Pinkie Squirrel or what?

[blessedmom]

Someone brought this to me and I have never had a pinkie squirrel? Picture is big and this is my first post so please forgive. I would like to know what I have been feeding every 2 hours....
184746

[Sweet Simon's Mommy]

possum

[Nancy in New York]

OMG So tiny!!!!!!!!

[Nancy in New York]

Rescue04 had baby possums, and I sent a pm to Rhapsody.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33405&highlight=possum

[pappy1264]

Oh, little one. You can start off with pedialyte, but one this tiny will need to be tubed. I wish I were closer to help. On heat, obviously. See if we can find anyone close enough to help. Did you get a weight on it?

[blessedmom]

Oh, little one. You can start off with pedialyte, but one this tiny will need to be tubed. I wish I were closer to help. On heat, obviously. See if we can find anyone close enough to help. Did you get a weight on it? No I did not but I have had him 4 days and he's been eating and doing his business. I just noticed that his nails were not dark. My squirrel was 3 weeks so no denying him. I am taking to a rescuer. Would not know how to reintroduce him to the wild.

[djarenspace9]

Are you sure it's a possum?
I'd like to see the whole body if possible.
How is it eating?
Possums don't suckle and usually when this tiny only have a small opening at the front of the mouth.

[djarenspace9]

Yeah, that head and the ear just don't look possum-y to me. :dono
It might just be the image, not sure since I can only see the head.
Possum feet are unique (thumbs)...

[djarenspace9]

Me again...:D ....enlarged the pic...I vote NO to Opossum and throw in a Rodent (mouse or rat maybe).

[pappy1264]

I was thinking rat, too. Possum that small would be near impossible to feed w/o tubing.

[SammysMom]

Well if we are voting I vote rat...:Welcome

[CrazySquirrelLady]

I vote rat, could be mouse too. Not possum, nose would be longer from eyes to tip of nose.

[lilidukes]

Could it possibly be a pinky flyer???:dono :dono

[pappy1264]

Ears reminds me of a pinkie dumbo rat (but assuming this is wild, so that won't work.) No patagium, so not a flyer, either.

[Nancy in New York]

Does this help at all?
http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv95/nancym518/Bronx%20Babies%202012/109_1487-1.jpg

[Jackie in Tampa]

ugh..
I know it is not a flyer, I thought a possie too..
what ever it is, looks like you are doing great with it..:thumbsup :rotfl

[charlotte18]

That you have there is a mouse =)

[Anne]

Or rat!

[djarenspace9]

I'm leaning towards mouse myself by the size.
Weight would be a helpful indicator for that.
9 out of 10 times someone guesses rat its really been a mouse. :D
Remember the O'Reilly's Jackie? :poke :rotfl

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

I think it's too big for a mouse. Eyes closed mice are like 5 grams, probably half that size. I think baby vole. Definitely not opossum.

[Jackie in Tampa]

:D the O Reillys...:Pals

[Rhapsody]

I have to say RAT........... not Possum.
and the good news is they are ready to go at 6 weeks.

BABY RAT PIC:
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/Rhapsody_1/RAT.jpg

[Kristin Ward]

That's a really cute Stuart Little you have there.:) :grouphug

[Kristin Ward]

Whatever it is it's cute. What shall we start the bets at?:D Winner should get FV or something.:D

[Rhapsody]

Yes, FV will be fine to feed the little guy at the moment...... at 5% of its body weight...... you will need to feed pinkies every 3-4 hours during the day and once in the middle of the night for the first week and every 4-5 hours the second week. (feeding too often will prevent proper digestion) --by the third week baby rats usually start to wean over to solids.

[Rhapsody]

ORPHAN RAT PINKIE CARE through RELEASE

Formula: 2 parts water to 1 part powder

The amount to give at each feeding is 5% the body weight (in grams) as cc (a ml is the same as a cc). So you multiply the baby’s weight in grams by 0.05. So if a baby weighs 6 g, it should eat 0.3 ml at each meal. (6 X 0.05 = 0.3) A baby who weighs 18 g should eat 0.9 cc. This is critical for pinkies, so you must have a gram scale to keep track of their weights.
Newborn rats normally nurse about every 3 hours. You’ll need to feed pinkies every 3-4 hours during the day and once in the middle of the night for the first week and every 4-5 hours the second week. Feeding too often will prevent proper digestion.


