Pink baby squirrel found-1st time raising

[Kooch]

Hello, since there is not enough info in Slovenia about raising a wild pink baby squirrels, i decided to turn to you guys.

Due to cutting some large trees, we accidentally cut down one with a nest. We initially didn't notice it, so the little pink baby squirrel fell out(there was only 1). I had to pick it up and put it back in, then i put it on a high tree, in case the mother would show up. She didn't in like 3 hours and it was getting cold.. The baby seemed freezing, so we took it back with us inside the nest. We warmed him up, and fed him goat milk (i know that is bad, but it was saturday evening and we had no other option unless we'd feed cows milk which is even worse as i read).
So now he's still alive and seems ok, but a little underfed. I bought Esbilac in a can today, because we don't have the powder, (aside from the 2nd step powder, which is weaker) here in SLO, neither any other good replacement as i read around the internet... The can goes bad in like 2 days so the vet told me to try Royal Canin babydog food, as it was supposed to be also good. I know we have to feed him every 2 hours, and then rub his belly so that he pees and poops (he pees every time, but he poops every 2nd or 3rd feeding)

So thats the story. Now my questions:
Is RC babydog food a good replacement? How do I mix the powder, how many parts water and how many parts powder? Is it the same as Esbilac, 4 part water/1 part powder?
Is the powder enough to feed, or do I need to feed him water too?
Is it ok if he eats like 1ml of the mix per feeding?

Here is the picture of the squirrel, i think hes about 1 week old.
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Thank you guys for the help, i have never found a squirrel before and your help would mean the world.

[Spanky]

Here is some info form other threads that one of the TSB leaders (SammysMom) posted about RC and Goat's Milk:

"The way I have used it:
3 parts GM
1 part full fat yogurt with no added artificial sweeteners
after a couple of days you add in
1 part heavy cream "

"Royal Canin is available in india and other places with no esbilac..... It is puppy formula similar enough to esbilac to work."

[RobinTN]

Oh how adorable... so tiny & perfect:Love_Icon

There will be more experienced rehabbers to answer your feeding questions soon, but I wanted to say Hi and :Welcome to The Squirrel Board. You're in the right place for all the best & quickest info!

One thing I will mention is you should use fleece or flannel or even t-shirt material to snuggle the little one in. The fluffier the better. The picture shows long fibers (wool?) which can wrap around a tiny toe or ankle and cut off circulation... an easily avoided danger.

This one's just too beautiful :klunk

[stepnstone]

Hello :Welcome to TSB and thank you for saving this baby...
I know nothing of your area and what is available so hang in here and I'll try to direct someone who might have the knowledge needed.
Baby needs to be kept warm as your doing, we do recommend a no shut off heating pad half under container. You can use a plastic bin with holes in cover. Use t shirt material, sheet or pillowcase type. Nothing like towels or material with loops. Fleece is the best. They do need enough to borrow down in.
Pinks dehydrate fast so please make sure he is staying hydrated.

Edit, thanks to all that have responded.:thumbsup

[HRT4SQRLS]

:wave123 Kooch
:Welcome to The Squirrel Board

Here's a link with just about everything you need to know to successfully raise your baby. It is 5 pages long. In the upper right corner is a NEXT button. The baby is adorable. I'm anxious to see your baby grow up. Your squirrels look so different from ours. :tilt

http://www.henryspets.com/1-basic-setup/

[Kooch]

Thatk you all so much for the quick answers and welcome!
Yes, I used wool since I thought it was the warmest. I just padded his original nest with it.. But if theres danger, I'll replace it.

By hydrated, what do you mean? I feed him the formula with a bit of water (as said forums you have to mix it a bit from the start, then go full strenght). Do I need to feed him plain warm water as well?? How much and how often?

Also if someone knows how to mix RC Babydog powder for a baby like this, please help.

Thanks :)

Im totally new to this and he's so fragile i'm afraid i'll do something wrong :(

[CritterMom]

All right - the RC Babydog mixes the same as Esbilac - 2 parts water to 1 part powder. Use very warm water to mix it feed it at a temp that feels warm to your touch - mama's body temp is 100-105 F.

However, to start out, I would mix it at 3 parts water and 1 part powder. Over the next two days, if he does ok, doesn't get diarrhea, you can slowly mix it a little stronger until you get to the 2 to 1 ratio.

So you make it a little bit weak at first and very gradually strengthen it until you are making it 2 to 1/

Can you get a 1cc syringe? You need something you can control to feed this baby.

To feed, hold the baby upright, not on it's back, bring the syringe in from below and slip it into the mouth with the tip pointing toward the roof of the baby's mouth. You want to feed very, very slowly - drop by drop. If baby chokes, IMMEDIATELY thip him upside down so his nose is pointing to the ground to help drain any milk out of his nose.

[Kooch]

Hello. So here's an update :) please tell me if he looks healthy??
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The squirrel is about 3/4 of a regular pen in size. I weighed him and he weighs 21 grams.

Also today I got the RC babydog powder and there is a big difference in us forcing him to eat esbilac in a can. It seems that he likes this RC way more and doesn't pull back or away as often.

Then I rubbed his genital area and he peed, bit he didnt poop. Does he have to poop every time after feeding? What if he doesnt??

Also, do I have to feed him plain warm water besides RC as well? How much and how often?

[SammysMom]

Okay, 21g means you want to get between 1cc and 1 1/2cc into him at each feeding. You should be feeding around the clock every 2 - 3 hours. If you look at his tummy before and after you feed you will see a line around his waist after eating. You want to be sure that is gone before feeding again. It is his milk line and you don't want any milk in his tummy when you add more to it. You can give extra hydration between feedings if you feel he is dehydrated, but once hydrated he will actually get enough from the formula. For today, you might want to give him three additional hydration feedings of .6cc spread out over the day.
Be sure he is good and warm and that the formula or water are good and warm too. Mom's body is about 102 so the formula should be a bit warmer than it would for a human baby.
Sometimes it takes a little while for them to poop. Watch his tummy for any bloating and keep stimulating.

[island rehabber]

:Welcome kooch! You may be our very first member from Slovenia :)
You have gotten great advice so far. Royal Canin is a high quality formula and definitely will work for a pinky squirrel.

This baby looks healthy, but thin. If he still has a little umbilical dot on his abdomen then he is less than 10 days old. You'll want to mix the RC 2:1 (water to powder) and warm it up to at least 100 degrees. I hope you are feeding with a 1cc syringe....do you have the nipple attachments too? With pinkies these are very very important. Feed VERY slowly, with baby held upright and syringe pointed upward toward his mouth at a 45* angle.....slipping the tip right under his muzzle on the SIDE is a very safe way to feed a pinky -- they are less likely to aspirate.

As for the water, you may want to offer some warm water with a pinch of sugar or honey in it, between his regular feedings, for 2-3 days. Pinkies dehydrate in the blink of an eye, so this keeps them hydrated between feedings. If he were nestled under his mamma, she would hardly leave him for a minute while he is 1-2 weeks old, so anytime he wanted a drink she was right there. THis is why when we get them and leave them in a container for hours at a time they get dehydrated. :)

[Kooch]

Thank you guys all so much, your advices are so veryyy helpful.

I now started feeding him 1ml- 1.5ml doses. I started out mixing 1 powder and 4 water, now I am at 1:3 (powder:water).
I use a 1ml syringe with a small rubber nipple, which is still a bit big, but smaller ones are nowhere to be found here in Slo.

I masage him every time before and after his meal, and he always pees. He only pooped once today, so should I be worried??? (He just started RC in the morning).

2 hours ago he didnt want to eat much, he only ate 0.8ml, but now he did eat a full dose. Is that still ok?

How much water do I mix a pinch of sugar in? It shouldn't be too sweet right?

[island rehabber]

2 cups warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar....mix well and you can keep it in the fridge for a few days. WARM IT before feeding, of course. :)

No worries if he doesn't poop every single time, but he should pee. It takes a day or so for them to adjust to new formulae.

[Kooch]

The squirrel somehow jammed himself in the edge if the box, just above the termophore of warm water. Apparently I saw him just in time to get him out i guess it was too hot in that corner. Now he seems exhausted and dehydrated, not moving much like before. I immediately gave him a bit of sugary water, and i feel like he's a bit better. He seemed so thirsty that he drank like 1ml of just this water. He's still not like before, a bit "numb" :( do I still feed him normally or do I give him some more water?

[CritterMom]

The squirrel somehow jammed himself in the edge if the box, just above the termophore of warm water. Apparently I saw him just in time to get him out i guess it was too hot in that corner. Now he seems exhausted and dehydrated, not moving much like before. I immediately gave him a bit of sugary water, and i feel like he's a bit better. He seemed so thirsty that he drank like 1ml of just this water. He's still not like before, a bit "numb" :( do I still feed him normally or do I give him some more water?

I would give him a bit more water and then in an hour I would go ahead and proceed with formula feedings.

Is he in a cardboard box? Please find a plastic type container to put him in that you can secure the top and provide lots of ventilation holes in. Cardboard will dry their little bodies out - it sucks water from the air - and their skin.

[Kooch]

No he wasnt. I put him in a plastic one now, but it doesnt have a lid. I made a "rice buddy" with a sock and rice.
I took him out of the nest, put some of the nest on the "buddy" and put him on also, covering him with tshirt scraps.

Half of the container has the buddy in and the covered termophore, the other half not. Im afraid he would jam himself under something again...
Heres a photo, unfortunately i dont have a smaller container254185

[Kooch]

Thank god my little squirrel buddy came to it. Till now he was hardly eating, maybe .6cc per feeding, you had to almost force him. Last time, at 6, he ate like 1cc. I was feeding him sugary water all afternoon, i think he drank around 2cc or even a bit more of it. He was kept warm all the time also. But now i just fed him and he ate his whole meal, even a little extra like 1.7cc. The poor thing was apparently starving, he started sucking on the rubber nipple. At 6 he pooped. Now he just peed. My heart seriously dropped before, but i think hes ok now so god bless :):bliss

[Spanky]

:dance:great:bliss:thumbsup

[pjjere]

Hi Kooch, welcome to TSB and thanks for helping this delicate little creature. As you have experienced these little ones can find trouble easily. I am worried about the white, fibrous material under the baby. Do you have any fleece or if not just use tshirt pieces? I am afraid the baby will wrap an arm or leg in the fiber and perhaps cut off circulation. You are doing great so far! :)

[island rehabber]

Excellent news, Kooch. He looks so sweet and tiny under all that stuff.....but that looks more like a real squirrel's nest than most that are pictured here. :grin3

[pappy1264]

Aww, precious! Maybe you can drap something over it, as heat rises, to keep the heat in.

[Kooch]

So the squirrel might have developed diarrhea. It doesn't really affect his moving or anything, he still has a very good appetite. He eats almost 2ml of the formula, drinks a bit in between and he gained 2g, now he weighs 23g.

How do I know if he really has diarrhea? Sometimes his poop is hard, sometimes, when i go to pick him up for feeding he looks like hes pooped softer. I haven't noticed him to actually poop liquid whenever holding him.... Neither has his appetite dropped, if anything it increased.

Also today (after yesterdays incident) his ear and the side of the little head that touched the termophore yesterday (when he somehow crowled under it) turned dark blueish. He doesnt seem to be hurting, but the color on half of the head changed, the other half is normal, pinkish. Do you think he is just bruised? I will post a picture later.
Why did he have to crawl under there :( :( :( :(

[island rehabber]

Why did he have to crawl under there :( :( :( :(

Because it was warm and moist, like his mamma would be. :(
That's why we always say "put the heating pad under the CONTAINER, not the squirrel." Most of us in the USA use the electric dry heating pads and they would truly cook a little baby in seconds if they were to crawl under one of those.
Keep an eye on those dark spots...if there is bruising or burn under the skin it could be serious. Let's hope not. :)

[SammysMom]

If he is only 23g he should not eat much more than 1.6cc of formula. Eating more than that would be the cause of loose whitish stool. Just keep it to that and see if the loose stool continues.
Multiply his weight by .05 up to .07 and that is how many cc's of formula he can have at each feeding. The 5% - 7% rule. :thumbsup
Overfeeding is a big cause of loose stool.
You're doing great. I LOVE pinkies!!!:Love_Icon

[SammysMom]

Maybe find something heavy to put on the heating pad if it can't go under the container for some reason. You don't want him getting under that again. :nono

[Kooch]

Well, i wrapped the termophore into a tshirt, so that even if hed wind up going there again its not direct heat. I put the nest over it and a part of a tshirt over also, so that he can move if it gets too warm.
Below are the pictures of the 2 sides of his head, so that you can see the difference. Im so sad this happened, i pray to god every second that its just a small bruise and hes gonna be fine :(
254301
254302
He hasnt lost any appetite and is moving like before the accident...
Would it help if i'd rub some Bepanthene on the ear?

[island rehabber]

A tiny bit couldn't hurt -- this does look like a burn. I looked up Bepanthene and it's safe for human babies so I think it's ok. Watch for peeling and infection in that spot....

He looks a bit dehydrated. I would encourage you to feed him formula every 3 hours with plain hydration fluid (warm water with a bit of sugar or honey) in between those 3-hr feedings. We need him to be plump like a tiny baby hippo. :)

[Kristi S]

Do y'all think some electrolytes might be called for? That's a lot of sugar (1 Tbsp in 2 cups water), but I have no idea in a baby this tiny. I thought when really young they shouldn't have more than 5% of body weight at a time.

[Kristi S]

Just thought some might be curious as to what this little guy is, like I was - assuming it's not a gray. Have they been introduced to Slovenia, Kooch? Does this look right? (Eurasian) Red Squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris, will reach 250-340 g. What a cutie!

By the way, Kooch, I spent a couple nights in Slovenia. It was gorgeous! I'd love to go back and explore it more.

