baby red squirrel not gaining weight [Archive]

TonyandLizzy

06-15-2011, 02:28 AM

Memorial day met friends at the park for a picnic. It was a very windy day and we came across 3 baby squirrels on the ground lots of little sticks around under very tall tree no remaining nest in the tree and no mama in sight. Lots of people and dogs in the park that day so we did not feel they had any chance at survival if we left them there. So my two daughters and me have taken on caring for them until they are old enough to release. Sadly one of the three was dead before we got back home but the other two have survived they are now named Tony and Lizzy. We estimated there age at two weeks when we found them but as of today their eyes are still closed so they may have been a little younger than that. We have done lots of research on the subject and started off with puppy milk then ordered milk from fox valley. The first time we weighed them both weighed around 30 grams. Tony is now 48 grams but Lizzy is still only 34 grams. This brings me to my question, Lizzy just never seems to add any weight we are feeding her every 4 hours even through the night she eats slower than Tony but eventually gets down the 1.5 ml of formula. We usually give her a little extra if she wants. She pees lots of clear pee and poops little yellow mustard colored pellets each feeding. Every thing seems normal except she’s just skin and bones. We thought she might be dehydrated and tried some pedialite in between feedings but that seemed to make her less hungry and she lost a gram so we stopped that a day later. Any ideas what might be going on with Lizzy?
Thanks for your help

lilidukes

06-15-2011, 06:09 AM

A warm welcome:Welcome to TSB TonyandLizzy. Thank you for saving these fuzzers.:grouphug

Lots of good people here with tons of solid advice.

Jackie in Tampa

06-15-2011, 06:38 AM

:Welcome welcome to TSB...
thank you for helping the babies...love their names!:Love_Icon :Love_Icon
Could Lizzy have aspirated?
Do you hear any clicking from her chest when she breathes?
If you can post a pic the rehabbers will be on soon.
Glad you found the babies and TSB.

Mrs Skul

06-15-2011, 07:24 AM

:morning Tony and Lizzy:Welcome Welcome to TSB!
Pictures would be helpful when we try to identify the age of these 2 little sweeties.
Do you have a 1 cc syringe or a 3 cc syringe? Do you have any nipples? You will need the silicone elongated nipples.
Try adding Heavy Whipping Cream and A Full Fat Yogurt. StonyField makes a Full Fat Vanilla Yogurt. You will find it in the Organic refrigerated foods.
Make sure you mix well. Mix the Heavy cream in last, or you might end up with butter. :D
This should help her put some wt on. :thumbsup3
Hear are a few address to order the nipples and syringes from.
http://www.squirrelsandmore.com/
http://henryspets.com
http://foxvalleynutrition.com/main/prod.asp
Good luck Christal

1 TBS FoxVally
2 TBS Water
1/3 tsp Vanilla Yogurt
1 TBS Heavy Whipping Cream

island rehabber

06-15-2011, 07:35 AM

You're in good hands here, TonyandLizzy. One suggestion I can add is that Fox Valley makes a great product called Ultra Boost, which you add to their formula. When one of my pinkies (Vera) was not gaining the way I would like, I started adding the Ultra Boost to my three youngest babies' formula. It worked like a dream....they are big & beautiful. :thumbsup

TonyandLizzy

06-15-2011, 12:54 PM

Thanks so much for the warm welcome from everybody! I feel Tony and Lizzy's chances are much better now that I have a support network. I was using a 3cc syringe with the elongated nipple but I could not get the fox valley mix to go through it so I went back to the little eye dropper we started off with, they seem to like this fine and seem to have no problem drinking from this as Tony can demonstrate at over 50 grams now. I would go back to the syringe and nipple if I can make it work.

I do not hear any clicking from Lizzy's chest so hopefully she did not asperate.

I will try to take some pictures tonight and post them

I did try the heavy cream when I was using the puppy milk but stopped when I got the fox valley. I will try the mixture listed and see how it goes. Do you think I should try a different mixture for Lizzy to help her catch up to Tony or just keep feeding them both the higher fat stuff.

