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Milo's Mom
06-12-2010, 10:41 AM
Hello -
I am doing this all a little backwards, but I was in a panic...still am though, but starting to calm down...accepting reality.
I found Milo on April 16 while mowing, thought the little guy was dead, went to pick him up so the dog would not get him and the little guy jumped to his feet. He was very cool to the touch and seemed lethargic. He had no obvious damage except for the maggots in his ear...no blood though. I wrapped him up in my shirt tails, hopped back on the mower and got back to the house as fast as possible. The little guy was obviously cold, as he was loving being in my hands and shirt. I started scraping the maggots out of his ear, and picking the fleas off his little body. Offered him some water, which he took immediately. As I was going over him from head to toe, I found stuff, which I now know to be fly eggs, covering about 1/3 of his body. I grabbed the puppy shampoo, put some warm water in the kitchen sink and diluted the shampoo. Starting at the end of his tail working to the top of his head I cleaned the little guy up. Used some peroxide on a Q-tip to work on his ear a little more. He was so calm and quiet and left me do everything without a fuss. I honestly did not think he was going to make it, but I was going to try. By this time, I was calling him "little dude". Okay, I could breath now, offered him some more water, he took a little, but his eyes kept going closed. I thought it was over. Decided I was going to bury him with my dog and cat, which both passed last summer. (Mommy misses you NutterFluffer & Tookie Took & I will see you at the R-Bridge) But before I could do that, I had to dry him off. We went upstairs, got out the hairdryer and began the drying process. By this time, it was late and time for bed. Placed the little dude in a box with some old non-loop towels and placed it on my nightstand. Checked on him twice through the night, offered him more water, and then in the morning, he was out of the "nest" I made for him and lying on his side in the middle of the box. I thought "awe...the little guy did not make it...at least he was warm and safe and I tried." but, then when I touched him, he jumped to his feet. Okay he made it through the night, now what!!?? He was still cooler than what I thought he should be (I've never done this before), did not have a heating pad, so I filled ziplock bags with very warm water, placed them in a large ziplock freezer bag and wrapped in a towel and then placed in the corner of his box. The little dude snuggled right up to it. Okay, he was getting warm, next he needs food, but he only has part of his bottom teeth and the tops are just starting to break through, so he needs baby food? (I have no human children...) Did a quick google search, made my shopping list, checked on him, and took off at full speed to the store. Got home about 2 hours later with all of his supplies, he was moving around and was a little warmer to the touch. Hooked up his heating pad (under 1/2 of his box), mixed the formula...using a very high water ratio and started our first official feeding. He took almost 3cc's!! Then we did the stimulating...did not work...his eyes were getting heavy again, so it was nap time. This pattern kept up for the whole weekend. Now I look back and laugh that such a little dude could totally consume every hour of my entire weekend!! The second night he was with us, we named him Milo. His ear was not looking good, I could not see any maggots, but it was all oozy with stuff that looked like puss. It was not discolored nor swollen, but it was yucky...I also realized that he always slept/layed on that side. I found some ear wash that I had from the vet for my other animals. Decided it would be better than peroxide, as it had an antibiotic specifically for ears. Started using it and the ear seemed to be getting better. Milo was now on his way to recovery. We had our little schedule worked out...much to my bosses dismay, but it worked for Milo & Me, and that's all that mattered. We got through our first week without many issues...we were both learning a lot. Milo did not like the manual stimulation...he much preferred the dry/cool kitchen sink...so that's where he did his business before and after feedings. Ear was getting crusty, but kept with the cleanings after each feeding, whether he liked it or not...the little dude was beginning to get a personality!! Then we hit a road block...I was scheduled to go to see my brother in NC for 3/4 days...7 hours from home...considered our options...would Grams be able to keep Milo...do we take Milo with us...since he was on his schedule and required quiet a bit of my time, we decided that he was going to NC with us. We packed up all of his supplies, built him his first real cage, got him his hammock, bought human baby bottle warmers/coolers for his formula and a diaper bag to store all of his supplies...afterall, he is a baby! And away we went. Got home 4 days later, he was beginning to sleep less and play more and I determined that he was between 4 and 5 weeks old when I found him, so he was about 6 - 7 weeks now. He was requiring a little less of my attention so I had some time to do some research/reading/googling/etc. His top teeth came in, his ear was starting to turn grey inside like the other one and I reduced the cleanings to twice a day. The weeks continued on, he got bigger and his ear now looked perfect...success! His tail got fluffy, he started eating some food in between formula feedings and playtime was a blast!! He was now hopping and starting to "chirp". We learned what grass was, and we climbed our first tree (Mommy never left go). He got scared one time when he could not see me and peeped (long high pitched screaming sound) all he had to do was turn around, I was right there. He loved his formula feedings (twice a day now) but he also loved avocados, cauliflower, cheerios, grapes (peeled), carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sugar peas picked fresh from the garden, apples, broccoli, and of course his blocks. In the evenings, we had a standing scheduled playdate...run, hide, chew, hop and then sleep on Mommy. Things were going well and he seemed to be progressing just like everything I read said he would. He reached 12 weeks old, we had moved him to a new bigger better cage and he now had his hammock and his nesting box with the predator escape hatch. Staring to not like being held as much, but still liked to fall asleep at night in Mommy's hands after a good boxing match or playing can I catch your hands!! We started the process of moving his cage outside during the days then back in for the nights, he was still on formula twice a day, but taking less of it each time. We were planning to start keeping his cage outside full-time this weekend (6/12) and then in about a month, release him to where he really belonged, versus a cage. But, one night, while we were on the back deck watching it rain, he jumped off me, ran across the deck, hopped onto the ground and ran under the deck. I totally freaked, darn near ripped the deck apart (two level 20 x 30 deck w/a pergola) looking for him. After hours of searching in the dark and rain I was wet, cold, and exhausted, not to mention the batteries in my flashlight died. That's when I found The Squirrel Board and made my first post. As of today, (6/12) I still have not seen Milo. I miss him terribly, worry about him constantly, hope and pray that my little Milo man is okay. I tried to teach him well and to be a good squirrel. Tonight will be his 4th night outside. At least the rain has stopped and its been sunny and warm. Everything else I have done in my search for him is on my Milo ran away post.
I just wanted to say hello properly and introduce myself (and Milo), since I did not initially. This post is insanely long and I am sorry. Thank you for all of your replies, suggestions, and prayers. And to my little Milo man...where ever you are, please be safe, play nicely, stay warm and come visit your Mommy sometimes. You have left your little paws prints all over my heart. You will always have a human Mommy to come home to, if you want. I'll be missing you and thinking of you. I hope we meet again one day, soon!