254324

At two weeks:
254323

[Kooch]

Hey :) so he's doing ok, still eating about 1.5ml per feeding. I was giving him water in between yesterday and i'll keep doing so today. Around .4ml of water with a few grains of sugar between meals.
I am rubbing Bepanthene in his ear really carefully, it doesn't seem to hurt him but he's not pleased about it either. The ear doesn't look worse thank god. He also poops, but not when stimulated, sometimes when i pick him up he has a tiny bit on him. It doesn't look like fluid that would go all over his tail, it looks hard, because it stays where it comes out. It is just a tiny grain though.

Kristi yes, thats exactly the type of squirrel that are inhabited here in Slovenia. We live quite north in a rural area, almost on the border with Austria, so the terrain has a lot of foliage and trees. The 2 weeks picture doesn't seem right to me though, assuming the baby was at least a few days old when I got him and now I've had him for about a week (tomorrow is 1 week). He's still pink with really tiny hair on head, a bit on his back and muzzle. He has whiskers as well :)
If you want you can come to Slo again, we inherited a farm, and also have 6 Lipizzaner horses. I teach riding, have a license and tour groups on horseback around the near terrain. Tourists stay on the farm and enjoy the mountains and lots of activities around.

[stepnstone]

Kooch really, boy or girl? :gigg
From what I can see in the first picture I'm thinking he's a she... :grin3
Females genitals also protrude somewhat and between the legs,
a male's genital protrusion is up higher.

*******MALE******FEMALE
254325

[Kooch]

So I'm rubbing Bepanthene on his ear and around area, where it seems bruised/burned. The ear its self doesn't seem hurt him i think since he doesn't shriek or anything when I'm rubbing the creme, but it feels stiff and hard to the touch... I'm really worried about that :( what if it was damaged so bad it would start to die off or if he develops an infection? I'm worried about the eye too, the other side like "stands out" of the head a bit, the other one (where he was leaning under the termophore) doesn't (it is visible in the pics) :( what else should i do to help and heal that???
Still no loss of appetite, he looks more "plump" now like you said he should, i was hydrating him all the time between meals.. He moves a lot, pee and poo seem normal and regular.

Btw, the genitals are like the pic on the left.

[Kooch]

Hey guys :) so our little baby now weighs 28g, he looks healthy and moves a lot. His ear and the area around is unfortunatelly still not best, it is healing, but very slowly :(. I have a few questions.
When do these little ones start maintaining their own temperature?
Do I still feed him every 2-3 hours? Im getting up every night all the time to replace his heating and to feed him, I swear its like having a child :D

[Annabelle's papa]

Hey guys :) so our little baby now weighs 28g, he looks healthy and moves a lot. His ear and the area around is unfortunatelly still not best, it is healing, but very slowly :(. I have a few questions.
When do these little ones start maintaining their own temperature?
Do I still feed him every 2-3 hours? Im getting up every night all the time to replace his heating and to feed him, I swear its like having a child :D

:)Hi Kooch, I think it's wonderful that your Lil' One's ear didn't blister or swell, I believe it should continue to improve.:great Keep applying a small amount of the ointment you are using, it must be helping or I'm sure blistering would have occurred. I can't give a qualified answer on the feeding schedule, but unless you hear different you should keep on doing what you are doing. And yes the heat is still very important, but not too warm I'm sure he is going to keep disrupting your sleep for for a good while longer.:)

[Kooch]

well, his ear is quite bad though. It is still rather black and if you touch it, it feels hard. I hope it's not burned all the way through... If that was the case is there a possibility that it would just fall off?? :(
He is a little blistered, but those started to appear after I was rubbing Bepanthene on him. I don't think that Bepanthene would cause those, plus the area where he was burned is getting smaller and smaller..
The eye was burned a bit too, and I can only hope that the burns didn't affect his hearing or sight. If that would happen i'd be devastated, i'm feeling soooo guilty already :( :(

[Annabelle's papa]

well, his ear is quite bad though. It is still rather black and if you touch it, it feels hard. I hope it's not burned all the way through... If that was the case is there a possibility that it would just fall off?? :(
He is a little blistered, but those started to appear after I was rubbing Bepanthene on him. I don't think that Bepanthene would cause those, plus the area where he was burned is getting smaller and smaller..
The eye was burned a bit too, and I can only hope that the burns didn't affect his hearing or sight. If that would happen i'd be devastated, i'm feeling soooo guilty already :( :(

:)Hi Kooch, you don't have anything at all to feel guilty about, if you hadn't rescued Him He would not of had any chance at all. And you are doing the best you can to take care of Him, His ear might have suffered some tissue damage but it is too early to know, and we can hope that His eyesight will be fine. I think because there wasn't a huge amount of inflammation on that side of His head it could be a good sign, but stay aware of His appetite that is the most important thing to be concerned with.:great

[Kooch]

Thank you so much for the pep talk, i really need it right now. I will post some pictures tomorrow, the injury is best visible under daylight and you can help me with further actions regarding this.
Still looks rather bad tho :(
Apart from Bepanthene i'm rubbing homemade merigold (Calendula officinalis) oil on the ear and the eye lids. My mom is a herbalist and made it a while ago and I read it was supposed to be helpful with burns and stuff. Just so I don't overdo it with Bepanthene.
As i said before, he hasn't lost his appetite, he still eats 1.5cc every 3 hours and is given a little sugary water during the day. He gained 5grams in 4 days, and I weighed him before feeding.

[Bravo]

Keep going with IR's advice-


He looks a bit dehydrated. I would encourage you to feed him formula every 3 hours with plain hydration fluid (warm water with a bit of sugar or honey) in between those 3-hr feedings. We need him to be plump like a tiny baby hippo

This is your first experience looking after a little wild child. It won't be long now before he starts growing in leaps and bounds. More food, more rest. :great

[beezle-weezle]

Btw, the genitals are like the pic on the left.[/QUOTE]
From the pics you posted of your little one it looks like a girl to me. Boys genitals are higher up on their stomachs

[Kooch]

The little one is still growing and has a really good appetite.
1 question though - when stimulating him for going potty, he always pees. But since like yesterday he developed a "clog" i don't know how else to call it, since it actually looks like a clog. When I go and pick it with a q tip and a little olive oil the clog kinda "breaks" and he can poop normally. Every time I break the "clog" he poops quite alot and it looks normal. But then the "clog" appears again and I have to pick it again otherwise he can't poop since there's this blockage.
What is that and why does it occur? How do I heal that?

I don't want to pick it every time so he doesn't develop an infection or anything and he's not too happy about picking it either, but otherwise he cant poop.

[Annabelle's papa]

The little one is still growing and has a really good appetite.
1 question though - when stimulating him for going potty, he always pees. But since like yesterday he developed a "clog" i don't know how else to call it, since it actually looks like a clog. When I go and pick it with a q tip and a little olive oil the clog kinda "breaks" and he can poop normally. Every time I break the "clog" he poops quite alot and it looks normal. But then the "clog" appears again and I have to pick it again otherwise he can't poop since there's this blockage.
What is that and why does it occur? How do I heal that?

I don't want to pick it every time so he doesn't develop an infection or anything and he's not too happy about picking it either, but otherwise he cant poop.

:)Good Morning Kooch,

The oil sounds like a wonderful idea, and maybe the Royal canine is a bit binding, however I'm not sure what to suggest (Lack of experience) a small amount of diluted apple juice comes to mind, however please wait for some better advice before proceeding with anything. It might be something as basic as your formula dilution also, please wait for someone else to post their advice.:great

[Annabelle's papa]

The little one is still growing and has a really good appetite.
1 question though - when stimulating him for going potty, he always pees. But since like yesterday he developed a "clog" i don't know how else to call it, since it actually looks like a clog. When I go and pick it with a q tip and a little olive oil the clog kinda "breaks" and he can poop normally. Every time I break the "clog" he poops quite alot and it looks normal. But then the "clog" appears again and I have to pick it again otherwise he can't poop since there's this blockage.
What is that and why does it occur? How do I heal that?

I don't want to pick it every time so he doesn't develop an infection or anything and he's not too happy about picking it either, but otherwise he cant poop.

:bump

[SammysMom]

I had one last year that did this. I had to use a wet q-tip and sort of roll it toward his anus from each side with very warm water. I put a little oil rigt on his bottom to sort of keep it from hardening between feedings. You could use a little vegetable oil on a q-tip. The answer probably lies in more hydration. Give a bit of sugar water (2c warm water to 1T sugar) between feedings.:thumbsup

[Kooch]

Yeah im doing something like that... So 2ml (2cc) water, but how much is 1T sugar??

[Spanky]

Yeah im doing something like that... So 2ml (2cc) water, but how much is 1T sugar??

2 cups warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar

[Kristi S]

One tablespoons is about 15 ml. You could add about 15 ml sugar to a quarter liter of water (a cup of water is about 236 ml); I would add a pinch of salt, too. I agree with Sammysmom that a q-tip with warm water would be a good alternative to picking. Do you have Vaseline there?

Lipizzaners! I love horseback riding. I definitely want to visit you! Sigh...so many things I'd like to do.

[Kooch]

Yes i was giving him water and all afternoon, I even replaced one feeding. He wasn't getting better, and the clog remained, so i read somewhere that he might also be bloated (he didnt look severely bloated though). I put him in warm water up to his shoulders and massaged his belly. The plug kinda let loose and he pooped and seemed to get rid of the bloat. I did that twice and the plug almost alltogether washed away. I am still precautiously rubbing a tiny bit of oil, but the bloat seems to have passed :)

Does this look bloated? He ate 2hrs ago, and still there is the "milk line" visible..
On the pic he fell asleep while I was rubbing his tummy :)
254780

[SammysMom]

Hard to tell just looking at him. Is his tummy firm or like a water balloon? I do think that oil is a better solution than vaseline as I try not to use petroleum products on them. Maybe a bit of KY lubricant as it is water based.

[Kooch]

Well his tummy feels more like a water balloon i think. I'll check after I feed him in 2hrs. What do I do if his belly is still a bit full after 3-4hrs? Shouldn't they be eating like that at 2 weeks?

Assuming he's that old-a couple days before I found him and I'll have him 2 weeks on saturday.

[SammysMom]

The one good thing about pinkies is that you can see the milk line. If it is still there, wait a little bit before feeding. You will still see it a little bit, but if it is very visible it hasn't digested yet. You are really doing a great job. I am sorry I forgot you were not in the US when giving measurements!

[Kooch]

Thanks for everything guys :) so tomorrow will be 2 weeks since i've had my little rascal, so lets assume he's 2.5w old.

On the link you gave me earlier in the topic (henrys pets) says that at 2 weeks he should be eating 2-3cc every 3-4hrs, night feeding if needed. But since he only weighs 32g thats a lot more than the 5% rule.... I feed him every 3.5-4 hrs now, since the milk line fades a bit after that period. He eats around 1.9cc- 2cc. I still get up at night. What does it mean "if needed" for getting up?

[Annabelle's papa]

Thanks for everything guys :) so tomorrow will be 2 weeks since i've had my little rascal, so lets assume he's 2.5w old.

On the link you gave me earlier in the topic (henrys pets) says that at 2 weeks he should be eating 2-3cc every 3-4hrs, night feeding if needed. But since he only weighs 32g thats a lot more than the 5% rule.... I feed him every 3.5-4 hrs now, since the milk line fades a bit after that period. He eats around 1.9cc- 2cc. I still get up at night. What does it mean "if needed" for getting up?

:)Good Morning Kooch,

I believe the amount you're feeding would be correct to His weight, although I don't have an experienced answer to give concerning the overnight feedings. However if He is continuing to eat well and potty well, I would continue the feedings until He is older and weighs more.:great

[Annabelle's papa]

Thanks for everything guys :) so tomorrow will be 2 weeks since i've had my little rascal, so lets assume he's 2.5w old.

On the link you gave me earlier in the topic (henrys pets) says that at 2 weeks he should be eating 2-3cc every 3-4hrs, night feeding if needed. But since he only weighs 32g thats a lot more than the 5% rule.... I feed him every 3.5-4 hrs now, since the milk line fades a bit after that period. He eats around 1.9cc- 2cc. I still get up at night. What does it mean "if needed" for getting up?

:bump

[Spanky]

Thanks for everything guys :) so tomorrow will be 2 weeks since i've had my little rascal, so lets assume he's 2.5w old.

On the link you gave me earlier in the topic (henrys pets) says that at 2 weeks he should be eating 2-3cc every 3-4hrs, night feeding if needed. But since he only weighs 32g thats a lot more than the 5% rule.... I feed him every 3.5-4 hrs now, since the milk line fades a bit after that period. He eats around 1.9cc- 2cc. I still get up at night. What does it mean "if needed" for getting up?

I believe that this little one needs the overnight feedings for a while yet. I do not even consider stopping the overnight feedings until they are about 5 weeks old.

[Annabelle's papa]

:thumbsup

[Kooch]

Okay, thank you guys :) 3 more weeks of getting up it is heheh :) :grin2

Sometimes he chuckles down food like it's the end of the world and he would eat a lot more if i'd let him, but sometimes i have to almost force him to drink up those 2cc. Is that common?

[RobinTN]

Okay, thank you guys :) 3 more weeks of getting up it is heheh :) :grin2

Sometimes he chuckles down food like it's the end of the world and he would eat a lot more if i'd let him, but sometimes i have to almost force him to drink up those 2cc. Is that common?

Watch the temperature of the milk. They DO like it hot... 102-105Farenheit. I test it on my wrist just like for a baby, but if it feels "right" for a human infant, it's too cold for a squirrel. Mine refuse it at the human baby temp, but slurp like little maniacs if it feels "too hot for a baby":grin2

Milk that's too cool is harder for them to digest, and since your girl's also had some constipation issues / slow digestion I would definitely look at your milk temp.