I will check into the fox valley ultra boost. The guy I spoke with there was very friendly and helpful he even offered for me to call him after hours if I needed any help the the product. I love to reward great customer service by making additional purchases.

Thanks again for all the help

Jackie in Tampa

06-15-2011, 01:11 PM

there are different type syringes...some are made to use one time as a medicine tool. The type recommended for feeding has an O Ring on the plunger...ck out this link...
try to find the type shown, they really are worlds appart.
Like night and day...
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24053

clicking from aspration will be with every breath, no matter position or sleeping...
thank you for update, sending good FATTENING vibes to your little girl:Love_Icon

TonyandLizzy

06-16-2011, 04:16 AM

Got some photos for you they are not very good for compairing their size I was feeding them alone tonight and did not have enough hands to get good side by side pics. I ordered syringes and nipples today. From these pics can you tell the age, they must be very close to opening their eyes.

Thanks again for your support

Mrs Skul

06-16-2011, 04:40 AM

Please start with the Cream Immediately. They both need more fat.
How often are you feeding and how much? :thinkingI would be feeding every 3 to 4 hr round the clock. They look to be 3 or 3 1/2 weeks old.
I am not familiar with baby Red Squirrels. But some one will come on and let you know. They look a little dehydrated, Are They? :thinking
Can you pinch or pull the skin between the shoulders up. Then let it go. If it falls back quick then they are fine.
If it goes back slow or stays standing they are dehydrated. The littlest one really needs the extra Fat. Poor little sweetie.:grouphug
You will notice a big differences when you start the Heavy Cream and Yogurt. :thumbsup3
Good luck Let me know if I can help you more.
Christal

Mrs Skul

06-16-2011, 04:57 AM

:wave123 Hi Tony and Lizzy
The Silicone Nipples I was talking about comes with a hole already in it.
You get them from Chriss SquirrelsandMore and Henry's Healthy Pets. Did you put the hole in the nipple your self? :dono
Now if the formula will not come out of the nipple you have. Heat a strait Pin or a sewing needle. Get it really RED HOT.
Poke it through the nipple and make the hole a little bigger. Now you will need to hold it with a pair of pliers so you don't get burned. :D
Then wash it with soap and water.:thumbsup3

TonyandLizzy

06-16-2011, 05:01 AM

I did add cream to the fox valley that I fed to them midnight, we are feeding every 4 hours around the clock right now. I will work on making up the recipie posted earlier. I talked to the guy at fox valley about the ultra boost today since they only sell it by the pound which would be way more than I will use I will start with the cream and yogurt mix. The fox valley mix I have is the higher fat one since I thought they would be 4 weeks old by the time I received it. I think it is 20/50 the guy at fox valley thought the 50 plus the ultra boost might be to much? I will check on the dehydration issue again tonight. Tony at 50 grams is getting 2 ml each feeding he always wants more so I give him maybe as much as 2.5 ml but I have read a lot of cautions about over feeding. Lizzy at 34 grams is getting 1.5 ml she also wants more and usally gets closer to 2 ml. Is that about right or should I be giving them more?

Thanks for your help I was suprised to get a response at this time of night.

TonyandLizzy

06-16-2011, 05:09 AM

I ordered the nipples and syringes from fox valley since I already had him on the phone and I like their customer service. He could not remember if the nipples had a hole or not so I will do as you said if they come with no hole. If they do not work out I will order from one of the other ones. The syringe I had was not the o-ring type and was 10 cc so I am glad it quit working with the fox valley mix, it was an accident waiting to happen so we will stick to the small eye dropper we are using until the correct syringes arrive.

