4-5 week old squirrel feeding help!

[fishingsetx]

hello!

I am sure glad I found your site! My cat brought in a baby squirrel about 5 days ago uninjured and seemingly healthy! She was carrying it around like a kitten :rotfl

I rehydrated her immediatly (first 24 hrs) and I have been feeding it the esbilac (sp?) but now know that is not a good thing. Going in a few mins to get the items for the goats milk formula and I've already ordered the fox river 20/50 from Henry's Healthy Pets. no diharia yet! Everything seems to come out as I have read is correct.

My concern is the way it is acting (no name till im sure it'll make it!) It seems to be very lethargic and wobbly on its feet although yesterday it made an escape (I think I didnt get the lid latched good) from the kitchen and I found her in our bedroom curled up in one of my old shirts. Is it normal for a 4-6 week old squirrel (fully furred and has teeth) to sleep 23 hrs a day and eat about 5 cc only once or twice with 1-2 cc in between? I just feel like it isnt eating enough! I am also giving her pedialyte in the morning and evening usually 2-3 CC because I never noticed any urine in her cage and stimulating didnt get a reaction till today (and it was a LARGE reacton:) ). Still a medium yellow though.

Also, She and her blanket have a really bad smell even though I change the blanket every day (sometimes twice) and wipe her with a warm damp cloth at least once (maybe twice) a day (not including cleaning up the milk that spills). Is this the wrong thing to do?

Any ideas on what the problem is? Could it be the esbilac? I did alot of research on the net and most stes I read recommended the esbilac, but I didnt look at the dates first and now I know its wrong:nono Im going to give the goats milk and the fox river a try but is there something im missing? Something I should be doing? Do squirrels this age still need the heating pad? The kitchen stays pretty warm and she even crawls out from under her blanket and gets on top like she's getting hot sometimes. A half hour or so later she'll crawl back under. Thats about the only time she's active except for feeding and she gets cranky when I change her blanket lol!

Any advise is more than welcome!

[SammysMom]

I also had a very smelly baby squirrel with Esibilac. The lethargy is more of a concern. Any cat contact for a baby make antibiotics a MUST. Their saliva is toxic to these babies and even if there are no obvious puncture wounds it really needs the meds. I am sure that an expert will be along soon, but do you have any access to a vet?:Welcome

[Wonkawillie]

Yes, baby squirrels sleep constantly at that age! As long as she is warm and eating well, she should do well.
Esbilac is not good. I know you have everything else lined up for her. Way back when I used the old formula of esbilac, it did give the babies some nasty smelling urine. I bet she is going pee on her bedding, and with esbialc it is very stinky!
Make sure you stimulate to pee and poo after each feeding.
Yes, she still needs heat, and as long as she can get away from the heat when she gets to hot, she is doing well. Make sure your container will allow halve to be off the heat pad, so she can get cool when needed.
Your baby was squirmy the other day because she was cold and in distress. If she is now warm, cozy and well fed, she will do a lot of comfy sleeping.
Please get switch to FV asap before you have digestive trouble.

[fishingsetx]

Thanks for the replies! :thankyou :bowdown :thankyou :bowdown :thankyou I just got back from picking up the goats milk (2 cans), yogurt (dannon plain yogurt) and the heavy whipping cream. I also got a confirmation that the fox river has shipped (dang that was fast!!!) Also forgot to mention I ordered some syringes and nipples. We've been feeding her with a 1 cc eyedropper and yesterday started using some 2 cc syringes I "borrowed" from work :crazy Trashing the esbilac and starting with a watered down version of the goats milk formula tonight!

Great to know she is doing fine with all the sleeping!:wahoo I raised a little one quite a few years ago but didnt know about MBD and it died of a seziure :shakehead It was before the internet and nobody I called could give me any info other than formula recommendations(kitten milk) and the vets in the area didnt want anything to do with it. It lived for about 2 months. It was much older than this one and liked to run around and play. Thats why I was worried.

As for the smell, I assumed it was pee, but just never saw any evidence of it. Can you bathe them? Reason I ask is because she smells like her bedding! If not its no big deal and I can deal with the smell as long as she is healthy!!!!