Of course you don't want to scald her either:eek

What I do is preload enough syringes for each feed, and then I put boiling water in an insulated travel mug and put my syringes full of formula in that. THEN I set the mug on one of those desktop coffee mug warmers. Even with that, I always have to go dump & add fresh boiling water after 5th or 6th 1cc syringe or else they start refusing, & when I check it, sure enough it's cooled down...:yuck

[Kooch]

Yeah i figured the temperature out, i noticed how he Eats with the milk almost too hot and when it's normal temp.

Today he started "nibbling" on my finger and I noticed a scratchy feeling, so I went and checked his mouth... I noticed the little guy is teething!! :)) 2 little lower teeth started to appear! I also noticed a little lack of appetite, but I read that that usually appears when teething and that it goes away within a day or 2 :)
It's such a noticable difference every day that it's the most amazing thing ever to watch!

[island rehabber]

It's such a noticable difference every day that it's the most amazing thing ever to watch!

Hee heee.....you are so hooked on squirrels..... welcome to our world! :grin3:owned:dance

[Spanky]

Yes, they really do grow up very fast and it is amazing to watch. How much does your little one weigh now? Is she gaining weight consistently?

Any updates on the burn; I hope she has made a full recovery. We love pictures! :poke

Thank you for taking such good care for the little one.

[Kooch]

Hehe i did kinda get hooked :p

The little one is gaining 1g a day. The weight is 34g today.

The burn.. Well.. Im still rubbing the creme the vet prescribed, it is going down I think, the ear definitely looks better, it's getting softer, so I guess it's healing. It doesn't look like the other one though, it's smaller.
The eye I don't know. You can't tell whether it's really bad since the eyes are still closed. The vet also said it's too soon to tell and that I have to give it time... So i'm waiting and waiting anxiously :(

A took a pic on friday that i can show you :)
I will take a pic of the other side too, so that you can see the burn and maybe you could tell how it looks and what we can expect...

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[Annabelle's papa]

:bunny Good Sunday Morning Kooch,

Was waiting on some additional photos,:imp I'm glad to hear the Lil' Ones ear appears to be softening, please include a photo or two of that side. Your vet assured you it was a wait and see condition because of the rarity, this may have just been some bruising as a reaction to the heat exposure.:great

Do you feel as though you could be hooked on Squirrel's enough to help other Lil' Ones that might be brought to you for help, they do have a way of communicating with each other and as soon as these two are old enough they will be sending out signals.:tinfoil

[RobinTN]

Ohhh she's so adorable, and growing so fast :klunk Have you named her?

Kooch you are doing a fantastic job with her... I think it's safe to say you've got 'The Touch'
Word will soon be out on the underground squirrel grapevine and they will know to come to you for help:secret
You may think I'm teasing or indulging fanciful ideas, but just wait and you'll see what I mean!!!

(& BTW :Love_Icon:Love_Icon:Love_Icon your nails:tilt)

[Kristi S]

Oh, she is lovely! All that red fur coming in. That's a striking view of how large the front legs are at this age compared to the rest of the body.

[Kooch]

So hey guys :) thank you all for all the support and help!! I don't know what I'd do if I didn't find you guys to help me raise this little cutie :) :grouphug

The babys appetite increased drastically! He eats like a maniac every 3.5-4hrs (around 2.3cc) and if I don't feed him the second cc the same instant he starts crying and making a huge fuss :p so cute though!

Below are some photos: the burn, which looks WAY worse on the photo than in person :( I'm still not sure about the eye. It's not "popping out" as much as the other one, but it is a little bit. So I'm not sure what to make of it..
The ear seems to be healing also, the top part still has a blackish color, but the bottom half now looks like the other one did 1 week ago (grayish color with a mixture of skin color) and it seems to be softening up.

There is another photo of the squirrels bottom, I figured now you can help me determine the sex once and for all :) i hope it's visible enough.

Thank you again for your help I'd be lost without you guys :)255177255178255179

[Spanky]

She is a she.. I mean she is not a he! It's a little girl!

I am hoping and praying HER eye and ear are able to fully recover! What a cutie SHE is!

[RobinTN]

What beautiful red fur!!! It's hard to believe how fast they grow... Don't you just love seeing new development every day?

We get to see lots of Eastern Greys & Fox squirrels here, and we love them to pieces, but it's a real treat to get to see your pretty little European Red grow:blowkiss:grouphug

[Kooch]

So I named her :) the name's Bless, as in God bless. I figured since she was so lucky to survive a tree cutting, fall from a nest and the burn, there must be something greater here :) :Love_Icon

I'm glad you like our little european squirrels. They are also endangered in case you didn't know, so we don't get to see them quite as often. We are lucky to live in the rural and there are more here.

I do love how she changes daily. I've raised quite a few animals from babies, from cats, pigeons, various birds, hedgehogs, but never before a squirrel :) Can't wait for her to open the little eyes. It must be another week or two I guess? Saturday will be 3 weeks since I've had her :) don't they open the eyes from 4-5 weeks?

Thanks for the prayers. I pray the burn will fully heal too :(

[Kooch]

Ooookay, so...!!

Today her "healthy" eye started kinda to open I guess. The lids are more and more open through out today. It started in the morning with a small opening, not a small spot wide and now it looks like it got 1/3 of the eye open. I can see the eye behind, it's very much visible when I feed her, i assume she's trying to open the eye at that time. The other one remains the same though. I think i'll take her to the vet tomorrow, so that he can estimate how she's healing.

Isn't it a bit soon for eyes to open?? I read somewhere it's between 4-5 weeks, but she's only turning 3 saturday??

Can someone explain pleaseee

[Annabelle's papa]

So I named her :) the name's Bless, as in God bless. I figured since she was so lucky to survive a tree cutting, fall from a nest and the burn, there must be something greater here :) :Love_Icon

I'm glad you like our little european squirrels. They are also endangered in case you didn't know, so we don't get to see them quite as often. We are lucky to live in the rural and there are more here.

I do love how she changes daily. I've raised quite a few animals from babies, from cats, pigeons, various birds, hedgehogs, but never before a squirrel :) Can't wait for her to open the little eyes. It must be another week or two I guess? Saturday will be 3 weeks since I've had her :) don't they open the eyes from 4-5 weeks?

Thanks for the prayers. I pray the burn will fully heal too :(


Ooookay, so...!!

Today her "healthy" eye started kinda to open I guess. The lids are more and more open through out today. It started in the morning with a small opening, not a small spot wide and now it looks like it got 1/3 of the eye open. I can see the eye behind, it's very much visible when I feed her, i assume she's trying to open the eye at that time. The other one remains the same though. I think i'll take her to the vet tomorrow, so that he can estimate how she's healing.

Isn't it a bit soon for eyes to open?? I read somewhere it's between 4-5 weeks, but she's only turning 3 saturday??

Can someone explain pleaseee

:)Hi Kooch, Bless is a beautiful name,:Love_Icon but I may have overlooked her Lil' Brothers name unless you haven't decided yet.:klunk

:)You're right about the 4-5 week age for eyes opening, although if they are beginning to open on their own this sounds OK.:great And I think another check up at the vet is a very good idea, he may even have some drops or solution to prescribe for their eyes. You are taking very good care of them.:thumbsup

[Kooch]

Well thank you, I am really doing my best :dance

You didn't miss anything, she doesn't have a brother, I only have her :) :Love_Icon


Well, the eye is open more and more by the hour, so I guess tomorrow we'll meet :)

[Annabelle's papa]

Well thank you, I am really doing my best :dance

You didn't miss anything, she doesn't have a brother, I only have her :) :Love_Icon


Well, the eye is open more and more by the hour, so I guess tomorrow we'll meet :)

:) Hi Kooch :embar I'm sorry, I have been on your thread with you since the first post, and we kept referring to Lil' Ms. Bless as a he until about ten days ago. :tilt I still honestly thought you were caring for twins :klunkthough, I think I may have made reference to another one a few times, I'll have to look back. Subconsciously I might have pictured you caring for Ms. Bless and a brother because of the fine job you have been doing. :thumbsup

[Kristi S]

Ooookay, so...!!

Today her "healthy" eye started kinda to open I guess. The lids are more and more open through out today. It started in the morning with a small opening, not a small spot wide and now it looks like it got 1/3 of the eye open. I can see the eye behind, it's very much visible when I feed her, i assume she's trying to open the eye at that time. The other one remains the same though. I think i'll take her to the vet tomorrow, so that he can estimate how she's healing.

Isn't it a bit soon for eyes to open?? I read somewhere it's between 4-5 weeks, but she's only turning 3 saturday??

Can someone explain pleaseee

Could be a species difference?

[island rehabber]

Yep, could be a species difference. Grey and fox squirrels open their eyes between the 30th and 40th day of life, so that's around 4-5 weeks old. Bless may be slightly different....love the name.

[Kooch]

Oh, okay, I was wondering why the eyes are starting to open so soon already.. I'm glad nothing is wrong.

Btw she now weighs 44g, and eats 3cc every 4 hours. Today we have the vet so I'm a little anxious what he's gonna say.

[Annabelle's papa]

Oh, okay, I was wondering why the eyes are starting to open so soon already.. I'm glad nothing is wrong.

Btw she now weighs 44g, and eats 3cc every 4 hours. Today we have the vet so I'm a little anxious what he's gonna say.

:)Good Morning Kooch, Lil' Ms. Bless is quite fortunate to have a good Pediatrician who cares about Her,:Love_Icon veterinarians who treat Wildlife over here are hundreds of miles apart in most locations. :sadness

:)I'm sure Her visit will yield a positive outcome.:thumbsup

[Kooch]

So the news aren't as positive as I'd hope but at least it's not worse.

The hard healed top of the wound (I don't know what you call it) was developing something mucus like (don't know how you call that either) stuff underneath, so they had to peel it off. While doing that they saw that the ear was actually already dead flesh and it was so bad that it just came off with the rest of the wound.

The eye is white-ish and they said that sometimes it develops that in order to protect the inner parts of the eye, so at this point they can't tell whether the eye is ok or not, or what to do next. Might heal, the sight will not be the same tho, or she might be blind. They will determine that at the next checkup, in cca. 10 days.

In the meantime I have to rub him with Bethadine and a creme (Tobrex) special for healing the eyes. If she will develop any kind of appetite loss, I have to come immediately.

He also got a shot of antibiotics again.

I'm so sad, the wound looks horrific, but the vet said she's better off now, that she was hurting before...

[Annabelle's papa]

So the news aren't as positive as I'd hope but at least it's not worse.

The hard healed top of the wound (I don't know what you call it) was developing something mucus like (don't know how you call that either) stuff underneath, so they had to peel it off. While doing that they saw that the ear was actually already dead flesh and it was so bad that it just came off with the rest of the wound.

The eye is white-ish and they said that sometimes it develops that in order to protect the inner parts of the eye, so at this point they can't tell whether the eye is ok or not, or what to do next. Might heal, the sight will not be the same tho, or she might be blind. They will determine that at the next checkup, in cca. 10 days.

In the meantime I have to rub him with Bethadine and a creme (Tobrex) special for healing the eyes. If she will develop any kind of appetite loss, I have to come immediately.

He also got a shot of antibiotics again.

I'm so sad, the wound looks horrific, but the vet said she's better off now, that she was hurting before...

:grouphug Bless your and Bless's Heart Kooch, you are taking very good care of Her, and it was an unforeseen accidental injury. How did Her doctor remark on the other eye that is beginning to open, is the Tobrex prescribed for use on that eye also.

[Kooch]

He didn't comment the other eye, so I guess it' normal for it to open this soon.. The Tobrex is for the injured eye only. I put the cremes on before and she seems a bit static atm, but I would think that comes from the shock and the pain. The vet said she will be in less pain now that the tissue is off though.
It's feeding time in half an hour so I will continue ti monitor her appetite. She had 44 grams this morning.

Thanks for your wishes, you are all so helpful!

[Annabelle's papa]

:grouphug

[Spanky]

Not the news anyone wanted, but let's hope and pray the eye develops well. Better to loose an ear than a eye (IMHO).

Did you plan on releasing her? If so, if she does have impaired eyesight are you considering giving her a forever home?

:grouphug

[Kooch]

I was planning in releasing her, yes, but considering all that's happened, I think we got ourselves a new family member, which is also wonderful! :) :) :grouphug

[Kristi S]

I can just imagine when she's older, with that one little ear tuft! She'll be a lovely, unique little squirrel, and I'm sure she'll love you heaps after the wonderful care you've given her.

How nice it is that you have a caring vet. Depending on how deep the burn is, she might actually be able to hear better without the outer ear. From the photos it looks like it was sealed shut. I'm not surprised they had to take the pus-filled blister off, and I can imagine it was painful for her. Now the skin below will have a chance to heal.

[Mommaluvy]

Wow. What a sweetie ! Thank you for helping her.

While I know the burn was not optimal... And it is sad.. The main thing is you saved her life.

One of my instructors told us " in the eyes of nature, when a human touches an animal it becomes dead to nature. If you can save its life then you add to nature" . That applies here. Thank you for saving little Bless !

[Kooch]

Good sunny sunday everybody :)

So a little update. The wound is healing really well in my opinion, so that's good. Looking at it on friday and today it seems to be improving and it really doesn't look as bad as it did. The eye however still looks scared - it has that white thing over it still, all I can do is rub the Tobrex on it and wait I guess :(

She hasn't lost any appetite, she eats 3-3.5 cc every 4 hours :)

I read a little about weaning. They are supposed to eat milk until they are cca. 12-14 weeks right? But you introduce them to solid foods at 6 weeks is that correct?

I read about some kind of blocks for them to nibble on for the first solid food they get. Where can I get these blocks? I don't think they have these here in Slovenia, but do you think I could get them shipped here? Just for starters, otherwise they do have foods for squirrels here, but do you think the food for pet squirrels and wild squirrels is different?

