How much to feed?

[puppetgal]

New squirrel mom and I have been feeding him roughly 3 1cc syringes full a feeding when he takes it. He eats most of it all but its a fight to get it in him. Hes a wiggle worm. I know hes hungry so I wanted to know how much I should make sure he gets daily. I have the formula from Henrys Pets on the way since I just found the site. Ive been using the Esibilac. A friend told me that it was a good supplement for him. Im now reading that its no so much anymore. My guestimation is that he is about 4 wks old. He sleeps right after a good feeding. Am I overfeeding him? or not enough?

[SammysMom]

What we need to know is how much he weighs in grams. You will feed 5 - 7% of his weight in cc's per feeding. (ex. 100 gram squirrel eats 5 - 7cc per feeding)

[Rhapsody]

You will feed him 5-7% of his body weight every 4 hours. :thumbsup

[puppetgal]

Hes 67 grams or 2.36 oz. I have been giving him 3cc each feeding. I somehow feel its not enough :( I have also been giving him pedialyte intermittently. I saw someone on YouTube using formula and rice baby cereal with like a baby fruit too. Blending it and giving it to her squirrel but that one was bigger too. Hes a tough feed. He grabs the entire syringe and pulls it far into his mouth and I have to pull it back to keep him from choking on it :( This is my first time ever dealing with a little guy like him. I want to make sure hes getting what he needs. My formula from Henrys doesnt get here until Friday :(
Can I put some whipped cream in with the formula for additional fat?
Thank you so much for your help. Hes my little snuggler and I want to make sure hes healthy


What we need to know is how much he weighs in grams. You will feed 5 - 7% of his weight in cc's per feeding. (ex. 100 gram squirrel eats 5 - 7cc per feeding)

[farrelli]

He should be getting 3.35 - 4.69 CCs every feeding, so yes, it's not enough. Adding the cream is an iffy call in that Esbilac can cause GI problems in itself, and adding cream can do that also.

There's a lot of bad info out there. You shouldn't add anything to the formula once the FV arrives (unless you've also ordered the Ultraboost).

Feeding technique is very important so that they don't aspirate and get pneumonia. If you ever hear clicking when he breathes, we need to know immediately. Here is a link to a thread with a video showing how to do it. Slow, with a 1cc syringe, pointed up and head pointed down.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?36777-PROPER-FEEDING-TECHNIQUE!!

[Rhapsody]

At his weight I would allow him to have any amount he will drink between 3-5 cc of the formula.

Once the FV arrives do not add any thing to the formula, then later on if it will help you keep them
on the formula longer past the 8 weeks mark you can add a few tsp of vanilla yogurt to the mix.

[puppetgal]

The food finally arrived from Henrys Pets but he is taking to it reaaaaaaally slow. I'm thinking after a few feedings he will be more apt to feed. I've heard its really filling but its almost like immediately he falls asleep. I've seen videos too on this trance type thing they do. I've noticed he does it, and it scares me to death! I gently blow into his face to snap him out of it. I know he is breathing ok cause I can see his chest rising and falling. But its still scary. Is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening?



He should be getting 3.35 - 4.69 CCs every feeding, so yes, it's not enough. Adding the cream is an iffy call in that Esbilac can cause GI problems in itself, and adding cream can do that also.

There's a lot of bad info out there. You shouldn't add anything to the formula once the FV arrives (unless you've also ordered the Ultraboost).

Feeding technique is very important so that they don't aspirate and get pneumonia. If you ever hear clicking when he breathes, we need to know immediately. Here is a link to a thread with a video showing how to do it. Slow, with a 1cc syringe, pointed up and head pointed down.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?36777-PROPER-FEEDING-TECHNIQUE!!