crusty butt, am i doing anything wrong? Edited

[shammy807]

hello i found a baby squirrel about 5 days ago. he is around 3 to 4 weeks old. seen him in my gangway watched him squirm for a few hours but still no momma so i took him warmed him up and rehydrated him with warm pedialyte, waited and about 2 hours and then fed him diluted esbilac powder for puppies. i stimulate him after every feeding with warm water, dry him off and put him back into his little tank i have with a heating pad under it. after reading threads in this forum i ordered the fox valley formula next day shipping i should get it today in a few hours hopefully. the past 2 days hes been drinking down alot more formula and doesnt seem to stay hydrated and hes getting skinnier i feed him around the clock every 3 hours sometimes 4. today i noticed he had crusty poop stuck in his anus and hes just not gaining weight or staying hydrated. hes gotten bigger and his tail in getting a little thicker and i know his bottom teeth are out but his eyes are still shut and hes alot more active now during feeding, also after he takes in 1cc he kinda goes into a trans and almost falls asleep is that normal? here are some pic i just took of him

145803

[momma2boo]

I wonder if he has a parasite. I am sure someone will be here soon to tell you how to treat for parasites.

Do you have a vet who would do a fecal float for you? You bring them the poopies and they do the exam. That is what I have done in the past.

What is his weight, how often are you feeding him, and how much? I don't think he is getting enough fat from the esbilac.

[shammy807]

idk how much he weighs but i feed him 3 or 4 ccs every 3 to 4 hours and give him pedialyte in between i dont dilute the milk that much anymore but i should get the fox vally stuff today

[momma2boo]

idk how much he weighs but i feed him 3 or 4 ccs every 3 to 4 hours and give him pedialyte in between i dont dilute the milk that much anymore but i should get the fox vally stuff today

Can you see a milk line on your baby like the one in this link (post number 45)? If not, please feed him more.

http://www.thesquirrelboard.com/foru...t=21598&page=3

This link is not working ... hold on, let me find the picture and upload it.

[shammy807]

the link isnt working, and by more do u mean make the milk thicker right? cuz by his 3rd cc he usually doesnt take anymore in

[momma2boo]

If it is full strength then please do not make it thicker. You can add a tad of heavy whipping cream to up the fat content but only a couple of drops to such a small amount.

If he won't take anymore after 3 ccs then feed him more often but not before the milk line recedes.

Try this picture.



Please visit this area of TSB.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20628

[shammy807]

it isnt full strenght ill make it full strenght in his next feeding now when i get the fox valley stuff can i just switch it on him or should i slowly do it with in a span of days? and idk about that milk line never seen it i can barely see it in the pic maybe if u can tell me where to look

[momma2boo]

it isnt full strenght ill make it full strenght in his next feeding now when i get the fox valley stuff can i just switch it on him or should i slowly do it with in a span of days? and idk about that milk line never seen it i can barely see it in the pic maybe if u can tell me where to look

It is on their tummies. I don't know how else to explain it. That was why I sent you the picture. I was hoping it would save me from trying to explain what it looked like. :D

How long has your squirrel been on the esbilac? What strength are you using now?

[momma2boo]

Make sure you do a slow transition to the FV, mixing it and the esbilac you have been using so you slowly increase the FV and decrease the esbilac until there is no more esbilac in the formula.

Also, to do the transition, mix the FV with additional water - 3 to 1 instead of 2 to 1. Once you have transitioned, and everything is working well, decrease the water in the mx until you are at the 2:1 ratio.

This was borrowed from a post by CritterMom ... she put it so well there was no need for editing.

[shammy807]

hes been on it for 5 days. i didnt really measure i would make it full strength then i would dilute it before i gave it to him but not too much. i remembered seeing a pic of diluted esbilac on a website and tryed to match it up. as for the milk line is the yellowish spot on the right upper hand corner of the belly lol?

[momma2boo]

hes been on it for 5 days. i didnt really measure i would make it full strength then i would dilute it before i gave it to him but not too much. i remembered seeing a pic of diluted esbilac on a website and tryed to match it up. as for the milk line is the yellowish spot on the right upper hand corner of the belly lol?

No, it actually looks like a white line (a fill line) that moves up the abdomin as you fill their belly.

I wish there was someone else here to try to explain this. I am sure eventually someone will be here to offer their two cents too.

[shammy807]

thank you for all your help!!!! i will watch his bell and and report back to you:thankyou

[Anne]

Momma2boo just called me to come and answer your questions:D tinfoil
So glad you have the Fox Valley coming in, hopefully today. There have been terrible problems with Esbilac! Mix the Fox Valley full strength, some add full fat vanilla yogurt and heavy whipping cream.(every cup of mixed formula add 1/3 cup yogurt and 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream). Feed him every 4 hours. The FV formula should eliminate the dehydration problem and help him plump up! Feed with a 1cc(ml) syringe and a silicone nipple (available from the same place the formula came from). The crusty anus should also clear with formula change.
The mouth gaping he does during feeding is a feeding seizure and quite common with young squirrels. Just give him a few seconds or a light rub/tap on the top of his head and that should stop the seizure but he may have many of these. They're not life threatening or dangerous. The milk line on a larger baby is in the area a cummerbund would be worn.
Sorry you waited so long but m2b gave you good information. I am away from home babysitting and had to borrow a computer.