Milo's Mom
06-12-2010, 11:02 AM
Here are some pics of my little Milo man. As I have learned...you love pics!!
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mpetys
06-12-2010, 11:07 AM
Hi Milo's Mommy! Yes I have been following your other thread about Milo. You did everything you could to bring Milo back to good health and give him a better chance at life, whether as an indoor squirrel or being an outdoor squirrel. He apparently followed his timeline not yours! Maybe he was lured by a female or the idea of finding a female. I am sure he is safe and happy. Just being a squirrel. He may come back to visit. That would bring comfort I am sure just to see him and know he is okay.

I have a 5 month old; his name is MonkeyButt. I am selfish and want to keep him but as time is going by, I can see a release in his future. It breaks my heart and I know that if that happens, if I don't see him again, I will just have to believe that he is living a squirrels life, a wonderful squirrels life.

I'm glad you wrote an introduction. I enjoyed reading about your journey with Milo. He looks adorable.

Michele in Tampa

Ultra Peepi
06-13-2010, 02:44 AM
Thank you for the pics of Milo... he is a beautiful little man! You did a wonderful thing helping him:Love_Icon ! I do hope he is safe and sound:grouphug

Ronda
06-13-2010, 03:48 AM
He looks great, and it seems like you have done a good job raising him... here's to hoping he is safe and having a squirrely great time

Milo's Mom
06-13-2010, 03:31 PM
Thank you and you are welcome for the pics. Since I've become addicted to the site, I learned very quickly that the more pics the better!!

Milo's Mom
06-13-2010, 03:32 PM
Hi Milo's Mommy! Yes I have been following your other thread about Milo. You did everything you could to bring Milo back to good health and give him a better chance at life, whether as an indoor squirrel or being an outdoor squirrel. He apparently followed his timeline not yours! Maybe he was lured by a female or the idea of finding a female. I am sure he is safe and happy. Just being a squirrel. He may come back to visit. That would bring comfort I am sure just to see him and know he is okay.

