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View Full Version : Anything I'm missing? Also help aging this squirrel baby?(First time squirrel helper)


Kysska
09-12-2012, 03:46 PM
Our dog brought home an, as far as I can tell, completely healthy and uninjured baby squirrel a few days ago. I don't know wear she got it which makes trying to find momma's nest really hard :( I called around but it seems like most the wildlife places in my area are full. After reading many websites and eventually finding this one I decided that I can handle rearing the baby on my own.

I finished the pedialyte course and went on to feeding him the temporary goat formula posted here starting a few days ago. He seems to be doing good on it so far. I'm feeding him the formula every 4 hours and as much as he's willing to eat (forgot the gram-scale on my goat formula shopping trip, plan to get that soon so I don't overfeed). I'm being as slow and careful as I can to make sure he doesn't aspirate (sp?)And I also make sure to get him to pee every time after I feed him by giving him gentle back and belly rubs (He really doesn't enjoy the warm wet cloth approach)

I have fox valley formula, 3 syringes, 3 nipples, and healthy squirrel blocks on the way that I ordered online. Not here yet though.

I've been offering some temporary store-brand rodent blocks but he doesn't seem interested. Should I try fruits and veggies or wait for my squirrel blocks to arrive?

For now I'm keeping him a carrier with half of it on a heating pad and half off. There's a tight-night cloth for him to curl up in and I also use the "rice buddy" technique and he seems to love cuddling up to it. I also try to socialize with him a little bit each day. We found him with his eyes open already so he was momma-raised and is a little scared still and loves to burrow under cloth, but he's warming up to us quickly.

Is there anything I am forgetting that I need to take care of? Also based on this site (http://www.squirrelsandmore.com/how-to-determine-the-age-of-a-baby-squirrel?___store=default) I think he's six weeks old (He looks older than the 5 week old picture, but he hasn't learned to stand on his hind legs like the 7 week old picture) Here's some pictures to help you decide:

http://i.imgur.com/PeoGj.jpg http://i.imgur.com/l9N4d.jpg http://i.imgur.com/35lbu.jpg

Thank you in advance!
CrazySquirrelLady
09-12-2012, 04:01 PM
aww sooo cute. I want him too heeheeheehe.

There are lots of people on here from FL. You might be able to hook up and get some FV formula till yours arrives...

He looks good.

MY squirrel was found by a dog too! WOW. It's amazing they didn't get hurt!

I'm no expert, but he looks 6 weeks to me too!

Hugs
CSL
daniellenc
09-12-2012, 05:04 PM
Formula is king now stick to it even after the HHB's arrive- no fruit or veggies till he is demolishing those blocks:) Until about 8 weeks they only really nibble at them anyway- mine are just now making them disappear and they just turned 8 weeks. Remember to freeze your block too or they go bad and cut them in quarters to avoid wasting since those bad boy's aren't cheap:D
Kysska
09-12-2012, 05:14 PM
Great thank you for the info guys. I was worried about weaning but it looks like I still have plenty of time! :)

Also CrazySquirrelLady, I know what you mean. When I saw my dog carrying something fuzzy in her mouth I feared for the worst, but she was holding it as gentle as I've ever seen her hold anything. She had no issues letting him go for me to pick up either. It's almost like she knew it needed help and brought him to us lol :Love_Icon

I also had another question I forgot to mention, at what age can they start going the night without feeding? (8 hours - Since I would definitely feed right before bed and as soon as I wake up) I have no problems waking up every 4 hours to feed this cute little wiggle worm but I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right :Squirrel
Nemehoto
09-12-2012, 06:16 PM
My two started sleeping through the night when they were about 4 weeks old, but then again I am a night owl and go to bed around 2 am and get up at 7 am. Probably 5-6 cc's but he may not take that much at first since momma wasn't on a schedule and he probably ate smaller amounts more often in the wild. the first day or so you might want to feed every 3 hours a little less till his tummy is accepting the formula.

Definitely wait until the blocks arrive since that will be the major part of his diet and as someone explained to me, Kids won't eat their broccoli if they can have desert first. I had a hard time waiting for the blocks to arrive as well since I didn't find this website until mine were a month old. And didn't order them until last wee. (I found mine when they were little pink aliens about 3 days old) and they are 6 weeks old now. It's very likely he might have tummy issues at first since the goat's milk formula and the FV isn't mommy's milk. Watch carefully for loose stools, diarrhea, or constipation and treat accordingly, excellent information on this site for those problems.


Just FYI get used to being peed on and nibbled. I swear Biff stores up all the pee he can until he gets to mom's lap. Whiskers is more polite :D
Kysska
09-12-2012, 07:34 PM
lol I've already been peed on a couple times, I don't care as long as he's peeing :Love_Icon he doesn't seem to poop that often though (Hopefully not constipation, how much should a formula-only baby poop?). When he does they are pellets though, no sign of diarrhea thankfully. But I will keep a close eye on him!

I'll hold off on any treats until the blocks get here. Super important he grows up happy and healthy.

So you think he might be old enough to go the night without feeding? I'd be sleeping a bit longer (8 hours at least) and don't want him to be hungry if he's not ready yet :o He seems happy and eager to eat every time I offer :p
stepnstone
09-12-2012, 07:49 PM
:wave123 :Welcome
Thank you for caring enough to help this little baby, glad you found TSB.:thumbsup
He needs to be eating 5-7% of his body weight, that's one major reason a gram scale is so important. You need to be able to keep up with adjusting his feeds and progress his weight gain. He's looking a bit underweight to me...
What do you mean when you say he can't stand up on his back legs yet?
He is using them right??
Kysska
09-12-2012, 08:36 PM
:wave123 :Welcome
Thank you for caring enough to help this little baby, glad you found TSB.:thumbsup
He needs to be eating 5-7% of his body weight, that's one major reason a gram scale is so important. You need to be able to keep up with adjusting his feeds and progress his weight gain. He's looking a bit underweight to me...
What do you mean when you say he can't stand up on his back legs yet?
He is using them right??

Thank you :) I plan to get a gram scale soon (live way out in the country, the nearest store is quite a trek away) for that very reason. As soon as I get it I'll be weighing him every morning. For now I just keep offering the formula until he stops wanting it (when he pulls his head away). I could try adding more yogurt or cream to the "goat milk formula" if you think it might help him gain weight?

Sorry for the confusion, he uses his hind legs just fine when he's crawling, I just mean that he cant "stand on two legs" yet like the squirrels holding treats in their hands seem to do. The 5th squirrel down (the 6-7 weeks one) on: http://www.squirrelsandmore.com/how-to-determine-the-age-of-a-baby-squirrel?___store=default is demonstrating the pose I'm talking about.
daniellenc
09-12-2012, 08:51 PM
You can order a heating pad, scale, and needless syringes from amazon.com super cheap and shipping is often free and usually pretty fast:D
Kysska
09-12-2012, 08:54 PM
I already have a heating pad. And I have some syringes on the way along with the squirrel blocks :)

I will look on Amazon for a scale though, thanks for the tip!