LIVE IN ARIZONA FOUND 2 BABY GROUND SQUIRRELS NO MOTHER TO BE FOUND ANYWHERE!!!

[kbautista275]

We found 2 baby ground squirrels (possibly a prairie dog instead) they had been sitting in the same spot for 2 days, they are still alive and currently at our house. I was wondering on how to take care of them ourselves. We are trying to keep them warm and my mom gave them some room temp. milk (not sure what kind) using an eye dropper to feed them. We plain on trying to nurse them back to health and maybe taking them in as our own ( not sure on that yet) it would be great to know how to care for them until I can try and contact someone about them. We are thinking maybe no more then 2 weeks old. There eyes are still closed and are still fairly small. One boy and one girl thinking that they are probably siblings. If someone could please get back to me asap about this it would be greatly appreciated!! I have pictures if you need to me attach them so you can see.

[SammysMom]

No more milk until we figure out what they are. Can you post a picture? Be sure they are in a plastic container that you put half on and half off of a heating pad set on low. They will need to be warm before anything else and then hydrated with pedialyte or water. You can make homemade pedialyte:
Homemade Pedialyte
1 cup warm water
1/4 tsp salt (teaspoon)
1 Tbsp sugar (tablespoon)
If you can get a 1cc syringe at your local pharmacy it would be far better than a dropper. If you just say it is for an orphaned kitten they will usually give you one.

[kbautista275]

256013


This is a close up of the little one.

[Bravo]

Welcome kbautista275 :)

SammysMom has got you started, here's some additional squirrel sense:

Emergency Care for Baby Squirrels

Don’ts
Don’t try to feed the squirrel.
Don’t handle him more than you have to.
No loud voices, TV, music, or bright lights.
No children or pets in the same room!

1. Warm the Baby (never feed a cold squirrel!)
Quick Methods:
-Cup the baby in your hands or under your shirt next to your skin.
-Fill a plastic bottle with very warm water. Wrap in a cloth, place next to baby, and cover him. Reheat every 2 hours.
-“Rice Buddy”: Fill a sock with 1 cup of rice or dried beans and microwave for 30 seconds. Place next to baby and cover him. Reheat every 2 hours.

2. [b] Find a Box or Container[b]
A shoebox will do for small babies. A baby that can walk will need a larger box with a lid (with holes). Put a clean baby blanket, flannel shirt, or piece of fleece in the bottom of the box. No towels or terrycloth. Squirrels can get tangled in the loops. Place baby on the material and cover him with one flap. If you have a heating pad, turn it on low and place it under half of the box (not IN the box!) so baby can move away if he gets too warm. You can use the plastic bottle or rice buddy described above, but these are only temporary methods until you get a heating pad, since they must be reheated every 2 hours and won't keep baby warm all night.
NOTE: Monitor his temperature so he doesn’t chill or overheat. His feet should feel warm to the touch.

Note: If the baby is injured, is having trouble breathing, has fly eggs on his fur, or is very skinny or dehydrated, he needs emergency care by an experienced rehabber or vet.

3. Rehydrate the Baby

Most babies are dehydrated when you find them and must be rehydrated before you can feed them. Never feed formula or food of any kind to a dehydrated baby!

How to Check for Dehydration
Pinch the skin on the back of his neck. If it doesn’t spring back immediately, the baby is dehydrated. If the pinched skin stays up like a tent for more than a second, the baby is badly dehydrated. Other signs of dehydration: pale grayish gums, dry mouth, sunken eyes, whites around eyes showing, rough spiky fur, dry scaly skin.
NOTE: If baby is badly dehydrated, he will need subcutaneous fluids, which can only be given by a rehabber or vet.

Supplies You Will Need:
--Pedialyte (any flavor)*
--Plastic syringes (1 cc size; no needles. Ask the pharmacist to get these for you) An eyedropper can also work.
These are available at most drugstores.

*If you can’t find Pedialyte at the store, here is a recipe for homemade Pedialyte:

1 tsp salt (teaspoon)
3 Tbsp sugar (tablespoon)
1 quart warm water
Mix all ingredients in warm water. Store in refrigerator.

How to Prepare the Pedialyte
Use a plastic syringe (with or without a nipple). Never use pet nursers or doll bottles. They will choke the baby. Fill a coffee mug with hot water. Fill the syringe with Pedialyte and place it in the mug for a couple of minutes. Squirt a drop on the inside of your wrist to make sure the liquid isn’t too hot. It should feel barely warm on your skin.

Proper Position
A tiny baby should be held upright in your hand. A baby with fur can lie on a flat surface on his stomach. A baby that can walk can be held upright or he can drink sitting up. Hold the syringe so the tip points UP to the baby’s mouth and the handle is down. Don’t let the baby get cold. Keep him wrapped up while he eats.

How to Feed Fluids
Place the syringe tip on the baby’s lips (from the side) and squeeze out one drop for him to taste. Don’t squirt a steady stream. Let him swallow one drop before squeezing more. GO SLOW! It sometimes takes a feeding or two for them to catch on. Hairless babies are fed drop by drop. With older babies (once they catch on) you can squeeze slowly for one second, wait for him to swallow, then squeeze more.

