Tampa) has graciously offered her temporary replacement formula recipe.
Jackie's Goat Milk Recipe
1 cup goats milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup dannon all natural vanilla yogurt

Mix well and keep in a covered plastic or glass container in the refrigerator. Replace after 48 hours.

[Nancy in New York]

Forgot to mention...A tiny baby should be held upright in your hand while feeding with the face a little forward and the syringe pointing to the roof of the mouth...and slow...it takes me about 15 -20 minutes to feed that amount...:D

[kcassidy]

What has changed, I thought we weren't supposed to feed them cow's milk?

Nancy, I have the heating pad situation all set :)

I'll set my alarm for 2.5 hours on the button. I did get her to pee 2x already so all good.

Thank you all so much, so nice to have this amazing resource!

[Nancy in New York]

What has changed, I thought we weren't supposed to feed them cow's milk?

Nancy, I have the heating pad situation all set :)

I'll set my alarm for 2.5 hours on the button. I did get her to pee 2x already so all good.

Thank you all so much, so nice to have this amazing resource!

Oh what do you mean with the yogurt??? You know I am thinking to just not do the yogurt on one this tiny until I hear from Jackie...
I am thrilled that TSB is around...Just ask anything that you are unsure of...someone will be with you whenever you need us...If you need supplies, please pm me your address, I will get some nipples and syringes out to you if you need them....

[kcassidy]

Hi Nancy:

Thanks for the offer, I have LOTS of supplies. I see the recipe has Heavy Cream (cows milk, no?) So confused why that is okay now when it didn't use to be.

thanks again for the help.

[Nancy in New York]

Hi Nancy:

Thanks for the offer, I have LOTS of supplies. I see the recipe has Heavy Cream (cows milk, no?) So confused why that is okay now when it didn't use to be.

thanks again for the help.

OK well, I am just going to have to defer to someone else with that question, which is a good one I might add. I don't know if it has something to do with digestion, and perhaps some is ok but not a whole diet of cow's milk...but to be honest, I'm not sure...:dono

[atlantasquirrelgirl]

I can answer that question. Whipping cream is a product from a cow, but different from milk. Whipping cream has the fat in it, whereby the milk you drink and put on your cereal has been processed to remove the fat. Some folks think milk is milk, and simply feed a squirrel the milk you put on your cereal, which does not contain the proper fat content.

Whipping cream is not the sole ingredient in the forumla prepared for baby squirrels. It is used as an additive to increase the fat content. Before the whole Esbilac fiasco, I would not have put whipping cream in formula until the baby's eyes had opened. However, Esbilac is now made in such a way that it is not as potent, therefore, the fat additive is necessary.

[Nancy in New York]

I can answer that question. Whipping cream is a product from a cow, but different from milk. Whipping cream has the fat in it, whereby the milk you drink and put on your cereal has been processed to remove the fat. Some folks think milk is milk, and simply feed a squirrel the milk you put on your cereal, which does not contain the proper fat content.

Whipping cream is not the sole ingredient in the forumla prepared for baby squirrels. It is used as an additive to increase the fat content. Before the whole Esbilac fiasco, I would not have put whipping cream in formula until the baby's eyes had opened. However, Esbilac is now made in such a way that it is not as potent, therefore, the fat additive is necessary.

Thank you so much for such an informative answer:thumbsup ...on one this small would you still add the yogurt, or hold off a couple of weeks?

[atlantasquirrelgirl]

Personally, I don't use yogurt, but I add Benebac. Ordinarily, they would get a bacteria from their mother, which aids in digestion. Benebac is a substitute for that bacteria. Without aiding their digestion, they will develop diarrhea, which can be fatal in a baby this small.

I've never used yogurt, but some of the rehabbers find it an acceptable substitute to ward off diarrhea.