Thanks for the info it will help alot :)

[Spanky]

Yes, the diet for a pet squirrel is much different as they are at greater risk for Metabolic Bine Disease (MBD) than their wild counterparts. Many stores sell "squirrel food" full of seeds, corn and nuts and that is a diet almost guaranteed to lead to MBD in a pet squirrel.

Here is the link for healthy pet squirrel diet:

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

Weaning. It's best if you just let Bless continue to take formula for as long as she wishes. Most will self wean eventually. Some pet (non-releasable) squirrels continue to eat formula their entire lives (from a dish). It is full of good stuff!

We prefer the Henry's Healthy Blocks (HHB ) made especially for squirrels, but that may get expensive to ship there.

Edit: And they mold after a few days, so the shipping time may actually prevent you from buying the pre-made blocks from Henry's! We keep them in the freezer and remove only what s needed each day.

Another option is to purchase the Henry's vitamin mixture and make your own... here is a link the recipe:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...99#post1061499

You want the first food to be these blocks, to get Bless eating block. Best to give the veggies and fruit (and an occasional nut) only after the blocks are eaten.

Oxbow and Harland Teklad make some rodent blocks that while not as good as the HHB, are better for squirrels than most of the rodent block and hamster/guinea pig food you may be able to buy there.

If you can post info, even pictures, of what rodent food is available in the pet store we can try to help?

If you want to post a picture of Bless' eye there are folks here (but not me!) that may have experience with eye issues and maybe can tell you if she'll maybe regain at least some sight?

You are doing great... Bless is lucky to have found you! :thumbsup

[island rehabber]

:bowdown :thankyou Spanky! All the right stuff -- and you've got it right there in that excellent post. :clap

[Kooch]

What's up with this "broken url" site. I have experienced this before, like if I try to goto this forum with my laptop or phone via wireless it blocks me out. When I go on my phone via LTE network it works. And now it won't open that link to the forum recipe Sparky gave me at all. How do I fix this? Is it possible that it's a location thing, hence i'm not in the states so it blocks the ip out?
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[island rehabber]

It could be that the IP's are vblocked -- we have had so much trouble with spammers that most of Europe and Asia are now blocked :shakehead.....I will alert Bravo to the problem.

[Kooch]

Yes I thought it might be a location issue :) thank you so much, it's nervewrecking to browse through this much info in my phone :p

[Bravo]

Hi Kooch... unfortunately you're not the first, or last. Could you pm me- I need the specific IP address. Thanks... we'll get this worked out for you asap. :great

[Spanky]

That link I posted as broken for me as well... sorry, I did not test it... here is a new link (and maybe an admin can edit the prior one incase anyone else is looking for the recipe?):

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?48634-adult-squirrel-recipe&p=1061499#post1061499

[Kooch]

Ok, fixed it :)

What do these little squirrels eat when they are in their natural habitat? I mean I'm curious what their mommy squirrel brings in for them to eat when they are weaning..?

[Spanky]

What do these little squirrels eat when they are in their natural habitat? I mean I'm curious what their mommy squirrel brings in for them to eat when they are weaning..?

Trick question? :grin2

I am guessing they eat whatever is available for mom to bring them? In my yard, I have seen mommies bring to the nest with babies yellow poplar buds (before the flower blooms), poplar bark, oak tree blossoms, dogwood berries, wild blackberries, blueberries and strawberries, crab apples, insects, acorns, hickory nuts, etc. Does not mean the babies are or are not eating these things?!?! :dono

They have also been seen taking nuts put out for them to their nests. Last summer a release (Sandy) had 3 babies in a nest box nearby the house. Sandy is really good at carrying at least two nuts... but she had 3 babies! In the late summer she'd disappear into the nest box with a couple nuts and soon 2 very happy babies would emerge to enjoy their treats as the sun set! I could only hope they had a rotation going on and it was not always the same little one that did not get the evening snack!

[Kooch]

No trick question :) i really didn't know, there's not really much written on red squirrel babies that live here. Regarding nutrition and habitat..

So here are some photos. Today I noticed her skin is kinda.. Let's say dry. I noticed some flakes (almost like dandruff) on her head and when I touched it it seems to itch her, because she started scratching. Then I scratched a little and she started making these weird noises, but it seemed like it's soothing her.
I inspected her a little more and found flake like pieces near her leg and tummy. I took a picture, I do hope it's visible. When I rubbed some creme on there the pieces kinda fell off with a little bit of fur attached... That itches her also and she scratched.

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What is that?? Is that normal or am I doing something wrong?

You said you wanted to see the photos of the wound, so here are 2. It still doesn't look good, but it is healing. It looks a bit brownish because I applied the Betadine a few hours ago. You can also see the eye but i think it's closed now.
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[island rehabber]

Sweeeeet baby girl. Those flakes look similar to what our Costa Rican member stosh2010 had with one of his little ones (JD). Do you have Dawn dishwashing soap over there, or an equivalent? I would dip a washcloth in a solution of warm water and a few drops of Dawn and wipe her down with it once a day, then wipe off with clean water and dry her thoroughly. You can also use an antibacterial wash like Betadine in a similar way. Just make sure she doesn't get chilled.
That wound looks so angry.....silver sulfadiazine cream would be perfect for that. Here they call it Silvadene Cream...you may be able to get some there as it is normally sold for human use, for burns.

[Kooch]

We don't have Dawn here no, and nothing comes to mind that would be equivalent to that. I rub some "Ribogal" on it (it has vitamin D, A and omega 3), so maybe that will help, or I can maybe buy Bepanderm that is designed for skin rashes and discomfort like redness, dry skin etc.??

The wound does look nasty yeah, but it looks really big on these photos. I asked the vet what creme I should use, and he said I only have to use the brown Betadine, because the skin has to heal. He said it's not a burn anymore, therefore those kind of cremes won't really help, that it developed a mild mycosis, which he removed and that Betadine will help heal that. It's also an open wound, so he said a creme wouldn't be the best choice until the wound forms that crust thing..

[Kristi S]

Dawn is simply a mild soap made for washing dishes by hand (not in the washing machine). There must be something like that there, I would think.

IS, are you thinking mange?


The following is from a page about European Red Squirrels:

Development
Between 20 and 50 per cent of kittens survive to adulthood. Young red squirrels are weaned off their mother's milk after about 8 - 12 weeks, when they have developed a complete set of teeth.

Diet
Red squirrels are seed eaters. They favour pine cones, but also eat larch and spruce. Their diet also includes fungi, shoots and fruits of shrubs and trees, and sometimes birds' eggs. They can choose between good and bad nuts by holding them in their paws. Reds do not hibernate and store fungi in trees to eat over the winter months. When food is plentiful, they put on weight in the autumn to help them through the winter. This is important for breeding females, so that they are in good condition for producing young.

They also eat bark. When old enough, you can also provide her with a bone, antler, or cuttlebone (like the ones used for birds) to give her something to keep her teeth in check and from which she can get extra calcium if she needs it. Vitamin D is also very important. The safest way to give her that is to have an additional outdoors cage that has part sun, part shade - though of course, her time in that depends on the weather. Anyway, there's plenty of time to worry about that, but since you're keeping this little darling, you might be starting to consider caging now.


Interesting that they can choose good nuts just by holding them! I wonder if part of that is through their acute sense of smell.

[island rehabber]

I was thinking it could be the same mites that were causing flakes and fur loss on stosh's little guy.
Not sarcoptic mange but possibly cheylettiella mites.

[Annabelle's papa]

We don't have Dawn here no, and nothing comes to mind that would be equivalent to that. I rub some "Ribogal" on it (it has vitamin D, A and omega 3), so maybe that will help, or I can maybe buy Bepanderm that is designed for skin rashes and discomfort like redness, dry skin etc.??

The wound does look nasty yeah, but it looks really big on these photos. I asked the vet what creme I should use, and he said I only have to use the brown Betadine, because the skin has to heal. He said it's not a burn anymore, therefore those kind of cremes won't really help, that it developed a mild mycosis, which he removed and that Betadine will help heal that. It's also an open wound, so he said a creme wouldn't be the best choice until the wound forms that crust thing..

:)Hi Kooch, what type of dish detergents are available maybe something can be closely matched according to ingredients, and the Silvedene mentioned contains Colloidal Silver, maybe something can to be matched to it as well. Also DE or Diatomaceous Earth originally came from the area of Europe that you are located, and is still heavily mined in the entire region and may be referred to as Diatomite. You're right in not wanting to use any of these items until Lil' Bless has improved, however maybe you could try and locate some of these things to treat her skin with in the future if necessary.:great

[Kristi S]

Oh, I thought "mange" was a general term for a variety of types of mite infestation. We're thinking along the same lines, at any rate.

[Kooch]

Hey :)

I'll check the store today for the detergents, but I am assuming I need to get something antibacterial and as mild as possible right?

How about homemade soap? I have tons of it at home and it's mild and it doesn't aggravate skin at all.. Would that be useful?
The other thing is I'm not that comfortable with wiping her head around the open wound, I'm afraid she'd move and the soap would get on there... :( I did rub some creme on her (the one with vitamins) and the flakes seems to not spread, and she does have less of it.

Thank you Kristi S, that's helpful info. I didn't know they start weaning that soon, since all the pages I read were about grey squirrels etc. say they need more time. But I guess this species is quite different, since the eyes opened this soon as well.

How long do the squirrels need additional heat? Meaning, when can I take the heating pad away and they can generate their own heat? cca. 5 weeks? Most pages say that's when you stop the night feeding as well... How is it with that?


Update: We now weigh 56g and eat almost 4cc. We go rather ballistic when the second cc isn't introduced immediately after the 1st :bliss :D

[Spanky]

Hey :)I'll check the store today for the detergents, but I am assuming I need to get something antibacterial and as mild as possible right?

How long do the squirrels need additional heat? Meaning, when can I take the heating pad away and they can generate their own heat?

So happy to hear Bless is eating so well! :dance

I do not believe Dawn contains antibacterials, at least not in the blue Dawn that is recommended. And to be honest I don't know why Dawn is the go to but it has been proven effective and safe. It may be something about the ingredients that is deadly for the "buggers" (mites, fleas, etc.) or it could be the amount of surfactants in Dawn that reduce surface tension making it simply easier to rinse away the "buggers"? And a WAG that just came to mind: The surfactants decreasing the tension may make it simply easier for the buggers be asphyxiated (drown) in the water?!?!?!? I am sure someone will be along to provide more empirical comments as to why Dawn works well on buggers....

As far as heat, typically I let the squirrel decide. If I notice they prefer being off the heat and sleep / stay in the side of the container not on the heating pad, I remove the heating pad. When they get bigger, eyes open and moving around more and climbing, they move into a multi-level cage. If they still had the heating pad, I will leave it in the bottom of the new cage with a place to sleep as well as a place to sleep in the top... if they choose the top, the pad goes. Also pay attention to if the baby feels "cool" when you pick them up, because they should not and being cool may indicate a continued need for heat. And yours is a singleton (lone baby) and does not have the advantage babies with cage mates / litter mates have in consolidating their heat when they sleep in a squirrel pile!!! :great

[Kooch]

Oh so mites that attack squirrels actually exist?? Where do they get them?

As I said, I'm not fond of wiping any liquid or soap or whatever around and near the wound while it's healing, I'm really afraid it will set it off even more and do more harm than good... Is it very wring to wait like a week with this treatement or are these "mites" going to do serious damage and are life threatening??

What we have here referring detergents and soaps-I took a picture of it because there are quite a lot and maybe you will recognize some in case they are there too. First ones are detergents for handwashing and the last picture are soaps. Hope it helps in any way..

Thank you :)

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[Annabelle's papa]

:)Hi Kooch, the Pril in the blue bottle shouldn't contain the antibacterial 'Triclosan', and it is most similar to the Dawn we use over here. Henkle is the company that manufactures Pril and they also produce the laundry detergent Purex, I've used Purex for years because it rinses out well and leaves our clothes less irritating.

:) You are right in not wanting to use anything right now except warm water, there is time to address the mite issue if necessary. You could also look for a topical burn cream with Coloidal Silver, over here there is silvedene, silvederm and a new product called Curad Silver Solution; www.curadstore.com/curad-silver-solution-antimicrobial-gel.html A product similar to one of these will definitely solve Lil' Blesses mite problem if She has them, however hold off until She is a bit older.:thumbsup And you could also look for some DE as I mentioned in a previous post from 5:00 yesterday.:great

:)As Spanky mentioned there is something in certain detergent formulas that breaks the surface tension and allows most parasites to rinse away.:clap

[Kooch]

Oh really? The blue Pril? So before I go and buy it I have to check for Triclosan - and that shouldn't be in there. Did I get it right? :)

So today we have upper teeth emerging... I can only see little white dots in her gums, but I tried and felt it and it's pointy, so can't be anything else... I taught that happens later, not at 3 weeks. Considering she was 2-3 days old when found, lets say she's 4 weeks.. Still soon isn't it?

[Annabelle's papa]

Oh really? The blue Pril? So before I go and buy it I have to check for Triclosan - and that shouldn't be in there. Did I get it right? :)

So today we have upper teeth emerging... I can only see little white dots in her gums, but I tried and felt it and it's pointy, so can't be anything else... I taught that happens later, not at 3 weeks. Considering she was 2-3 days old when found, lets say she's 4 weeks.. Still soon isn't it?

:)Hi Kooch, the teeth issue could also be species related as the eyes are, how is Ms. Bless doing with the eye that has opened.

