Weening????

[Pennyorf]

My boy Brodi started biting his syringe and lapping the milk that was coming out of it. Is this him trying to ween? I put some formula on a small shallow plate and he lapped it up. At lunch he ate off of the plate again because he was biting and lapping at the syringe. Tonight he did syringe feed after rejecting the plate of formula after two plate fulls (about 3 mls on the plate) and ate 7 more mls out of the syringe. He was eating or destroying several rodent blocks today. He is about 10 weeks old. His sister still syringe feeds with no issues but he opened his eyes 4 days before she did. Should his diet still be formula and rodent blocks only?:thinking :dono

[Nancy in New York]

My boy Brodi started biting his syringe and lapping the milk that was coming out of it. Is this him trying to ween? I put some formula on a small shallow plate and he lapped it up. At lunch he ate off of the plate again because he was biting and lapping at the syringe. Tonight he did syringe feed after rejecting the plate of formula after two plate fulls (about 3 mls on the plate) and ate 7 more mls out of the syringe. He was eating or destroying several rodent blocks today. He is about 10 weeks old. His sister still syringe feeds with no issues but he opened his eyes 4 days before she did. Should his diet still be formula and rodent blocks only?:thinking :dono

Personally with all of the MBD we are seeing lately on here, I would keep him on formula as long as possible and give him as much as possible. Is he taking Fox Valley?

[Pennyorf]

He is on just born formula and has been since I got them at 5 wks. I do plan on keeping him on formula, yogurt and rodent block forever. I just added a water bottle and he is figuring it out. I can't imagine him turning down formula anytime soon but he just is acting like he is over the syringe. They both will nibble on some veggies and fruit but I'm not sure how much to introduce volume wise so I will only give these foods every 2/3 days. I have not given any nuts yet. When do I start and can they be acorns? One more question I have is when will they actually eat all of the rodent block? They are chewing them into tiny pieces. When I add more rodent block, they chew the new ones into tiny pieces. I added 7 rodent blocks today. All of them are chewed to tiny bits.

[Pennyorf]

They are grey squirrels from Florida and are eating at least 10 mls of formula 4 times a day with rodent block at their disposal.

[Pennyorf]

Hello?

[Scooterzmom]

I would definitely keep on feeding him formula - syringe or plate. When they are ready to wean themselves they begin rejecting some formula meals... My guys got to a point where they wouldn't take it by day but did take it at night (around 11pm) and again in the morning; later on they began taking it only at night until finally they didn't want to take it anymore. However, they still like the taste of it and do get some through the boo-balls I give them.

As for chewing the syringe, are you using the 1cc syringe? If so, it may work better if you begin using the 3cc syringe by now.

[vickyjhnsn]

Hi Pennyorf. I have not been doing this long either but I have learned from the ten I've taken care of already. I now have six that I am overwintering. I fed them through a syringe without a nipple and they would bite the heck out of the syringes. I was going through them a lot and someone mentioned to me to put it in a bowl with marbles so they don't put their whole face in the bowl. It worked out well. They would sneeze at first but eventually stopped. I usually did not give them a shallow dish/bowl until they were 10 - 12 weeks. I just put two on a bowl and it is so much easier than feeding them 10 syringes each at a time. All six of mine are on the formula. Jack and Jill are around 16 weeks and they are still drinking the formula twice a day. They love it.

As far as other foods, I started introducing solids as soon as their eyes opened. I started out with the blocks, and yes they do chew them all up and spread them all over their cage but if you ever notice, they will walk around and eat them up as they go. I try not to change their bedding everyday because of that reason, just the pads under the cage. After they were chewing up the blocks good, I introduced celery, alvacados, green beans, carrots, etc. All the easy veggies you would first give to a baby. I would put a little bit in a bowl every day for them. I usually start this about 7 weeks with the formula.

You can give them veggies everyday. They should still eat the blocks and formula. Mine never gave me any problem. Good luck. Let me know how it goes.

[Mavrycs Mommy]

He is on just born formula and has been since I got them at 5 wks. I do plan on keeping him on formula, yogurt and rodent block forever. I just added a water bottle and he is figuring it out. I can't imagine him turning down formula anytime soon but he just is acting like he is over the syringe. They both will nibble on some veggies and fruit but I'm not sure how much to introduce volume wise so I will only give these foods every 2/3 days. I have not given any nuts yet. When do I start and can they be acorns? One more question I have is when will they actually eat all of the rodent block? They are chewing them into tiny pieces. When I add more rodent block, they chew the new ones into tiny pieces. I added 7 rodent blocks today. All of them are chewed to tiny bits.

when i first started giving Mav block it seemed like there were so many crumbs he just couldnt be getting any in his belly lol but i noticed his poos were getting darker which told me he def was lol and as hes gotten older hes less messy (i say less because at least half of his food still ends up in crumbles at the bottom of the cage :rotfl ) but when i first introduced block i did it with out other foods until i was certain he was eating plenty of block so this may not be a good indicator for you since you are offering other items :dono

[SammysMom]

Sounds like he is coming along nicely! Good job! You might want to consider changing over to Fox Valley formula as it is specifically formulated for squirrels. If I am not mistaken, Just Born is either kitten or puppy, right? The nutrition in Fox Valley is just the best!
Keep up the good work! You are in the right place for the best info you can get.:thumbsup

[Pennyorf]

Hi Vicky. I added mixed veggies to their bowl today along with rodent block in their cage and the regular schedule of formula. They ate or nibbled the veggies and seemed to like them.

Brodi, the boy, ate the formula out of the plate again and also syringe fed. You are right, it is much easier to have him licking out of the plate while I feed his sister. My hands may actually begin to heal since I don't have the battle of the siblings during the feedings. Talk about shredded meat. My hands look like I have been hanging barbed wire.

I just wanted to clarify that they both are 10 weeks old. At what age have you found it to be typical that they give up the syringe-Not the formula-?

It just so happens that I ordered a box of 1ml syringes (100qty) on Tuesday and received them today. Such my luck.

I couldn't imagine trying to feed six at one time. Ouch!

I thank God every night for these two blessings. They have changed my life and I will do it many more times if needed. Without this board these babies wouldn't have a chance so bless all of you who care.:thankyou

[vickyjhnsn]

I think you are right on time with getting them off the syringes. I just feel it out with them and if they are drinking out of the water bottle and don't choke on syringes anymore and then start chewing them, its time. If they are over two months you can use the 3 cc syringes. Makes life a lot easier too. Just go slow with those.

I know about the torn up hands. I have to be careful with wearing sweaters or I'll get all scratched up. Jack and Jill jump all over me and treat me like a tree. Felix is starting to do it too. If my shirt is not thick enough, ouch!!! They are my sweeties though.

It sounds like your doing good. Everyone here is right. Give them the formula as long as they will take it. The Fox Valley is the best for them and where I live it is actually cheaper then the puppy formula. Its better nutrition for them and it seems like they like it more. When I made the switch with my first bunch they loved the FV and ate it so much better then the puppy formula I was using. I noticed too that my squirrels grow soo much bigger then the squirrels outside. My Chip was huge compared to the little itty bitty wild squirrels. These guys get the formula much longer then their mommy would nurse. Its just better for them.

Good luck and enjoy them. They are a lot of fun at that age. I have two that age and they just want to play all the time.