Thanks

Mrs Skul

06-16-2011, 05:29 AM

Yes give them what ever they will eat. (You wont there tummy to be full but not tight. A feeling of fresh bread doe. :D
The little girl is skin and Bone. She is border line Starved. You can loose her so quick. :shakehead I don't wont to offend you I am sorry if I have.
That is not my intention. The little boy looks a little better. I usually get babies in that look like them.
The formula I use is 32/40 I use it for all my babies even when they ween. Just keep feeding every 4 hr. The tummy will look a little bolted.
That is how FV works. It takes longer to digest. Are you mixing the FV? 2 water to 1 FV? I will PM my phone number to you.
If you need anything to night call me. I am up all night and most of the day. :D The only thing you might have a little trouble with, when adding the cream. The pooh might be a little harder for the little girl to Pooh out. She looks week. If this happens. call me. I can walk you through what you need to do.
I am a very slow typer and I am Dyslexic. It is easer to explain over the phone. I am going to type a few thing for you and send my phone number.
Then I need to go feed. Good luck Christal

PS
I feed all my babies Heavy Cream and Vanilla Full Fat Yogurt and FV 32/40:thumbsup

TonyandLizzy

06-16-2011, 05:39 AM

Thanks Christal I am not ofended I am glad I found this forum when I did. I am heading home to feed them right now I will give them as much as they want with cream I do not have the yogurt yet.

Thanks

Mrs Skul

06-16-2011, 05:42 AM

That is fine about the yogurt. That helps if there tummy gets upset. :D
Did you get my PM with Phone number?:dono
???? Were you feeding Esbilac be for you found the FoxVally? :thinking

Jackie in Tampa

06-16-2011, 08:51 AM

TonyandLizzy

06-16-2011, 05:55 PM

Thank you for the pics, I am in love!:Love_Icon
Making sure the formula is very warm may stimulate the desire to eat better...
adding heavy cream will help, but start with small amount, gradually increasing...
Are you using a heating pad under the container?
is that a light bulb in a sock?
I am confused...:thinking

That is a 7 watt light bulb suspended in a jar so it can not touch the sides with a sock over it. The sock stays right around 100 F and the squirrels like to snuggle up to it when it is cool in the building and move back from it when it is warm in the building. We are planning on updating their home with fleece and a heating pad this weekend, we wanted to do that before their eyes open because I thought the light might be anoying to them after that.

I got the idea online somewhere and it has seemed to work well since they are not in an air conditioned space so I wanted something that made it easy for them to move away from if it got warm during the day.

I would like some comments regarding the information I found originally about feeding baby squirrels (before I found this forum) They said overfeeding was a very bad thing and could kill them. More than one place gave specific guidelines on if they weigh this much feed them this much. I have been sticking closely to that even though they always wanted more (I cheated a little but mostly stuck to what they said). Last night after reading the comments I fed them twice as much as I have been giving them and they still wanted more! Now I feel like I have been starving them all along! Any experts out there on red squirrels that can tell me if 1.5 ml every 4 hours around the clock was way to little for a 34 gram baby? I don't think the amount of food was the whole issue though since Tony seems to have beefed up on the same guidelines I was following.

Thanks again to everyone for the support

Fireweed

06-16-2011, 06:08 PM

Hi, TnL! You're doing good... Thanks for caring so much for these babies. :bowdown
About the feedings...The guideline you got is a good guideline for healthy babies... You could feed more or less depending on the situation and/or the baby... But right now, it's best if you please phone Christal RIGHT AWAY since she has PMd her number to you. She is AMAZING, extremely helpful and knowledgeable, and will help you get these babies on the right track. They look very skinny and you may need more help than what can be said back and forth online.

Give Tony and Lizzy some noozles for me... :Love_Icon:Love_Icon

Nancy in New York

06-16-2011, 06:43 PM

The guidelines for feeding is 5 to 7% of their body weight every feeding. So for the little one that weighs 50 grams the range would be 2.5 to 3.5 each feeding. At this age, I try to feed them a little closer perhaps every 3 hours. There's a girl here that has 5 adorable red babies, she got them when they were so tiny. Here's her thread.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28169
Lots of pictures too so you can see how your little ones look compared to hers.
They are adorable, nothing like a little red!!!!!:Love_Icon :grouphug :Love_Icon

Milo's Mom

06-16-2011, 06:59 PM

Hello and welcome to TSB!! :Welcome

I currently have 5 little ones that I got when they were about 2.5 - 3 weeks old. One of the little girls was not doing well at all. She was gaining a tiny amount of weight, but not nearly enough (a gram or 2 here and there). I too, was told to get the Ultra Boost from Nick at Fox Valley.

