First Squirrel, Have some questions =)

[chicklett43]

Hey! My uncle just saved a little White-Tailed Antelope Squirrel from a cat and two dogs. He was pretty beat up, but he's getting better. He's munching on some carrots and chillin' in his warm box. I gave him a little antibiotics just in case of infection. We are going to the pet store tomorrow to get him some supplies. I'm not sure how old it is and I don't know if it's a girl or a boy, but it looks pretty young. I was just wanting some advice and wanted to know if anyone was willing to answer questions when they arise. My main question right now is if it is okay to use a mite/flea killer when they have an open wound. My brain is telling me it's a bad idea, but he lost a bit of blood today and he doesn't need to be sharing lol. Plus, he seems pretty uncomfortable with them eating him up. Also, I was wondering if there are any laws in Nevada about keeping them. I didn't find anything online, but I just want to make sure. K that's it. (y^^)y

[Rhapsody]

+ Emergency Care for Baby Squirrels +

1. Warm the Baby (never feed a cold squirrel)

2. Place in tissue or shoe box w/ pieces of fleece

3. Rehydrate the Baby (feed pedialyte first 24 hours)

Homemade Pedialyte

1 tsp salt (teaspoon)
3 Tbsp sugar (tablespoon)
1 quart warm water

4. Feed slowly with a 1cc syringe - head up tail down

5. Keep warm at all time - fill bottle with hot water (cover bottle with cloth)

_____________

FORMULA

Fox Valley Formula - 32/40 pinkies (and) 20/50 squirrels
@ http://www.henryspets.com/


Homemade Recipe - until FV arrives
1 cup Goats Milk
1/3 cup Full Fat Vanilla Yogurt
1/3 cup Heavy Cream

(lasts 72 hours in frig)

________________

FLEAS

Wash with Dawn Dish Soap until the squirrel is 8 weeks old - IF they still have fleas or mites
you can place 1 drop of Kitten Revolution between the shoulder blades.

[Rhapsody]

Is the Squirrels eyes open? - they open their eyes around 4 to 6 wks old.
Sex of? - is there three things (male) or is there two things (female)

[astra]

Welcome! Glad you found this site.

if he has an open wound and was attacked by a cat and dogs, he needs antibiotics to stop/prevent infection from cat saliva that is deadly to squirrels.
Do you have a trusted vet who will be willing to give you meds?...
Or friends/family that have pets that might have meds?
I don't remember exactly which meds can be used in this case and how to dose them. Someone experienced here will be able to help you with that. I think, you can use Baytril, but I don't remember other possible meds.
So, just keep checking here for the experienced ppl's posts.

As for fleas, as Rhapsody has already written, you can wipe him down with Dawn dish detergent (unscented). YOu don't have to dunk him, you can just carefully but thoroughly wipe him with that. Dawn will take care of fleas. This way you can be more careful of not touching his open wound with Dawn (because it will be painful). Although, you do need to clean it.

If he is in pain, he might need something for that. Children Motrin can be used, but again - don't remember the dosage. So, hang on and wait for those who can help you dose it.

Even if you decide to use Revolution for mites/fleas, you don't need to rub it all over him and touch the wound. You can just put one drop between his shoulders. Any more can do harm as it is potent.

I don't know if it is legal to care for him in your state, most likely it isn't. So, you have to be very careful when looking for a vet (unless you have a trustworthy one).
You could try and find licensed rehabbers, but... you have to be very careful with them (and vets), because the chances are very high that he might be seized from you and euthanized, if his injuries are considered too much to care for, or such that might make him unreleasable. You see, most wildlife centres and (some rehabbers, unfortunately) are "too busy, understaffed etc" that they don't bother with injured animals that require a bit extra attention and put them to sleep.
But you can trust people here. And with their help you can provide him the care he needs.

It will be better if you re-post this in Life-Threatening forum (since he has an open wound and needs meds) - it will get a much faster attention.

Thanks for saving him!
Please keep checking here often for more help.

[Rhapsody]

if he has an open wound and was attacked by a cat and dogs, he needs antibiotics to stop/prevent infection from cat saliva that is deadly to squirrels.
Do you have a trusted vet who will be willing to give you meds?... Or friends/family that have pets that might have meds?I do believe they have meds on hand..... but idk what they gave him.

I gave him a little antibiotics just in case of infection.

[astra]

I do believe they have meds on hand..... but idk what they gave him.
oh, good! hope it's the right kind. Missed that - always in a rush! Thanks!

[Rhapsody]

How is the little one doing this morning?

[chicklett43]

He is doing awesome today. We made him a nice little habitat that we made him temporarily while we are getting rid of the fleas. He's a cute little guy and we know he's a little guy cuz of one of the posts (thank you so much.) We gave him some of out cats' antibiotics that saved one of our rescue cats who got into a fan. Are there any fruits or veggies that we shouldn't give him? (Like grapes with cats and dogs.) I saw someone ask if his eyes were open, yes they are. I think he's a little older than what I originally thought now that he's up and moving. Oh, he moves really well so I don't think anything is broken (amazingly!) We are thinking of calling him Alan lol. Thank you all sooooo much for the advice!!!!

[astra]

well, he is a ground squirrel and their diet varies from that of the tree squirrels a bit. Don't know much about ground squirrels (yet;-), but there is a member here - pappy1264 - who has a ground squirrel and who might be able to share her experience with him.
I am sure, they have specific dietary requirements just as tree squirrels do.

