Bloated tummy

[europe]

Help,

Am new to this site and would like some advice on our little boy's bloated tummy. Found 3 baby red squirrels about 2 weeks old, about 8 days ago. Doing well so far after warming, rehydrating and slowly introducing formula. After first one type of formula started producing runny poops changed to another which was working fine for a couple of days, nice hard, regular poops. The 2 girls are doing fine, active, hungry and regular but Milo has had a very hard bloated tummy for about 20 hrs now. Done lots of massaging and had a very long pee this morning but since they are all together not sure if he is pooping. Gave him a warm water massage 2 hrs ago and just fed him rehydrating solution at last feed. His penis is a little red at the tip but doesn't look swollen. What else can I do? He is still bloated and tummy is hard, although a little less after last pee.
Thanks any advice apreciated.

I am helped by my 15 year old daughter and we intend to release them all at about 12 weeks.

[CritterMom]

You are doing the right things - rehydrating and warm water soak/massages, but you need to continue until the bloating goes down. No more food until the bloat is gone. Can you buy baby simethicone there? It is a gas medicine for baby humans and a drop of this may bring him down if you can buy it, "Simethicone" is the name of the drug, not a brand name.

Stroke downward on his little tummy. I found that a slightly dampened, flat watercolor brush let me get just the pressure and movement I was looking for.

[europe]

Thanks for the advice, was much improved but then gave him a normal feed and he is back to the same again, poor thing, did have a runny poo and then quite a normal one but still very hard tummy. How many feeds should I keep him on hydrating fluid only, before reintroducing formula? We are feeding them every 3,5 to 4 hrs. Tonight will be the first night with last feed at 11pm to 7am tomorrow. Should I reintroduce formula gradually again as in the beginning? Poor little chap is so hungry. Thanks for help. Will try tomorrow for some gas medecine at the pharmacy.

[Ratman]

Maybe "water-downed" formula would be a good way to start before going back to full strength.




Thanks for the advice, was much improved but then gave him a normal feed and he is back to the same again, poor thing, did have a runny poo and then quite a normal one but still very hard tummy. How many feeds should I keep him on hydrating fluid only, before reintroducing formula? We are feeding them every 3,5 to 4 hrs. Tonight will be the first night with last feed at 11pm to 7am tomorrow. Should I reintroduce formula gradually again as in the beginning? Poor little chap is so hungry. Thanks for help. Will try tomorrow for some gas medecine at the pharmacy.

[Ultra Peepi]

Hi! :Welcome I wish I could offer advice, but am not as knowledgeable as some here. Have u tried posting in non-emergency help? Good luck!

[gs1]

hi: welcome...

i do think you'll need to repost in non-urgent thread.

he's repeatedly bloating on formula ...

can we know the type of formula?

the pedialite can't be given over 24 hours...but i think you know this.

poor little fellow .. i'm so sorry he's hungry.

is there anyway of separating him until we know for sure that he's pooping.

do you have a second heating pad for him? a baby squirrel can never be fed when he's cold.

i'm also concerned his sisters are nursing on his penis.

that will be a problem if it scabs over and then he can't pee.

hopefully you will be given more help soon ... i'm not as experienced as others on this site.

:grouphug

so he's only three weeks old... i think he'll need a feeding through out the night but that's for someone else to confirm.

if goats milk powder is available to you there is a home made formula recipe...

just incase this formula continues to give him problems.

[gs1]

wow ...just realised this is over 9 days old....

I hope she'll come back and update ....

i'd have loved to have seen spanish squirrels....:D

i hope those little ones are doing well....

:)

[Ultra Peepi]

also hoping everything is ok with the little one's tummy....:grouphug

[europe]

Thanks for the help everyone, the warm baths just did the trick. Milo recovered quickly after 2 feeds of hydrating solution and then HS mixed with formula for 1 feed. Then his sister Afrika had the same problem which we solved straight away, it seemed that one feed of hydrating solution was enough for her and then back onto formula.

We found out that they loved their baths so much that we continued them every week or so until last week - they are now 9 weeks old I think - especially when they started to smell a bit. We would just put warm water in a teacup and immerse them up to their necks, never near their ears cos I was afraid of infection.

For those of you interested in the formula I used it is Puppy baby milk made by Royal Canine with added cream and yoghourt. I posted on another thread because it might be useful to others who cant get esbilac or Fox Valley.

3 very happy red squirrels, Marley, Milo and Afrika.:multi who will soon be returning to the wild

[astra]

Great that they are doing well now.
May we ask for pictures, please?:)

[europe]

Hi, sorry taken so long to get back but been on holiday - squirrels came too!! Had their own tent on the beach, luckily they were not moving around much yet and we kept them in an small pillowcase. They have all grown up now and at 12 weeks last sat. we released them. You will find a link with my pictures under the thread "just for fun" or something like that. It is titled European Red Squirrels. Enjoy.