baby not eating

[ronbowers05]

we found him last night at football practice,,2 hours in the rain with no momma comin for him. We wrapped him in sweatshirt and brought him home after picking up that puppy milk everyone says not to use lol. A local rehaber told us to use it. But anyway we got him to eat last night but hasnt eaten since,,tried a few times through the night and all day til now. HELP!! i dont want him to die

[ALittleNutty]

More information on this little one will be needed to help you better. Do you have an idea about how old it is? Are it's eyes open or closed? How much fur does it have? Have you checked for dehydration? Can you post a picture that would help determine it's age.

Main thing right now is to keep this baby warm and he should feel warm to the touch. You can use a heating pad wrapped in a towel and place it half under the container you are keeping him in. Use an old t-shirt or tight woven cloth for bedding since towels can cause injury if their nails get caught.

Here is some helpful info you need right now.

Emergency Care for Baby Squirrels
Originally posted by Island Rehabber, NY State Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator

Don’ts
Don’t try to feed the squirrel.
Don’t handle him more than you have to.
No loud voices, TV, music, or bright lights.
No children or pets in the same room!

1. Warm the Baby (never feed a cold squirrel!)
Quick Methods:
Cup the baby in your hands or under your shirt next to your skin.
Fill a plastic bottle with very warm water. Wrap in a cloth, place next to baby, and cover him. Reheat every 2 hours.
“Rice Buddy”: Fill a sock with 1 cup of rice or dried beans and microwave for 30 seconds. Place next to baby and cover him. Reheat every 2 hours.
2. Find a Box or Container
A shoebox will do for small babies. A baby that can walk will need a larger box with a lid (with holes). Put a clean baby blanket, flannel shirt, or piece of fleece in the bottom of the box. No towels or terrycloth. Squirrels can get tangled in the loops. Place baby on the material and cover him with one flap. If you have a heating pad, turn it on low and place it under half of the box (not IN the box!) so baby can move away if he gets too warm. You can use the plastic bottle or rice buddy described above, but these are only temporary methods until you get a heating pad, since they must be reheated every 2 hours and won't keep baby warm all night.
NOTE: Monitor his temperature so he doesn’t chill or overheat. His feet should feel warm to the touch.
NOTE: If the baby is injured, is having trouble breathing, has fly eggs on his fur, or is very skinny or dehydrated, he needs emergency care by an experienced rehabber or vet.
3. Rehydrate the Baby
Most babies are dehydrated when you find them and must be rehydrated before you can feed them. Never feed formula or food of any kind to a dehydrated baby!
How to Check for Dehydration:
Pinch the skin on the back of his neck. If it doesn’t spring back immediately, the baby is dehydrated. If the pinched skin stays up like a tent for more than a second, the baby is badly dehydrated. Other signs of dehydration: pale grayish gums, dry mouth, sunken eyes, whites around eyes showing, rough spiky fur, dry scaly skin.
NOTE: If baby is badly dehydrated, he will need subcutaneous fluids, which can only be given by a rehabber or vet.
Supplies You Will Need:
Pedialyte (any flavor)*
Plastic syringes (1 cc size; no needles. Ask the pharmacist to get these for you) An eyedropper can also work. These are available at most drugstores.
*If you can’t find Pedialyte at the store, here is a recipe for homemade Pedialyte:
1 tsp salt (teaspoon)
3 Tbsp sugar (tablespoon)
1 quart warm water
Mix all ingredients in warm water. Store in refrigerator.
How to Prepare the Pedialyte:
Use a plastic syringe (with or without a nipple).
Never use pet nursers or doll bottles. They will choke the baby.
Fill a coffee mug with HOT water.
Fill the syringe with Pedialyte and place it in the mug for a couple of minutes.
Squirt a drop on the inside of your wrist to make sure the liquid isn’t too hot. It should feel barely warm on your skin.
Proper Position:
A tiny baby should be held upright in your hand.
A baby with fur can lie on a flat surface on his stomach.
A baby that can walk can be held upright or he can drink sitting up.
Hold the syringe so the tip points UP to the baby’s mouth and the handle is down.
Don’t let the baby get cold. Keep him wrapped up while he eats.
How to Feed Fluids:
Place the syringe tip on the baby’s lips (from the side) and squeeze out one drop for him to taste.
Don’t squirt a steady stream.
Let him swallow one drop before squeezing more.
GO SLOW!
It sometimes takes a feeding or two for them to catch on.
Hairless babies are fed drop by drop.
With older babies (once they catch on) you can squeeze slowly for one second, wait for him to swallow, then squeeze more.
NOTES:
If fluids dribble out his mouth or come out his nose, you are going too fast. Stop and tilt the baby’s head down so the fluid drains out (support his head and neck like you would a human baby). Then wipe his nose and mouth with a tissue. Start over, slower.
There is now a chance your baby will develop aspiration pneumonia from inhaling fluid in his lungs. This is fatal. Please contact a rehabber or vet, or the people at The Squirrel Board, for assistance.
__________________