OMG it is miracle formula, the little girl that was not doing well is now almost ready for release (her name is Zoey):) . It took me as long to feed her as it did for me to feed her 4 siblings.

I also used the 20/50 FV for The Fuzzy Five but I added Ultra Boost to it and I also bought a 1lb bag, thinking that I'd have most of it left over...I have none of it left, they all drank it and love every sip. Personally, if I were you, I'd get the Ultra Boost, seriously. I realize that I have 5 greys and you have 2 reds, but your little girl looks a little rougher than my Zoey did...try the Ultra Boost...:thumbsup It's good stuff!!

Got more pics? We love pics!! Your babies are REALLY cute!!!:D

TonyandLizzy

06-17-2011, 04:09 AM

I am getting a little confused on the amount to feed. 24 hours ago Lizzy was 34 grams we started following the formula listed by christal minus the yogert (have not had time to go searching for that yet) also I am actually using the 20/50 fv mix since I thought these babies were on the verge of 4 weeks when I ordered it. We went from feeding her 1.5+ ml to feeding her 2.5+ ml and she didn't show any signs of slowing down she would have ate another 1 ml if I would have let her. So she got 2.5 - 3 ml every 4 hours plus a little water since she appears dehydrated. Now tonight after feeding she weighs 40 grams most of that weight gain has to be in her belly and now I am wondering if we over did it! So now her body weight is 40 g, 5% - 7% of that would be 2 ml to 2.8 ml I think I can stay with 2.5 ml to 3 ml and be safe.

Man I am not getting any work done I don't see how you full time rehabbers do it!

Christal thinks these babies are only 3 weeks old so that means they were just a few days old when their nest fell. It is amazing they could survive that fall.

Looking at the thread that Nancy sent I think Christal is right because Tony and Lizzy don't have nearly as much hair as those 5 reds had when their eyes opened.

A few comments on what problems might be encountered with feeding Lizzy more than 7% of her body weight these last 24 hours might help me.

Thanks as always for everyone's help.

lilidukes

06-17-2011, 04:44 AM

Over feeding will cause diarrhea, poops will be white or she could bloat. Maybe feeding every 3-3.5 hours for a few days might help. Put them to bed with a feeding at 12pm and sleep 5 hours and start again at 5 am. An extra hour or two at night wont hurt them. Sounds like you are getting worn out.

Me personally a quick nap in the afternoon is a blessing:bowdown

Nancy in New York

06-17-2011, 07:06 AM

TonyandLizzy

06-19-2011, 02:47 AM

Sending some new photos. Lizzy is gaining weight now like she should but still looks like skin and bones in some of the pictures. I tried to pick pictures that showed Lizzy or compaired Lizzy to Tony with a few cute ones in there to. The hands are my daughter Megan's and snapping the pictures my daughter Rachel.

I am following the recipe posted by Christal with the FV/ heavy cream / yogert. It appears to be working Lizzy is now 46 grams. I am still waiting on the correct syringes and nipples should be here on Monday.

I am going to list below the weights in grams for Tony and Lizzy starting on 6/2 progressing 1 day up to current date it might be helpful.

Tony 35 33 36 35 42 44 44 44 46 47 46 47 48 48 49 52 62
Lizzy 34 32 33 32 32 32 37 36 35 36 35 34 34 35 37 39 46

The last 3 days listed they have been getting the new formula as you can see they seem to be gaining quickly now. Is there such a thing as gaining to quickly?

