Young Squee Not Drinking/Taking Formula

[ChippersMommy]

Hello TSB Friends!!!

Im sure many of you are familiar with my journey as a first time squammy to Baby Chippers who is definitely no longer a baby lol....

I'm guessing she is around 8-10 weeks if i go by when she opened her eyes- {quick recap- rescued on 8/26/14 minimally furred, slick tail, eyes closed- no teeth- HHB in nest box * 9/1/14 eyes opened-teeth emerging- tail forming eating HHB's freely 9/5/14 curling tail over back, top & bottom teeth in- more active completely furred but still light in color 9/12/14- began intro to solids, very active- 9/20/14- doesnt take formula as much as she used to- prefers 'food & HHB's but can still get 3 formula feedings in daily}

As of this morning she weighs 196 grams and resembles an adult squirrel ( just a much smaller version lol)

Since 9/26/14 I can not get her to take feedings with the syringe... and im sure this is not a problem for most, but i believe it may be in my case....

Im able to get her to take the syringe 1 x a day- 13cc's but this is where im concerned- i keep her food dish filled with the fresh veggies from the Group 1 & 2 of the Healthy Diet for Pet Squirrels, she nibbles & eats through the day, she eats her HHB's properly as well... in the evening i offer her a couple very small pieces of fruit (watermelon, strawberry, pineapple, & melon of sorts) and she eats those well also, I offer her half of an all natural almond 2-3 times a week depending on how her diet is that day- She has a water bottle(for small pets) in her cage along with several small dishes of water- she doesnt spend much time in her cage so all thru out the living room she has several dishes of fresh water and i also place a small dish of formula (which i keep freshly prepared & throw out after a lil while if she doesnt drink it so it doesnt go bad) next to her favorite spot along with a dish of more fresh veggies....

Problem is shes not taking the syringe, and shes barely taking any of the water or formula- she will take a couple laps a day from the formula dish & 1-2 laps from water dish but thats it.... I have even tried the hydration mixture and that doesnt appeal to her either- she is not dehydrated but i have to wonder how long she can continue this charade before she becomes dehydrated...

I have even tried to supplement her with a dish of Ensure- she takes one lap and runs away- she completely refuses the syringe (no matter what i have in it- ive tried formula, plain water, hydration liquid, pedialyte, ensure, etc) except for first thing in the morning she will take 13cc's of formula for the syringe

Her appetite is perfect but im worried about dehydration- also i read on one of the forums that its always a good thing to sneak in Formula if possible after weaning by sprinkling a bit of the powder on the veggies & she licks it right up so im pretty sure she is getting all the correct nutrients from that along with the proper diet guide that i religously go by (healthy diet for pet squirrels sticky) she gets ample wild branches etc

Does anyone have any suggestions? Is this something that is normal? What can i do for her? Will she become dehydrated and start drinking on her own or am i going to have to force her to?

Please any suggestions, advice, comments, are all welcomed and extremely appreciated!!!

[Rhapsody]

Honestly ever thing sounds just fine...... she is weaning her self because she is getting plenty of water from the fruits you are giving her, which with in its self is an issue. A squirrels diet should be more vegetables with wild plants and limited fruits and nuts. If you are truly wanting to have her go back to drinking more of her formula (if she will) stop feeding her all the fruit, maybe one or two small pieces with her last meal of the day IF she has eaten every thing else.

[Mommaluvy]

I think Rhapsody is spot on.

[ChippersMommy]

Honestly ever thing sounds just fine...... she is weaning her self because she is getting plenty of water from the fruits you are giving her, which with in its self is an issue. A squirrels diet should be more vegetables with wild plants and limited fruits and nuts. If you are truly wanting to have her go back to drinking more of her formula (if she will) stop feeding her all the fruit, maybe one or two small pieces with her last meal of the day IF she has eaten every thing else.


