baby woodchuck?

[Carlala]

does anyone know anything about baby woodchucks because I know nothing and I just got one and I dont think he is doing to well

[pappy1264]

Get him on heat (low, under half of enclosure). Do not try to give anything until completely warmed up. Do you have a weight? You would start by hydrating, then slowly move to fox valley formula, same as a squirrel. Is it injured? Do you have any pics?

[Carlala]

my sister just walked in the door with him he feels pretty cold right now. I am warming him now. no pics yet but will get them up soon havent weighed him yet my scale broke and I havent picked up a new one yet but i would say no more than a few ounces he is pretty light he isnt and infant i would say 4 weeks but not moving much and can hardly keep his eyes open i will see what i can do but im not sure this one will make it

[pappy1264]

warm him slowly, too quickly is dangerous for them. Sending prayers, I love them...wish I were closer to help.

[Carlala]

I will ty for the advice and I will do my best to keep him alive I have a way with babies =) :thankyou

[stosh2010]

Hope to see YOUR pics soon...
I found these on the web...

[pappy1264]

Updates??

[Carlala]

sorry i have been very busy. he is doing a little better sometimes but still not great he has been getting iv fluids but im having a hard time getting him to eat I finally got him to eat enough to have a full belly last feeding and he warmed up a bit but he is just not doing well im hoping he gets better soon. I will try to keep you updated on here and I will post pics a little bit later :)

[Jackie in Tampa]

pedialyte should be used no longer than 24 hours..
{I am sure you already know that}
otherwise the sodium content is too high and counter productive...
:Love_Icon hoping he rallies today

[pappy1264]

Give him a stuffed animal to cuddle with. They are pretty social critters and singles are def. tougher. Do you have any rehab places that might have others you could get him in with? As Jackie said, only use pedialyte for 24 hours. How are you warming him and what do you have him in?

[Carlala]

he is in a small animal carrier I have been heating a bag of iv solution and wrapping it in a blanket and he loves to lay on in i think it feels like mommy I also have a heating pad on low in with him. I don't know of any rehabbers by me except the vet my sister is working for and thats the only one that they have got I guess some lady found him alone laying on her porch and brought him in. I am only taking care of him for 2 weeks well the other girl that works with my sister is on vacation. he is a bit more active today then he has been so im thinking that he is getting a little better my best friend has an above normal body temp she has her whole life it never goes below 100 degrees and she held him for a while last night and he warmed up a lot =)

[pappy1264]

What are you feeding him?

[skippy]

You said he was found on a porch?
I don't know if cat saliva is deadly to a woodchuck but if it were a squirrel, I would suspect a cat may have brought it in and would treat with clavamox as a preventative. Cat bites are sometimes hard to detect.
Hope all goes very well with him/her.:)

[skippy]

Also, I've had gophers and you cannot use fleece bedding with them. They chew it up and eat the fibers. I'm not sure how developed a woodchuck is at 4 weeks but if they are chewing, be careful. I put a small 1" layer of dirt in the bottom of the cage/basket/carrier/aquarium they are in and then lay grass on top. Give them small box with a hole cut in it to hide in. PVC tubes cut to about 3 -5". I have kept a heating pad under the container on low until they were well.
This is just my experience with gophers. Just thinking that woodchucks may be similar in their nesting habits.
:)

[pappy1264]

At four weeks, it is still very small.

[Carlala]

its not really chewing yet he is hardly moving. so right now the bedding is just keeping him warm =) i think he is four weeks he may be 5 weeks the vet has been treating him although i dont think she gave him antibiotics because he already has the runs.

[pappy1264]

If he is not warm when he is fed, he will get the runs, as well. What, exactly are you feeding and how often? What does he weigh?

[Skul]

Carlala, it's VERY, important to know what you're feeding at this time.
I can't stress that enough.
We need to know in order to help you and the chucky.

