What is it?

[MissDolittle]

Hello Everybody, Happy New Year and all that too! Has been a while!!! How ya'll
doing? :jump

Now the year started early for me, got me a 'pink think' today and I can't make
up my mind. Is it a squirrel or an opossum? Logic tells me that there are no
baby squirrels in January, but logic also told me that there can't be a tornado
outbreak in December followed by an icestorm in Texas either, so I figured I get
a few more opinions here :D :

http://www.amazes.us/album/albums/userpics/10001/normal_pinkthing.jpg

Baby seems to have had a run in with a cat, so I started him on electrolytes and
amox, regardless of what it is.

[Somebody's Mother]

i'm no expert but after googling opossum babies i think that is a squirrel. the jaw is too square for an opossum.

[Somebody's Mother]

5294

i think that's it

[Mars]

You are holding a baby squirrel. Appear to be a grey, perhaps a western grey. How much does does the little darling weigh?

[Somebody's Mother]

seems miss doolittle wandered off on us. :dono

[MissDolittle]

You are holding a baby squirrel. Appear to be a grey, perhaps a western grey. How much does does the little darling weigh?

I'm still not convinced. Where would a grey squirrel come from? All we have
is fox squirrels here. The time of year doesn't fit either. Also, my digital scale
broke, can't weigh him.

Here are a couple of more pics:

http://www.amazes.us/album/albums/userpics/10001/normal_pinkthing1.jpg

http://www.amazes.us/album/albums/userpics/10001/normal_pinkthing2.jpg

[Mars]

Trust me. :) what you are holder is a baby grey squirrel. I went looking for their range and though rare they do each into eastern Texas. Check out my pictures from rehab last year I include several pictures of greys at about the same age. (2 to 3 weeks)

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/553978418RVrTYc

[muffinsquirrel]

I agree - it's a squirrel. guess it might could be a foxer, though,

muffinsquirrel

[MissDolittle]

Thanks for all the feedback :). I just hope the baby makes it, so we can really
see for sure. I'm going to catch a couple of hours of sleep now :).

[pia]

hello, nice to see you here:)

cute baby:)

[Timber]

Ms. Doolittle, see that you are back. Yes, we are having a wierd year and there are already baby squirrels being born. Just ask hernismom. But what I don't understand is as a rehabber how you could not recognize it. You have your own sites: rainbowwildlife, squirrel-rescue, and kitten rescue, and after babies Itzy Bitzy ( who looked for the world almost like this one), Mona Lisa, Tommy and Kindorf and you claim to be a rehaber who has been rehabbing for years I find it hard to imagin that you can't recognize a baby squirrel. I am sorry, I really hate to sound bitchy or airrogant but it is just difficult for me to comprehend why someone who claims to be a rehabber with sites of their own where they susposedly gives out helpful info to others can't recognize an infant squirrel and is not educated on the animals in their rehabbing area because Grays are most definitely in Texas. Maybe Foxers are more prevalent but Grays share the state.

[henrismom]

Miss Dolittle, I'm not a rehabber, but found a nest of baby squirrel on the ground not long ago, got the nest back into the tree and she moved to a new
nest. With my little knowledge I would say that is a squirrel.:D

[island rehabber]

....But what I don't understand is as a rehabber how you could not recognize it. You have your own sites: rainbowwildlife, squirrel-rescue, and kitten rescue, and after babies Itzy Bitzy ( who looked for the world almost like this one), Mona Lisa, Tommy and Kindorf and you claim to be a rehaber who has been rehabbing for years I find it hard to imagin that you can't recognize a baby squirrel.

Yes, I was wondering the same thing. As for the baby making it, only by following the proven, trusted squirrel rehabilitation protocol will he have a chance of doing so.

[MissDolittle]

Well, baby is doing fine so far...peed and pooped for me too :).

Timber, the reason why I am so doubtful is that a VET brought the animal to
me insisting it's an opossum and I was having a hard time disagreeing with a
vet. Does that make any more sense to you? Besides that, I haven't had any
pink opossums to really compare.

[Somebody's Mother]

he is so sweet hope he makes it. (or is it a girl. better go back and check the pics.) thanks for sharing the pictures. soooooo cute!

[Critter_Queen]

Absolutely without a doubt, that is a baby squirrel. Congrats! LOL! :thumbsup

I WANNA PINKY!!!

(remind me I said that two months from now, ok?) :D :skwredup

[MissDolittle]

Absolutely without a doubt, that is a baby squirrel. Congrats! LOL! :thumbsup

I WANNA PINKY!!!

(remind me I said that two months from now, ok?) :D :skwredup

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

I hope you'll get your pinky soon!

[Critter_Queen]

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

I hope you'll get your pinky soon!

