Baby Coco opened her eyes!!

[Mik19]

Hello All!

I am a brand new member of the Squirrel Board. I found a baby Eastern Grey Squirrel 3-4 weeks ago now, I named her Coco. I think she was between one and two weeks old when I brought her home. She has been growing, and eating and pooping like she should, and now her eyes are open. But ever since those little eyes opened she has been increasingly active. Is this normal? What else can I expect now? How should my care of her change?

Thanks

Mik19

[JLM27]

Hi, and welcome! Seems to me that everyone talks about how active they get after their eyes open. Do you have any pics?:Welcome

Tells us what you are feeding her and how often.

[ZonaB]

If it were me I would wait at least a few days and give her eyes time to adjust.
Everything's about to change now haha!
Little furry terror running wild!
:Welcome :Welcome

[Mik19]

Thanks for the replies! I feel so lost with all this. I am feeding her 1.75cc of Esbilac 1.5:2, mixed with a little plain yogurt and whipping cream, and I do this every 3-4 hours. Is this enough?

She is very tiny, and weighs only 30 grams. I worry that she isn't big enough, but she seems strong as she is able to climb and push free of my hand when feeding.

Based on her strength I assume I am doing something right. But I just need some confirmation from someone who has experience with this.


:wave123

[island rehabber]

An Eastern Grey squirrel does not open its eyes until it is 4 wks old at least, so your baby is between 4-5 wks old. That does not sound like the proper weight or amount of food at all for a baby her age. Can you post a pic of her? Can you see her ribs and backbone through her fur? At her age she should be taking at least 5-8cc's every 4 hours (with Esbilac). I am not sure about the mixture you are using because I don't use Esbilac, but this sounds like bare minimum nutrition to me.....sorry :dono

[newsquirrelmommy]

:wave123 Hi Mik19! My little guy Squirt is 7-8 weeks old now and about a week after he opened his eyes around 4-5 weeks, all I have to say is my little fuzzhead starting getting into everything:rotfl I couldn't believe how fast he grew and how much energy he got. It is the sweetest thing to watch him grow :Love_Icon You should really start feeding him FV. I started my little guy on Esbilac too then switched to FV and it was amazing to see the results right away. He got so big and healthy so fast and now he's just a bundle of fun and I think the FV has everything to do with it.

[rainrshine]

An Eastern Grey squirrel does not open its eyes until it is 4 wks old at least, so your baby is between 4-5 wks old. That does not sound like the proper weight or amount of food at all for a baby her age. Can you post a pic of her? Can you see her ribs and backbone through her fur? At her age she should be taking at least 5-8cc's every 4 hours (with Esbilac). I am not sure about the mixture you are using because I don't use Esbilac, but this sounds like bare minimum nutrition to me.....sorry :dono

I second that! I have an Eastern Grey and he opened his eyes two days ago and weighed in then at around 105 grams. He was eating about 5-6cc's. Today he is 121 grams and eating 6-8 cc's. The progress is happening fast with the increased appetite and the weight gain. Kinda like any child who goes through growth spurts.

[Mik19]

When I found her she was 15g and she is 30g now. You think that a squirrel her size can eat 5-8 cc's in one meal? To me it seems it would be too much. I have submitted a picture of Coco. Please help. I want to see her gain more weight, but I am scared to over do it.

thanks

[kastillo]

Awwww! She's so precious! And she left a little present on your finger there, HA!
At 30 g , the 5% rule would be 1.5cc of formula probably every 3 or so hours.
I had a skinny one too at her age, and my vet actually recommended using Nutrical (.01 cc 1 to 2 times a day). I'd like to see if anyone has any experience using nutrical on squirrels, like I said, I've only heard this once from one vet. But it seemed to help my little one. Of course, giving her formula too.

[stosh2010]

Coco looks mighty small to me. Cute... but small.
I re-sized & lightened your photo...

[kastillo]

Are you sure she's not a red squirrel? there's a black line on her side, or am I seeing things? That may be why she's smaller. I don't know much about chippies.

[Mik19]

Thanks for the suggestion on the Nutrical, I will look into it. Also, thanks for resizing the photo. I was hoping that nobody would see the little present. I didn't notice it until I sent the picture. OOOPPS!!

I am assuming she is a red squirrel. You're right about the dark line down her side. Are red squirrels smaller than grey?

Mik

[kastillo]

I'm sorry, I meant I think she's a chipmunk, they are smaller. I know there are some chipmunk people on here. If you go to Mark Forums Read, Breed Specific..., Breed Specific, then Chipmunks, I think there will be some info there. Ugh, I'm not sure now that I looked at chipmunk and red squirrels, trying to find a baby picture of something with that line on the side. I've only raised greys, so I'm not sure.... still looking.

[kastillo]

Ok, found some pictures of red squirrels here, http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22870
that's what Coco looks like.

[Mik19]

Yes! I think that's what she is. Are your squirrels on Fox Valley formula? I have just ordered some. I am hoping that this will make a difference.

[kastillo]

Yes, my squirrels are on FV 32/40 and doing very well. In fact, they do not want to quit eating it, my two 11 week olds and 1 12 week old still takes formula, LOL! My little girl, Cloe, that was skinny at about that age is calling Jenny Craig now!

[Mik19]

Kastillo,

I can't express how happy I am to have someone who understands. It is so good to hear that your little one is now doing great, even though they started off skinny like Coco. I am counting the minutes until the FV arrives.

This morning little Coco didn't eat with her usual vigor. She took about 1.5cc of formula, but wasn't interested in eating at all. I am so scared. I gave her a bit of pedialyte after her feeding, thinking that she is just dehydrated......but really I'm just grasping at straws here. What do you think I should do?