Didn't know she was pregnant what now??!?

[Supkylesup]

So me and my girlfriend decided to get a pet Richardson ground squirrel a couple weeks ago. We bought her from a pretty reputable dealer who had several in cages.
Long story short we didn't know she was pregnant and just woke up to 4 little babies squeaking in her cage.
We checked on her 6hrs ago and she seemed fine now all of a sudden we have babies.

I'm really not sure what to do here or how to take care of them any advice would be greatly appreciated.
This is our first squirrel so we're still slightly new to it but I have done some reading.

I would just like to know every step needed to take care of the newborns and also momma

Thank you so much,
Kyle

[Squirlgirl]

HI There, :Welcome

Congrats on your new grandkids! I am hoping that Mom, is caring for them!? The best that you can do is keep the area quiet and Mom fed and watered well. Keep the area warm.
Is Mom caring for the babies? What are you feeding Mom?

[Supkylesup]

She is caring for then she has plenty of fresh water and she has been regularly eating fresh lettuce, carrots, nuts, and some occasional fruits she currently has them tucked away in her nest and is huddling up with them for warmth.
So should I leave most of the care in her hands and just make sure her food and water a readily available and the area is kept warm?
Also what do you this is an optimal temperature she does have a pretty extravagant nest built for them but I'm just curious as to what the room temperature should be.

Also Thank you for the unexpected congratulations.
Definitely wasn't expecting her to be pregnant.
However on a humorous side note after we got her we did talk about getting a couple more.
Guess we won't be needing to do that anymore

[sid'smommy]

You probably should order her some henrys healthy block.... what was the breeder feeding her ??

[pappy1264]

Is she eating hay? She needs hay. Yes, get her some block as well. What kind of lettuce? If it is iceburg, that is junk, mostly water. Better choice would be romaine or butter. Cut back on the nuts, maybe one a day for a special treat. Do you ever offer her bugs? Try getting her some mealworms, dust them in calcium powder. Try not to disturb her to much, esp. in the early days. Just check on them to make sure she is feeding and caring for them. I had a richardsons, I lost him to liver cancer. I would love to get another one someday (hint...lol)

[MollyBear361]

Congrats!!!! I have a RGS named Winston. Pappy is right. Trash the iceberg and get her Romaine. You can try hay but I had an expert tell me she hardly sees any in captivity that really eat it. If you can pm me your email I can send you some diet info from that expert and her contact info. She is a PhD in Canada and her life's work is RGS. She helped me out with my guy. And she answers emails pretty quickly. I think maybe you should have just in case you need help with babies and what to feed a nursing momma.
Also don't think Henrys Blocks are recommended as those are formulated for tree squirrels not ground squirrels. They have different diets. And she had never heard of Fox Valley so may be able to ask her her what to use in case you end up needing replacement formula. And where are the pics???
Did you not want to address this issue from where you got her as they may have experience with babies?

[Fireweed]

Is she eating hay? She needs hay. Yes, get her some block as well. What kind of lettuce? If it is iceburg, that is junk, mostly water. Better choice would be romaine or butter. Cut back on the nuts, maybe one a day for a special treat. Do you ever offer her bugs? Try getting her some mealworms, dust them in calcium powder. Try not to disturb her to much, esp. in the early days. Just check on them to make sure she is feeding and caring for them.
:thumbsup
Some experts don't mention hay, many experts do. :dono I'm of the opinion they *need* fresh hay or fresh grasses when possible for healthy gut motility - they are a lot like rabbits that way.
They will not eat hay/grass if they have too many choices or too much food in a day - just like a tree squirrel won't eat his blocks if he has too many nuts and fruit, for example. :grin2

She might like to chew on a deer antler, too - helps with teeth but also calcium.

For other veggies, check out the healthy diet for pet squirrels for the variety of veggies you can offer your RGS (fruits are treats, as are nuts- moreso for ground squirrels):
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

Your mama needs good healthy foods to keep her strong and healthy for her babies. :thumbsup

I would definitely make sure you have supplies and formula in case mama stops caring for her babies and you have to take over. Don't wait for that to happen before you start preparing just in case that unfortunate event occurs! Find out from the breeder what they feed babies (and adults).

Good luck!

[pappy1264]

Neeko loved his hay! I agree w/Fireweed, even in captivity, I believe hay is a mainstay of their diets. Although not the same animals, they are very similar in needs to that of a prairie dog, and how they digest food. I actually used harlan tekland blocks rodent blocks with Neeks. He did not get nuts, he primarily ate fresh hay, block, greens and his fav was cactus pear and sweet potato. He also like a couple of mealworms, as well (not every day).

[MollyBear361]

I'm not discounting the hay. Just that Winston won't eat it an do was concerned and she said a lot of them don't in captivity and not to be too worried. Or maybe I just don't see him eat it ever. Winston does love blocks. I call him my little vacuum. As he is missing his top teeth it's very hard for him to eat, but he loves going behind my other Squees and picking up the leftover bits. Good luck!