Thanks again for everyone's help.

squirrelfriend

06-19-2011, 03:48 AM

Thank you so much for bringing these little guys into your loving home and caring for them. You are a hero. they wouldn't have made it without you. It is great of you for doing the propper research to care for them correctly. You are doing an ammazing job. Keep up the great work!:thumbsup

Lizzy looks way better already. She was probably lagging behind because she was in worse condition than Tony. She was weak and needed a little extra time to get her strength back.

Love the photos, expecially the one with their full bellies and that glorious milk line. They are precious as are you. Thank you.

island rehabber

06-19-2011, 07:26 AM

LOVE that milk line pic! :thumbsup:Love_Icon:Love_Icon
Ummmm.....despite the title of this thread, am I the only one thinking we have two baby GREY squirrels here? They don't look like reds to me.....:hidechair:D

TonyandLizzy

06-20-2011, 02:10 AM

[QUOTE=island rehabber]LOVE that milk line pic! :thumbsup:Love_Icon:Love_Icon
Ummmm.....despite the title of this thread, am I the only one thinking we have two baby GREY squirrels here? They don't look like reds to me.....:hidechair:D
[/QUOTE

As far as I know we do not have grey squirrels in Nebraska, seems like just red and very very rarely an all black one. These pictures are not with the highest quality camera so that may make it dificult to judge. Nancy in New York sent me a link to a thread for a family in Canada raising 5 red squirrels and I notice the pictures of her squirrels when they were smaller look a bit different the fir was a bit more orange and they had a black stripe between the red and white which ours do not have. I was just guessing there were some differences between Nebraska Squirrels and Canadian Squirrels.

Summer in Nebraska is starting to get hot and humid and it seems unlikely my wife is going to allow them into the air conditioned house, besides we have cats inside as well. I am wondering if I should have any concerns about heat levels? They are inside a large building and it gets warm in there but it has some air circulation to keep it from getting extreamly hot.

Does anybody see a problem with sticking with the 7 watt bulb in the jar covered with the sock instead of the heating pad under part of their cage. I could go to a black sock to prevent the light from bothering them at night. They really seem to like snuggling up against it and it seems like it would transfer less heat to the remaining space in the cage than a heating pad would.

Anybody know if there is much size difference between male and female red squirrels? Tony looks huge next to Lizzy, she is catching up to him on the weight but size still a big difference.

Tonights weigh in Lizzy 49 grams Tony 55 grams

Today is 3 weeks from when we found Tony and Lizzy and their eyes are still not open. Boy were we way off in estimateing there age at 2 weeks when we found them.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer all my questions.

Rhapsody

06-20-2011, 04:07 AM

Just now reading this thread..... and I LOVE THE PICS (especially the double side by side milk line one) - I will call it MY "Double Mint Twin" PIC :Love_Icon \
Good to hear the little ones are gaining weight.... the guys/gals here are AWESOME!! - YOU are in GOOD HANDS!! :Love_Icon

TonyandLizzy

06-20-2011, 04:57 AM

New question for you

With bellies full and bathroom business done when I put them back in there cage I notice lots of twitching and rapid breathing. Is this normal? I have noticed it more in the last few days and just keep forgetting to ask.

Thanks for the help

Jackie in Tampa

06-20-2011, 06:57 AM

cute little monkeys...
I use FV with the yogurt and heavy cream too, love it.
I think that a heating pad is a more natural option, I know my babies all love snuggling with a rice buddy on a heating pad...
give them kisses from Tampa!

TonyandLizzy

06-20-2011, 11:31 PM

island rehabber

06-20-2011, 11:33 PM

normal. baby squirrels twitch like crazy. :D

squirrelfriend

06-21-2011, 08:07 AM

TonyandLizzy

06-24-2011, 03:47 AM

Just a quick update, Lizzy is gaining weight and is now 56 grams she has grown into her skin and doesn't look like just skin and bones. Thanks to everyone for your advice you saved her life and I am grateful. Lizzy's legs still don't look very muscular like Tony's but maybe that will take a bit longer. I am feeding the FV 20/50 with cream and yogert, maybe the 20 is not enough protien? Tony is huge compaired to her, 76 grams! The most exciting news is Lizzy opened her eyes Tuesday and Tony one eye today. So that means they were only around 3 to 5 days old when we found them.