[momma2boo]

The mouth gaping he does during feeding is a feeding seizure and quite common with young squirrels. Just give him a few seconds or a light rub/tap on the top of his head and that should stop the seizure but he may have many of these. They're not life threatening or dangerous.

Thanks for addressing that issue, Anne. I was trying to find info on the milk trance but to no avail I was uable to spend that kind of time looking for it while at work. I knew there was no danger in it but couldn't remember what to do to get them out of it.

[island rehabber]

thanks M2Boo for alerting me -- Anne's on the case and I agree with everything she said. :thumbsup:thumbsup

[shammy807]

Omg thank u everyone this forum is th:jump e best!!!

[shammy807]

ok i got the FV now smells way better then esbilac. i went to go feed him and now hes having yellowish diahrea....im gonna feed him again in an hour and see how thats going.

[island rehabber]

ok i got the FV now smells way better then esbilac. i went to go feed him and now hes having yellowish diahrea....im gonna feed him again in an hour and see how thats going.

It will take a while to get the Esbilac out of his system. You may want to give him one feeding of hydration -- Pedialyte or homemade pedialyte -- and then proceed to the FV. Doesn't it smell delicious? People have accidentally put it in their coffee and drank it anyway. :D

[shammy807]

wow!! lol i could see how that can happen!! ill give him pedialyte for now and feed him formula in an hour? is that ok?

[Rescue04]

The yellow poop is normal transition from momma's milk to any suppliment. Esbilac if not mixed right for squirrels will give them nasty diareah. When we transitioned, we made a mix of both formulas, and at each feeding, we would add the new formula 1 teaspoon at a time till it was a you had more fox valley than esbilac (I would start with a 1/4 cup of the esbilac formula & add 1 teaspoon of Fox valley). When you get to 50/50 per feeding, then wean off the first formual the same way - taking away a teaspoon at at a time. I think it took me like 2 days for it all to happen.

If he does not start gaining quick on the fox valley - he may need treatment for parasites. You can help him by adding a 1/4 cup of yogurt to the FV - this will give his tummy a good bacteria boost if he has any in there. This will also help keep him fuller & Help with the diareah.

[shammy807]

ive been giving him pedialyte all day between feedings but hes still dehydrated im going nuts....pun not intended :(

[gs1]

you can only do pedialyte for 24 hours but after that you can give him plain water ...even water flavoured with a little sugar or applejuice.. :grouphug

why he's still dehydrated i don't know... :grouphug

[CritterMom]

OK. Can you tell us: Exactly what are you feeding right now and at what dilution and how often? How much does he take?

How often are you giving hydration and what are you using? Again, how much and how often?

Is he still having diarrhea?

[shammy807]

i was giving him esbilac but im switching to fox valley now im doing 1 part powder and 2 parts water he used to eat 3cc now after fox valley hes eating about 1 or 2cc every 3 to 4 hour around the clock and in between feeding i was giving him a 1 or 3cc of pedialyte and when i first gave him fv he had diahhrea that looked like milk almost that was yesterday around 8pm i havent seen poop since just pee

[shammy807]

ok i just fed him he still has diarrhea its completely white now and he barely ate

[CritterMom]

He needs more than 1-2cc per feeding - that is no pinky. What happens when he stops eating? Have you tried heating the formula a bit hotter? It cools as you feed and a lot of babies are really fussy. Don't suspend feeding when he has that weird guppy mouth feeding seizure thing. Stop, get his attention (I used to tap myboy on the top of the head with the syringe; I have since read you can wiggle the nipple back and forth in his mouth (without depressing the plunger) and when the gaping thing stops, continue feeding. And really keep after the temp of the formula. If you can't get him to take more than 1-2 right now, push the feedings a little closer together.

You can give additional hydration in the form of plain water or water flavored with a little apple juice in between feedings.

[CritterMom]

OK, looks like we posted simultaneously. I contacted a rehabber in IL to peek at this - 2nsHandRanchRescue - wonderful person.

[momma2boo]

Thank goodness you all are here to help. I am training a new work study student and don't have the time to committ to this little one. Thank you all!

[shammy807]

ok wonderful news he ate 3 ccs right now and when i stimulated him he let out bit more solid and darker poop !! hes looking better i think, i hope. ill let u know in a few hours. should i give him warm water an hour after his feeding? he doesnt look as dehydrated anymore but he still looks a litte.
everyone was so hlepful i appreciate it so much!!

:thankyou :jump :jump

[CritterMom]

Ah, this is good. You really can't OVER hydrate him (well you could but you would have to just be a crazy person!) and the better the hydration, the better the appetite. So yes, I would continue to give the warm water in between the next few feedings.:thumbsup :thumbsup

[2ndHandRanchRescue]

If you need me I am here. There are some great rehabbers in Chicagoland and I cover that area with my job (I'm the IL Dept of Ag Gypsy Moth coordinator and cover all 21 northern counties) Princeton is only 1.5 hours from Chicago I also have vets that see squrriels - 1 is in Morris IL. Dr. Dave Bainbridge of Morris Veterinary clinic is a Wildlife Rehabber, Educator AND a vet to boot - let me know if you need me.