[Supkylesup]

Well her entire cage is lined with Timothy hay however I rarely see her eat it.
She loves to borrow in the stuff and also made her nest out of It.
She does have a mixture of rodent blocks and guinea pig food (28% protein) which she nit picks at.
I'm not sure what the lettuce is I just happened to have it in the fridge. But will definitely get her some ramane next time I got shopping.
Also I'll get her some meal worms for some added protein in her diet.
I appreciate all the responses from everyone. Here I was freaking out thinking she wouldn't care for the babies and I would have to. Sounds like however if I take care of her she will take care of them

I do have one more question
What are the chances of her eating the babies? And is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening

[farrelli]

I can't speak for your type of sq specifically, but it seems that for most tree sqs, they tend to eat them only if they are stressed and/or unable to care for them. So, just give her the spa treatment and lots of food and water.

[Duckman]

I can't speak for your type of sq specifically, but it seems that for most tree sqs, they tend to eat them only if they are stressed and/or unable to care for them. So, just give her the spa treatment and lots of food and water.

And lots of privacy and quiet. People constantly wanting to see the babies will only result in stress..........

[Fireweed]

And lots of privacy and quiet. People constantly wanting to see the babies will only result in stress..........
:goodpost
VERY IMPORTANT!

[Shewhosweptforest]

:Welcome and Congrats!!! Baaaabeeees!! :grin3 :Love_Icon I agree we need pics :Love_Icon But don't try to get baby pics yet....we can wait :thumbsup Don't want to stress Momma ?? Momma got a name yet? :grin3

[Supkylesup]

Yes after an hour long debate with my girlfriend we decided her name shall be Ava. So here she is no baby pics yet
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i199/posterkhildskater/Mobile%20Uploads/20140125_182937_zpsbx5g5wp2.jpg (http://s72.photobucket.com/user/posterkhildskater/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20140125_182937_zpsbx5g5wp2.jpg.html)

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i199/posterkhildskater/Mobile%20Uploads/20140131_003605_zpscv0yk1fm.jpg (http://s72.photobucket.com/user/posterkhildskater/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20140131_003605_zpscv0yk1fm.jpg.html)

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i199/posterkhildskater/Mobile%20Uploads/20140124_234744_zpsftpdydcv.jpg (http://s72.photobucket.com/user/posterkhildskater/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20140124_234744_zpsftpdydcv.jpg.html)

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i199/posterkhildskater/Mobile%20Uploads/20140127_111729_zpszrh23dej.jpg (http://s72.photobucket.com/user/posterkhildskater/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20140127_111729_zpszrh23dej.jpg.html)
Btw that last photo I put that stuffed squirrel in the corner of the cage woke up the next day to find this

[lukaslolamaus]

She is beautiful:Love_Icon
Good health to momma and babies:Love_Icon

[farrelli]

Aww, she;s so pretty!

RGS folks, would fleece be in order for her. The fact that she covered with the stuffie makes me wonder if she likes to snuggle into soft stuff like tree sqs.

[Skul]

Just happened to see this.
I presume by "hay", it's timothy hay or alfalfa hay, and not straw.

[Fireweed]

Oh, Ava is a cutie! That one where she is sticking out of the tunnel: :Love_Icon

Just FYI, alfalfa hay is not recommended for ground squirrels. :thumbsup

About fleece - They definitely like to snuggle in soft stuff! However, ground squirrels can really dig at fleece, so they tend to wreck fleece cubes, for example. They dig holes in them that can result in injury from a limb getting caught/twisted. Same goes for larger pieces of fleece. The best way to give them fleece (or polyfill) is to cut it up into squares about 4 x 4 in size. This mostly prevents them from digging holes in the fleece yet they can still make a warm, comfy nest with the stuff.

If the OP wants to give fleece, start by trying with smaller sizes and work your way up. Ava might not dig too much or she might be a digging nightmare - you have to watch this carefully. Polyfill might be a better choice for ground squirrels as it is much easier to shred the stuff without making dangerous holes. It seems to satisfy the digging need a lot more.

Definitely give Ava some nesting spots if she doesn't have any so she can feel like she has a burrow. Some people use boxes with fleece or polyfill or hay in them (you can easily change the box if it gets wrecked). Some use wooden boxes and fill them with stuffing. Some use litter pans. Try a variety and see what she likes. :thumbsup

[MollyBear361]

Update :poke

[lovesmice]

I know with mouse/rat bubs the rule of thumb is leave Mom and bubs alone for a full 72 hours. The only disturbances should be to provide fresh food/water as mentioned. Spot cleaning of tinkle/poo can be done after 3 days, but only in areas OUTSIDE where the babies are. The nest itself should be left alone and intact. I stress this is care for a nursing mouse/rat. I am not sure what length of time is recommended for a mom squirrel and her little ones because mice/rats are weaned at 4 weeks old whilst squirrels are weaned much later. It is quite possible, then, the timeframe is much different. I would also like to add that with many rodents once it is safe to begin holding the babies, the mother should be removed first to a separate holding area out of sight and hearing of them. This is a great opportunity to give the mom some treats/toys in the holding area as well as some much deserved spoiling time. Again, this is information for rodents such as mice and rats so please wait for a squirrel expert to provide details as it relates to squirrels on this subject. Since it is very important to remove the mom first before handling the bubs, though, I thought it best to bring up the topic to be on the safe side in case it is equally important with squirrel babies.

What a bargain - five for the price of one! Congratulations on your new additions. Also, Ava is a lovely name and she is a lovely squirrel. I look forward to pictures of the little ones when it is safe to take them.