I will get some new pictures up soon.

Mrs Skul

06-25-2011, 10:15 PM

:alright.gif Way to go Little Lizzy :wahoo :wott Tony you Little Piggy! :D
Your doing such a wonderful job with these two babies. :thumbsup3
Can't wait to see the New Pictures! :flash
If you think Tony is gaining weight to fast you can back off the Heavy Cream by Half. I will know more when you post the Pictures.
Good Luck!
Christal

rygel1hardt

06-25-2011, 10:51 PM

Tails are the wrong color for greys I think. These guys are either reds or very stunted foxers. Normal foxers in my experience are usually well over 100 grams when they open their eyes, so I am going with reds. I guess when they get belly fur we may know then but I looked up squirrels of Nebraska and they have greys, foxers, and reds. I even saw a foxer with a white belly. Time will tell. More pictures please when you get time. Stacey

Runestonez

06-25-2011, 11:21 PM

I am leaning more towards greys...
they don't have the red squirrel racing stripe down the nose...
no white tummy...and they are HUGE for an eyes closed red.
Our greys up here have awesome rust colouring.
They come in variations of grey/brown/with rust accents...
yup greys...
hey do we have a pool going?
cash prize involved!!?? he he he:D

TonyandLizzy

06-26-2011, 12:32 AM

Here are some new pictures taken tonight. Lizzy now weighs 58 grams and Tony 94 grams. We added a chunk of rodent block and also a small mineral stone. They are interested in smelling and licking them.

Milo's Mom

06-26-2011, 09:12 AM

Okay this is a really off the wall question, but is there anyway that these 2 little ones could be Douglas Squirrels?

They really look like foxers, but the tails are the wrong color and really short. After seeing them I went to look at the pics of Feeze's Fence Friends (beautiful Douglas) and I remembered what I posted in there yesterday...the Douglas looks like the result of a foxer and a red mating...

What do you all think?

EDIT: Here are 2 pics from Feeze's thread of the Douglas
142887

142888

TonyandLizzy

06-27-2011, 03:08 AM

What do you think of the pictures, do you think Lizzy still has a problem. She is tiny compaired to Tony. They were both the same size 3 weeks back.

Do you think Tony could be a threat to Lizzy? After Lizzy eats she wants to sleep but Tony recently started getting very active after eating. He likes to run around the cage and chew on everything. He chews on the cage, blanket, rodent block, and his sisters feet. He doesn't seem to be hurting her since she doesnt even wake up.

I have been checking out pictures of squirrels on the internet. You may be right about them not being reds. They do have a lot of black hair mixed in with the red and their bellies are more light red than white. The pictures posted by Milo's Mom of the Douglas squirrels looks pretty close but Nebraska is a long way from the pacific coast where they are suposed to live.

Your comments on Lizzy's size would be apreciated, I am still a little worried about her.

Thanks

Mrs Skul

06-29-2011, 10:02 AM

TonyandLizzy

06-29-2011, 03:13 PM

I think Lizzy is just going to be 2 weeks be hing Tony.
They both are looking so good. :thumbsup3 You are a great Squirrel Daddy!
Your 2 daughters are doing great to. :thinking That makes them SquMommys. :D

Thanks Christal for keeping an eye on this thread and sharing your experiance with me. Thanks also for your time on the phone you answered a lot of questions.

You will be happy to know Tony and Lizzy are back to pooping like normal, maybe the adjustment to the mixture or they just took care of it on their own.

They both have fairly long top and bottom front teeth and really want something to chew on is there anything I can add to their cage that won't mess up their diet?

As always thanks to everyone for you comments as support.

