Several Feeding Questions-

[Liza]

More questions! It seems the more I know the less I know..ya know??? I think I have 3 feeding questions this morning-

First of all, how "bad" does a squirrel have to aspirate before it is likely to get pneumonia? The reason I ask is this morning I was feeding Miss Lola and the plunger of the syringe stuck a little (it was just a 1 cc, no nipple) I fiddled with it and it released a big burst into her mouth which made her sneeze and sniffle..A little milk seemed to come out of her nose, but she is a totally messy eater, so it may have just been ON her nose?? She didn't actually gasp, or gag/choke, but continued to sniffle intermittently for about 5 minutes. She seems fine now- What do I watch for, or do you think she is ok?
I know younger babies usually have more trouble in this area, but in all the squirrels I've raised, I've only had 1 aspirate, and that was because I had no idea what I was doing (it was 16 years ago, she DID get pneumonia, and we did get her through it, although it was a pretty tense few days) I am pretty protective of my Lola..

Next question- My bigger two are eating alot more solids now, and starting to lessen their formula consumption. I think Charlie likes to "nurse" because he is a big baby and loves the snuggles, but Soren does NOT- she is starting to take less formula because she doesn't want to be held.. I am still attempting to syringe her at least 3 times a day, but have started putting out a little pan of formula with broken rodent block in it, which she laps/chomps right up.. Is there some benefit in getting her to eat by syringe, or will this give her what she needs? I am right there with them, so leaving it out too long, etc are not an issue.

Third and last q- how often do you experienced rehabbers use your syringes? Do you sterilize them between feedings? Where do you buy new ones? My oldes daughter uses a medication that is injected, so I had a TON of 1 cc syringes (just popped the needle ends off) I am down to about a dozen, and the rubber plunger thingys are starting to wear out. As my babies are now 8-9 weeks old, could I go up to a 3 cc (I can buy these at the farm store)??

Thank you :thankyou :thankyou for all your help with this stuff.. you guys are amazing-

Liza

[Liza]

Let me amend that to say "How often do you REPLACE your syringes?" NOT how often do you use them. Man, I need more sleep!

Liza

[Mars]

More questions! It seems the more I know the less I know..ya know??? I think I have 3 feeding questions this morning-

First of all, how "bad" does a squirrel have to aspirate before it is likely to get pneumonia? The reason I ask is this morning I was feeding Miss Lola and the plunger of the syringe stuck a little (it was just a 1 cc, no nipple) I fiddled with it and it released a big burst into her mouth which made her sneeze and sniffle..A little milk seemed to come out of her nose, but she is a totally messy eater, so it may have just been ON her nose?? She didn't actually gasp, or gag/choke, but continued to sniffle intermittently for about 5 minutes. She seems fine now- What do I watch for, or do you think she is ok?
I know younger babies usually have more trouble in this area, but in all the squirrels I've raised, I've only had 1 aspirate, and that was because I had no idea what I was doing (it was 16 years ago, she DID get pneumonia, and we did get her through it, although it was a pretty tense few days) I am pretty protective of my Lola..

Listen for a clicking sound from her lungs in the chest region. I watch/listen for trouble for about 24 hours. :D If she was just sneezing she should be fine.

Next question- My bigger two are eating alot more solids now, and starting to lessen their formula consumption. I think Charlie likes to "nurse" because he is a big baby and loves the snuggles, but Soren does NOT- she is starting to take less formula because she doesn't want to be held.. I am still attempting to syringe her at least 3 times a day, but have started putting out a little pan of formula with broken rodent block in it, which she laps/chomps right up.. Is there some benefit in getting her to eat by syringe, or will this give her what she needs? I am right there with them, so leaving it out too long, etc are not an issue.
If she is ready to wean there is no reason to keep her on the sryinge. It is only stressful for both of you. The little pan is fine. Just remove when they have finished and clean the spills. Sour esblilac is not pleasent to smell.
Third and last q- how often do you experienced rehabbers use your syringes? Do you sterilize them between feedings? Where do you buy new ones? My oldes daughter uses a medication that is injected, so I had a TON of 1 cc syringes (just popped the needle ends off) I am down to about a dozen, and the rubber plunger thingys are starting to wear out. As my babies are now 8-9 weeks old, could I go up to a 3 cc (I can buy these at the farm store)??
We often buy our syringes at Chris's Squireels and more. The link is at the top of the page above our posts. In my house each set of squirrels get their own syringes. I rinse them throughly after each feeding and store them in separate marked zip locks in the refrig.
Thank you :thankyou :thankyou for all your help with this stuff.. you guys are amazing-

Liza

:)