SugarBugFerret
09-23-2013, 11:41 AM
Howdy squirrelly peeps! It has been a long bumpy road getting here, but thanks to some new friends, Jackie in Tampa and Nancy in New York, I finally made it! Thank you again ladies! :thankyou
Soooooo the story: I became a squirrel "mommy" last Tuesday, after my nephew found a sad little girl that had fallen out of her nest in his front yard. She had been there for a while, so her first mommy wasn't coming back to get her. She was weak, dehydrated, and covered in flies/fly eggs. Well I got to her as fast as I could, and started rehydrating her and carefully picking all of the eggs off. :yuck She responded well to fluids so next was milk. She is on the temp goat milk/yogurt formula right now (I hadn't added the cream yet because I wasn't seeing any good poop, but I finally saw some good poop today. Yay :poop (It's funny how excited we get about poop!) My Fox Valley is coming today, so I will start the process of switching her over then. I have blocks coming in as well. I guesstimated her age at about 7 weeks, so I believe she is about 8 weeks now. Yesterday she weighed in at 135 g, and she is growing!
My main concern right now is her hind legs. She must have injured herself when she fell...her nest was pretty dang high! She drags her hind legs when she scoots around, but she is not completely paralyzed. I can tickle her legs and feet, and she definitely reacts. She can push back, curl her toes, and her tail swooshes all over the place! I was laughing a little at her because when I help her go potty, she just lifts and spreads those legs! (Little floozie, lol!) But the fact that she can do it makes me happy! And she seems to be regaining control as she gets stronger. I have been giving her some infant ibuprofen for this...I think it is helping! She is not behaving as if she is in any pain, so that is good too.
Overall, she is doing beautifully! And after seeing the poop today, I'm feeling even better about her! I named her Skiddil (pronounced like Skittle)...it means "squirrel" in the Aklanon language from the Aklan region in the Philippines.
So now you know what I have been doing for the last week. My pets have been collectively called The Zoo for as long as I can remember, and there have been quite a few over the years. I have always had an interest in the beautiful critters we have been blessed with on our planet. My mom never knew what I would come home with as a kid. So assisting in the care of God's wildlife creatures is really just an extension of all that. Back in the 90s I worked at an exotic pet/feed store and with someone well known in our area for his knowledge of and work with flying squirrels. He bred/sold them to people who would come from all over! I have always loved squirrels...but one doesn't usually see flying squirrels since they are nocturnal. They are fascinating and beautiful little creatures. So after spending time with and caring for them then, I officially fell in love with our flying Rocky's too.
I have said to myself for years that I should just become a rehabber myself. I think I am finally ready, and I have started looking into what is required for my state. It is actually quite a bit easier than I thought, which scares me some. It makes me wonder what the rehabbers in my area know that I don't, or can't find out pretty quickly through our easy access to resources. Of course they have experience, but everyone has to start somewhere, right? So here I go, jumping in with both feet. I have been known for doing that sometimes. Look what you started Skiddil... :squirrel1
Soooooo the story: I became a squirrel "mommy" last Tuesday, after my nephew found a sad little girl that had fallen out of her nest in his front yard. She had been there for a while, so her first mommy wasn't coming back to get her. She was weak, dehydrated, and covered in flies/fly eggs. Well I got to her as fast as I could, and started rehydrating her and carefully picking all of the eggs off. :yuck She responded well to fluids so next was milk. She is on the temp goat milk/yogurt formula right now (I hadn't added the cream yet because I wasn't seeing any good poop, but I finally saw some good poop today. Yay :poop (It's funny how excited we get about poop!) My Fox Valley is coming today, so I will start the process of switching her over then. I have blocks coming in as well. I guesstimated her age at about 7 weeks, so I believe she is about 8 weeks now. Yesterday she weighed in at 135 g, and she is growing!
My main concern right now is her hind legs. She must have injured herself when she fell...her nest was pretty dang high! She drags her hind legs when she scoots around, but she is not completely paralyzed. I can tickle her legs and feet, and she definitely reacts. She can push back, curl her toes, and her tail swooshes all over the place! I was laughing a little at her because when I help her go potty, she just lifts and spreads those legs! (Little floozie, lol!) But the fact that she can do it makes me happy! And she seems to be regaining control as she gets stronger. I have been giving her some infant ibuprofen for this...I think it is helping! She is not behaving as if she is in any pain, so that is good too.
Overall, she is doing beautifully! And after seeing the poop today, I'm feeling even better about her! I named her Skiddil (pronounced like Skittle)...it means "squirrel" in the Aklanon language from the Aklan region in the Philippines.
So now you know what I have been doing for the last week. My pets have been collectively called The Zoo for as long as I can remember, and there have been quite a few over the years. I have always had an interest in the beautiful critters we have been blessed with on our planet. My mom never knew what I would come home with as a kid. So assisting in the care of God's wildlife creatures is really just an extension of all that. Back in the 90s I worked at an exotic pet/feed store and with someone well known in our area for his knowledge of and work with flying squirrels. He bred/sold them to people who would come from all over! I have always loved squirrels...but one doesn't usually see flying squirrels since they are nocturnal. They are fascinating and beautiful little creatures. So after spending time with and caring for them then, I officially fell in love with our flying Rocky's too.
I have said to myself for years that I should just become a rehabber myself. I think I am finally ready, and I have started looking into what is required for my state. It is actually quite a bit easier than I thought, which scares me some. It makes me wonder what the rehabbers in my area know that I don't, or can't find out pretty quickly through our easy access to resources. Of course they have experience, but everyone has to start somewhere, right? So here I go, jumping in with both feet. I have been known for doing that sometimes. Look what you started Skiddil... :squirrel1