:) I believe the other colors/scents of Pril could be antibacterial formulas, that's the way it is with Dawn dish detergent over here, but the standard blue without an antibacterial additive such as Triclosan, is the go-to detergent for all Animals. :thumbsup

:) As you mentioned though don't proceed with anything right now until Lil' Blesses eye heals a bit longer, it may only be dry skin, and some additional hydration would help that.:great

:)And you may be able to find the food grade Diatomaceous Earth at any feed and seed or gardening supply outlet, this stuff is very safe to use everywhere and on everything, and it will treat and control mites, fleas, and nearly every insect including ants.:tilt

[Kooch]

The open eye seems ok, I can't see anything wrong with it.

She has enormous appetite and is rapidly gaining weight. I said yesterday she weighs 56g, well, now she has 64g :) I am weighing her in before food of course.

I'll need to start thinking of moving her into a different container, or move some stuff around in this one, she started to "climb" the walls, which I covered in fleece and today I found her behind that fleece, facing plastic. She was like that for only five minutes, but it gave me shivers that there wouldn't be another incident..

[Spanky]

She has enormous appetite and is rapidly gaining weight. I said yesterday she weighs 56g, well, now she has 64g :) I am weighing her in before food of course.

Whoa! Great news on the weight gain, she is starting to do a little catch up in that area now that she is feeling better! :bliss

[Kooch]

Hey guys :) Rainy day here, but it's rather warm, so we cope hehe :)

So little Bless had 64g 2 days ago, now she has 73g :dance

She scratched the crust of the wound off, so now it looks better and I think she feels that way too. She started crawling around alot and has a lot of energy it seems. She climbs the walls of the container also, and I'm a little afraid she'd climb over, so I'm brainstorming right now as where I should move her. I can't put her in a hamster cage yet, so I'm searching the house for a taller container :)

As Spanky mentioned a bit earlier in the posts, you have to keep an eye as to when the squirrels climb off the pad and spend most of the time off it. I was noticing that the past few days. She still climbs on, but mostly after feeding because it's really warm, but after a min or 2 she climbs back off and usually doesn't return back on. Maybe sometimes, but at that point the pad is barely warm..
I also noticed that before, when I was feeding her she would get a little colder than she was she I take her out, but now she keeps the same temperature it seems. Do you think I should leave the pad for another week and not warm it as much as I used to, just a quick blast in the microwave?

Also tomorrow she turns 1 month. Well 1 month and 2-3days. On Henry's pets site it says that at 4 weeks they don't need night feeding anymore. Do you think it's ok if I feed her at 00.30 or 1am and then at 7.30 or 8am? Or is that too long for her to be without food?

I also wrote to Henry's pets, and they said that ordering their blocks is not a good idea, since they don't last long. So they said they could send me their protein and vitamins for 6months and that I can make my own block from that. If I order all that I just use the recipe you all posted before right?

And since we got that this species apparently develops faster, when do I give her the block? When the upper teeth are really visible (right now its just two small white dots inside the gum)?
I noticed she sniffs around a lot when I put her on the table to feed :)

Do you think I can use a 2cc or 3cc syringe, or is that too much and I should keep at 1cc?

Thanks for your answers :) :grouphug

[Annabelle's papa]

:)Good Morning Kooch, it's still raining a lot here also, and some areas are still getting snow.:eek

:)I don't have enough experience to answer all of your questions, but I'm sure they will come, however our Administrator I R says a good way to cover a container when you don't have anything else is to use one of the racks from your oven, and weight it down with a heavy book.:great

:)And yes with the 'Vita-mins' you order from Henry's you can make the block recipe that is posted on the board.:serene

[Spanky]

Yippee! So glad she continues to gain weight well. :bliss

Keep in mind that most of the guidelines are for a normal, uncompromised healthy squirrel; and they are guidelines and situations can be different. Its already been determined your Bless seems to be developing faster than our grey squirrels normally do. So she is probably very close to be able to go 6 -7 hours overnight without a feeding.

As a guideline, blocks are introduced at 6 weeks, with Bless that may mean 5 weeks? She'll mostly shred (and not eat) them at first, but it is the right thing to introduce the block first and train Bless this is her primary food and will be the foundation of her diet.

I think you have the right idea about the heat. Another week or so she'll probably not need it but always pay attention to her body temp.

My personal guideline is graduate to a 3ML system at around 90gms... I don't know what other do? If you have access to a 2ML syringe (I have not seen a 2ML syringe) I would think that is okay. The important thing is controlling the flow so they do not get too much and aspirate! The miracle syringes from Henry's are wonderful in that they do not get "sticky" like regular syringes (especially ones larger than 1ML) do from repeated use; this makes it much easier to prevent accidental aspiration.

You are doing a wonderful job and I hope you will be able to start sleeping through the nights very soon! :sleep

PS We love pictures!

[Kooch]

Hey guys :)

I did end up putting an oven rack on the container, since she got close to the top several times..

Well, tomorrow I will order the proteins and vita-mins, then I have to wait for them to get here.. Is it wrong if I feed her that at 6 weeks instead of 5 and just continue with milk only until 6? The ingredients might take up to 2 weeks to get here..

I have to go to the pharmacy and see if there is a 2ml syringe, if not, I will follow your rule and feed her with a bigger one at around 100g, it shouldn't take long for her to reach this weight anyway. Better safe than sorry :)

So I noticed that the tail is "connected" at the end, looks like a link. The end part (3mm long) is also a little smaller than the actual tail, which is really thick. The end part also has hair and otherwise looks the same apart from being smaller. I read somewhere that when in danger, a squirrel can drop its tail to "confuse" whatever is attacking her. Do you think that's it? Because nothing never happened to her tail, it's not an injury either, it look like it's supposed to be like that.. I think it's only visible now since the hair is still short.

I will post the detailed pictures of the tail tomorrow, so that you can se what I'm talking about.

Thanks for the support :) On monday we're going to the vet on a checkup, and I hope everything goes well :)

I will post pictures, I didn't have much time atm :)

My dad is thrilled with our little squirrel, he already started designing cages hehe :) :)

[Annabelle's papa]

:)Good Afternoon Kooch, the oven rack is a very good idea when something temporary is needed. I think Spanky mentioned that 1 and 3 cc syringes are the only ones available, I'm not sure though.:dono

:)Don't worry about how long it will be before you get the items to make blocks with, you can keep Ms. Bless on formula for as long as she keeps drinking it, some will drink formula from a shallow dish after they are older.:great

:)After you get caught up you can post some photos of her tail.:serene

[Kooch]

Heeey guys :)

So we just came from the vet. He said that the eye seems to be healing and that he thinks atm she can determine light/dark, and that hopefully in time she's going to be able to see at least shapes. The greyness will fade away a little bit but it will be visible. I have to keep rubbing tobrex, next checkup in 2 weeks.
The wound is healing nicely. He took a skin sample to check for mites and gave me an antiseptic shampoo to wash her. I'm getting the results from the sample tonight.

We now have 80g and we like to climb on hands :)
She's still a little clumsy, bit getting there :)

Below are some photos of the eye and the tail. The vet didnt know what's up with the tail either but he'll check.

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[HappyLittleSquirrely]

What a Doll! :clap:Love_Icon

[Annabelle's papa]

What a Doll! :clap:Love_Icon

:)Hi Kooch, just like HappyLittleSquirrely said, Lil' Ms. Bless is a :Love_Icon Doll Baby :Love_Icon the Board needs to have another Photo Contest, just so She can Win the Grand Prize!!! :klunk She is also growing up so very Fast, and please don't worry too much about Her fur, it is still growing in and I'm almost sure She doesn't have any problems or conditions. :thumbsup

:)I didn't know Royal Canine made a powdered formula, when you post some more photos of Bless, (You Can Post As Many As You Want:great ) would you also post a photo of Her friend sleeping in the container behind Her in the third photo.:hug

[Kooch]

https://vid.me/W6gs

Here you can hear her being unhappy because the food wasn't there the same instant :) :tap

What friend? Maybe you mean the dark thing that I put in the container - that's just a piece of real fur that I found somewhere. She seems to love it because it's really soft and warm. :)

We just had the bath and she seems to love it, she's making these weird growling noises and almost fell asleep :p

[Annabelle's papa]

https://vid.me/W6gs

Here you can hear her being unhappy because the food wasn't there the same instant :) :tap

What friend? Maybe you mean the dark thing that I put in the container - that's just a piece of real fur that I found somewhere. She seems to love it because it's really soft and warm. :)

We just had the bath and she seems to love it, she's making these weird growling noises and almost fell asleep :p

:)That was the cutest nine seconds of video I've ever seen,:klunk She really sounds like a handful, Momma's Girl.:serene

:):embar I thought the 'Fur' in the container was a Puppy or small Dog, it's hard to tell from 4000 miles away. :embar :grin3

[Kooch]

Yeah she really is adorable. Whenever we get to the vet everybody comes see her, the nurses and other vets also :P

Apart from that, does anyone have a clue of what's up with the tail than?

[Kristi S]

What a darlin'! Love that red fur.

Looks like her tail got squeezed at some point. The fact that it's black is a little worrisome, or is that fur? If it's really black, it could be necrotic, in which case amputation of that last little bit might be in order, so it doesn't spread. When did you notice it, and how long has it been black? Can she feel it? Squirrels can lose their tails to predators, but they don't "drop" them, and of course they don't grow back, like a gecko's tail does. What did the vet mean when he said he'd check on it?

He wound is healing wonderfully! You've done a great job!

[Kooch]

I don't know where it would get squeezed because nothing heavy or anthing was ever in the container neither has anything happened while she was outside for feeding..
It's not black, that's fur. When the tail was naked nothing was visible, then she grew fur and it doesn't seem to hurt her. The fur is just shorter, otherwise the whole end is covered.

The only thing i can see, when looking at her furless pictures is that the tail is a little dark at the end from the start... But if it was injured at any point at the very beginning, before I got her, I don't know why it would grow fur...

The vet meant to check if it is common for our squirrels to have this link.

Here's a photo of when she didn't have fur yet. I think this was when I've had her 2 days, but before the incident.
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[Spanky]

Bless is adorable!

With the tail, can you remind us again about the progression? Did the tip just never grow hair and then recently start growing hair? Or had it started to grow hair, loose the hair and now it is re-growing? Or maybe something entirely different?!?! :dono

I don't think it is much concern either way, just wondering since it does look compromised / injured and it is curious (to me) that with the way it look right now that it may be growing new hair (or hair for the first time).

[Kooch]

Well, I was never too attentive of the tail since the start.. I didn't think that being darkish was meaning anything...

As I said, nothing ever happened to the tail as far as I would notice, she was developing all together. The hair grew with the other part of the tail, the end part was never 'naked', whilist the other part would be growing hair. So there would never be a difference between the two ends in any kind of way apart from shorter hair.

The tip was never naked and that the other part would be furry. It went all together.

[Annabelle's papa]

Bless is adorable!

With the tail, can you remind us again about the progression? Did the tip just never grow hair and then recently start growing hair? Or had it started to grow hair, loose the hair and now it is re-growing? Or maybe something entirely different?!?! :dono

I don't think it is much concern either way, just wondering since it does look compromised / injured and it is curious (to me) that with the way it look right now that it may be growing new hair (or hair for the first time).


Well, I was never too attentive of the tail since the start.. I didn't think that being darkish was meaning anything...

As I said, nothing ever happened to the tail as far as I would notice, she was developing all together. The hair grew with the other part of the tail, the end part was never 'naked', whilist the other part would be growing hair. So there would never be a difference between the two ends in any kind of way apart from shorter hair.

The tip was never naked and that the other part would be furry. It went all together.

:)Good Evening Kooch, just as Spanky was saying it's just a minor anomaly like a birthmark or something, and the bare portion of her tail will fill in I'm sure. :great

:)The photo of her tail from when she was younger looks uninjured and normal.:Love_Icon

:)From what I've seen, skin and fur issues are almost always accompanied by irritation and flakiness or lesions, uniformly hairless areas are just growth patterns, and if Ms. Bless were an adult Squirrel it would resemble a pattern of molting.:thumbsup

[Kristi S]

I agree - if the black is just fur, I wouldn't worry about it. Just keep an eye on it, see if it changes.

[Kooch]

Hey guys :) super sunny and warm here :)

So we're doing fine. After washing her 2 times withthe antiseptic shapoo the fur improved and she has noticabely less flakes. A couple more times and we should be good :)

Today when weeding her she was crawling around the table. A little milk was left in the cork of the bowl and she found that. Then she started licking it and she ate the dropps off the cork, so I guess we just learned how to drink :P

Now I have an issue. I calculated how much it would cost forme to get the supplies for making the blocks. Including shipping it's unimagenably expensive and I don't have that kind of money for this :( it would cost me a little under 90$ :( :( :(
So I'm looking for alternatives and I need your help... What else could I feed her that would be acceptable and that she would start eating solids. I need to know what to feed her apart from fruit veggies and nuts. I know she soon will eat, because she bites on my fingernail quite a lot.. I read on Mary Cummins site that they put little pieces of avocado for them to nibble on is that real?? Help please :(

Also regarding the tail: do you think it's possible that she was sucking it or nibbling on it and hurt herself?

Thanks guys :)

Also, ofcourse, photos :) feeding and then sleeping while we have to be petted of course :)
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[island rehabber]

If you can't get or make the Henry's Blocks easily, I think you will have to just adhere to the Healthy Diet as closely as you can every single day. Remember, nuts are treats, NOT a staple of her diet. As a first solid food, I like to offer raw sweet potato, raw string beans, and sugar snap peas in the pod. Babies love them. Only give one piece of each for her to try, after her morning feeding, while she's still on formula. She will play with the food and shred it, but she will eat some and eventually she'll eat it all.

[Kooch]

Hey guys :)

Ok, is there an article anywhere about what proper squirrel nitrition is? I will gladly follow whatever you have to feed them.. I know nuts are a desert, i remembered that. But if nutr are 10%, what are the other things? Is everything else fruits and veggies? Which ones? Are they different for your squirrels and our squirrels?