Moving from the Nipple to a Dish

When the baby is a week old he will start to get hair. At two weeks of age his eyes will open and he will start to grow teeth. When his eyes have been open for 3 days he will be able to start eating formula out of a little dish. The best thing to use for a dish at first is a tiny lid from a bottle of molasses or mustard. You must place this on a flat magnet (upside-down) to keep the baby from tipping over the lid. The first time you put formula in the dish, do it just after feeding the baby so he can investigate it when he’s not really hungry. Otherwise, he will literally dive into the dish and get the formula up his nose. It will still take him a little while to learn to lick from the dish and you will need to give him a bath after almost every meal. After a few days, if you are feeding a group of babies, you can switch from the catsup lid to a larger baby food jar lid. Once he seems to know how to eat out of the dish, offer fresh formula in the dish at least 3-4 times a day. At this point, the baby should be able to urinate and defecate on his own, but it doesn’t hurt to continue to stimulate elimination before putting down fresh formula.

Once the baby is eating well out of the lid, you can stop the night and bottle feedings. You can also start offering foods such as rat blocks, dry oatmeal and other grains, and little pieces of fruit and veggies. From the age of 2 weeks the baby will gradually start pooping and then peeing on his own. Depending on the individual, you can stop stimulating him to go to the bathroom when he is 2 ½-3 weeks old.


Weaning

By 3 weeks of age the rat will be eating mostly solid food, although he wouldn’t be weaned yet, so you should still be offering some formula. At this age you need to move the baby from a box into an escape-proof cage. When a domestic rat baby is about 3-4 weeks old, it is a good idea to get him or her another rat companion of about the same age. Rats are very social and need to learn how to get along with other rats as a baby. At 4 weeks you can completely wean your baby and stop giving formula, and congratulate yourself on a job well done!


Releasing Wild Rats

You can release wild rats when they are 6 weeks old. You do not need to separate males from females, even if you must keep them longer. Wild rats do not reach sexual maturity as young as domestic rats, in fact, probably not until 12 weeks. The best place to release a roof rat is an area near a permanent water source, such as a creek, pond, lake, or river, where there are a lot of trees. This is also a good place to release a wild Norway rat, but a Norway rat does not need trees, just a source of water, a place to hide, and a source of food. Some water sources will also be a source of food, supplying fish, frogs, snails, etc. When the babies are 4-6 weeks old, you need to get them used to eating foods they will find in the wild. Offer them live mealworms from a pet shop (in a jar lid to keep them from crawling away), nuts in the shell, and a variety of different fruits, veggies, and grains.

Here is how to release a wild rat. When the baby is about 3 weeks old, give him a little box about 6″ square in his cage for a nest box. Cut a small rat-sized door in it for him. This box should be small enough to easily fit through the door of the cage. This will be the rat’s safe place. You will notice that he will get more and more wild as he gets older and is no longer a little baby and when you approach the cage he will likely run and hide in his box. You can give him shredded paper and dried grass to build a nest in the box.

When it’s time to release the rat, reach in the cage and remove the box, using your hand to block the exit. Have packing tape ready and put a piece over the opening to seal it. Also tape closed the lid of the box, and you may also need to tape over any other entrances the rat has chewed in the box. Place the nest box inside another closed box, just in case the rat gets out of the nest box. Drive to the release location and place the nest box in place hidden by bushes, under a fallen tree, etc. Slowly peel off the tape. Leave some rat blocks or seeds next to the box for a temporary food source while the rat learns his new environment.

The time of day for the release is not critical. Although rats are mostly nocturnal, there are more predators out at night too, so during the day is probably the safest time to release a wild rat.

[blessedmom]

ORPHAN RAT PINKIE CARE through RELEASE

Formula: 2 parts water to 1 part powder

The amount to give at each feeding is 5% the body weight (in grams) as cc (a ml is the same as a cc). So you multiply the baby’s weight in grams by 0.05. So if a baby weighs 6 g, it should eat 0.3 ml at each meal. (6 X 0.05 = 0.3) A baby who weighs 18 g should eat 0.9 cc. This is critical for pinkies, so you must have a gram scale to keep track of their weights.
Newborn rats normally nurse about every 3 hours. You’ll need to feed pinkies every 3-4 hours during the day and once in the middle of the night for the first week and every 4-5 hours the second week. Feeding too often will prevent proper digestion.


