Everything you need to know (basics)

[Mochi&Mocha]

My Mom's coworker found a baby squirrel last week and she asked if I would compile some information on squirrels for him. He's doing everything wrong from what she tells me. I know the basics but I figured you guys are probably better at explaining things to other people. My Mom doesn't know how old the baby is but she does know his/her eyes are open. Information on food all the way to cage size would be really helpful. I'm trying to compile a packet for him.

[Crystalis178]

Yes! This is a very good idea. All information should include everything specific to use and what not to use. There is so much good information on this board but it isn't all filtered and compiled into one very useful thread (At least not one I've found on here yet). I'm a newbie at this otherwise I would offer some tips. Things such as Do's and Don'ts for cages, feeding, formula mixing, brands to seek/avoid, importance of knowing and keeping track of their weight, early signs of trouble (clicks, etc), how long they should be sleeping at their age, etc. This thread should also be stickied so it isn't lost.

While I didn't mind it, it was a pain to go out several times to get different supplies because instructions on what to get my squirrel weren't specific enough. Knowing everything one should get from the start is important.

[Mochi&Mocha]

I agree! It would be very nice to have a compiled thread of the basics :) Especially for newbies.

[SammysMom]

I am working on it now. It may take a little while...

[Mochi&Mocha]

I am working on it now. It may take a little while...

That's okay! Thank you so much!

[SammysMom]

Baby Squirrel Information

1) Is the baby uninjured? Is mom still around? and if so, warm the baby and place in a safe spot where mom can reunite if possible. Mom will not take a cold baby!
2) Okay, so you couldn’t reunite with mom. Start by warming the baby in a plastic container full of fleece or tee shirt material. (Not towels as the loops catch little claws and can cause injury) Place the container half on a heating pad that is set on low. It needs to be a heating pad that does not have an automatic shut-off. It needs to be half on and half off so that the baby can get off of the heat if it gets too hot.
3) Check to see if the baby is dehydrated. You can do this by gently picking up the skin on the back of the baby’s shoulders. If the skin goes right back down it is not dehydrated. If the skin remains “tented” for a time, you will need to rehydrate with Pedialyte or homemade Pedialyte.

Hydrate them right away (use a 1cc syringe and go slow)........ give some homemade pedialyte every hour for six to eight hours and then you can start start feeding them some formula made from goats milk (if they are thoroughly hydrated).
Pedialyte for no more than 24 hours!!! Too much sodium!!


Homemade Pedialyte
1 cup warm water
1/4 tsp salt (teaspoon)
1 Tbsp sugar (tablespoon)

Feed slowly with a 1cc syringe (you can get a 1cc syringe from your local pharmacist by asking for one without the needle to medicate a kitten)- head UP tail DOWN
Keep warm at all time – If no heating pad available fill bottle with hot water (cover bottle with sock) or fill a sock with dry rice or beans and microwave. Be sure to squish the rice or beans around to be sure there are no hot spots that might burn the babies.

____________
4) Once rehydrated begin to feed Fox Valley formula which can be ordered from http://foxvalleynutrition.com or while waiting for that to arrive use recipe below. As a general rule you will feed 5 - 7% of their body weight per feeding

Homemade Goats Milk Recipe -

1 cup Goats Milk * (if can - dilute)
1/3 cup Full Fat Vanilla Yogurt
1/3 cup Heavy Cream (frig section)

(lasts 72 hours in frig)
5) All of this information is really just meant to get you through until you can get the baby or babies to an experienced rehabber. If you are here on The Squirrel Board, you have access to all of the information you could ever need about squirrels. Most importantly there is generally someone here who can help to find you someone who can take the babies and prepare them for life in the trees. The trees are where they are meant to be and people here know how to get them safely there!

[Milo's Mom]

A lot of the information you are looking for is posted as a "Sticky" in each forum. A "Sticky" is a thread that is ALWAYS found at the top of the list..it's sort of "stuck" there.

There is a lot of info on here and if it were all put together it would be mind boggling. I guarantee you if it were copied and pasted into a newbie thread seeking emergency help for a new found baby and it lists info about cage sizes, the important part (emergency care of the baby) would be missed, as peoples eyes would glaze over and roll back in their heads.

For my own ease, I've copied the most heavily used Sticky's into different MS Word documents and saved them on my desktop...when I need them quickly I just open the document, copy, paste, & submit post. (I also named them using terms that I can remember)

[Mochi&Mocha]

Well I know the immediate care instructions by heart. The packet I'm trying to compile is for after that. Things like how much to feed babies and how often depending on ages, the top things to own while raising a squirrel (like a scale, syringes, etc), what age they can stop being on heat (aprox), the different sizes of cages depending on age, what abs to use to find when something goes wrong (and then they can get on this board to get dosing), instructions on soft release. Those are just a few off the top of my head. I want to print it out and hand it out to people who just don't listen when I ask them to join this board. My mom knows a lot of people at work who find squirrels and even though she tries to tell them to join this board, they don't listen. I know she would have a lot more luck of she had a packet to hand out. At least the baby squirrels would have a better chance with this packet. Joining this board is ideal but unfortunately people just don't listen. MsOakly have me a packet that was similar to this a year ago but a lot of the information was outdated and it wasnt as detailed as I would like it to be. It was more of immediate care instructions plus some other stuff. Hopefully I explained what I'm trying to do better this time lol. I would make this packet by myself but I just don't know all of the information that you guys do on here. And although your right that most stuff is already a sticky, some of the information for later on in life isn't as easy to find.

[SammysMom]

Although it may sound like a good thing to hand out, it may not really be. Sometimes it gives people a false sense of being able to do more than they should to have that kind of information. Best thing to hand them is the emergency instructions and http://thesquirrelboard.com as a place to come for help. The ultimate goal should be to get the babies to an experienced person. "Do-it-yourself" manuals are okay for building a shed, but not really with little lives.:nono

[Mochi&Mocha]

Although it may sound like a good thing to hand out, it may not really be. Sometimes it gives people a false sense of being able to do more than they should to have that kind of information. Best thing to hand them is the emergency instructions and http://thesquirrelboard.com as a place to come for help. The ultimate goal should be to get the babies to an experienced person. "Do-it-yourself" manuals are okay for building a shed, but not really with little lives.:nono

Although I agree with this statement, the specific situation is different in this case. They WON'T give the babies to someone with experience. I've tried to take them on or give them numbers of other rehabbers. And the "rehabber" in the area tells them a crappy way of raising them. She is too busy to teach them so she tells them to use Esbilac and gives them a disposable syringe :nono . She told me to use KMR with the first squirrels I ever found. So if I don't compile something then the information they are getting is from her which is wrong. One of my Moms best friends found 5 baby squirrels and lost all of them but 1 (over weeks, not the first night) and then she let the one that survived go 2 weeks after his eyes opened :shakehead. My Mom has raised a few squirrels herself and it kills her to see squirrel after squirrel die. They ask her questions but they won't let anyone take on the squirrels, they fall in love like we all do. But they just don't know how to raise them properly. :dono

[SammysMom]

Will they come to TSB?

[Mochi&Mocha]

Will they come to TSB?

I haven't had any luck so far getting any one to join or even get on TSB. That is the first thing I try to do.