Also today I found the tip of the tail on the floor of the container. I don't know what she did, but it must have fallen off or she bit it off. The tip looks like an empty shell though, it's hard and hollow inside. So the tip end of the tail is now without anything. I put a lot of Bepanthene on it but should I do anything else? She doesn't seem to mind though, she was out before jumping around on the bed and climbing. No loss of appetite either, she now has 96g.

Here are some photos of the tip and the tip compared to a regular q-tip. It's only a few mm.

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[Annabelle's papa]

Hey guys :)

Ok, is there an article anywhere about what proper squirrel nitrition is? I will gladly follow whatever you have to feed them.. I know nuts are a desert, i remembered that. But if nutr are 10%, what are the other things? Is everything else fruits and veggies? Which ones? Are they different for your squirrels and our squirrels?

Also today I found the tip of the tail on the floor of the container. I don't know what she did, but it must have fallen off or she bit it off. The tip looks like an empty shell though, it's hard and hollow inside. So the tip end of the tail is now without anything. I put a lot of Bepanthene on it but should I do anything else? She doesn't seem to mind though, she was out before jumping around on the bed and climbing. No loss of appetite either, she now has 96g.

Here are some photos of the tip and the tip compared to a regular q-tip. It's only a few mm.

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:)Good Morning Kooch and Ms. Bless, Bless's tail will be fine, keep the area clean and make sure she doesn't want to chew at it. Here is the healthy diet chart; http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

[Kooch]

Ok, thank god just that it'll be fine! I was a little worried...

I also got Bless a little tiny plush toy with no stuffing because she looked bored and she plays with it a lot now, throwing it around and nibbling on it. :)
Ironically the toy is also missing an ear :p

Here's a pic where she's sleeping after she was out on my bed a bit running around. :) i have to say that it's not placed, she covered herself and sleeps with the toy all the time :) so cute i'm dying here :Love_Icon :blowkiss256370 then accidentally woke her up :/256371

[Annabelle's papa]

:)Hi again, a Squirrels tail can detach itself when it becomes caught in something or injured, it is not uncommon at all. Ms. Bless may have nursed or sucked on the little tip when she was younger, keep it clean and dry and it should heal just fine. Avocado is good for them and it will help make her fur shiny, however the 'Pit' and the 'Skin' is toxic so only offer the soft fleshy part.:thumbsup

:)As IR mentioned stay very close to the healthy diet chart and avoid all of the less than healthy foods such as seeds and nuts, and remember Lil' Bless can continue drinking the Royal Canine formula for as long as she will take it, she might even keep drinking it from a shallow dish as she gets older.:tilt

:)You might be able to order 'Harlan Teklad' blocks online, look them up and see if you can find some available by mail order, they are sold around the world by several distributors.:)

[Annabelle's papa]

Ok, thank god just that it'll be fine! I was a little worried...

I also got Bless a little tiny plush toy with no stuffing because she looked bored and she plays with it a lot now, throwing it around and nibbling on it. :)
Ironically the toy is also missing an ear :p

Here's a pic where she's sleeping after she was out on my bed a bit running around. :) i have to say that it's not placed, she covered herself and sleeps with the toy all the time :) so cute i'm dying here :Love_Icon :blowkiss256370 then accidentally woke her up :/256371

:serene

[island rehabber]

Good idea about the Harlan Teklad, annabelle's papa! Kooch may very well be able to get those and they are excellent. :thumbsup

Bless is beyond cuteness......:klunk

[Annabelle's papa]

Good idea about the Harlan Teklad, annabelle's papa! Kooch may very well be able to get those and they are excellent. :thumbsup

Bless is beyond cuteness......:klunk


:)Thank You IR, you told me about the Harlan Teklads,:thumbsup however they would also cost a mint because of the shipping. I've been checking out all of the alternatives I could find, what diet would be close to a Squirrel without being harmful, "Degu"?:tilt I ask because there are some pretty good small Animal food companies in Slovenia, but I don't know what other rodents diet closely matches a Squirrels.:dono

[CritterMom]

:)Thank You IR, you told me about the Harlan Teklads,:thumbsup however they would also cost a mint because of the shipping. I've been checking out all of the alternatives I could find, what diet would be close to a Squirrel without being harmful, "Degu"?:tilt I ask because there are some pretty good small Animal food companies in Slovenia, but I don't know what other rodents diet closely matches a Squirrels.:dono

A manufactured pet rat food would be closest - it will look like the HTs probably. NOT rat food that is just a blend of seeds and corn!

[Annabelle's papa]

A manufactured pet rat food would be closest - it will look like the HTs probably. NOT rat food that is just a blend of seeds and corn!

:)Good Morning CritterMom and Thank You, there are some good small Animal food brands in Slovenia, and they do give detailed ingredients on each variety. Is there something Kooch might be able to produce/bake using powdered Royal Canine, or best to stay with the diet chart and a small portion of quality rat food.:)

[Bravo]

Bless is growing so quickly:w00t Great photos. Hopefully some good local food options for her.

[Kristi S]

:)Good Morning CritterMom and Thank You, there are some good small Animal food brands in Slovenia, and they do give detailed ingredients on each variety. Is there something Kooch might be able to produce/bake using powdered Royal Canine, or best to stay with the diet chart and a small portion of quality rat food.:)

I would think dog/cat food would be too high in protein.

I noticed during orientation for volunteering to feed squirrels at the MN Wildlife Rehab Center (I start Sunday, can hardly wait!) it looked like they use Zupreem monkey biscuits....not that they would be widely available in Slovenia! I agree that a good quality rat pellet/biscuit would be the way to go. Kooch could also investigate and observe what they eat in the wild, and supplement with that.

I'm so happy she's doing well! What a little darling. You've done a beautiful job, Kooch!

[Annabelle's papa]

I would think dog/cat food would be too high in protein.

I noticed during orientation for volunteering to feed squirrels at the MN Wildlife Rehab Center (I start Sunday, can hardly wait!) it looked like they use Zupreem monkey biscuits....not that they would be widely available in Slovenia! I agree that a good quality rat pellet/biscuit would be the way to go. Kooch could also investigate and observe what they eat in the wild, and supplement with that.

I'm so happy she's doing well! What a little darling. You've done a beautiful job, Kooch!

:)Good Morning Ms. Kristi, I believe Kooch has been using the Royal Canine formula with Lil' Bless, it's supposed to be comparable to Esbilac. The shipping rates on anything outside of Slovenia are incredibly high, Kooch mentioned 90.00 just to receive the supplements from Henry's to make her own blocks. And when I checked on what 5 lbs of Harlan Teklad would cost, it was almost 70.00 including shipping.:sadness

:)Your absolutely right about supplementation from local sources, and I think it would be a good project if we developed different Healthy food charts for all of the International Members. :thumbsup

[Kooch]

Hey guys :) thanks for all the tips regarding food and everything. But still in the chart the main food is still the blocks.. So do I feed her avocados to start with and sweet potatoes as someone mentioned? Do avocados need to be as ripe as for people or doesn't that really matter..?

I will check the stores of what foods we carry, but most of it really isn't here so we have to cope.. The degu food I think existed somewhere. How about guinea pigs food? It has lots of calcium and they do make block like food. It's a brand named Bunny adult guinea pig food.. What is the main ingredient of what thw squirrels need the most? Is it protein and fat? Do they also need a lot of calcium since they are "rodents" i guess and I know they need it for their back legs I think?

Thanks and a lovely saturday everybody :)

[Annabelle's papa]

Hey guys :) thanks for all the tips regarding food and everything. But still in the chart the main food is still the blocks.. So do I feed her avocados to start with and sweet potatoes as someone mentioned? Do avocados need to be as ripe as for people or doesn't that really matter..?

I will check the stores of what foods we carry, but most of it really isn't here so we have to cope.. The degu food I think existed somewhere. How about guinea pigs food? It has lots of calcium and they do make block like food. It's a brand named Bunny adult guinea pig food.. What is the main ingredient of what thw squirrels need the most? Is it protein and fat? Do they also need a lot of calcium since they are "rodents" i guess and I know they need it for their back legs I think?

Thanks and a lovely saturday everybody :)

:)Good Saturday Afternoon To You And Ms. Bless Kooch,

:)I too found the complete line of Bunny Brand small Animal foods, although I was having trouble locating pet stores. I'm not sure how far you are from Ljubljana, however the Zootic Pet Shop there carries the Bunny brand products.:thumbsup

:)I also located What I believe are called 'Monster Diet' pet foods for small Animals, but I couldn't find anything else on them other than a photograph. Are you currently using powdered or liquid Royal Canine formula with Lil' Bless, I ask because the longer She keeps drinking that the better, even after she is older she might keep drinking it from a shallow dish.:great

:)We are going to put together a wonderful diet for Ms. Bless, I'm just not sure if some of the commercial foods will be that great for her other than as a treat. And you are right, Bless will need a high calcium low phosphorus selection of food items, and you can always supplement her calcium needs with Tums antacid tablets or an equivalent form of basic calcium carbonate, nothing containing any additional minerals or vitamins.:thumbsup



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[Kristi S]

:)Good Morning Ms. Kristi, I believe Kooch has been using the Royal Canine formula with Lil' Bless, it's supposed to be comparable to Esbilac. The shipping rates on anything outside of Slovenia are incredibly high, Kooch mentioned 90.00 just to receive the supplements from Henry's to make her own blocks. And when I checked on what 5 lbs of Harlan Teklad would cost, it was almost 70.00 including shipping.:sadness

:)Your absolutely right about supplementation from local sources, and I think it would be a good project if we developed different Healthy food charts for all of the International Members. :thumbsup

Oh, I meant the hard dog food for adult dogs, I didn't think about the formula. Silly me!

[Annabelle's papa]

Oh, I meant the hard dog food for adult dogs, I didn't think about the formula. Silly me!

:)Bless Your Heart Ms. Kristi, I put out puppy chow and corn and oat scratch feed in several areas for the wilds on our block, it's hard to even find peanuts this time of year, and this is Georgia!:tilt

:)I figure empty calories are better than no additional calories at all, these small grays here could use pound cake and Lorna Doones' if it would help increase their size.:thumbsup

:)I was hoping the powdered Royal Canine could be utilized in a boo ball type recipe that Kooch could prepare for Lil' Bless, even Henry's blocks have only been available here for a handful of years. I really think we should prepare Healthy food charts for different areas of Europe, and Asia, including lists of available commercial 'pet' foods that could prove beneficial.:great

:)As CritterMom recommended, it's best to avoid the Small Animal foods if all they primarily consist of are nuts and seeds.:sadness

[Kooch]

@ Annabelle's papa: yes, that is the Bunny food I ment. Ljubljana is near to me, there's a zootic really near me also. I also have guinnea pigs, so that's where i know they need a lot of calcium, otherwise their back legs might deform. I am feeding them dandelion and grass also, and they are high on calcium. So I got the idea od feeding the squirrel Bunny guinnea pigs food, since it has all the right ingredietns, it's made in small tablets that she could maybe nibble on?
So if you check the ingredients in Bunny guinnea pig food for adults, do you think I can gibe her a couple so that she can try and start nibbling on that??? Or there is also a young tipe of Bunny food for guinnea pigs, is that more suitable?

I have never heard of Monster food though, neither have I ever seen it anywhere.

I think the diet plan would be amazing for us who are not from the USA, it is really hard getting the blocks or anything here, neither does anyone know a lot about our squirrels so that they could advise....

About the RC.. I have it in powdered form and I mix it 1 powder 2 water. I didn't see any RC in liquid form. I also think it's a great substitute if you can't get Esbilac or something like that.

Let me know about the Bunny food. If the guinnea pig is not suitable, I can check if there is any kind of another Bunny brand.

Thanks guys :)

[Annabelle's papa]

@ Annabelle's papa: yes, that is the Bunny food I ment. Ljubljana is near to me, there's a zootic really near me also. I also have guinnea pigs, so that's where i know they need a lot of calcium, otherwise their back legs might deform. I am feeding them dandelion and grass also, and they are high on calcium. So I got the idea od feeding the squirrel Bunny guinnea pigs food, since it has all the right ingredietns, it's made in small tablets that she could maybe nibble on?
So if you check the ingredients in Bunny guinnea pig food for adults, do you think I can gibe her a couple so that she can try and start nibbling on that??? Or there is also a young tipe of Bunny food for guinnea pigs, is that more suitable?

I have never heard of Monster food though, neither have I ever seen it anywhere.

I think the diet plan would be amazing for us who are not from the USA, it is really hard getting the blocks or anything here, neither does anyone know a lot about our squirrels so that they could advise....

About the RC.. I have it in powdered form and I mix it 1 powder 2 water. I didn't see any RC in liquid form. I also think it's a great substitute if you can't get Esbilac or something like that.

Let me know about the Bunny food. If the guinnea pig is not suitable, I can check if there is any kind of another Bunny brand.

Thanks guys :)


:)Hi Kooch and Ms. Bless, I believe the Guinea Pig tablets could be a good diet for Bless, I tried to view as many as I could, but I couldn't tell which variety's were in the hard tablet form. You still want her to take formula for as long as possible, no weaning is necessary because she will always be with you.:Love_Icon

:)The Calcium to Phosphorous ratio is what is most important, and dandelion leaves are good also, and if you have any Oak or Apple tree sticks they are also good for her teeth. Next we can discuss the types of hard shelled nuts you have available when they are in season, Hickory, Walnut, Pecan, etc. And even though Oak wood and leaves are safe for Bless to chew on, acorns can be dangerous because of Aflatoxin, a toxic mold that is hard to detect.:tilt

:)I recently mentioned that we have only had blocks made specifically for Squirrels for only a few years, before them most diets were all natural,
supplemented with 'rat' and other 'rodent' blocks.:)



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[Kooch]

Yes, of course I won't wean her untill she doesn't want the milk herself! But after you introduce solid food-guinnea pig blocks in this case- do you still feed the formula: weight x 0.07?? Since she would eat solid.. Do you lower the measures?

