Can I feed him????

[cstrong]

Hi there,

Today we found a little pink squirrel in the dog park. Since there were a lot of dogs, who were very interested, we brought him home.

Did the skin test and he seemed dehydrated (stayed up after pinching, but he was very active). Gave him Pedialyte at 6pm and every 30 mins or so after and now he seems much better (skin no longer stays up when pinched). Moves around a lot and is very warm.

He's now making little noises, which I am assuming means he's hungry. Can I feed him the formula/whipping cream mix now? Or should I wait awhile longer and keep feeding him the pedialyte?

Thanks!

[Rhapsody]

By a general rule of thumb I like to hydrate all my new babies for at least 6-12 hours (depending on their individual needs) before I start to feed them any solid formula... rather it be fox valley or the goats milk mixture.

[Shawnsmommy19]

He needs to be on pedialyte for at least 12 hours just just because the skin goes down doesnt mean he is hydrated. Are you stimulating him to pee and poop??

[astra]

Hi and welcome!:Welcome

Thank you for rescuing him.

Yes, you did the right thing - hydrated him first.

Babies cannot maintain their body temps, so they need to have a no-auto shut off heating pad placed under half of their container (under the container), set on low.
You can make a rice buddy: fill a sock with dry rice, microwave till it is warm (just not hot, or it will burn him), squish the sock to break possible hot spots (again, should be warm enough, but not hot to avoid burning).
Put the rice buddy with him to snuggle.

Make sure he is warm before you feed him.
Never feed a cold baby!

Give him a lot of old tshirts and fleece pieces to snuggle. Nothing loopy (like towels) - their nails can get caught and get ripped.


As for feeding, if he seems to be more hydrated, you could start formula.
But since pinch test is not always a good indicator, you could add hydrating feedings between formula.
Never mix hydrating fluid with formula.
Hydrating fluid should not be given for more than 24 hours. If he still needs hydration after that - use plain or slightly sweetened water.

You will need to order Fox Valley formula - that's the best formula for squirrels these days.
It is available at:
www.foxvalleynutrition.com
www.henryspets.com

While you are waiting for Fox Valley to arrive, here it the homemade formula:

***While waiting for the Fox Valley to arrive...

Temporary Formula for Infant Squirrels – The Goat’s Milk Formula

Because of recent manufacturing issues, Esbilac and other puppy formulas are no longer being recommended for squirrels or other wildlife. The formula that TSB recommends, Fox Valley Day One, is currently available online at www.foxvalleynutrition.com and www.henryspets.com. But those require shipping and this baby squirrel needs food NOW.

One of our senior members who posts as Jackie in Tampa uses an excellent temporary substitute, and it can be assembled from locally purchased ingredients:

3 parts goat’s milk
1 part heavy whipping cream*
1 part vanilla yogurt

Formula will last 48 hours in refrigerator.

Goat’s Milk
This can be purchased at natural food stores such as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, and at most health food stores that sell groceries. It is a product for humans. Do not substitute commercial formula made for baby goats or other livestock sold at feed stores.

Goat’s milk is available fresh in a carton; evaporated in a can; and as a powdered milk. If you purchase either the evaporated or powdered versions, please blend them with water according to the package directions before using to make the formula.

Heavy Whipping Cream
This is found in small cartons in the grocery store near the coffee creamers and half and half. Regular heavy cream may be substituted if it is unavailable, but the heavy whipping cream has the highest fat content, and is preferred.

Yogurt
Yogurt has beneficial bacteria in it that soothes and settles digestion. Full fat yogurt is best, and a good choice that is very widely available is Stoneyfield Yobaby yogurt. However if it is unavailable, a low fat vanilla yogurt may be substituted. Avoid those that have artificial sweeteners in them. Vanilla and banana are both popular flavors, and the sweet taste of the yogurt helps to convince the baby to accept it.

It has been recently discovered that very small pinky squirrels may do better digestively if, instead of being given Fox Valley formula straight, mix the Fox Valley 50/50 with the Goat’s Milk Formula assembled WITHOUT the heavy whipping cream.

*It is recommended that when just starting to feed a new baby that the first feedings be made without the heavy whipping cream. This will give their digestive systems a chance to acclimate from mama’s milk to our substitute without the harder-to-digest whipping cream. Once they accept the formula and are eliminating properly, the whipping cream can be gradually added in.

When your Fox Valley formula arrives, please transition your babies to the new formula slowly, by blending the Goat’s Milk Formula with the blended and liquefied Fox Valley formula, increasing the ratio of Fox Valley with each feeding until you are no longer using the goat’s milk.
__________________

Next thing to take care of:

what syringes are you using?
the best size is 1cc syringes with silicone nipples.

They can be bought at:
www.henryspets.com
www.chrissquirrelsandmore.com

Make sure you are feeding him very, very, very slowly.
They tend to suck rather aggressively, more than they can swallow and as a result end up aspirating.
So, the rule of thumb is that if he is getting mad at you for being slow, you are going at about the right pace. It's better to go too slow than too fast.

