drinking habits

[AniMom]

Our squirrel (about 10 weeks) has finally discovered his water supply in the past two days and although he is still taking increasingly large formula feedings about four times a day (plus dry food, as he won't take vegetables or fruit and we haven't tried nuts yet) is now also drinking what seems to us to be a LOT of water for a guy his size. How much water does a squirrel normally drink? If he IS drinking too much, what reason could it be? He is much stronger and more active than when we found him two weeks ago and can now climb all over his cage. He LOOKS fine but we're still anxious and don't know what "normal" is.

Thanks for any guidelines you can provide.

[Rhapsody]

All squirrels are different...... some will drink a lot of water where some will drink very little, but the main reason a newly found squirrel would be drinking a lot of water would be dehydration and if this is the case then the water is doing him good.... so let him drink.

What kind of formula are you presently feeding him?
Have you done a pinch test to see if he is dehydrated?

[Rhapsody]

BABY SQUIRREL CARE:

First thing needed is to warm the squirrel.
Now check for any injuries and/ or wounds.
Hydrate the squirrel right away (use a 1cc syringe) and go slow.
Give homemade pedialyte every hour for eight hours (max 24 hours).
Once hydrated make Goats Milk formula, feed 5-7% of their body weight every 4 hours.

IMPORTANT: Babies must be kept WARM --NEVER feed a cold baby.
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+ Emergency Care for Baby Squirrels +
1. Warm the squirrel (never feed a cold squirrel)
2. Place in plastic container or box w/ pieces of fleece
3. Rehydrate the squirrel (feed pedialyte first 24 hours)

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

4. Slowly feed with a 1cc syringe - head UP tail DOWN
5. Keep warm at all time - fill bottle with hot water (cover bottle with sock)
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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)
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WARMTH:

1. Heating Pad, on low with a fleece blanket on top --place the squirrel in the blanket.
2. Rice Buddy --put rice in sock (tie off) microwave for 30 sec - place next to the squirrel.
3. Fill empty water bottles with hot water and slide into a single sock (each) place next to squirrel.

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Once the squirrel is settled in order Fox Valley formula:
http://www.henryspets.com/
http://www.foxvalleynutrition.com/main/home.asp (32/40 birth to 4 wks – 20/50 4 wks & older)
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Squirrel Nutrition: (@ 8 weeks)
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32218

[AniMom]

Thanks for the info!

When we found her two weeks ago (we think she's a girl) she was emaciated and dehydrated and appeared paralyzed in her hind legs. We found info online about using Pedialyte ... it helped immensely. Then we found out that puppy formula was recommended and bought the only one available in our area (we're in Quebec, Canada), called "Nutrience". We syringe fed that and small amounts of water and after the first week, she improved amazingly.

She is now "rounded" and VERY active, climbing all over her small-parrot cage, eagerly eating dry foods (although still refusing fresh veg/fruit so she's not getting liquids from those) and begging shamelessly for formula whenever she sees the syringe. Since she's been drinking water these past few days (from a bird water bottle that drops down into a very small dish as she couldn't seem to understand the hampster ball-bearing type and simply threw mess into a floor level water bowl), she sometimes takes less formula during mid-day feedings. She may also be emptying out some of the water rather than drinking it all.

Perhaps OUR problem is that we tend to compare her with a previous pet rat who was about her current size (the reason we had a cage) ... that's the only rodent we have experience with! We are tending to try rat solutions with her when we don't know what we're doing and so far it seems to be working quite well.

[SammysMom]

I'm not familiar with that formula name. Have you seen Royal Canin in your area by chance?

[AniMom]

The product is made in Canada and distributed by Hagen here. There is Royal Canin dog food in our area but the local pet stores all seem to carry only the Nutrience brand of puppy formula and even that is hard to find.

The reference page can be found at: http://www.nutrience.ca/dog/product/123/all-natural-milk-replacer-for-puppies/

The ingredient list is:
Dried whey protein concentrate, dried whey, animal fat (naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), lecithin, vegetable oil (naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, dried whey protein isolate, maltodextrine, choline chloride, L-lysine, DL-methionine, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, sodium selenite, ferrous sulfate, menadione dimethylpyrimidinol, ascorbic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, calcium pantothenate, niacin, thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, biotin, citric acid, folic acid, magnesium chloride, copper sulfate, zinc sulfate, cobalt carbonate, manganese sulfate, potassium iodate.

I sure hope there is nothing in there that's bad for her! On the other hand, given her age, I guess she should be weaned off the formula soon anyway. When she wasn't drinking water, it was our only way to ensure she had liquids.