[Nancy in New York]

Personally, I don't use yogurt, but I add Benebac. Ordinarily, they would get a bacteria from their mother, which aids in digestion. Benebac is a substitute for that bacteria. Without aiding their digestion, they will develop diarrhea, which can be fatal in a baby this small.

I've never used yogurt, but some of the rehabbers find it an acceptable substitute to ward off diarrhea.

OK that absolutely makes sense...thank you so much for the answer and so fast too!!!:grouphug

[kcassidy]

Yes thank you for the detailed answer, that makes so much sense.

Soooooo I have some clients how raise goats for milk. If I use that, do I need to make an Esbilac, Whipping Cream, Benebac mixture?

My next feeding will be at 1230am, 2 more after that and then I can go to the store or the farm.

Thanks

BTW, I'm moving to Arizona, no tree squirrels there I'm so sad.

Kim

[Nancy in New York]

Yes thank you for the detailed answer, that makes so much sense.

Soooooo I have some clients how raise goats for milk. If I use that, do I need to make an Esbilac, Whipping Cream, Benebac mixture?

My next feeding will be at 1230am, 2 more after that and then I can go to the store or the farm.

Thanks

BTW, I'm moving to Arizona, no tree squirrels there I'm so sad.

Kim

This is what you will need...

Jackie's Goat Milk Recipe
1 cup goats milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup dannon all natural vanilla yogurt

The yogurt will take the place of the benebac...
Yikes no tree squirrels...I wouldn't move then....:rotfl :rotfl :rotfl

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

I do not think that the formula that Jackie posted is designed to be used long term, and I am not sure if it is OK to raise a pinkie on it. It was developed as a formula to use while you wait for your Fox Valley order to come in (Fox Valley is the recommended formula).

4skwerlz and I did work extensively on a formula for baby squirrels that I have successfully raised pinkies on (it is possible that Jackie has raised pinkies on the other formula, I am not sure). Here is the recipe for the formula that we feel is nutritionally complete to use alone:

So to make 100 g of liquid formula....

The dry mix would be:
8 g whey protein isolate
6 g goat milk powder
3 g dried egg yolk
1.25 g Henry Healthy Vita-Mins

Reconstituted with:
54 g water
28 g heavy whipping cream

What I did was make up a 5 pound tub of the dry ingredients and to mix it up and to each tbsp. of powder you add a little less than 2 tbsp. water and .75 tbsp. heavy cream (I usually go with 1 tbsp. to add a little extra fat to the formula)

I have been using this mixed with fox valley (equal amounts of each) since my pinkies have a hard time digesting FV and don't like the taste and my babies have been doing AWESOME! Gaining 3-4 grams a day under 3 weeks old then 5-8 after 3 weeks old. They love the taste too!

I would feed the pinkie 5% of its body weight 7 times a day, if you are feeding every 2 hours you may want to back down to 3-4% of her body weight to avoid bloat and possible diarrhea from overfeeding.

Good luck with the little cutie.

[atlantasquirrelgirl]

Some rehabbers have abanoned use of Con Agra products after the Esbilac issues that arose last year. I find it still works fine if the recipe is adjusted.

1 Part Esbilac
1 1/2 Part Water
Dash of Benebac

After a couple of days when the digestive tract seems to be adapting to it well, I start adding 1/2 part Multimilk with 1 part water, or if I don't have Multimilk, I simply add 1/2 part heavy whipping cream. If the squirrel is a pinky, I wait until they get to 2 weeks old before introducing the Multimilk/whipping cream, but no longer wait until their eyes open.

When the baby's eyes open, I start adding rice cereal to thicken the formula a bit.

[Nancy in New York]

Just checking in to see how the little one is doing...:grouphug

[Pointy Tale]

Any updates?

[ShesASquirrelyGirl]

I am wondering an update too. Not for nothing but I have a question. How did you become a licensed rehabber without knowing how much and how often feedings for an orphaned squirrel were? I wish NY would straighten up on this its ridiculous. Sorry and no offense to you I just don't get it. Hope the little one is well.