Baby Squirrel found- Approx 4-5 weeks.

[DME]

Hello everyone, I've got a bit of an emergency that I'm hoping someone can help me with. Yesterday evening I found a baby squirrel in my chimney cleanout. He appears to be 4 or 5 weeks old according to the information I found on this page http://www.orphanedwildlifecare.com/squirrelcare.htm#2.

I have cleaned him up and checked for injuries, he seems to have none, All his limbs seem to be working and I could find no blood or obvious signs of more serious injuries.

I put him in a cat carrier with a heating pad, which perked him up a little.

According to the pinch test I found on youtube, He seems to be mildly dehydrated, though he can't have been out of the nest for more than 3-4 hours before we found him.

We have attempted to feed him pedialyte, using a 21 Gg hypodermic needle that I modified with a juryrigged nipple made from 1/4 inch silicone tubing, with no success so far.

I used a warm washcloth to clean him and induce him to evacuate his bowels. He urinated a good amount, which was a very light translucent yellow. He defecated as well which was a light brown colour and quite runny.

I weighed him and he is a little more than 100 grams.

I'm hoping some of you with more expertise can help me save this little guy.

How can I get him to drink some of the pedialyte?
How can I make his temporary accomidations more comfortable?
What chance is there I can get him back to his mother? Her nest would have to be in our chimney, so she should be around, within hearing or smelling distance.
What options do I have for short term feeding if I can get him rehydrated?
What are my options for getting him some kind of foster care if he can't be reunited with his mom? We are near downtown Toronto, in Riverdale to be exact.

I would be grateful to anyone who can help me with any of these questions, or anything else you think I need to know. If you would like any information that I haven't provided leave a comment and I will try to respond ASAP. Hopefully with some help we can save this little guy.

Thanks.

[stepnstone]

Are you warming the pedialyte?
They like it to be very warm.
You do need to continue to hydrate, drop by drop if necessary.
I suspect by the runny bowels he's been away from mom longer then you think. Momma's milk poo's are usually very dark if not black in color when "fresh."

If you have the heat pad in with him take it and put it half under the cage so he can crawl off the heated side if he gets too hot. It should be a no shut off type set on low. You need to put some bedding in with him like fleece, tea shirt or pillow type material so he can snuggle down in it to feel secure. No towels or other "loop" type material he could get his nails caught in and cause injury.

Reuniting may be possible if momma is still around. You can place him in an open container and sit next to chimney where you can watch him (at a distance) at all times for a few hours. If you have roaming cats or other predators around that may not be an option.

I do believe we do have member's in your area and hopefully they will be on come day break to consult with you.

[Zebra]

were in the toronto are you. i have needles and nipples you can have i have them because i saved a few squirrels myself.she would for sure drink with the nipples i have if you would like to pm me and let me know i would love to help this pretty little girl.the nipples came from a store called henrys and so did the milk i have i would let you have them.as my little guy eats his blocks and veggies.please look up henrys they are the best for stuff to look after squirrels.

[DME]

In Reply to stepnstone

Yes I have tried warming the pedialyte. I warmed it until it felt slightly painful to put it on my wrist. I thought that might be a little too hot for him, so I let it sit for a minute or two before I gave it to him. I've done a little reading that says 105 degrees is the right temperature, so I'm going to try using a thermometer.

The only heat pad I have is an automatic shutoff one, which is also quite old and doesn't work very well. I tried putting it under the carrier, but no heat was coming through. I put it inside the carrier covering one side so he could get away from the heat if he wanted. I have been resetting it every hour or so to avoid the shutoff, and additionally I put a rice sock in with him so he could snuggle up with that if he needed more heat.

Come morning I was thinking of putting him in a cardboard box nailed to the side of the tree that I think the mother is using to get on to our house. I would have to stick around to shoo any cats away, as our area has quite a few. Does this sound workable? Should I put a rice sock in the box with him? I could put him on the roof in the cat carrier with the gate removed if you think the mother would be willing to go in and get him?

Thanks for the help.

[Milo's Mom]

Hi DME!! Thanks for saving the little one. Please contact Stormhaven Garden Wildlife. They are in Guelph, which is fairly close to you. The phone number is 519-400-3108.

She is trusted, a member here, and she's REALLY good!!

[DME]

Hi DME!! Thanks for saving the little one. Please contact Stormhaven Garden Wildlife. They are in Guelph, which is fairly close to you. The phone number is 519-400-3108.

She is trusted, a member here, and she's REALLY good!!

Ok thank you very much. I will contact her this morning.

[squirrelfriend]

I can also take the little guy if needed. I'm in Mississauga. I will pm you my number.

[DME]

Hi. Just posting this to give everyone an update. We managed to get the baby rehydrated and started him on some puppy formula. We got some kind of reodent feeding kit that had some silicone nipples. He's been eating pretty well, having regular stools and is much more lively now. I have made a few attempts to get him reunited with his Mom, unsuccesfully so far. I am going to make 1 more attempt in a different spot. If that doesn't work then I am going to place him with a rehabilitator.

Thank you to everyone who offered help and advice. He seems fairly stable, and I'm pretty hopeful that he will be ok.

[Bravo]

Thanks for everything you've done for this little one, DME. I hope that he can reunite with mom, however at this point I would be surprised (pleasantly) if that happened. Meantime you've got some great rehabbers to contact.

By the way, I'm going to remove Toronto from the title... Canada being somewhat unfriendly towards keeping small wild animals. ;) (I can say that... born and raised and otherwise proud to be Canadian)

[Nancy in New York]

Hi. Just posting this to give everyone an update. We managed to get the baby rehydrated and started him on some puppy formula. We got some kind of reodent feeding kit that had some silicone nipples. He's been eating pretty well, having regular stools and is much more lively now. I have made a few attempts to get him reunited with his Mom, unsuccesfully so far. I am going to make 1 more attempt in a different spot. If that doesn't work then I am going to place him with a rehabilitator.

Thank you to everyone who offered help and advice. He seems fairly stable, and I'm pretty hopeful that he will be ok.

Please DO NOT TAKE HIM TO
Toronto Wildlife Center

Did you see the offer above from squirrelfriend?


I can also take the little guy if needed. I'm in Mississauga. I will pm you my number.

[DME]

Please DO NOT TAKE HIM TO
Toronto Wildlife Center

Did you see the offer above from squirrelfriend?





Yes, I spoke to her a little while ago. If I can't get him back to his Mom, she has agreed to take him.

[Nancy in New York]

Yes, I spoke to her a little while ago. If I can't get him back to his Mom, she has agreed to take him.

Fantastic news! :thumbsup