[astra]

Please read these threads:

Feeding baby squirrels: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20628

Neonatal care for pinkies: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33124

Yes, what other people said - make sure you stimulate him.

[astra]

Do you have pictures of him?
Since you just joined, you won't be able to post them, but if you email them to me, I could post them for you: ad_astra81@hotmail.com


Where in ON are you?... are you anywhere in GTA?... it's just that we have a member there, just in case.

[cstrong]

Thanks for all the quick replies!

My biggest concern is that we don't have the nipples for the syringe we are using. The vet gave me 1cc syringes. If we go slow, is it ok to use this without the nipple?

I have him in a tupperware container under an electric heating pad with a fleece hat for cover. He seems pretty content so far, but I will put an old t-shirt in there.

We did purchase Esbilac today, but after reading your posts I'm just curious if we can still feed it to him? It's late here and I'm not going to be able to get the other products right now. If not, can he go without food and just rehydrating until morning?

Yes, I've stimulated him to go pee/poo and he has done this.

Thanks!

[cstrong]

Oh, and we are an hour north of Toronto....

[Scooterzmom]

Hi cs and thanks for rescuing this little one.

Yes it is OK to rehydrate until morning and then you can switch to the goat's milk formula. Just don't give the Pedialyte for more than 24 hours. It is OK to feed him with the 1cc syringe without the nipple BUT DO MAKE SURE TO GO VERY SLOW. One hint: do not push the plunger with your thumb. Place the tip of the plunger against the palm of your hand (at the very base of your thumb) and gently push with your palm instead - you'll have much more control, with the thumb you can end up involuntarily squirting a big squirt all at once if the syringe sticks or if he blocks the tip with his tongue. Astra is absolutely right: BETTER TOO SLOW THAN TOO FAST! And oh.. very important: keep the baby warm while you feed him! Wearing a thin cotton glove to hold him works great for that.

I'm not clear on how you do have the heating pad set up... just in case, do make sure it sits under half of the container, so the baby can crawl off it if he finds it too hot. The T-Shirt in there for him to go snuggle and hide under is excellent :thumbsup

You can still put a rice buddy in there - just lukewarm even - to make him something to snuggle up against. Also, if you have a good old-fashion tic-toc alarm clock you could wrap it up in a thick sock and place it in there - it reminds them of their mom's heartbeat.

Good luck with this little sweetie. Have you thought of a name? And oh... pics... yes we do want pics :D

[cstrong]

Thank you! Will rehydrate until morning and then get the goats milk. Thanks for the tips on using the syringe. It is quite difficult to control. Will post pictures if all goes well :)

[astra]

Yes, what Scooterzmom said, especially, about the pad being under HALF of the container.


It is better to return Esbilac and prepare Goat's Milk formula: all ingredients should be available at supermarkets (some stores have goat's milk in health food isles, others - in regular diary isles).

Esbilac causes diarrhea and other GI problems in babies.
They changed formula and made a statement that it is not meant for wildlife.
Even with best prep. procedures most people end up with diarrhea and GI problems. And those problems can be very serious in such tiny babies.

So, it will be best if you keep hydrating him till tomorrow (again - no more than 24 hours for pedialyte, after that - plain or slightly sweetened water), then, get the Goat's Milk formula ingredients and order Fox valley.

[Scooterzmom]

Found a pic of mine to try and help show how to hold the syringe. That was an older baby (sweet Juliet :)), and a bigger syringe but the position is basically the same - base of the thumb or of the index, whatever is most comfortable for you. Just as long as you use your palm instead of a mere finger. Try it a few times without the baby, over a glass just to practice. Once you feel sure of the control you have then proceed to feeding the baby. Reminding you again to place the heating pad under half of the container, not inside of it. ;) While you're at the stores tomorrow, if you can pick up a small kitchen scale - in grams - it will come in handy for you to keep track of the baby's pogress by weight and growth. Make sure you pock up a bunch of syringes until your order of o-ring ones arrives. The ones from the pharmacy do stick a lot and you'll need to change them often.
166457

[cstrong]

Thanks everyone. He made it through night seemingly just fine. I got up and gave him the pedialyte a few times. I think he's ready for the goat milk/yogurt combo (minus the whipping cream as per your directions).

The picture on how to use the syringe was very helpful. Thanks!

Should I continue to hydrate between these feedings until the 24hrs of using the pedialyte are up? Or, will he be fine with just the formula.

As well, when can I add the whipping cream?

Yes, I have had his container half on the heating pad (over a towel which I laid on the heating pad) and half off. He seems to stick to the heating pad side, hopefully the t-shirt isn't keeping him from getting to the cooler side??

Thanks!

[cstrong]

never mind! I re-read the posts and found my answers. Thanks!