I REALLY NEED HELP

[indian palm squirrel love]

Hello everybody ,
i am a new member of this forum and i really need help
i am currently in the care of 2 baby squirrels of about 5-6 weeks a boy and a girl:thumbsup
they really happy and healthy when i found them about a week ago, i was feeding them baby milk as puppy milk was not available and the girl seamed to do well on it but the boy would not eat it at all, now i am feeding them puppy milk but the boy is worst than ever , his coat is becoming rough and he is just lying around listlessly,the girl also is become unhealthy ,her belly is always stretched even if she did not eat for several hours.

what should i do ?????
please help
:thankyou

[farrelli]

What do you mean by baby milk? Cow milk? What kind of puppy formula are they on now? Royal Canin is often available in foreign countries. If you can't get that, can you get a hold of goat's milk and yogurt? We can tell you how to make a good formula out of that.

Can you provide some pics?


Is the belly hard and round? It should be soft and squishy, like a partially filled water balloon. If it's hard, you need to massage the sides and belly, ideally while soaking them in a warm bath. Patting them gently can also help. A drop of two of veg oil can help. And if you can get a hold of some INFANT simethicone (Gas-X), a couple drops of that is great.

How much and how often are you feeding them? if they're bloated, you need to get that under control before you give more food.

[farrelli]

Here are some threads about people with palm squirrels. I highly suggest that you message the people who have them and ask them about specific care.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?15594-chickoo-the-picky-palm-squirrel

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?40916-Baby-Palm-Squirrel-in-India

[farrelli]

Oh, and if you really listen closely, you don't hear any clicking when breathing, do you?

Here is a link to a thread about proper feeding technique, with video:

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

[czarina]

Are you in India?

[czarina]

Oh, thank goodness you are here Farelli!
I didn't even read your posts yet, i was so relieved to see you. I was going to pm you.:Love_Icon

[farrelli]

Btw, if you did feed cow milk (would definitely cause problems), how long did you feed it and how long ago did you stop?

[indian palm squirrel love]

well,
sorry for the late answer ,i wasn't online
to answer your questions:
-no i did not feed them cow milk
-the name of the puppy formula i feed them is beaphar Lactole
-the belly of the squirrels are not hard but i still am worried
-the baby formula i fed them is cerelac
that's it guess.thanks a lot for you help:Love_Icon
i was just wondering,is it possible that the puppy milk is the cause of all this???
cause it all started when i fed them this.



thank you sooooooo much:thankyou:thankyou:thankyou:thankyou

[farrelli]

Yes, it could be the formula at fault. Finding a fully digestible formula can be difficult. I am not familiar with the product you mention. Here is what many people use who don;t have a good formula available:

1 cup goats milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup dannon all natural vanilla yogurt

Roll in the cream slowly because too much too fast produces loose stool.

Can you get these ingredients? Hopefully one of the other people I linked to can tell you what's available.

Are they pooping and peeing OK? Are they fully hydrated? Gently pinch the skin between the shoulders and make sure it doesn't tent, but rather goes right back down like on the back of your hand.

And how much are you feeding and on what schedule? They should get 5-7% of body weight maybe every 4-5 hours.

[indian palm squirrel love]

i think i could get those ingredients
the female is well hydrated , but the male ,since he doesn't eat much is often dehydrated
do you have any ideas to get him to eat more??

[indian palm squirrel love]

ps : is it ok for them to stay in a wire mesh cage in the day?

[indian palm squirrel love]

pps : yes czarina i am in India

[CritterMom]

Any yogurt will do - it doesn't have to be Dannon. If you get the ingredients, leave the heavy cream out for the first few feedings, then add it to the formula a little at a time (it is rich so you don't want to dump all of that into their baby tummies all at once).

Dehydration will cause them to NOT eat. You need to fully hydrate both, especially the little one you are worried about. I would put about a teaspoon of water into a cup of water and use that to rehydrate. Heat the solution just like you do the formula.

[czarina]

If the goats milk is in can, you probably need to dilute it.
Read the label.
Sending my prayers your way.:Love_Icon:Love_Icon:Love_Icon

[farrelli]

CritterMom meant to say put a teaspoon of sugar into the water. Dehydration is a vicious cycle where they won't drink or eat, so if they are dehydrated, that needs to get fixed. You;d have to even put one drop at a time into their mouth if they need it.