Thanks. :) I'm all set to smuggle 'em into work again...just need a new "lunch box" to desguise them in. :thumbsup

[Timber]

Well, I don't have papers and don't call myself a rehaber and I now have a rabbit who refusses to be released all because a Vet clinic called me and asked me to take on 4 baby SQuirrels that as soon as I got them home and statred to put them in the bed that I had arranged for them I took them out and looked and said to myself "Woooooh, these aren't squirrels, these are bunnies"! These were 24 or less hours old babies and I called the Vet clinic and when i said that I had made it home with the babies and got them settled in they asked how the squirrels were doing, I replied "I don't know how the squirrels are doing but the RABBITs are settling in just fine. By the way, those weren't squirrels that you gave me, they were rabbits, I think someone there needs to go back and take anatomy over"! And yes, even with that snide remark, they still help me out when needed. They apparently didn't look at them that well. Someone brought them in to the clinic and said that they were squirrels that they had found and the clinic just took their word for it. So if we are going to rehab animals it is in our best interest to educate ourselves and know what we are rehabbing our selves withouttaking someones word at it.

[GhosTS]

oh..those bite marks looks nasty..Hope they look better now.The wounds looks fresh.Did you treat the wounds besides amox.This is a very cute squirrel.

[MissDolittle]

I sure did Ghost :). I disinfected the wounds and put some penicillin on it. They
look good this morning, no signs of infection. Everything looks perfect at this
point, re-hydrated, digestion works fine, appetite is great, no diarrhea, no
aspirating, body temp is good..I have hope, yet no expectations. :).

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Your new squirrel is beautiful. She could be a fox squirrel. Yours looks bigger than mine were though, how much does she weigh? Here is a picture of my last litter of fox squirrel pinkies:
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r299/4bunnies/babysquirrels077.jpg

I want some babies! Pinkies would be great!

[Somebody's Mother]

how cute!!! ahhhh!!

[MissDolittle]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaw :).

[Gabe]

Squirrelsrule - that is an awesome picture. If you look at the squirrel on the left you can see the milk band, indicating that he has been fed recently. It is something to look for if you are wondering whether the squirrel you just found is an orphan. It is also a good indicator for baby mice.

[Critter_Queen]

Squirrelsrule - that is an awesome picture. If you look at the squirrel on the left you can see the milk band, indicating that he has been fed recently. It is something to look for if you are wondering whether the squirrel you just found is an orphan. It is also a good indicator for baby mice.

Could you elaborate, Gabe? I've heard of that, but would like more info and to know how to positively i.d. it.

Thanks!

[Gabe]

The milk band in the picture is on the squirrel on the left. It is just under his last rib. If you look carefully you can see the milk bands in the other two squirrels also, his is just more noticeable. Being transparent still you can see through the skin. Just as you see the little veins under the skin, you can see the milk that he just drank. It empties as the baby digests, and refills when he eats.
I watch the milk band carefully on pinky opossums. I tube feed them and by watching the band I know when they need to be fed, and how much I feed them so as not to pop them, kidding.
Pinky mice also have milk bands when full, so do bunnies. If a pinky has a milk band it indicates that he has been fed in the last two hours. So, if you suspect an orphan, and he has a milk band, it may indicate that mama is around. Perhaps she was moving the babies and was interrupted.

This is not true for bunnies. They digest very slowly and may have a milk band days after their last meal. If you have ever been curious enough to necropsy a bunny you would have noticed that the stomach contents are the texture of soft tofu. The milk is so high in fat, that it first curdles, then clumps then digests. That is why bunnies are little furnaces and do not need the body heat from their mama. Mama bunnies of course don't stay with their babies, they just come to nurse them a few times a day.

[susanw]

Yep, you have a baby squirrel. I don't know if it's the weather or what, but we now have 5 baby squirrels and two baby bunnies. It's too early. Gabe you might also want to mention, if you can still see the milk band after 4 hours they might be having a problem digesting it. Wait before feeding again.

[MissDolittle]

Wow, thanks for the info Gabe!!!!!!! Very helpful!

susanw, well I'm glad I'm not the only one, amazing! I hope I am not getting any
rabbits this year though, I'm not very lucky with them..but I have hope now
that I see that Gabe surely knows the way around that little weaning/digestion
problem :).

[muffinsquirrel]

The 'milk band' in baby squirrels is one of the most fascinating,(and useful), things about them. When you have a little 'greedy gut' on your hands, that tries to make you think he is ALWAYS on the verge of starving to death, just take a look and see whether or not he's lying! On the other hand, if you have one that's hard to feed, you can check on whether or not you need to keep trying. I remember when I first found out about it - my babies got so tired of being picked up and looked at - they almost got to the point where I would walk near the nursery and they would just automatically roll over onto their backs so I could check them! :rotfl

muffinsquirrel

[MissDolittle]

Hahahaha, I just pictured that too! :rotfl

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

I thought the milk line on the squirrels was pretty cool! You could see right through them when they were young. I had just fed all the squirrels before taking the picture then was thinking it would have been a better picture with bellies empty, but I am glad I took it when I did now. I didn't know it was called a milk line. Thanks for the info Gabe.