So you think I should go and buy the guinnea pig Bunny for her to nibble on? Youth or basics, there are two kinds..?

[Spanky]

Yes, of course I won't wean her untill she doesn't want the milk herself! But after you introduce solid food-guinnea pig blocks in this case- do you still feed the formula: weight x 0.07?? Since she would eat solid.. Do you lower the measures?

Don't worry about lowering the measure but she may not take the full amount. As they eat more they will take less formula. When they first get the block, you never really know how much they are actually eating since they "shred" most of it at first... So if they take the full feeding of formula, that is fine.

Sorry, I cannot answer the question about the Bunny brand foods.....

[Annabelle's papa]

Don't worry about lowering the measure but she may not take the full amount. As they eat more they will take less formula. When they first get the block, you never really know how much they are actually eating since they "shred" most of it at first... So if they take the full feeding of formula, that is fine.

Sorry, I cannot answer the question about the Bunny brand foods.....
:)Thank You Spanky, I still know very little about formula.:)

Yes, of course I won't wean her untill she doesn't want the milk herself! But after you introduce solid food-guinnea pig blocks in this case- do you still feed the formula: weight x 0.07?? Since she would eat solid.. Do you lower the measures?

So you think I should go and buy the guinnea pig Bunny for her to nibble on? Youth or basics, there are two kinds..?

:)Hi Kooch, please always stay with the Youth, because the calcium is much lower in the Basic and other variety's.:thumbsup

[Kooch]

Hey guys. Sorry I've been away for a while..

So my honey is doing great! She loves to climb around and in very energetic. I'm just off to Buy the Bunny Young food for her to try, we'll se if she's gonna like it. I decided to try the Bunny Young food for Guinea pigs. That is a good idea right?

She will be moving into a new cage tomorrow with lots of room to climb on :) The outdoor cage is going to be built soon to.

I will post some pictures later, she really grew a lot and she's sooooo fluffy :) :)

I just wanted to let you know that we're dong ok :) See ya in a bit

[pappy1264]

No, they do not eat bunny or guinea pig food. Here is the chart for what you should and should not feed. http://www.henryspets.com/healthy-diet-for-pet-squirrels/

They should be on a quality rodent block first. And after they are eating that well, slowly introduce greens first, then slowly add in other veggies and fruits off this list. Do it gradually, adding a new food into the mix every other day. You should try to keep her on formula as long as she will take it, as well. I always train them to lick it out of a bowl, as they stop wanting a syringe long before they will stop wanting formula, so if you put a small amount of formula into a shallow bowl, they usually will begin to eat it that way. It takes a while for them to figure it out.

Please do not give them the guinea pig food!

[Spanky]

No, they do not eat bunny or guinea pig food. Here is the chart for what you should and should not feed. http://www.henryspets.com/healthy-diet-for-pet-squirrels/

They should be on a quality rodent block first. And after they are eating that well, slowly introduce greens first, then slowly add in other veggies and fruits off this list. Do it gradually, adding a new food into the mix every other day. You should try to keep her on formula as long as she will take it, as well. I always train them to lick it out of a bowl, as they stop wanting a syringe long before they will stop wanting formula, so if you put a small amount of formula into a shallow bowl, they usually will begin to eat it that way. It takes a while for them to figure it out.

Please do not give them the guinea pig food!

Just a quick note that the poster is in Slovenia and they do not have access to quality rodent block , shipping costs from the states is ridiculously high so Kooch has been diligent in trying to find good stuff for her Bless with what is available!

Kooch, can you post the picture of the ingredient list from the bag of food you purchased?

[Bravo]

Thanks for the update :great

[HappyLittleSquirrely]

http://www.zooplus.de/shop/nager_kleintiere/futter/meerschweinchen/bunny/179886 Having a dikens of a time translating but i so far got this. It's a little diffrent from the other bag,

VIT. The 10,000 IE, vit. D 700 (3), IE, vit. This / all RAC-alpha-Tocopherylacetat 60 mg, vit. C als Ascorbylmonophosphat - Calcium-Natrium - Salz 600 mg, Kupfer als Kupfer(II) -sulfat - Pentahydrat 6 mg, JOD als Calciumjodat - Hexahydrat 0.9 mg, Eisen- als Eisen-(II) -sulfat - Monohydrat 50 mg, 60 mg Zinkoxid Zink als, Mangan's als Mangan's(II) oxide 40 mg, 0.18 mg Selen als Natriumselenit

[Kooch]

Yes the Bunny Guinea Pig food BASIC brand is also an option, but they also had YOUNG. So the sellers said that it has a lot more calories and calcium. They have a slightly different package now, but it's this one:

http://www.zooroyal.de/bunny-meerschweinchentraum-young

I can't seem to find the ingredients in english.

The young version anyway has more vitamin A, D3 and E. The vitamin C is the same in both. The young version also has more protein and fat.

BASIC:
Rohprotein Rohfett Rohfaser Rohasche Kalzium Phosphor Stärke
13.0 % 2.5 % 21.0 % 8.5 % 0.6 % 0.4 % 6.0 %

Vit. A 10.000 IE, Vit. D3 700 IE, Vit. E / all rac-alpha-Tocopherylacetat 60 mg, Vit. C als Ascorbylmonophosphat - Calcium-Natrium- Salz 600 mg, Kupfer als Kupfer(II)-sulfat - Pentahydrat 6 mg, Jod als Calciumjodat - Hexahydrat 0,9 mg, Eisen als Eisen(II)-sulfat - Monohydrat 50 mg, Zink als Zinkoxid 60 mg, Mangan als Mangan(II)-oxid 40 mg, Selen als Natriumselenit 0,18 mg

YOUNG:
Rohprotein 14% · Rohöle und Rohfette 2,8% · Rohfaser 20% · Stärke 6,1% · Rohasche 8,5%· Calcium 0,9% · Phosphor 0,45%

Vit. A 12.000 IE · Vit. D3 840 IE · Vit. E als alpha-Tocopherolacetat 72mg · Vit. C als Ascorbylmonophosphat, Calcium-Natrium- Salz 600mg · Kupfer als Kupfer(II)-sulfat-Pentahydrat 12mg · Jod als Calciumjodat-Hexahydrat 1,08mg · Eisen als Eisen(II)-sulfat Monohydrat 50mg · Zink als Zinkoxid 72mg ·Mangan als Mangan(II)-oxid 48mg · Cobalt als basisches Cobalt(II)-carbonat, Monohydrat 0,48mg · Selen als Natriumselenit 0,22mg

So before I tried to give her a small block and she LOVED it. :) So do these ingredients seem ok? I also tried a small amount of apple and tomato and she likes that too :)

[Kooch]

Oh, and of course, I almost forgot :) we grew a little:
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[HappyLittleSquirrely]

Oh, and of course, I almost forgot :) we grew a little:
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How adorable. Is that language on the package Hungarian?

[Annabelle's papa]

:)Hi Ms. Bless, Kooch and HappyLittleSquirrely,


:)I followed these links, the first one is to the pet shop in Ljubljana; http://www.diplomatic-corporate-services.si/services/pet-s-corner/pet-s-shops/zootic-pet-shop-ljubljana-slovenia.php

:)Eventually I came to the product listings and found this block form of 'High Calcium' supplemental food;http://www.zootic.si/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=711&Itemid=754

:)These pages translated OK, but the chart below the bag of food gave more information than the ingredient list.

:)The 'Younger' variety seems to offer a higher Calcium to Phosphorus ratio at least according to the chart that is posted below the product, the older age varieties seemed to have less calcium for some reason.:thinking

:)Even Harlan Teklad blocks are almost 70.00 for 5 lbs when ordered through Amazon, and I believe the Henry's blocks were going to cost close to 90.00 with shipping.

[HappyLittleSquirrely]

:thumbsup

[Kooch]

:)Hi Ms. Bless, Kooch and HappyLittleSquirrely,


:)I followed these links, the first one is to the pet shop in Ljubljana; http://www.diplomatic-corporate-services.si/services/pet-s-corner/pet-s-shops/zootic-pet-shop-ljubljana-slovenia.php

:)Eventually I came to the product listings and found this block form of 'High Calcium' supplemental food;http://www.zootic.si/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=711&Itemid=754

:)These pages translated OK, but the chart below the bag of food gave more information than the ingredient list.

:)The 'Younger' variety seems to offer a higher Calcium to Phosphorus ratio at least according to the chart that is posted below the product, the older age varieties seemed to have less calcium for some reason.:thinking

:)Even Harlan Teklad blocks are almost 70.00 for 5 lbs when ordered through Amazon, and I believe the Henry's blocks were going to cost close to 90.00 with shipping.

No, the language is german :)


Yes having the food shipped here is extreme... I don't know why older versions have less, but that's why I chose the younger one..

Well that's the food I'm talking about, the one I just bought, but they now have a different bag -it's not updated on the site yet.. It's the one I posted earlier that is also richer in protein and fat (for young ones).

So to conclude is it ok for Bless to eat these or should I keep searching??

[Spanky]

Is it purely the shipping charges that costs so much or is there a tariff/tax that is being applied that makes it such an expensive proposition? Or maybe the monetary exchange rate?

If the shipping, my son may know of a less expensive way to ship things to Slovenia. He has an eBay business and buys and sells toys around the world... don't know if he has done business with anyone in Slovenia, but he may well be able to identify a less expensive way to get things over there. It's worth a try...

[Annabelle's papa]

Is it purely the shipping charges that costs so much or is there a tariff/tax that is being applied that makes it such an expensive proposition? Or maybe the monetary exchange rate?

If the shipping, my son may know of a less expensive way to ship things to Slovenia. He has an eBay business and buys and sells toys around the world... don't know if he has done business with anyone in Slovenia, but he may well be able to identify a less expensive way to get things over there. It's worth a try...

:yeahthat


:thumbsup

[Kooch]

We have a tax on anything over 22€+ the customs where they charge basically everything they can.. So the ingredients to make the blocks are well over 22€ + the shipping (the shipping is almost the same as the stuff if not more). That makes around 70-80 just for the stuff and I didn't even count the tax and customs in :(

You can ask, it is worth a try but it's not much likely. I order from all over the world all the time and for orders that cost this much the tax is usually as much as the order its self :( the only difference is europe - we don't have to pay taxes from orders from europe I think.

[Spanky]

Good information. I wonder if we could ship to Europe and then ship a private package from Europe on to you? If it is a plan wrapped (or gift wrapped?) package, does customs usually go through that?

[Annabelle's papa]

We have a tax on anything over 22€+ the customs where they charge basically everything they can.. So the ingredients to make the blocks are well over 22€ + the shipping (the shipping is almost the same as the stuff if not more). That makes around 70-80 just for the stuff and I didn't even count the tax and customs in :(

You can ask, it is worth a try but it's not much likely. I order from all over the world all the time and for orders that cost this much the tax is usually as much as the order its self :( the only difference is europe - we don't have to pay taxes from orders from europe I think.

:)Hi Kooch and Ms. Bless, I'm glad you have access to the Bunny brand products in Ljubljana, and I guess the 'Young' variety of the guinea pig food has more calcium because guinea pigs require more when they are young and still developing.:thumbsup

:)I believe you will still have to rely heavily on a natural diet mostly consisting of vegetables from the healthy list, broccoli, bok choy, etc. Although it is good you have some commercial food available, I can't find anything for a member who lives in Bulgaria.:dono

:)Ms. Bless is looking Beautiful !:Love_Icon

[Kooch]

Good information. I wonder if we could ship to Europe and then ship a private package from Europe on to you? If it is a plan wrapped (or gift wrapped?) package, does customs usually go through that?
It used to be so that gifts were let through the customs yes, but unfortunately not anymore. Told someone from us a while ago to ship as gift and it didn't help :( maybe they lack money :p

Ok, it's good to know that Bunny will suffice a bit I was planning on relying on naturals anyway. So that means that every meal contains Bunny+Veggies/fruit right? What ratio?

[Annabelle's papa]

It used to be so that gifts were let through the customs yes, but unfortunately not anymore. Told someone from us a while ago to ship as gift and it didn't help :( maybe they lack money :p

Ok, it's good to know that Bunny will suffice a bit I was planning on relying on naturals anyway. So that means that every meal contains Bunny+Veggies/fruit right? What ratio?

:)Hi Again Kooch, as a ratio I think you should make the healthy vegetables as Ms. Bless's primary food source, followed by the commercial blocks, and limit the fruits as treats. The Bunny brand has a lot of vitamin C according to the ingredients.:thumbsup

:)Out of curiosity, how big are the bite size portions of the Bunny brand food.:)

[Kooch]

Oh, ok, veggies it is then :) i will prepare a healthy mix and throw a bit of bunny in as well.

The size is what she's holding in the pictures, almost fingernail size, maybe a little smaller and rather flat.
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I know we're talking small amounts of solid foods atm for as long as she's on the formula and that's her primary source. But is it better to give one kind of veggies+bunny per meal or can I mix different kinds together? I throw the leftovers away right and give it fresh every meal?

[Annabelle's papa]

Oh, ok, veggies it is then :) i will prepare a healthy mix and throw a bit of bunny in as well.

The size is what she's holding in the pictures, almost fingernail size, maybe a little smaller and rather flat.
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I know we're talking small amounts of solid foods atm for as long as she's on the formula and that's her primary source. But is it better to give one kind of veggies+bunny per meal or can I mix different kinds together? I throw the leftovers away right and give it fresh every meal?