Jackie in Tampa

06-29-2011, 03:21 PM

oh lala...those two babies ...the bellys are so kissable...great pics!!!!!
love them to pieces...they're adorable!!!!!
C is great:thumbsup
you all are doing great!!!!!!:Love_Icon

pappy1264

06-29-2011, 04:14 PM

Was going to say they look almost like foxers, but.......not greys, not reds.....hhhhmmmmm.....adorable, that much I do know!

I usually put blocks, and blueberries first....a little treat of a cheerio (after they eat their block). A;lthough she is much smaller, she looks very good, so she just may be a small squirrel, or she may just catch up down the line a bit (that is what happened with Bean).

CritterMom

06-29-2011, 04:44 PM

Those are little eastern grays. Mister P had all of that golden rust coloration when he was a wee one, too. A lot of the young greys on my property have this very rust coloring when they are young, getting grayer as they age (don't we all?).

Skul

06-30-2011, 10:53 AM

I'm going to post a few pix of some of our babies.
Keep in mind, there are some very small differences between
widely spaced communities of the same species.

143108

143109

143110

143111

143112

These are all Eastern Grays

TonyandLizzy

07-08-2011, 01:59 AM

I am posting a few new pictures. It is getting hard to see a big difference between Tony and Lizzy in these pictures.

The title of this thread no longer fits the situation I have just kept posting on the same thread so all the information is in the same place. Should I be starting a new thread for new questions and updates on their progress, or is it ok to just keep posting on this thread?

I found a website for a wildlife rescue group in Omaha Nebraska (about an hour away) they have some statistics on their website about how many animals were rehabed each year. I don't remember the exact numbers but under squirrels in the most recent year they have posted it says they have rehabed 130 fox squirrels, 1 eastern grey squirrel and 1 flying squirrel. I would say that would be a good clue to say these babies are fox squirrels instead of red squirrels.

Christal had ask me to post some pictures of adult squirrels aroung my home she said it would be easier to identify them. Good Idea I though but I do not have a good camera that can zoom in close and the squirrels around my house spook easily so all the pic's the girls have been able to get are to far away to even tell what it is. We will keep trying and maybe go into town where the squirrels seem to let us get closer.

I thought maybe Tony has aspirated a few days ago but he seems fine now. But that started me looking to see if I could get my hands on a few baytril tablets here locally just in case. I did not find any vet that was willing to give or sell me baytril but I did find a vet that was very squirrel friendly. He ask me some questions and gave some advice and said anytime I needed help to give him a call.

Looking online for baytril I come upon a website that said they would sell it with no prescription seems like it is a canadian company selling human and pet meds. I did not buy because I was afraid it was a scam, has anyone bought baytril online? Is baytril legal to sell in Canada without a prescription?

Thanks as always for your help and comments

TonyandLizzy

07-08-2011, 02:06 AM

Look at those legs on Lizzy pictures 5 and 6, what a change from the first pictures I posted

Thanks for all the support and prayers it sure paid off!

CritterMom

07-08-2011, 08:05 AM

Oh, yeah, now that orange tummy coloration is coming out. But they are really small for foxers - they areusually little chunk monkeys! How sweet are they??

Mrs Skul

07-08-2011, 05:45 PM

:Love_Icon Tony and Lizzy:Love_Icon
They are looking just WOUNDERFUL!:wahoo
Yes they are Little Foxers. They look so good now. Tell the girls they are doing a wonderful job with them. :thumbsup3

TonyandLizzy

07-25-2011, 03:11 AM

I have not posted anything in a while Tony and Lizzy are doing well.

I never received any comments on my question about posting updates on this same thread so I decided to go ahead and post an update.

They finally got to move to the new cage with 32 square feet of space. I posted a few pictures. Next project nest box or boxes.

Tony and Lizzy are around 8 weeks old, they are eating FV 5 times a day and we are letting them sleep threw the night sometimes up to 8 hours. Sometimes they do not want the FV or not much. They eat veggies and rodent blocks but it does not seem like they are eating much it is hard to judge how much they eat when it is not coming out of a syringe. They do have fat bellies so I am not worried.

