RobinTN
09-12-2014, 11:50 PM
First off I wanted to say "Hi" to everyone. TSB has helped me & my new baby girl Cash sooooo much in the last few days!
This past Tuesday I was raking leaves & debris in my yard where we had had some brush cleared & large vines pulled down out of some huge old oaks, and lo and behold, this little squirrel walked right up to me! She was clearly desperate for help, moving slowly but without fear, and obviously weak and dehydrated. I couldn't refuse the little sweetheart! When I picked her up I could feel how cool she was as she snuggled into me. I think that's when she captured my heart! We have a lot of squirrels in our yard, and they're relatively tame - they know it's a 'safe place'- but there was no mama anywhere around, and about an hour after I found Cash (or vice versa!), I found the body of one of her littermates... poor baby looked to have been dead over a day. I had already put her in a box with a towel, but at that point, I knew absolutely NOTHING about how to help her. Soooo, I got on the computer, and luckily enough found this wonderful resource, The Squirrel Board... THANK YOU for being here, thank you for caring...
It was much easier for me to read over the most relevant stickys and threads that posed similar questions to mine- "WHAT NOW???" than to open a new thread at that time. I was able to quickly learn how to warm her, rehydrate, know what I needed to buy, and get her stabilized. Again, THANK YOU!!!
Also, the video of Stosh's "proper feeding technique"... what a Godsend! THANK YOU!!!
Until today I wasn't able to get a scale so I'd been estimating her at 100g, based on pictures other members have posted that also told their babies weights. After I got her hydrated & over to Esbilac, she ate 5-6cc every 4-5 hours on Wednesday. Then Thursday & today shes been eating 7-8cc every 4hours, except for her 1st feed, which she pigged out and ate a whole 10cc! Well, I must've been close on her weight, because when I finally got the scales today, she weighs 105g. After doing the math, I realize she should only be getting like 5.5-7.5cc/per... but shes always so ravenous! Maybe I was off on estimating her age? She does hold her tail over her back, and she can sit up on her back feet. LOL she hops around like a little maniac! I ordered my HHBs today. I'm thinking they'll get here Mon or Tues. Oh, and I do know the Fox Valley is much preferred over the Esbilac (& yes mine has the pro- & prebiotics), but she seems to be doing fine on the Esbilac. She pees & poops good, no diarrhea. At first her poops were dark & hard, but now they're a nice solid golden brown, like fat little pieces of rice!
I'm already preparing a room in our basement where she'll have a nice, warm, safe place to winter. I know she's absolutely release-able, and as soon as weather permits next spring she'll go to a pre-release cage right here in our back yard. I apologize I'm not sure whose signature includes this quote - I've taken in a LOT of info in the last few days! - but it really struck a chord: "One day in the trees is better than a lifetime in a cage"... LOVE IT!
Anyways, I know I've got a long road ahead, but I can also see just how supportive the whole TSB community is, so I thank you all in advance! All the tips & suggestions you can offer are welcome!
And OK, OK, I've gotta show her off so I'm attaching pix! These are pre-bath, so she's a nappy little thing in these lol, but she cleans up nicely!
This past Tuesday I was raking leaves & debris in my yard where we had had some brush cleared & large vines pulled down out of some huge old oaks, and lo and behold, this little squirrel walked right up to me! She was clearly desperate for help, moving slowly but without fear, and obviously weak and dehydrated. I couldn't refuse the little sweetheart! When I picked her up I could feel how cool she was as she snuggled into me. I think that's when she captured my heart! We have a lot of squirrels in our yard, and they're relatively tame - they know it's a 'safe place'- but there was no mama anywhere around, and about an hour after I found Cash (or vice versa!), I found the body of one of her littermates... poor baby looked to have been dead over a day. I had already put her in a box with a towel, but at that point, I knew absolutely NOTHING about how to help her. Soooo, I got on the computer, and luckily enough found this wonderful resource, The Squirrel Board... THANK YOU for being here, thank you for caring...
It was much easier for me to read over the most relevant stickys and threads that posed similar questions to mine- "WHAT NOW???" than to open a new thread at that time. I was able to quickly learn how to warm her, rehydrate, know what I needed to buy, and get her stabilized. Again, THANK YOU!!!
Also, the video of Stosh's "proper feeding technique"... what a Godsend! THANK YOU!!!
Until today I wasn't able to get a scale so I'd been estimating her at 100g, based on pictures other members have posted that also told their babies weights. After I got her hydrated & over to Esbilac, she ate 5-6cc every 4-5 hours on Wednesday. Then Thursday & today shes been eating 7-8cc every 4hours, except for her 1st feed, which she pigged out and ate a whole 10cc! Well, I must've been close on her weight, because when I finally got the scales today, she weighs 105g. After doing the math, I realize she should only be getting like 5.5-7.5cc/per... but shes always so ravenous! Maybe I was off on estimating her age? She does hold her tail over her back, and she can sit up on her back feet. LOL she hops around like a little maniac! I ordered my HHBs today. I'm thinking they'll get here Mon or Tues. Oh, and I do know the Fox Valley is much preferred over the Esbilac (& yes mine has the pro- & prebiotics), but she seems to be doing fine on the Esbilac. She pees & poops good, no diarrhea. At first her poops were dark & hard, but now they're a nice solid golden brown, like fat little pieces of rice!
I'm already preparing a room in our basement where she'll have a nice, warm, safe place to winter. I know she's absolutely release-able, and as soon as weather permits next spring she'll go to a pre-release cage right here in our back yard. I apologize I'm not sure whose signature includes this quote - I've taken in a LOT of info in the last few days! - but it really struck a chord: "One day in the trees is better than a lifetime in a cage"... LOVE IT!
Anyways, I know I've got a long road ahead, but I can also see just how supportive the whole TSB community is, so I thank you all in advance! All the tips & suggestions you can offer are welcome!
And OK, OK, I've gotta show her off so I'm attaching pix! These are pre-bath, so she's a nappy little thing in these lol, but she cleans up nicely!