[SammysMom]

:Welcome Do you have him on a heating pad on low? They really have to be very warm before you can feed them anything. About how old is he?

[ronbowers05]

ok, his eyes are open and he is fully furred, from what i see on web, he is at least 5 weeks so he should be eating real food as well as formula correct? i do not have him on a heating pad but he snuggles down into the nest i made him from a towel and he is very warm to touch. How often would a squirrel this age eat?

[ronbowers05]

george2 001

[ALittleNutty]

The pic isn't showing up.
I would still keep some sort of heat source close by at this age just to be safe.

If you pinch the skin on the back of his neck does it stay up or pop back into place quickly? If it stays up he may be dehydrated and you need to get him started on the re-hydrating solution at first since he won't process formula or food right until he is.

Oh and thanks for taking in this little sweetie!

[ronbowers05]

cant figure out how to post a pic but i saw a site that had pics and with all the info he is at least 5 weeks,, im gonna try the home made rehydration creation from above but should i use a syringe or just a little dish of it for him to drink on his own?

[SammysMom]

He definitely needs to be on heat and also he should be on tee shirt material or better still fleece. Their nail tend to get caught in towels due to the "loops". You should put him in a plastic container if you have one and put it half on and half off of a heating pad (one of the kind WITHOUT an auto shut-off) so if he is too warm he can get off of it. They do not regulate their body temperature which is why they need the external heat source. You can also use a sock partially filled with uncooked rice or dry beans and microwave it for 30 seconds to heat it. Be very sure to squish the rice around after heating to be sure there are no "hot spots" to burn the little guy. That is a temporary fix as it will need to be reheated frequently.
If you email me the pic at vfwpost7666@sbcglobal.net I will post it for you

[ALittleNutty]

You need to feed him using either a syringe or eyedropper. Some drugstores will give out the small syringes or they sell the kits. The pet bottles don't work well at this age.

[Scooterzmom]

I realize you may be stuck but, if at all possible, try not to use an eye dropper as you cannot control the flow well enough and you risk aspirating the baby. Get a 1cc syringe from the pharmacy instead - it's the kind that diabetics use - just tell the pharmacist you are feeding a tiny kitten, that you don't need the needle, just the syringe. If not, then get a 3cc syringe. Be careful when feeding him, make sure the syringe points up and go very slowly. Make sure he is kept warm at all times - use a heating pad under half of his container or make him a rice buddy (I do both, they love to snuggle against a rice buddy anyway).

The formula needs to be quite warm - the mom's body temp would be 102F so make sure the formula is very warm too. He needs to be kept warm and no, he shouldn't eat solid foods at that age. He needs a very rich formula. Please read up and try to order the Fox Valley - it's the best thing for baby squirrels - and in the meanwhile you can use the Goat's milk formula (the recipe is available on this site in "Nutrition"). You will also need to stimulate him to poo and pee... that is important since at that age he may not be able to do it without the stimulation. Also, if he's around 5 weeks old, then he should be fed about every 4 hours.

Try to get a food scale and weigh him - it will give us a better idea of how much he should be fed and, should he need meds, we would need to know how much he weighs.

Some of the more experienced people should be here soon and I'm sure will be happy to help you.

Good luck with your little one and thank you for rescuing him.