I was thinking that maybe she was getting her fluid from the fruit as well but I only started giving her fruit the last 4-5 days because I wanted to be sure she was eating her healthy veggies well before i introduced something that was not as healthy. I have attached a picture of the exact serving of fruit that she gets each night - each piece of fruit is cut into approx 1cm pieces and she usually eats about 1/3 to half of each piece - please advise which fruits i should cut out and any suggestions so that I can be sure her diet is proper as I only want what is best for her even if it means cutting out all fruits until she is hydrating properly. I am willing to try whatever steps I need to ensure she is getting the best out of her diet...

I have been doing it this way the last 4-5 days- she takes 13ccs formula from a syringe each morning along with 2 hhb's (due to the double batch i made and small pieces i cut them into she needs 4 a day to equal the recommended 2x a day) she , has all her healthy veggies (group 1 & 2 ONLY) and wild foods thru out the day to munch on as she chooses- veggies from group 3 are given around 3pm after she has eaten her group 1 & 2 just to give her a lil variety so things arent 'the same old veggies all the time lol- she has access to water freely along with small dish of fresh formula but rarely touches either- at night around 8pm she gets the serving of fruit (pics attached)

Please advise what i should change or what steps i should take to ensure her diet is correct and so she remains healthy-

BTW she does not appear dehydrated & skin does NOT tent & she is gaining weight properly & is active & appears normal- fur is beautiful and isnt matted like dehydrated fur appears- she weighs 197 grams as of this morning

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[Rhapsody]

If you wanting her to drink more formula, which is good for her at only 10 weeks old..... you really need to cut back on all her other foods (give less of it) at each feeding and offer her formula first (before any thing else) every 6 hours. I personally do not offer hhb into my squirrels diet until they 8 weeks old and then they have to eat them for a few weeks before I add in vegetable and wild plants..... then a few more weeks before I add in fruits and nuts.

Squirrel Diet:
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

[ChippersMommy]

If you wanting her to drink more formula, which is good for her at only 10 weeks old..... you really need to cut back on all her other foods (give less of it) at each feeding and offer her formula first (before any thing else) every 6 hours. I personally do not offer hhb into my squirrels diet until they 8 weeks old and then they have to eat them for a few weeks before I add in vegetable and wild plants..... then a few more weeks before I add in fruits and nuts.

Squirrel Diet:
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels


My main concern is her being dehydrated, she began refusing formula which is why i began offering a variety of healthy vegs. At first i couldnt get her to take the formula at all, she just refused it no matter how i tried it, she completely refused the syringe as well (ive used the mothering nipples on the syringe from the 2nd day i got her)she would refuse anything i put in the syringe but would take a couple laps out her dish, but she quit drinking the formula out the dish also, she will lap up a lil water out the dish & i caught her a couple times using the bottle in her cage but will not allow me to give her any water, formula, or hydration fluid via the syringe with or without the nipple.
First thing in the morning, only if I wake her up, I can get her to take 13 cc's from the syringes but soon as she is fully awake or if she wakes up on her own that morning she will completely refuse it- before she began refusing the formula & syringe, only gave her a couple veggies but did not allow her to eat freely, but after a couple days of her refusing the formula, i knew she had to have food so i began allowing her to freely eat the healthy veggies from group 1 & 2.
Being concerned of her fluid intake I started giving her the above pieces of fruit in the evening about 4-5 days ago, i have not allowed her to have any 'treats' whatsoever since she began refusing formula

With her being a 'pet' squirrel, id like to be able to keep her on some formula forever but i know that is not a decision i get to make bc nature & chippers will decide whether or not she allows me to do so. Luckily i have found other ways to sneak in the formula so that she still gets the benefits from it along with the healthy benefits from HHB's and the healthy vegs but i just dont know what to do about the fact that shes not really hydrating-
Granted she will take a few laps a day from the various water dishes & as of earlier she has took a couple sips from the bottle in her cage but im worried that isnt enough, maybe im overreacting :sanp3

I would imagine she has instincts that will kick in and prevent her from self dehydration, right?

Her weight is good, skin doesnt tent, no potty issues.... maybe im just being crazy and she is hydrating properly but i dont see it as enough??? Is there a certain amount she should be drinking?