I have a 5 month old; his name is MonkeyButt. I am selfish and want to keep him but as time is going by, I can see a release in his future. It breaks my heart and I know that if that happens, if I don't see him again, I will just have to believe that he is living a squirrels life, a wonderful squirrels life.

I'm glad you wrote an introduction. I enjoyed reading about your journey with Milo. He looks adorable.

Michele in Tampa

How on earth did you come up with the name MonkeyButt? I love it!! But how did you come up with it?

astra
06-13-2010, 05:26 PM
Hello -
I am doing this all a little backwards, but I was in a panic...still am though, but starting to calm down...accepting reality.
I found Milo on April 16 while mowing, thought the little guy was dead, went to pick him up so the dog would not get him and the little guy jumped to his feet. He was very cool to the touch and seemed lethargic. He had no obvious damage except for the maggots in his ear...no blood though. I wrapped him up in my shirt tails, hopped back on the mower and got back to the house as fast as possible. The little guy was obviously cold, as he was loving being in my hands and shirt. I started scraping the maggots out of his ear, and picking the fleas off his little body. Offered him some water, which he took immediately. As I was going over him from head to toe, I found stuff, which I now know to be fly eggs, covering about 1/3 of his body. I grabbed the puppy shampoo, put some warm water in the kitchen sink and diluted the shampoo. Starting at the end of his tail working to the top of his head I cleaned the little guy up. Used some peroxide on a Q-tip to work on his ear a little more. He was so calm and quiet and left me do everything without a fuss. I honestly did not think he was going to make it, but I was going to try. By this time, I was calling him "little dude". Okay, I could breath now, offered him some more water, he took a little, but his eyes kept going closed. I thought it was over. Decided I was going to bury him with my dog and cat, which both passed last summer. (Mommy misses you NutterFluffer & Tookie Took & I will see you at the R-Bridge) But before I could do that, I had to dry him off. We went upstairs, got out the hairdryer and began the drying process. By this time, it was late and time for bed. Placed the little dude in a box with some old non-loop towels and placed it on my nightstand. Checked on him twice through the night, offered him more water, and then in the morning, he was out of the "nest" I made for him and lying on his side in the middle of the box. I thought "awe...the little guy did not make it...at least he was warm and safe and I tried." but, then when I touched him, he jumped to his feet. Okay he made it through the night, now what!!?? He was still cooler than what I thought he should be (I've never done this before), did not have a heating pad, so I filled ziplock bags with very warm water, placed them in a large ziplock freezer bag and wrapped in a towel and then placed in the corner of his box. The little dude snuggled right up to it. Okay, he was getting warm, next he needs food, but he only has part of his bottom teeth and the tops are just starting to break through, so he needs baby food? (I have no human children...) Did a quick google search, made my shopping list, checked on him, and took off at full speed to the store. Got home about 2 hours later with all of his supplies, he was moving around and was a little warmer to the touch. Hooked up his heating pad (under 1/2 of his box), mixed the formula...using a very high water ratio and started our first official feeding. He took almost 3cc's!! Then we did the stimulating...did not work...his eyes were getting heavy again, so it was nap time. This pattern kept up for the whole weekend. Now I look back and laugh that such a little dude could totally consume every hour of my entire weekend!! The second night he was with us, we named him Milo. His ear was not looking good, I could not see any maggots, but it was all oozy with stuff that looked like puss. It was not discolored nor swollen, but it was yucky...I also realized that he always slept/layed on that side. I found some ear wash that I had from the vet for my other animals. Decided it would be better than peroxide, as it had an antibiotic specifically for ears. Started using it and the ear seemed to be getting better. Milo was now on his way to recovery. We had our little schedule worked out...much to my bosses dismay, but it worked for Milo & Me, and that's all that mattered. We got through our first week without many issues...we were both learning a lot. Milo did not like the manual stimulation...he much preferred the dry/cool kitchen sink...so that's where he did his business before and after feedings. Ear was getting crusty, but kept with the cleanings after each feeding, whether he liked it or not...the little dude was beginning to get a personality!! Then we hit a road block...I was scheduled to go to see my brother in NC for 