Moving from the Nipple to a Dish

When the baby is a week old he will start to get hair. At two weeks of age his eyes will open and he will start to grow teeth. When his eyes have been open for 3 days he will be able to start eating formula out of a little dish. The best thing to use for a dish at first is a tiny lid from a bottle of molasses or mustard. You must place this on a flat magnet (upside-down) to keep the baby from tipping over the lid. The first time you put formula in the dish, do it just after feeding the baby so he can investigate it when he’s not really hungry. Otherwise, he will literally dive into the dish and get the formula up his nose. It will still take him a little while to learn to lick from the dish and you will need to give him a bath after almost every meal. After a few days, if you are feeding a group of babies, you can switch from the catsup lid to a larger baby food jar lid. Once he seems to know how to eat out of the dish, offer fresh formula in the dish at least 3-4 times a day. At this point, the baby should be able to urinate and defecate on his own, but it doesn’t hurt to continue to stimulate elimination before putting down fresh formula.

Once the baby is eating well out of the lid, you can stop the night and bottle feedings. You can also start offering foods such as rat blocks, dry oatmeal and other grains, and little pieces of fruit and veggies. From the age of 2 weeks the baby will gradually start pooping and then peeing on his own. Depending on the individual, you can stop stimulating him to go to the bathroom when he is 2 ½-3 weeks old.


Weaning

By 3 weeks of age the rat will be eating mostly solid food, although he wouldn’t be weaned yet, so you should still be offering some formula. At this age you need to move the baby from a box into an escape-proof cage. When a domestic rat baby is about 3-4 weeks old, it is a good idea to get him or her another rat companion of about the same age. Rats are very social and need to learn how to get along with other rats as a baby. At 4 weeks you can completely wean your baby and stop giving formula, and congratulate yourself on a job well done!


Releasing Wild Rats

You can release wild rats when they are 6 weeks old. You do not need to separate males from females, even if you must keep them longer. Wild rats do not reach sexual maturity as young as domestic rats, in fact, probably not until 12 weeks. The best place to release a roof rat is an area near a permanent water source, such as a creek, pond, lake, or river, where there are a lot of trees. This is also a good place to release a wild Norway rat, but a Norway rat does not need trees, just a source of water, a place to hide, and a source of food. Some water sources will also be a source of food, supplying fish, frogs, snails, etc. When the babies are 4-6 weeks old, you need to get them used to eating foods they will find in the wild. Offer them live mealworms from a pet shop (in a jar lid to keep them from crawling away), nuts in the shell, and a variety of different fruits, veggies, and grains.

Here is how to release a wild rat. When the baby is about 3 weeks old, give him a little box about 6″ square in his cage for a nest box. Cut a small rat-sized door in it for him. This box should be small enough to easily fit through the door of the cage. This will be the rat’s safe place. You will notice that he will get more and more wild as he gets older and is no longer a little baby and when you approach the cage he will likely run and hide in his box. You can give him shredded paper and dried grass to build a nest in the box.

When it’s time to release the rat, reach in the cage and remove the box, using your hand to block the exit. Have packing tape ready and put a piece over the opening to seal it. Also tape closed the lid of the box, and you may also need to tape over any other entrances the rat has chewed in the box. Place the nest box inside another closed box, just in case the rat gets out of the nest box. Drive to the release location and place the nest box in place hidden by bushes, under a fallen tree, etc. Slowly peel off the tape. Leave some rat blocks or seeds next to the box for a temporary food source while the rat learns his new environment.

The time of day for the release is not critical. Although rats are mostly nocturnal, there are more predators out at night too, so during the day is probably the safest time to release a wild rat.


I took it to a vets office which had called in a rehaber, Hope he survives. He was eating off the tip of my fingernail. sucked like crazy. I had him on a 2 hour schedule including night. Really wish I could get another squirrel to rehab. I loved it. Thanks for the advise. I believe after futher research that it was a possum because he looked like he had thumbs. Great board by the way.

[Foamy the squirrel]

wow thats small.... can it be a mole?

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

wow thats small.... can it be a mole?

Definitely not a mole, they have the short stubby diggy front legs from birth. I had 4 pinkies this summer and they are soooooooooooooooooooooooo tiny too (mine weighed about 2 grams each), they're like baby mouse size. That's why I went with vole because it's bigger, but I'm thinking rat is the right guess because it looks considerably bigger than a baby mouse and I'd think a baby vole would only be slightly larger than a mouse. I hope the little tyke made it to a rehabber, did you happen to find out where it went and can call for followup? I am worried if it is a rat that whoever got it just euthanized, I know that's what the center where I volunteered at would do, but hopefully the little tyke went to a good center or individual rehabber.

[Sweet Simon's Mommy]

when the pic was HUGE you can see coarse little hairs