Need Rehabber in Eugene Oregon ASAP

[SqueeLove]

My husband found a baby squirrel a few days ago. It was laying on the ground on the road in the country and he thought it was dead at first, but when he got closer he saw it was still alive. He brought it home and I looked up what to do on the internet.

I am not familiar with squirrel care at all, so I probably made mistakes, but I did the best I could. From what I can tell from pictures on the web he is somewhere in the 5-7 week range. And I don't know if "he" is really a he... it looks like "he" has boy parts, but from the pics I've seen, I'm still confused, lol. I call "him" Squee... nice neutral name. I'm not sure, but I think he might be an Eastern Gray? I don't have pics yet, but I will post when I can.

I warmed him up with a heating pad, fed him homemade electrolyte fluids for 12 hours, and let him sleep. When my husband first found him he was cold and looked skinny, basically almost like a mummy. He wasn't moving and looked like he was dead or on his way to dying. After he was warmed, fed the electrolytes, and rested for about 10 hours, there was a major transformation! He looked alert, fluffy, and ready to eat again.

I started feeding him the Esbilac Powder Milk Replacer because that was what I read on website after website. It wasn't until after I bought it and found this sight that I found out it isn't recommended for squirrels anymore.
He seemed to like it though and he seems to be doing OK on it. I took the advice of adding a little heavy cream and yogurt to it. I hope that's right.

Anyway, he is eating the formula and eats apple in between feedings. He loves apple.

I am so in love with the little guy, but there is no way I can take care of him. Besides it not knowing if it is even legal in Oregon (I don't think it is), I wouldn't know how to go about it. But I read that if I were to take him to any animal rescue places or such they may just euthanize him. I really don't want that!

So if there is ANY rehabber near here that would be able to take him for me I would be so grateful!

[SammysMom]

Hang tight...I am looking for someone in your area. You are doing fine except the apple is not really a good idea. It is like candy for the little dears.:D
:thankyou for helping him! You are doing fine and if he is not having loose stool with the Exbilac it is okay for a brief time.
I will get back to you asap.

[SammysMom]

I moved you to non-life threatening help needed. You will get more attention here!:thumbsup

[Nancy in New York]

How close are Eugene and Portland?

[SammysMom]

It is about 100 miles if Mapquest is correct. How far are you willing to travel to get the baby to someone else?

[lauri648]

If all else fails, I live in Olympia, Wa and could help. I dont have the most reliable car so I wouldnt be able to drive all the way to you. I have done a lot of wildlife rehab but not with squirrels - but im confident that I can do it, especially now that I've been reading so much about them.
I also have plenty of time to devote to him now that school is out.
Let me know.
Laura

[SqueeLove]

Hang tight...I am looking for someone in your area. You are doing fine except the apple is not really a good idea. It is like candy for the little dears.:D
:thankyou for helping him! You are doing fine and if he is not having loose stool with the Exbilac it is okay for a brief time.
I will get back to you asap.

lol, no wonder he loves the apple. I would end up having a candy fiend on my hands. OK... what other solid food would be good to feed him since he seems to want to eat solids in addition to his formula. Or should I not be giving him solids yet?

His stool seems healthy, firm but soft if that makes sense.

[SammysMom]

Makes perfect sense! You will want to get some kind of rodent block for him. Mazuri makes one that is available at pet stores, but henryspets.com sells Henry's Healthy Blocks which in my personal opinion is the best! At least it is what they only need to eat 2 per day of to get their nutrition and they seem to like the taste. Did you see the question about how far can you drive him if we find someone to take him?

[SqueeLove]

How close are Eugene and Portland?

Yeah, Portland is about 100 miles (2 hour drive). I wouldn't mind, but I don't have a very reliable car. I might be able to chip in a few dollars for gas or whatever, but I just can't travel far.

I don't mind taking care of the little guy, but I'm afraid I will do something to mess up his being able to be released again. And I wouldn't be able to handle the releasing process myself (if that's where it lead).

[SQUIRRELSAREME]

Did anyone help this little one? Did he get to a rehabber?

[SammysMom]

Not yet. Are you nearby?

[SQUIRRELSAREME]

Not really probably 4 to 5 hours. But I could go after work tomorrow if needed

[island rehabber]

has anyone contacted wheezer? She's in Oregon, no?

[wheezer]

Thanks IR, I just emailed SqueeLove about the little squirrel. I said I could pick him/her up on Tuesday, I am out of town later today and Monday. Also I wondered about Winky2. She is just about the same distance from Eugene only north. I worried about the squirrel being an eastern grey, if releasable, I can't release him/her in my area. But Winky2 can.

[SammysMom]

Hi Squee! Did you hear from Wheezer? Amazing opportunity if it is possible!:Love_Icon

[island rehabber]

:thankyou wheezer! Hope SqueeLove contacts you! :grouphug

[Fireweed]

:thankyou wheezer! Hope SqueeLove contacts you! :grouphug
Oh, good! Yes, I hope SqueeLove contacts wheezer! I wanted to mention wheezer, but geez, if it was up to me she'd have every single squirrel in Oregon living at her place... :tilt

[SqueeLove]

Hi guys! Thanks for all your replies. I will try to set something up with wheezer, it seems you all recommend her, so that makes me feel better. Squee (aka lil guy, aka lil monster,lol) seems to be doing OK, getting more active each day!

He does his bathroom business regularly, his stool seems normal (as far as I can tell, I'm no expert). I'm not sure if he's getting what he needs to eat, though. I know from reading that the Esbilac Powder Milk Replacer is not the best, but it is all I have. I've been adding the heavy cream and yogurt that I read you should add to help with the nutritional value of that formula. But is there anything else I can do? Something else that is available locally so I can get it to him soon, as I probably won't have him much longer as it is.

The reason I think he is not eating enough is that when he is done eating, he used to go straight to his blanket/warmer and sleep. Now he nibbles on my fingers a bit like he is still hungry. I try to feed him more formula and he doesn't want it. I'm so worried he is not getting enough to eat. He seems to be healthy, his fur seems shiny and soft, and I haven't seen any of the warning signs I've read about. Of course, as I've said, I am no expert. Any ideas?

I know someone mentioned the rodent block from henry's but is there anything I can get now for him?

[island rehabber]

Squee sounds so adorable. Since we don't quite know how old he is, his chewing on your fingers may be perfectly normal teething behavior and he's not really hungry. But you could try giving him a nice clean piece of wood to chew - a branch or even one of those hamster/rabbit chews from the pet store. Also, since you will be passing him along soon to wheezer so you don't want to buy big bags of things, see if your local pet supply has VEGETARIAN doggie biscuits made by Halo. I find some of my babies really like these. The ingredients are pretty much everything we approve of for our squirrels: sweet potato, leafy greens, etc. and no preservatives or junk. He might enjoying chewing on a piece of that, and you only need to buy a small bag and break them apart. :D

[SqueeLove]

Thanks! I think that was it... he started chewing the branch as soon as I gave it to him. I wasn't able to find the Halo biscuits in the store near my house, but I will go into town after work and check out the pet shop there. Thanks again guys for the help and great advice!! Squee and I would be lost without you! :bowdown