I am still worried about the small amounts she is eating but hopefully the new formula will help.

Also, I bought some calcium/Vit D3 pills just incase. Is it a good idea to crush a little bit up in her formula or wil the new formula have enough calcium to keep her healthy? Im still a little gun shy about MBD from the last one even though it was so many years ago (probably 17-18 years ago)

Yesterday after I changed her bedding, she threw an absolute fit!!! She started climbing around in her cage, squeeled several times and wouldnt calm down till She climbed into my hand! Then she went right to sleep! I put her back in her bed and she slept all night!! Must have been the change in smell:rotfl

Ill keep you posted on how she's doing over the next few days on the new formula. I'll also post some pics tonight!

[SammysMom]

Yes, old stinkpot Sammy was especially attached to his incredibly smelly bedding...:D I would give it a bit and see if the formula change "unstinks" him.
P.S. We finally realized that getting him damp seemed to intensify the stink...lol We thought of him as one of the "gremlins" who couldn't get wet or eat after midnight...lol

[gs1]

hi: are you anywhere near houston? ...

we have a great tsber there... mrs. skul ...or crystal....

she's dyslexic but is available for calls....

my biggest concern is the cat saliva....

we've already lost 2 squirrels this week to this .... they act fine and are dead by third day.....

please give mrs skul a call ...she maybe able to help direct you or just help you ....

i'm private messaging you ....

:grouphug

[SammysMom]

Thank-you GS1!:thankyou I was just signing in to be sure the ABs were appropriate.:grouphug

[gs1]

ok ...cannot give you message cause you need to do these steps.....

quick links (near top right)

edit options

half way down place marker on enable private messages (click on box and tick shows up)

go to bottom of screen and save changes.....

*************************************

i've contacted mrs skul and she'll try to get in touch with you ..... but she can't do much until you contact her .....

:grouphug

[gs1]

Thank-you GS1!:thankyou I was just signing in to be sure the ABs were appropriate.:grouphug


:grouphug she needs antibiotics ... mrs skul will know ....

***************************************

fishing this is from another thread but it gives you an idea.....

**********************************************



for cat bites (very deadly)

from this thread....http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29778&highlight=antibiotics+bite


QUOTE=Jackie in Tampa]HI and welcome to TSB...
Posting a pic will help the rehabbers to advise you best.

Are you using Esbilac for Puppies?
Just Born?
Are you using a syringe to feed with?
Is it a baby girl or boy?

Cat bites can be deadly, you will need to get antibiotics ASAP.

Also, has your baby aspirated formula?
milk or bubbley milk coming from nose...sputtering etc?

How often are you feeding?
and how much?

With aspitation, as well as cat bite infection, the symptoms will be lethargy and loss of appetite, sometimes diarrhea.

The best ABs will be Baytril or Ciproflaxin...they are the same, one is for people and the other, baytril, is for animals..:thumbsup But the same!
Others that will work are
Flagyl/metronidazole,
SMZ-TMP also known as Bactrim, Sulfatrim, Septra
there are many that will work...please list what you can get your hands on and someone will tell you if it's safe.


Antibiotics need to be in date, not expired...
please call family and friends and see what they have available...
'cillans' are not recommended for rodents/sqs, but can be used...

things to have on hand if you can find ABs are

a syringe without a needle, 1 cc/ml is best {cc and ml are the same} with legible numbers
you can get this from any vet or most pharmacies...also feed stores.

You will also need a good probotic such as acidiopholis or yogurt, I use Dannon All Natural Vanilla Yogurt.
ABs destroy the natural gut flora and a probotic is needed to replenish them.

It is better to use a plastic sterlite container with a lid and many holes drilled in lid and high up on sides, cardboard will leach the moisture out of your sweetie and leave him dehydrated.

Please hurry, infections will kill baby sqs fast...do not wait.
If you know a vet that is kinds and understanding, please call and ask for meds.
Be careful, I am not sure sqs are legal in Indiana...they may conviscate him and euthanize..
where are you at county wise?
TSB has several reahbbers up there that may be able to assist you.