Have you gotten a weight on the little girl yet? She sure is a beauty. I love the little pinkies. I have only raised one litter of pinkies (the ones in the picture) and Lucky, the one in the middle was the only survivor. I hope to get more pinkies this year, because I loved it! They were so tiny and it was awsome watching little Lucky grow. It is hard to believe she is all grown up now. Your little one reminds me of Lucky when she was a baby.

[Gabe]

Gabe you might also want to mention, if you can still see the milk band after 4 hours they might be having a problem digesting it. Wait before feeding again.


Good point, Susan.

[MissDolittle]

Have you gotten a weight on the little girl yet? She sure is a beauty. I love the little pinkies. I have only raised one litter of pinkies (the ones in the picture) and Lucky, the one in the middle was the only survivor. I hope to get more pinkies this year, because I loved it! They were so tiny and it was awsome watching little Lucky grow. It is hard to believe she is all grown up now. Your little one reminds me of Lucky when she was a baby.

She is exactly 1 oz. That's all I can get with the mechanical letter scale which
will have to do until I can afford a digital scale again. I very happy with her
progress so far, very happy! :)

By the way, the vet called and inquired about her. They had this baby in the
office and discussed at length what it's supposed to be and they are still
insisting it's an opossum. I have to make sure never to go to this particular
vet office with my pets lol. The baby was so icy cold when she got here,
even a non-animal person would have figured that this is not a good thing and
at least tried to keep her warm tststststs.

[Somebody's Mother]

thanks for the update. well my vet said my female gray was a male. not too sure about these vets!:rotfl

[MissDolittle]

I can see how one can confuse the gender though if you never seen the very
obvious male part hehehehe, but still, a vet should know the difference.

[GhosTS]

:rotfl ..

Good to hear that the baby is doing good.

[Critter_Queen]

The milk band in the picture is on the squirrel on the left. It is just under his last rib. If you look carefully you can see the milk bands in the other two squirrels also, his is just more noticeable. Being transparent still you can see through the skin. Just as you see the little veins under the skin, you can see the milk that he just drank. It empties as the baby digests, and refills when he eats.
I watch the milk band carefully on pinky opossums. I tube feed them and by watching the band I know when they need to be fed, and how much I feed them so as not to pop them, kidding.
Pinky mice also have milk bands when full, so do bunnies. If a pinky has a milk band it indicates that he has been fed in the last two hours. So, if you suspect an orphan, and he has a milk band, it may indicate that mama is around. Perhaps she was moving the babies and was interrupted.

This is not true for bunnies. They digest very slowly and may have a milk band days after their last meal. If you have ever been curious enough to necropsy a bunny you would have noticed that the stomach contents are the texture of soft tofu. The milk is so high in fat, that it first curdles, then clumps then digests. That is why bunnies are little furnaces and do not need the body heat from their mama. Mama bunnies of course don't stay with their babies, they just come to nurse them a few times a day.

EXCELLENT INFO! Thanks! :thumbsup Next question: Can it be seen equally well all the way across the tummy or just on the sides? Sorry, no pinkies to use for reference at the moment, or I'd be able to look for myself. :)

[Gabe]

This is from my memory also - but I think it is more on the left side, going across the center to the right, but not so obvious as you get further to the right. Someone else jump in here if I have it wrong.

[MissDolittle]

I was only able to see it on both sides just now after feeding. Nothing in the
middle. Hope that helps.

[susanw]

This is from my memory also - but I think it is more on the left side, going across the center to the right, but not so obvious as you get further to the right. Someone else jump in here if I have it wrong.


You are right Gabe, I alway's see it on the left side going to the middle and than stopping.

[Critter_Queen]

Thanks for the great info!! I will be filing that little tidbit into my brain for future reference!

:goodpost

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Glad that your little girl is doing good! She is a little chunkier than mine was. Mine weighed 24 grams when I got her. Keep us posted on her progress. And post lots and lots of pictures! If I can't have a squirrel of my own to raise, the next best thing is watching someone else raise theirs.

[Twirly Squirly Squirrel]

Greatly informative, people!!! I'll probably never be lucky enough to raise a pinky ANYTHING, but if I do, I'll know how to tell if it's full,and those are such great pics of those darling babies!:D :thumbsup Good luck, MissDL

[TexanSquirrel]

*muah* Get better soon, tiny baby!

[MissDolittle]

Update: her name is Clara and she is doing GRRRREAT! :)

[Momma Squirrel]

Great news on Clara Mrs. D, sounds like she is going to be just fine :thumbsup

[susanw]

Way to go Mom!:crazy

[MissDolittle]

I moved over to the nursery :):

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?p=43004#post43004

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Glad to hear that Clara is doing great. Don't forget those pictures! I am getting so anxious for babies and love seeing your pics, so keep them coming.