:)Oh yeah offer at least two or three small pieces of different vegetables each day, just as you have already been doing.:thumbsup

And offer the Bunny blocks in a different dish, I don't think you would have to discard them each day. They appear to be a well made product, and will certainly help Ms. Bless keep her teeth worn down.:great

[Kooch]

:)Oh yeah offer at least two or three small pieces of different vegetables each day, just as you have already been doing.:thumbsup

And offer the Bunny blocks in a different dish, I don't think you would have to discard them each day. They appear to be a well made product, and will certainly help Ms. Bless keep her teeth worn down.:great
I meant different kinds of veggies in the same meal?? My guess is thats ok too no? Or do you only need to feed only one kind at a time?

[Annabelle's papa]

I meant different kinds of veggies in the same meal?? My guess is thats ok too no? Or do you only need to feed only one kind at a time?

:)Oh yes a few different varieties at the same time each day is wonderful, and it gives Ms Bless more to choose from. Squirrels can be very choosy and what they like today they might not like tomorrow, they are very much like humans when it comes to their appetite.:thumbsup

:)Here is a photo of a typical variety to offer, only your portions for Ms. Bless should be cut much smaller.:great



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[Kristi S]

Oh, she's growing up to be such a cutie pie! What a love! Seems like just last week she was a tiny bald little thing, and now she's already eating solids!

I think you've already got the guinea pig food...I'm late entering this conversation. Next time, anyway, I would go for the rat food. Squirrel diets (such as HHBs) are based on rat diets. Guinea pigs have a different type of digestion system and eat far more fiber ("Faser" is fiber, right? I speak German fairly well, but I'm not familiar with that word). The guinea pig has 20% fiber, the "Rattentraum" 6.8%.

[Kooch]

Slight update guys :) went to the vet today and disr thing he said was if I wound another squirrel. Nobody could belive how much she's grown in 10 days :) and he said the eye healed as much as it could. She unfortunatelly only sees dark/light, maaaaybe a shape now and then. He said that she will still be able to have a normal life and she already adjusted. The ear canal is probably functioning, maybe not fully but he couldn't really check. She does respond well to sounds and all that so I'm not really worried about that. All in all we got through this and are growing :) a few photos:
I must remind you all that she likes to pet soooo much and I think she is spoiled beyond good reason :) love her, so adorable!:Love_Icon
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(Btw I can't seem to figure out why the photos are sideways :( )

[Coralreefer]

This thread is so cool.

Someone reaches out from all the way around the world and finds help.
Awesome!

Kooch you've done so well!
Were raising our 6th and 7th squirrel babies right now but we've never had one started from a "pinky" stage.
I'm still nervous about the thought of having to raise one at that stage and you did it successfully your first time!

Nice job! Shes adorable. :clap

[Kooch]

Thank you :) this community really shows awesome support to worldwide members which is amazing. I'm glad I have somewhere to turn with all the questions, and that you guys are trying to help no matter what :)

I have a new question: is Bless still getting enough hydration from the formula and the small amount of veggies or should I start trying to introduce the water thingie (don't know hows it called, with the round balls inside for them to drink drop by drop)?

Thanks :)

[Spanky]

Yes, I think she is ready for the water bottle! Check and change the water every few days and know that sometimes the "round balls inside" can get stuck and they cannot get water. Some folks use 2 water bottles just in case.

In another week or two you can add a shallow dish of water for back up (this is what I do), but they need to be eyes open and a little more coordinated so they do not face plant into the water and aspirate. Putting small pebbles or marbles in the dish can also help...

[Annabelle's papa]

:) Hi Kooch and Ms. Bless, is the water bottle working out and is Ms. Bless nibbling her blocks, any new photos.:klunk

[Kooch]

Hey guys! Sorry, I was a little busy lately :) we're doing great, Bless lukes the water bottle and she got used to it very quick, I only showed how to drink from it once :)
She's becomung a little rascal, jumping all over the place. She also developed this growling sound for when she doesn't like something, so I'm getting that every time I apply the creme to her eye :)

The vet finally got the food, and there are 2 kinds. Here are the ingredients of both:
1st one is JR Farm
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Second is Deli Nature 5* squirrel food. I couldn't find the ingredients though, only the web page since i'm on my phone. http://www.delinature.be/knaagdieren/product.asp?lt=4&pc=30&psc=56&p=153&SId=2


Maybe you can tell whether they are good or not..

Also a few pictures of Bless :)
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Edit: seeeriouslyy, why are they turned that weird??

[Bravo]

Bless looks great, and is clearly letting you know what she likes and doesn't like. Thanks for the update. :) At first glance the food seems reasonable, if given with fresh greens. Others here will be able to give more detail.

Not sure about the photo orientation, what did you use to take them? Rotated these... :great

[Annabelle's papa]

:)The new photos of Ms. Bless are Wonderful Kooch, :klunk Thank You for posting them, she has a very Beautiful coat. :serene

:great As Bravo mentioned, a good assortment of vegetables should still be Ms. Blesses main diet, followed by her Bunny Brand blocks and small portions of the new stuff, it appears to have a lot of nuts and seeds.:tilt

[Kooch]

Well, Bless eats quite a lot of veggies, apples and she likes watermelon :) she also still drinks 10-12ml of milk 3-4 times a day sometimes less though. I do watch that she first eats the milk as much as she wants and then I give her veggies or a little bit of apple.
She also steals watermelon from my plate :p

So I should go with the JR Farm, not the other one? JR Farm has the dried "worms" in it (the ones they usually sell in pet shops for snakes etc, I think they usually live in flour and crumbs)
She still has the youth blocks for guinea pigs and eats them as well.

So if JR Farm is ok, I'm gonna buy it tomorrow.

Thanks for the answers :)

[lennysmom]

Hi Kooch, I'm just catching up here on your sweet little Bless's story.:) You've done such a remarkable job raising her and helping her heal from her injury. :thumbsup She is really quite adorable and I have enjoyed reading her story.:Love_Icon
I don't have an answer to your diet question, but I know that some members do feed their squirrels mealworms and they seem to love them. Hopefully someone will be on soon to answer your question for sure.

[Bravo]

Hi K, other members may have experience with these brands, however as they're overseas most of us may not be able to tell you much. I'd suggest that as long as there is a priority given to blocks and veggies, either one may be as good as the other. Squirrels are omnivores and can survive on a wide range of foods, the question is always the balance in order to provide the best overall nutrition. And you could always see what Bless thinks of the two options.

Sounds like things are going very well. :great

[Kooch]

Well yeah, it is rather hard to find a suitable nutrition for our squirrels here, I think it's mainly because people don't know much about it, there's like only 1 "wildlife rehabber" (if we could even call it that) that takes in squirrels in all of Slovenia... People mostly buy chipmunks and small squirrels in pet shops, but that's different nutrition that our wild squirrels need.. Bless gets mostly veggies throughout the day and some fruit, occasional nut. She still has her formula, and after that the rest of the foods. She is doing well in my opinion, she is gaining weight and is a rather plumpy lively squirrel :)

The eye is as it is, because of the scaring she (at least for now) can't close it all the way, so therefore I still have to rub a bit of creme and some kind of eyedrops throughout the day, otherwise some kind of white stuff appears and you have to get it off with a q-tip, which is very unpleasant.. The eye is still rather grey-ish, with a small black spot, the vet said that the eye got a small amount of preservation there.. She does have rather good depth perception, she jumps from the bed to me to chair etc. She misses sometimes though, but nothing major.. The main thing is it didn't get infected and removed.. :) So far I don't think it's bothering her much being without the ear and a damaged eye, I guess since she was so young when it happened she doesn't know any better.

A rather silly question maybe: Does anyone that has a squirrel also as a pet have a "leash"? I saw something like that for ferrets, and I think it would fit Bless so I could take her out without worrying of her getting away? I have a dog that I walk quite a lot and we have gorgeous woods here, so I thought why not take the little one with me, I bet she would be ecstatic climbing trees, also it's a good exercise :p

[island rehabber]

The best harnesses are the ones with a fuller vest-type design rather than just 'strings' around the neck and waist. Squirrels get out of those within a fraction of a second. You have to be really sure that she can't get out of whatever one you buy before you take her outside, because with squirrels sometimes once they see a tree, they never 'see' you again. :tilt Here's the type I'm suggesting;

[Kooch]

Hey guys :) we were fully occupied, and now I found some time to write an update here :)

So Bless was climbing on a shelf and somehow managed to knock over a vase of some sort.. It landed 20cm below with her on it on her paw. It broke one of her fingers.. So the vet took a scan. I was really worried if she's going to be fine or not, but he calmed me down and said that the fracture is clean and that she will heal very well over the next 4 weeks. He also said that she should be still as much as possible, but you all know how still and squirrels go together :)
That was 2 weeks ago. Today, she is using her little hand almost normally, she grabs on stuff and climbs using the broken finger too... So that is healing well :) BUT TALK ABOUT A BAD LUCK SQUIRREL RIGHT?? :klunk

As she grew, she also started to bite me a little harder if I for example sit on my computer and don't pay enough attention to her. She would bite my arm or leg quite hard, these were not the "playful" bites I was used to. The scratches got a little worse too, she is used to climb on me and as long as it was cold there was no problem since I was wearing long sleeves, but now that it's summer I have t-shirts on... So I read a little on the internet, on this forum also, about training squirrels. I found out that "reds" have a different attitude than greys or fox squirrels and that they are harder to "train". Let's be honest, I know that she will never be trained trained as a dog would be, but I figured I could at least teach her not to bite if she wants attention.. It's not that she doesn't have enough stuff to chew on, I think it's purely attention seeking..
So for the last few days I have been trying out a method I read on the forum somewhere. The guy had similar problems with scratches and biting. So when the squirrel bit on him or something he didn't want her to he simply said "NO" really loud and gave her a gentle tap on the head. It's not hitting or anything aggressive to be clear, it's a tap. So he said the squirrel kinda figured out what she can and can't bite and things got better... I do think there is a little improvement with Bless, but I will have to wait and see some more time before I can say that it's working.
I figured that once the biting stops I can start figuring out how to teach her being a little more gentle on me with her needle-like claws :) Any ideas?

And another question...
Do you think that this kind of training would be easier if she didn't have the food in the cage all the time? Right now I give her veggies and fruit 3-4 times a day, but she has the dry food in there all the time. Should I take that bowl out and just leave the bowl with the formula (she still drinks it, but from a bowl)? Would she be more "tame" if she would get food from me at certain times rather than have it in the cage at all times and eat at will?

I noticed that her fur started to change. It started on the end of the nose and is now spreading through out the head. It's not fluffy any more, she started getting gorgeous soft red and shiny fur :)

Thanks for the answers :)

At first I thought raising a squirrel would get easier over time but It's still hard just a different kind of hard :) Let's call it a challenge :) :dance

Also: Pictures in the next post :)

[Kooch]

The paw and on the left finger you can see the fracture.

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In the evening we cuddle :)
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Break :)
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:Love_Icon

[island rehabber]

Bless isn't really a bad luck squirrel, she's a SQUIRREL :rotfl They are impossible to contain or control, as you're finding out the hard way :grin3. I try to explain to people that ---ok, DOGS go in any direction on the ground (except Jack Russell terriers which, admittedly, can jump pretty high). Cats go vertical sometimes, but they do it carefully and gracefully. Squirrels, on the other hand, move in every direction, on every plane -- up/down/sideways/diagonal -- and they do it at lightning speed. Stuff's gonna happen! :rotfl

Thank goodness she wasn't hurt badly. She is beyond adorableness.....:Love_Icon

Your tap on the head idea is a good one. Removing her blocks during the day -- no I wouldn't. That could make her more frantic and nippy.

[Kooch]

Hey :)
I feel I seriously have to share this it's simply too amazing to keep it to myself!

We started the "training" yesterday morning.. A loud "NO" immediately followed by a gentle tap. I kept doing this if she would bite too hard (when we actually play I let her bite a little), when she'd use too much claws, if she'd pick up a cable... Anything that I didn't want her to do really, and didn't have success stopping her from doing before.

So get this. She got everything in a few tries! She has a shoelace, that is the same thickness as the computer cable she used to nibble on. She hasn't touched the cable but plays with the lace. She has barely used teeth, only when we were playing yesterday and even those were reeeeally gentle nibbles. She started climbing on me "softly" no new scratches today yet :)

And now, apparently she connected the no and the pat on the head, so today the word alone has an impact!

It's really amazing, I knew squirrels weren't like "dumb", but I didn't imagine they were this trainable. I was expecting doing this for weeks :p :w00t

[island rehabber]

:blisssquirrels are BRILLIANT. Many years ago I did dog training, esp. for guard work; German Shepherds and Dobies are smart, yes, but not as smart as squirrels. Squirrels are GENIUSES. Those of us who are so used to them over the years take it for granted, but think about even how they learn the water bottle. You get their attention, you put your finger in and tap the end of the nozzle.....they watch you and then they go and do it. Case closed. Genius.:grin3

[Kooch]

Exactly, that's simply amazing. I never imagined they were this smart. I had a lab rat once and I trained her to give paw, but this little critter is nothing compared :)

And yes, the water bottle... She got it the 3rd time I showed her what to do :w00t

She does snap out of it occasionally, meaning today she bit me a bit harder once when I wasn't paying attention. I have like 5 new scratches, and comparing to a few days ago when I looked like a junkie cutting myself that's amazing progress :D :dance

She now also knows that biting the shoe lace is ok, the cord is a no-no, and she does stick to it almost all the time. I still have to remind her once or twice, but the progress is there.

So all in all since we only started this yesterday I am seriously amazed :clap


About the blocks in the cage:
I only thought about this because there's a lot of seeds and similar in there which we'd consider "treats". And I was thinking if it would be possible to teach her something else if she would consider that food as treats as well. Now she's never hungry or deprived of food and she's not really interested in eating outside the cage. Running is more important :)

[Kooch]

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Hanging from the curtains and dozing off :)