Oh,,, just occurred to me that you might not have Private Messaging activated yet... I will send her a pm and direct her here.

[chicklett43]

Ok, thank you!:D

[chicklett43]

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/229166_2018911430865_1186268606_2455276_4807956_n. jpg


This is Alan! =)

[pappy1264]

I have a Richardsons, but I found this on your particular little guy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_Antelope_Squirrel

[CritterMom]

Good info there with regard to dietary percentages. Wow - more in the way of a hunter that I would have suspected. He is adorable. I am a big fan of the little round tailed ground squirrels and this little guy is similar looking. :Welcome Alan! Good name.:)

[chicklett43]

:thankyou for the info!

[pappy1264]

Sorry I was so abrupt....babies were due for a feeding! I feed timothy hay, and prairie dog food (a couple different companies make one, I can get you the link where I get mine if you need it), greens, veggies (snap peas, sweet potato--skin off, squash, cucumber. For fruits, his fav is pear cactus, but melon is another fav (cantaloupe or honeydoo, I don't give watermelon), blueberries (another fav). I have never given grapes to him. I also give him an almond for a treat or some roasted, shelled pumpkin seeds. He also likes a little bit of old fashioned oats (but lots of sugar, so he doesn't get that too often). Hay is the biggest part of his diet. Oh, yeah, I also mix a little guinea pig food and a good quality rabbit pellet in with the prairie dog food (just a bit, about a tablespoon in total). He LOVES his wheel (although they are supposed to not like them.....guess nobody told him! lol) He is a major love bug, who loves nothing more then when I scratch his chin while he is grooming my fingers....lol Now, I don't know if your little guy would be exactly the same in diet, but that is a good place to start with, at least. Oh, almost forgot....his BELOVED WAXWORMS!!!!!! (I swear he sits up and begs for em'!!! lol)
He is very cute, btw!

[chicklett43]

I'll definitely try some of those, thanks again! Alan loves to snuggle lol. He actually really liked his Dawn bath I had to give him. Lol he fell asleep while I was doing it lol. :Love_Icon

[pappy1264]

Oh yes, they LOVE full body massages......the little noises they make...lol You're welcome!

[Rhapsody]

Adorable PIC - He is sooooo CUTE :Love_Icon

[pappy1264]

How is Alan doing today?

[chicklett43]

He is doing great! He likes to sleep in... LOL I was wondering if it was possible to litter box train him or something like that because he peed on me twice yesterday lol. Thank you guys again for all the help. He doesn't seem to have many fleas anymore and he seems a lot more comfy. He's a cute little guy! :wott

[Busysqrl]

What a beautiful little ground squirrel you have there, just darling. I have no advice for you that you haven't already received, but just wanted to pop in and say welcome and how cute your little guy is. This is a wonderful place with lots of people with a TON of experience. You will love it here. Hugs to little Alan :grouphug

[pappy1264]

Actually, you can. Give him two corner litter boxes, filled with sand. Generally they will 'go' in one corner, so look where that is, and put one there (make sure to take some of the soiled stuff and put in the box, too). They LOVE to dig (hey, they are burrowing animals), so they should have two of them, so one is for 'playing', one is for 'business'...lol Also, give him big mounds of hay, he can burrow into that (and he will eat it, too.) I give Neeko fleece pieces, which he makes a nest out of, mixed with the hay. It should be on the opposite side where his latrine is. Does he have a wheel? They say they don't like them, but Neeko LOVES HIS!!!!!! Good exercise for them, too, if they use them (as they are very prone to obesity). And remember, these animals do hibernate, so if he is resting, try not to disturb him, just make sure he has a good food supply and water nearby so he doesn't have to go far. When they are in hibernation mode, waking up takes alot out of them, so it is advised to let them rest (I know, its hard, you just wanna love on them!!!) But it doesn't last forever. And remember, these guys are like prairie dogs....they have NO depth perception, so never have him up high, unattended, as he could fall and hurt himself badly. You should have fresh dandelions sprouting, go pick him some (make sure they are not close to the road, because of exhaust from vehicles). And make sure no pesticides have been used (if unsure, play it safe and don't use). But they love them, root and all! Nice little treat for them. Glad to hear he is doing good (and I LOVE the name "Aaaalllllllaaaannnn'.....lol

[chicklett43]

Hey guys, Alan got really sick the other night and passed away yesterday. I would have told you all yesterday, but I was having a really hard time with it. Thank you all for the help. I will definitely keep checking up on here and seeing all the fun stories and cute pictures! I'm glad I found the little guy and found that I have a love for squirrels. I'll probably get one in the future as a pet. Thank you all again for everything.

[lilidukes]

RIP little one:grouphug :grouphug :grouphug

[SquirrellyMom]

Anyone else having picture issues? There is no picture and not even the box that shows the picture wont load. This is like the 3rd thread I have had this happen in.:dono

[chicklett43]

Hey guys!!! Just thought I'd pop in and say hello and let you all know I'm still here and pop in from time to time. I really do love this place. It's one of the things that makes me miss Alan even more but doesn't make me sad. I'm still looking forward to helping out more squirrels in the future and keep an eye out for them anywhere I go! K, I'd better go :D mjs

[pappy1264]

I am so sorry, I am just seeing this now. I am so very sorry you lost little Alan. RIP sweet baby.