If fluids dribble out his mouth or come out his nose, you are going too fast. Stop and tilt the baby’s head down so the fluid drains out (support his head and neck like you would a human baby). Then wipe his nose and mouth with a tissue. Start over, slower. NOTE: There is now a chance your baby will develop aspiration pneumonia from inhaling fluid in his lungs. This is fatal. Please contact a rehabber or vet, or the people at The Squirrel Board, for assistance.

[CritterMom]

99.9% sure this is a baby round tailed ground squirrel. Food, etc., would be like a prairie dog. They should be okay using Esbilac puppy formula for food.

We really will need to get a weight on these little guys - the adults are only about the size of a flying squirrel, so they are quite small.

[kbautista275]

Thank you sooooo much for this information.

[kbautista275]

Unfortunately I'm at work and can't weigh them at the moment. But as soon as I get home I can try and weigh them if they can stay still for me to do that. They are starting to crawl around a lot. I'm not sure how old they are we were thinking maybe about 2 weeks. Not even sure if it would be possible to find out there approximate age.

[CritterMom]

Once the babies are warmed and you have gotten them rehydrated, they are going to HAVE to eat. You want to buy a can of Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer - POWDERED form. Don't buy the liquid, don't buy the goats milk type, just Esbilac puppy powder. It is available at the big chain pet stores and ifyou have a Tractor Supply near you, they sell it and will have better prices on it.

You will also need to get your hands on a 1cc syringe without the needle. Ask the pharmacist - tell him or her you are nursing a newborn kitten.

Please be careful if you are calling around looking for rehab places. The little ground squirrels are not too well regarded and some places use those babies to feed their raptors. Ask them point blank before you hand them over.

[kbautista275]

Thank you so much. As soon as i get off of work i'm going to go and buy this stuff. What is a good heating pad that i can use? Because at the moment we usually just hold them close to us so that we can try and keep them warm.

[CritterMom]

You want to find one without the auto shut off. That is usually the lowest cost, bottom of the line heating pad. I know that CVS and Walgreens sell them.

Knowing their weight is really important. One of those inexpensive scales they make to weigh food for dieting is fine. They usually have gram/oz settings on them and you will be weighing in grams.

[Annabelle's papa]

:) Hi kbautista275, you are receiving great information, I just wanted to add some images of the Esbilac formula to look for, and please check the ingredients label and make sure the third item listed is 'Dried Whey Protein'. If you might need a new electronic scale, they can be purchased at Walmart in the housewares dept for under 15.00.:thumbsup256016256017256018

[kbautista275]

Crittermom thank you very much, I am trying to see if someone at my house can weigh them for me. And if they can I will post that as soon as I know.

[kbautista275]

Annabelle's papa thank you very much. I'll print that out and take it with me after work so I can make sure the ingredients match so I know i'm getting the right one.

THANK YOU ALL SOOOOO MUCH

[CritterMom]

Excellent!

So, DRUG STORE: you can hopefully find a heating pad here, you could also pick up a bottle of pediasure or the like for rehydrating if you don't want to make the homemade solution. Make sure to beg at least one 1cc syringe from pharmacist. You cannot use a larger one to feed a baby this size safely.

PET STORE/TRACTOR SUPPLY: Esbilac

If there is a grocery store somewhere along the way, run in and get one of the four packs of Stoneyfield Yobaby yogurt. Vanilla or banana are best but honestly, all the flavors are good. The probiotics are good for them, and I have yet to see a little animal turn down formula that has a teeny blob of Yobaby added to it.

[kbautista275]

Awesome!! Again I can't even begin to thank you all for this information. I really hope that we can nurse them back to health.

[CritterMom]

Watch this little video before feeding. http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?36777-PROPER-FEEDING-TECHNIQUE!!

We humans want to hold them on their back and point the syringe down and that is exactly WRONG. Squirrel is held upright, with syringe coming in from under the head with the tip pointing up toward the roof of the mouth, and a drop at a time. If you see milk come out their nose (holding them this way helps prevent that), immediately stop feeding and tip them upside down, nose down to drain it out immediately. I always just give their little noses a suck when this happens which freaks some people out but I would rather hazard a baby squirrel snot than have one aspirate... Just go slow.

Whereabouts in AZ?

[kbautista275]

thank you crittermom :grin2

[kbautista275]

We are in arizona city it's about an hour away from Phoenix and Tucson. It's close to Casa Grande.

[CritterMom]

I just got back from Tucson - I visit my mother every spring.

Did anyone mention that these little cuties need to be feed through the night? They do. :grin3

[kbautista275]

I think I saw that another post on here.

the weight of the boy is 5/8 oz which is 17.718451953125 grams
the weight of the girl is 3/4 oz which is 21.26214234375 grams

I hope that helps a little.

[CritterMom]

OK, first on the agenda is rehydrating. You MUST rehydrate them before giving them any food.

Heat the hydrating solution - mama squirrel's temp is around 102-105 so somewhere in the 105 degree area is good. Once you start giving it, let us know how they are taking it. You will likely wind up having to give very tiny amounts quite frequently for a while.

If they have been on their own with nothing out there for two days they are likely quit dehydrated and I doubt you will be starting food until tomorrow.

They will be taking small amounts - they are so small. Once they are hydrated and you have begun feeding them extra diluted formula, their total amount per feeding will only be 1 to 1.5 cc, so you can see why the small syringe is so important.