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amelie
08-31-2012, 09:19 PM
Hey, all,

Some squirrels fell from a tree during hurricane Issac, and we waited a while but the mother didn't show up, so I and my sister decided to attempt a Squirrel Rescue. This seemed like sort of a temporary thing at the time. Rescue squirrels, keep squirrels alive, call rehabilitator. But of course, because of the hurricane, all of them are closed!

I am convinced that getting these little dudes to a rehabilitator is the right call, but in the meantime I need to keep them alive. The more internet research I do, the more nervous I feel. I am well aware that I am not qualified to do this, but they fell down in my front yard and I feel responsible. One died the night we found them, probably from cold because we didn't have power. We've now got them under a heating pad. They have started regulating their own body temperature and they're kind of wiggly and adorable. I think they're about three weeks old. My major concern is feeding them... We're working with what we have in a city where a lot of things are closed.

We were giving them water with sugar and salt in it for a day or so, because I was hoping once the power came back on we could pass them on to someone who would know what to feed them. Now I have to try to feed them myself. I got some goat's milk and some apple-flavored pedialyte from the grocery, and my current plan is to mix the two in equal portions, but something I read said to dilute the mixture with water... if it's possible, could someone please tell me how to transition into some sort of formula with the ingredients available to me? Just something that won't be damaging... I've been reading horror stories, and I don't want to do anything that would keep them from flourishing once they're released. I just don't want to mess this up. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Amelie

SammysMom
08-31-2012, 09:22 PM
NO don't mix them! Hold on a minute...

SammysMom
08-31-2012, 09:22 PM
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 - 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) 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!

amelie
08-31-2012, 09:27 PM
Thanks very much! I didn't know the thing about the pedialyte being only for twenty-four hours. That's very helpful information.

SammysMom
08-31-2012, 09:30 PM
You came to the right place for information! Welcome to TSB! :Welcome :Welcome :Welcome
Also heating pad under half the container so they can get away if needed.

Jackie in Tampa
09-01-2012, 05:24 AM
I have a friend across the lake from you that is LR ...not sure the statis since the storm, but If you still need some help, I can call her and alert her that you are here...
keep us in the loop and thank you for doing your all:thankyou
:Welcome :wave123