Any comments about diet at this age?

Thanks

island rehabber

07-25-2011, 08:38 AM

They look great :thumbsup:thumbsup.
I'd be happy to change the thread title for you, and even move them to The Nursery or the Fox Squirrel forum if you prefer. As for diet, they definitely do NOT need FV 5 times a day. At their age I would say maybe 3x day at the most. If their diet is 50% or more rodent block, you are truly on the right track. Add the high-calcium veggies listed in our Healthy Diet for Squirrels (Nutrition Forum) and you're good to go. :)

Skul

07-25-2011, 06:37 PM

Hi,:wave123 Folks.
C and I haven't been around for a few days.
We had to put some very close friends of ours to sleep.

Tha cage looks great. Good size, too.
Foxers may be the most personable of squirrels after flyers.
They're at the age where they are going to start self-weaning, so don't be too worried if they refuse the FV.
As long as they have some fresh greens and water available during this time, they should be fine.
They will also want the FV now and then, so be ready with it.

stepnstone

07-25-2011, 08:28 PM

Tony&Liz, just caught your thread and read it through. Adorable babies! Congratulations on a job well done! :thumbsup

TonyandLizzy

07-29-2011, 04:10 AM

Question about eating habits of 9 week old foxers. Tony and Lizzy are 9 weeks old and we just recently went to feeding FV every 8 hours. My daughters are feeding morning and afternoon and they can get them to eat 20 + ml but when I feed at night Lizzy will eat maybe 9 ml and Tony doesn't want any. In the morning I give them a small pile of veggies and the Henry's block. They do not really seem to be eating any significant amount of the veggies or the HHB

Should we start reduceing the amount of FV to make them more interested in the other food? Or keep going with the FV as long as they want it?

Remember when we were trying to figure out what type of squirrels they were Rygel1hardt commented that foxers normally are well over 100 grams when their eyes open. Lizzy was only 56 and Tony was 76 grams. Maybe they are a few weeks behind where they should be.

I will try to get a new weight on them now. We stopped weighing because I could not get them to stay on the scale long enough to get a reading.

Your comments would be helpful.

Thanks

CritterMom

07-29-2011, 09:37 AM

Don't force wean. They will decide on their own. Keep giving them as much formula as they want at their feedings. It takes a while for them to get interested in solid food - they will just play with it for a while and then one day they get the hang of what they are supposed to do with it and then they become unruly teenagers and you will be reminiscing about these times!

TonyandLizzy

08-04-2011, 12:54 AM

some new pictures for our friends at TSB. Tony and Lizzy are about 10 weeks old now and still have very little interest in other foods, they seem content to just eat lots of FV every eight hours. They nibble on the veggies but seem to have lost all interest in the Henry's blocks. At first they nibbled on the blocks but now don't seem to want them. They liked apple and walnuts but I have stopped giving that to them because I was afraid they would be less likely to eat the healty stuff.

Am I correct to stop giving them the goodies? Maybe it would help them get used to eating solid food?

Any ideas to get them interested in the HHB?

Thanks as always for your comments.

MiriamS

08-04-2011, 02:25 AM

Just found this thread and wow, what an outstanding job you've done with Tony and Lizzy. They obviously had a rough couple of weeks there and now they are the most precious chunky foxer nuggets! You're to be commended for saving them and seeing them through the hard times. At first while I was reading I did not think they'd make it and then there was the first picture of fat tummies :thumbsup and suddenly they were fully furry and healthy looking! Great job. :bowdown

Hey you might be worried about their diets but they look awfully interested in that green veggie in the last few photos. Good sign right? OH, now I see it's two different green veggies. Even better. I bet they're just stunted in terms of weaning and moving to adult squirrel food because they had such a rough start. But since I don't really know, just listen to what the experts say. Looks like they're doing great. Totally squadorable. :grouphug