Please ask as many questions as you need to, we want to help you.
I am sorry to ask so many, but it will expedite help.:Love_Icon[/QUOTE]

[Jackie in Tampa]

:Welcome
just lurking...
no no to the cal/vitD tablets...
ratios are wrong:nono

thank you for helping the little one!:worthless

[fishingsetx]

Still waiting final approval so I can't access the settings. She was found wednesday evening and I looked her over and over. VERY thouroughly for any breaks in the skin and found none.

If you still think she needs AB's, ill gladly get them, but its been 5 days and she seems to be doing well.

I live in beaumont by the way (just down the road).

[fishingsetx]

Also, if AB's are needed, where can I get them? Not sure if any of the local vets will even look at him much less prescribe something! I may have something at home though.

Why the stress on them being in date. From what I understand, they just start to VERY slowly loose potency. That's for people though, may be toxic to critters!

[SammysMom]

Best thing to do is post a list of what you have along with how many mg and what form it's in. Then the experts here will help to figure out if you can use it and to dose it for you.

[gs1]

ok ... 5 days ...sorry thought it was 2 .... but ... still will wait on a rehabber (official or not) to say something about antibiotics....jackie?:poke

as for you being in beaumont .... i'm doing a happy dance here.... you live near muffinsquirrel ...the grande dame of the squirrel world.... omg... you must meet her.... :D

:wott

ok ...am pming you mrs skuls phone number just in case and she can give you muffins .....:D

[gs1]

ok spoke too soon..just tried to pm you and then re-read what you wrote..... whats your email address?

[fishingsetx]

Thanks again for the info! I still can't access PM's or any other settings. I'm waiting on an administrator to approve my account!

[gs1]

i copied this from another thread...this is crystals email ... you might want to get in contact with her this way .... i'll pm her and let her know .....


cmsokla@Nctv.com

[fishingsetx]

My handle at aol.com

[gs1]

My handle at aol.com


you mean that's your email address? ... ok ...

um... it's better for you to contact her ...it'll be easier for her.... :thumbsup

logging off now....:D

[m&bs mom]

Just wanted to say that I had 4 stinky fuzzers too! The finder was feeding KMR and even after a week of Fox Valley, they still smelled awful. They got 2 baths every day and FINALLY the smell has gone away.

I do think it is the formula that was being fed, so it might take a little bit for it to totally leave her system.

[fishingsetx]

My handle = fishingsetx

Then the @

Then. Aol.com

Posting it normally will get you a ton of junk mail!

[Mrs Skul]

Still waiting final approval so I can't access the settings. She was found wednesday evening and I looked her over and over. VERY thoroughly for any breaks in the skin and found none.

If you still think she needs AB's, ill gladly get them, but its been 5 days and she seems to be doing well.

I live in beaumont by the way (just down the road).

:wave123 Hi fishingsetx
Can you post some Pictures so we can tell you the right age? Did you have the Baby while the eyes were closed? When did they open?
Do you have a Gram scale? ????? I Know a lot of Questions. Just need them to help. I am calling MuffinSquirrel Now.:thumbsup3
Muffin Squirrel is just a few minutes away from you. I will contact her. She will have the FV and has access to a Vet and Antibiotic.
She will not try to take the baby from you! :nono She wonts to help you and the baby Squirrel.
Christal
PS
I have not read all the thread.
So if I have asked Questions some won else has.
I apologies. Hang in there.:)

[fishingsetx]

Eyes were already open! No scale big/small enough for him. I've got one that measures in grains and a bathroom scale lol. I really would like to have her (I think lol) looked at by someone who knows these things so feel free to have her email me! Ill answer all the questions I can!

[Mrs Skul]

I just got off the Phone with Muffin Squirrel. She is going to read and then be on. Can MuffinSquirrel or I call you? :dono
I have a lot of trouble typing and reading. I am Dyslexic. :D I have sent your E-Mail address to Muffin.
Hang tight for a few. :thumbsup5

[muffinsquirrel]

Hi, and welcome. I'm not far from you - I live in Buna. And I'll help any way I can. My vet will treat him, as will most any vet in Beaumont - flyers are legal in Texas. And I promise not to 'flyernap' him :D I have flyers coming out my ears up here! :rotfl I'll be glad to bring him up here 'till he's well and stable, or work with you in B'mt.
I've got scales, so we can get an accurate weight on him.

