In a panic about POOP.

[hashbr0wn]

I posted the saga of how I accidentally acquired this baby squirrel here:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?42194-Accidental-squirrel-rescuer

I've basically been spending all my spare time here, reading past posts to glean information and have now worked myself into a panic.

Our baby (about 7 weeks old) has had very few bowel movements in the past 48 hours. Those that he has had have been small, hard, and still brown. He is on Esbilac until the FV gets here (it is in transit). He eats voraciously (7-11 cc's every 4-5 hours, one night time feeding (around 1 am), and urinates prolifically. I don't know how much he weighs, scale is on order from Amazon (I can go buy one from Target til it gets here?).

Today he had a little pumpkin puree. The non-spiced stuff. Two feedings, about .25 tea spoon each time.

He has NOT had any yellow "formula poop" yet, and I am worried as heck now. He does not respond to anal stimulation at all. Most of the poops have been while he was walking around in his cage, after eating.

I am very worried about his constipation. I have read so far that apple juice/prune juice may work?

Also, what ratio of formula to water should I be making him? Perhaps I am making it too strong? Also, should he not be eating so much? He never feels "bloated", and I take the food away once he starts taking "breaks" in suckling.

Thank you in advance.

[Rhapsody]

You will not see the yellow nuggets (poops) until he starts the Fox Valley --so you can relax there.
He sounds like he is eating enough atm for his age, so do not worry until we get the scale and see how much he weighs.
If he is eating 7-11cc of the formula at each feeding time them I would go ahead and stretch his feeding to every 5 to 6 hours.

Even though he is not pooping for you - he maybe pooping on his own in the cage at his age...... look and see if you
see brown dropping in the cage, if you do then he is going on his own.

Read the back of the Esbilac container to how you should be mixing the powder...... prob 2:1 (2 parts water to 1 formula)?

[hashbr0wn]

You will not see the yellow nuggets (poops) until he starts the Fox Valley --so you can relax there.
He sounds like he is eating enough atm for his age, so do not worry until we get the scale and see how much he weighs.
If he is eating 7-11cc of the formula at each feeding time them I would go ahead and stretch his feeding to every 5 to 6 hours.

Even though he is not pooping for you - he maybe pooping on his own in the cage at his age...... look and see if you
see brown dropping in the cage, if you do then he is going on his own.

Read the back of the Esbilac container to how you should be mixing the powder...... prob 2:1 (2 parts water to 1 formula)?


Okay, I had kept it watered down because he was so dehydrated when my husband found him (like, when you pinched his skin, it just didn't seem to go down at all, and he was just kind of flat and shrunken looking, like road kill). Perhaps that is why he is eating so much? Because it is watered down?

He does poop little brown turds in his cage, but they're round. His second day here they were long, oval poops. Like, long root poops. That is why I am concerned.

Also, should I not be feeding on demand? I feed him when he starts "demanding it" (by crawling up on his cage, bopping up and down and grunting at me). I can barely touch him when he acts like this, because he gets nippy and wants to nurse/nibble off of anything he can get a hold of.

[hashbr0wn]

Also, my husband just broke out the flashlight and began searching for poop. Evidently he has been pooping while climbing, and the turds have landed all over the granite bench his cage is on, so we didn't see them. There are a lot of them, so I think we're good there, LOL. :grin3

[farrelli]

You may also want to try only stimulating his genitals. Some pucker up and won't poop when you stimulate their anus.

[hashbr0wn]

Thank you, wonderful to know. He visibly puckers, so that is probably the issue.

[Rhapsody]

If you feed him 5-7% of his body weight every 5-6 hours you will not have any issue.
And keep in mind all squirrels act hungry 24/7 - even when they are not.

@ 7 weeks old he is getting to the stage where he will no longer allow nor need you to help him go potty.

[farrelli]

And if you are concerned about the dryness of his poop, yes, apple or prune juice will draw water into the gut and help things along, just like with humans.

[Rhapsody]

I am about to get some shut eye, before I have to be back up at 6:00 am for feedings.

Just one more thing..... I generally place a glass water bottle in the cage with them
when they are 8 weeks old and start eating HHB or solid food, this will also help with
the dry poop --as they will be able to drink water when they are thirsty. :)