[Carlala]

im feeding him day one and about 4 times a day. and im not sure how much he weighs my sister said she was gonna weigh him at the vet and then forgot what it was so she will have to do it tm when she takes him to work again. he is actually doing a lot better now he is retaining body heat and he is more active but he still doesnt really wanna eat.

[Carlala]

here are 2 pics of him =)

[Jackie in Tampa]

was a fecal done?
diarrhea is usually an indicator, something is not right.
I would def add yogurt to his formula if you haven't already...
and a fecal!:thumbsup
He is a cutie!

[pappy1264]

Yes, you should worm him with Pyrantel pamoate. they are prone to roundworm. You have to get a digital scale, to keep an eye on his weight, this is very important!

[quagmire]

How much wood, would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Sorry, always wanted to do that in a forum.

How is the woodchucker today?

He is cute.

[Carlala]

I did add yo baby hoping that would help. hmm i never thought of worms that is a very good possibility. also I will pick up a new digital scale as soon as i can I had one and then my dog ate it she eats everything lol.


I keep saying how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a would chuck could chuck wood too him lol

[Jackie in Tampa]

and a fecal would rule out coccidia and giardia too possibly..

so how much wood would a wood chuck chuck?

[Carlala]

apparently they did a fecal and everything came back ok also he doesnt have worms. but he is doing much better now and I finally figured out how to get him to eat he didnt like syringes or anything else i tried to get food in him but I have a bunch of little empty containers from my nebulizer meds and I cleaned them put some formula in it and he is eating no problems at all =) he is active and warm and all seems fine =)

[kcassidy]

He/she looks about the size that my Magoo was when I got him in. I fed him FV and he had some loose stool the first day and then firmed up, with the Yo added.

I used some nipples at first but he destroyed those and ended up going with a big syringe with nothing on it, he would eat the formula and shred the syringe. I let him lap out of dish but he aspirated some of the formula, which I found out later is common with these guys.

They are so much fun, be careful you are going to fall in love.

:) If you need any help let me know my guy is going into the Pre Release cage next week and no more human contact after that :(

[Carlala]

I totally already fell in love but he leaves next week back to the girl that will be caring for him until he grows up. my sister got him well she was on vacation for 2 weeks

[Carlala]

he was doing great last night and this morning and this afternoon i ran to the store to get a few groceries and some more yo baby and when I got home he wasnt doing well again he was freezing cold and hardly moving when I tried to feed him he wouldnt swallow he was dehydrated and we gave him iv fluids but still just got worse so I just held him until he died about 20 mins ago ='( I really wish there was more I could have done but I think he was just a really sick baby. thank you everyone for all your help and advice.

[Milo's Mom]

Awwww, I am so sorry. Sometimes we are only meant to help them cross safely and that you did. He was wrapped in your loving arms when it was his time. We cannot save them all (this I have learned first hand just a few short days ago). He knew your love and he will carry it with him at the Bridge. Thank you for loving and caring for him. :Love_Icon

[quagmire]

So sorry for your loss. :grouphug

[Carlala]

yes I have learned many times over the years that you cant save them all but I still try once I knew that there was nothing I could do I held him close so at least he died warm and safe and loved, this is the part of having babies that never gets any easier but thats just how life works im sure he is happy and safe now in in a much better place

[pappy1264]

Awww, I am so sorry. RIP sweet little one.

[Carlala]

my sister brought home a small box to bury the baby in with notes from everyone and the vet and he had a very sweet funeral with me and my little sister ty all who helped me with him =) he was a very loved woodchuck and I hope to have another one day but he was my first and will never be forgotten =)

[kcassidy]

Awwwwww I'm sorry, glad he had you at the end!

[Scooterzmom]

I'm so sorry you lost your little friend. The 1st is always so very special, we never forget him. I'm glad he had you, I'm sure he did feel the love you had for him and it must have helped in the end. :grouphug

R.I.P. little guy. You did not live in vain. Because of you someone is carrying a very special kind of love in her heart now and will never forget you. You can go in peace.