3/4 days...7 hours from home...considered our options...would Grams be able to keep Milo...do we take Milo with us...since he was on his schedule and required quiet a bit of my time, we decided that he was going to NC with us. We packed up all of his supplies, built him his first real cage, got him his hammock, bought human baby bottle warmers/coolers for his formula and a diaper bag to store all of his supplies...afterall, he is a baby! And away we went. Got home 4 days later, he was beginning to sleep less and play more and I determined that he was between 4 and 5 weeks old when I found him, so he was about 6 - 7 weeks now. He was requiring a little less of my attention so I had some time to do some research/reading/googling/etc. His top teeth came in, his ear was starting to turn grey inside like the other one and I reduced the cleanings to twice a day. The weeks continued on, he got bigger and his ear now looked perfect...success! His tail got fluffy, he started eating some food in between formula feedings and playtime was a blast!! He was now hopping and starting to "chirp". We learned what grass was, and we climbed our first tree (Mommy never left go). He got scared one time when he could not see me and peeped (long high pitched screaming sound) all he had to do was turn around, I was right there. He loved his formula feedings (twice a day now) but he also loved avocados, cauliflower, cheerios, grapes (peeled), carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sugar peas picked fresh from the garden, apples, broccoli, and of course his blocks. In the evenings, we had a standing scheduled playdate...run, hide, chew, hop and then sleep on Mommy. Things were going well and he seemed to be progressing just like everything I read said he would. He reached 12 weeks old, we had moved him to a new bigger better cage and he now had his hammock and his nesting box with the predator escape hatch. Staring to not like being held as much, but still liked to fall asleep at night in Mommy's hands after a good boxing match or playing can I catch your hands!! We started the process of moving his cage outside during the days then back in for the nights, he was still on formula twice a day, but taking less of it each time. We were planning to start keeping his cage outside full-time this weekend (6/12) and then in about a month, release him to where he really belonged, versus a cage. But, one night, while we were on the back deck watching it rain, he jumped off me, ran across the deck, hopped onto the ground and ran under the deck. I totally freaked, darn near ripped the deck apart (two level 20 x 30 deck w/a pergola) looking for him. After hours of searching in the dark and rain I was wet, cold, and exhausted, not to mention the batteries in my flashlight died. That's when I found The Squirrel Board and made my first post. As of today, (6/12) I still have not seen Milo. I miss him terribly, worry about him constantly, hope and pray that my little Milo man is okay. I tried to teach him well and to be a good squirrel. Tonight will be his 4th night outside. At least the rain has stopped and its been sunny and warm. Everything else I have done in my search for him is on my Milo ran away post.
I just wanted to say hello properly and introduce myself (and Milo), since I did not initially. This post is insanely long and I am sorry. Thank you for all of your replies, suggestions, and prayers. And to my little Milo man...where ever you are, please be safe, play nicely, stay warm and come visit your Mommy sometimes. You have left your little paws prints all over my heart. You will always have a human Mommy to come home to, if you want. I'll be missing you and thinking of you. I hope we meet again one day, soon!
I've been following your story on your other thread. What a touching story...Hope and pray your little Milo is well. :)

SquirrelsinSingapore
06-26-2010, 12:07 PM
Hi, I had enjoyed your introduction and I am touched reading your post of how you found Milo and rised the squirrel against much odds. Any idea what might had triggered Milo's sudden rush away? Is it a predator? Or maybe it is a attractive girl squirrel? And if Milo is familiar with that ground, I bet he will return soon... God bless Milo
*Keep up updated if he returns!!

Welcome to TSB, and i'm new too :D

tomcics
06-26-2010, 12:32 PM
Hello Milo's Mom, I have been following other thread too and love little Milo, as said by other's Milo is very good looking little one, the best word to describe 'adorable'

mpetys
06-26-2010, 02:10 PM
How on earth did you come up with the name MonkeyButt? I love it!! But how did you come up with it?

I get asked this all the time and it seems so odd to me because growing up, the term monkeybutt was used all the time to describe a baby that was all wiggly, not yet walking. You know, how they move around so much and fast.

Anyhow, when I originally got MonkeyButt, he was about two weeks old and just the way he moved around reminded me of a wiggly baby.

Michele in Tampa