I'll go back and read this thread a little better - I just kinda breezed thru it when I got on.

muffinsquirrel
Judy Call

[fishingsetx]

Thanks for the replys!!! I'm beginning to worry again! She still hasn't ate much. She did eat about 2 cc of the new formula and apeared to have had a little diarriea. Urinated well though! still yello and appeared darker than last time.

Here's some pics!

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u162/fishingsetx/squirrel/P8290003.jpg

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u162/fishingsetx/squirrel/P8290002.jpg

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u162/fishingsetx/squirrel/P8290002.jpg

[fishingsetx]

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u162/fishingsetx/squirrel/P8290007.jpg

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u162/fishingsetx/squirrel/P8290006.jpg

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u162/fishingsetx/squirrel/P8290005.jpg

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u162/fishingsetx/squirrel/P8290004.jpg

[fishingsetx]

As you can see in the pics, its like she's weak. I know she's young, but I feel like something is just not right! Those are her normal positions. Just laying there barely able to lift her head. Now when I change her bedding, its a WHOLE different story!

[fishingsetx]

Oh yea and I got your number. I'll give you a call tomorrow afternoon or you can call me at two six seven 1384

[muffinsquirrel]

Sounds good to me. And sorry about the mistake thinking it was a flyer. Greys are NOT legal, so be careful if you take her to a vet. I'll have to ask around to find out who you can trust down there. My vet up here will see her without any problems.

muffinsquirrel

[fishingsetx]

Another update:

Is it possible for a squirrel to know the difference between formula and pedialite?

I wanted to get some kind of hydration into the little girl before bed so I warmed some pedialight as a last resort. She drank 2.5 cc!! 30 mins ago she wouldnt touch the formula!! Should I keep feeding her the pedialight for a while (maybe dehydrated?)

muffinsquirrel,

Let me know about the vet. I'll even bring the little girl up there if needed. I'm beginning to wonder if I might ought to bring her to you. I really wanted to raise her, but I also want to do whats best for her.

[Mrs Skul]

What formula are you feeding? How long has she been on the Pedlight?

[Mrs Skul]

Yes if a Baby is dehydrated they will not eat the formula. If it is not warm enough and the baby gets chilled. That will cause her not to eat. Are you keeping her wrapped up in Fleece while feeding? Pull her skin up between the shoulders and let it go. It should spring back in to place quickly. If it stays like a tent or goes down slowly then she is dehydrated. Give her the pedlight in between the formula feedings.
Be Careful with Pedlight. You can only feed it for 24 hr.
Then use just plain water or Molasses mixed with water. How often are you feeding? I would give the fluid every 1 to 2 hr if she is Dehydrated.
Is she peeing and the Pooh will be a yellow is color. That is normal.

[muffinsquirrel]

I'll even bring the little girl up there if needed. I'm beginning to wonder if I might ought to bring her to you. I really wanted to raise her, but I also want to do whats best for her.

I'll be delighted to have her up here - I have 2 other grey girls about her age right now. I know yours would love to have other squirrels to snuggle and play with - raising a single can be difficult sometimes. They learn so much from each other.

But we will handle this however you wish. My vet is not in the office today, but will be tomorrow.

I'll talk to you later,

muffinsquirrel

[Mrs Skul]

:sad
RIP
Little Baby Squirrel!
I am sorry to announce this little Baby died early this morning. :Cry
Chriss I am So Very Sorry for your Loss! :grouphug
Thank You for caring so much, for Try Saving this Little Babies Life. You gave her 5 day of being Safe, Warm, Feed, and Loved. :Love_Icon
You are a Angel for trying. Keep checking back with us from time to time. Learn what you need.
I know If one Baby Squirrel found you their will be more to follow. :Love_Icon
I know the Pain you are feeling right now. I am So Sorry.:grouphug
Christal