help help help!!!!

[jessiebeans]

this is my first time posting on the forum. basically i just started weening my 3 baby squirrels yesterday on avocado. everyone was good. this morning i gave them a little bit and one of my babys got really loose stool... like water. he was down and out i put him in an incubator and gave him fluids and liquid calcium. he got better for maybe an hour and then he looked very weak again. so i figured he just got an upset stomach so i let him rest. long story short i went to check on him, picked him up and he had a seizure in my hands he is about 6 weeks old. they are on esbilac formula which has been working fine( i know alot of people are against it). his brothers are absolutely fine. I really need help right now.... please please help!!! thank you

[farrelli]

Firstly, you don't wean babies, you let them decide. Secondly, you really should get rid of the Esiblac unless it's the new kind with probiotics. People dont give Esbilac because of just these kinds of problems. If you can get out to the store tonight, you should go get the ingredients for the goat's milk formula:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?29903-Do-NOT-USE-ESBILAC!-**TEMPORARY-Goat-s-Milk-Formula***

For the one who had the seizure, you should rub some molasses on his gums as the sugar and the minerals in it are good to help recovery. Also you should give him extra fluids.

How old are they?

Lastly, the avocado didn't have skins or pits, right? Those are toxic.

I have to run, but others should be on shortly.

[sid'smommy]

Have they had formula or anything else since yesterday ? Or just the avacado ?

[island rehabber]

farelli is right -- DON'T wean your squirrels. They will wean when they're ready. He sounds severely dehydrated. Put some maple sugar or honey under his muzzle, on his gums -- this will provide sugar to his bloodstream in case he is hypoglycemic -- a cause of seizures.

Do your squirrels have access to water? If you're withholding formula then they must get hydration from water .....

[sid'smommy]

Avacado is more of a treat... not life-sustaining... that would basically be starving him. You need to rub some molasses on his gums, and give some warm water to rehydrate... then go back to formula.

[sid'smommy]

Ya Beat me to it, island rehabber... ditto that :thumbsup

[SammysMom]

They will likely be on formula for another 6 weeks. They are far too young to be "weaned". Please let us know how he and the others are doing. The proper thing to do is to give formula and add in a quality rodent block such as Henry's Healthy Blocks Growth formula from henryspets.com
Block should be all you give besides formula until they are regularly eating formula. Would you like us to try to find someone who can help with them? Are you trying to wean them so you can release them? They are still young enough that they might need to be overwintered.

[jessiebeans]

i didnt give them the pit or the skin on the avocado. i gave them some formula after the avocado. my other boys are fine. i tried weening them b/c they started chewing on there rodent blocks as well as other things. i gave the sick one liquid calcium earlier as well as fluids. i just gave him some more liquid calcium and i mixed sugar and water and fed him like 1 1/2 cc. i have him on the heating pad right now.

[jessiebeans]

i really appreciate this! is the sugar water ok?

[SammysMom]

Sugar water definitely! Liquid calcium is unnecessary if they are getting formula. Too much calcium can cause issues which I believe include seizures. It is okay to use the Esbilac as long as you are using the one which says it contains "probiotics" in it. You want the powder that you mix with water.
They chew on blocks and sticks even when they are still needing formula. They are more teething than really eating at their age.

[jessiebeans]

im still syringe feeding them. how would i get them to use a water bottle? can they use a bowl? he looks a little better after the sugar water. im terrified to go off the formula now. when can i stop worrying about them aspirating?

[SammysMom]

Never stop worrying about aspiration. Just be sure to point the syringe toward the roof of their mouths.

[SammysMom]

Just hang a water bottle and let them figure it out.:Love_Icon

[SammysMom]

Is it possible to get a picture of these babies? Do you have weights on them? And one more thing...how much and how often are they eating?
These things will help us to help you. If you can't post pics, you can email them to me at vfwpost7666@sbcglobal.net and I will post them for you.

[farrelli]

Here's a thread with a video about proper feeding technique so as to avoid aspiration. If you ever hear clicking, we need to know immediately.

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

[jessiebeans]

the baby (sick one) 115 grams he lost weight partially due to his stool and todays circumstance
middle child is 135 ish he also had loose stool 2 days ago and my oldest is about 145 ish. i mix their formula with fluids when they have loose stool. they get about 17 - 20 cc daily. i try to feed them every 4 hours but sometimes it's 6 depending on my work day. i work at an animal hospital so its pretty convenient.

[jessiebeans]

by the way my baby is doing better. thank you everyone!

[jessiebeans]

i forgot to include that they are from 2 different litters. the one that isnt feeling well is the youngest...maybe by a week

[SammysMom]

Remember that you should never mix pedialyte with formula. Watering it down with plain water can help though.
As far as the amount you are feeding, a baby who weighs 115g would eat between 5.75cc and 8cc of formula 4 - 5 times per day. They need to eat more than what you have been feeding them. The baby who weighs 145g would be between 7.25cc and 10cc 4 - 5 times per day. They are really not eating even close to what they should be and that s going to cause serious issues. They need to eat between 5% and 7% of their body weight at each feeding. Upping the amount will surely improve their overall health. Changing to be sure the formula is the new Esbilac that says on the container "Contains Probiotics" will also help.

[SammysMom]

What size syringe are you using to feed? Please no larger than a 3cc syringe. Larger increases the aspiration potential.

[Nancy in New York]

Here is a weight chart that I grabbed from another post.
Many of us at TSB use Chris's Squirrel & More chart to tell the age of squirrels & it gives development at each particular age.
http://www.squirrelsandmore.com/how-to-determine-the-age-of-a-baby-squirrel?___store=default

Weight Chart:
Based on --Wild Mammal Babies 2nd Edition


Birth ---: between 15 & 25 grams

1 weeks: between 25 & 60 grams

2 weeks: between 60 & 70 grams

3 weeks: between 70 & 80 grams

4 weeks: between 80 & 120 grams

5 weeks: between 120 & 150 grams

6 weeks: between 150 & 250 grams

7-8 weeks: 250 grams and greater


*weight may vary depending how long the orphan baby squirrel has been away from mom and food.

[Nancy in New York]

the baby (sick one) 115 grams he lost weight partially due to his stool and todays circumstance
middle child is 135 ish he also had loose stool 2 days ago and my oldest is about 145 ish. i mix their formula with fluids when they have loose stool. they get about 17 - 20 cc daily. i try to feed them every 4 hours but sometimes it's 6 depending on my work day. i work at an animal hospital so its pretty convenient.

That is a very very low amount for their daily intake.
Please get these babies strictly on formula for a while more,
I worry about their calcium too with this little amount of formula per day.
You could add some block from Henry's, but truthfully that is the ONLY solid
I would add for a while, until you get the right amount of nutrition into them. The only
way to do that is their formula, it's really all encompassing and your insurance from
MBD.
AND you will know exactly what they are eating for the next couple of weeks or so if you
keep track of the cc's they drink. With block even though I encourage it, they will leave crumbs,
and sometimes hide it. Just for a while, I would do just formula, so we know everything they are getting.
That's what I would do.....feed the formula.:tilt

Oh and I'm so glad that you found us! :)

[jessiebeans]

i use lactated ringers instead of pedialyte and i use 1 cc syringes.

[pappy1264]

You should be giving them 5-7% of their body weight (I try for the 7 if they can take it and not get loose poops). At 135 grams, that would be 9.45 cc's per feeding, they should be eating every 4 hours right now.

[jessiebeans]

thank you so much guys. I'm glad i found you! :thankyou

[SammysMom]

How did they do with more formula per feeding?