Rescued 5-6 week old grey squirrel..

[PoetEms]

Rescued this baby squirrel from my driveway 3 days ago. Mother was killed by neighborhood cats. It was being attacked by the cat when I found it buried in between rocks and the ground. Got it out and looked over the body. Squirrel is fine. I was wondering how old do you think it is? I've done most of my research before finding this site. It has been using the bathroom daily. However it gets so happy to drink the water solution (1 pint bottle water, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/3 teaspoon salt) that it's drinking so fast it will puke it up. I think hold the squirrel upside down to make sure it's all cleared from the nose and mouth then gently clean it's face. What should I do? I'm looking into getting formula and the right feed for it soon. First time ever rescuing a squirrel. I've owned rats, mice, hamsters, genuine pigs, sugar gliders, dogs, cats, snakes, birds, turtles, rabbits, geckos, pigs, horses and fish.

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[pappy1264]

From the pic, it looks to be about 7 weeks old. Go to Petco or Petsmart and pick up Esbilac puppy formula with pre and probiotics. You need a gram scale to know its weight and it should be fed 5-7% of its body weight per feeding, approx. every 4-4.5 hours. If you have had it three days, and it has only been getting hydration fluids, it will need calories quickly. Where are you located?

[PoetEms]

I'm located in Alabama. I've been giving it meal worms and peanut butter mixed with bird seeds. I tried cows milk but then read it was a big NO NO so I immediately stopped that. It's been eating the peanut butter mixed with bird seeds and a few tiny meal worms. Haven't tried live crickets yet. I keep it wrapped up in a thick shaggy bath mat and under a heating pad on low. I handle it a lot to check on it also.

[Spanky]

Rescued this baby squirrel from my driveway 3 days ago. It was being attacked by the cat when I found it buried in between rocks and the ground.

You are certain that the little one has no wounds from the cat? Cat bites (saliva) can be deadly and should be treated with antibiotics.

[stepnstone]

This baby being attacked by a cat needs antibiotics, cat claw punctures are not easily seen and will close up to make it nearly impossible to be seen. Cats carry a natural bacteria to them that can become deadly to a squirrel.
What is the "white" liquid in the lid in the one picture?

Edit: Nevermind, I see you answered that...

[PoetEms]

You are certain that the little one has no wounds from the cat? Cat bites (saliva) can be deadly and should be treated with antibiotics.

Squirrel wasn't wet when I picked it up nor had any blood or puncture marks on it. Mostly scared. Tried releasing it back into the tree and it wouldn't leave my feet and crawled up my leg.

[Spanky]

Here's the healthy diet for squirrels:
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

Nuts and seeds should be limited. If you cannot get the Esbilac right away (or have to order it on-line), here is a temporary formula until you can use from things you can buy at the grocery store:

3 parts goat milk
1 part plain yogurt
1 part heavy cream.

Leave out the cream for the first few feedings and then add it in gradually. If diarrhea occurs, reduce or eliminate the cream for a few feedings.

[PoetEms]

Here's the healthy diet for squirrels:
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

Nuts and seeds should be limited. If you cannot get the Esbilac right away (or have to order it on-line), here is a temporary formula until you can use from things you can buy at the grocery store:

3 parts goat milk
1 part plain yogurt
1 part heavy cream.

Leave out the cream for the first few feedings and then add it in gradually. If diarrhea occurs, reduce or eliminate the cream for a few feedings.

Thank you all for the help. Going to the pet store and feed store right away to obtain this stuff for the squirrel will keep you update on the out come. Thanks again!

[Sara in NW MS]

It's really important for him to get formula, the formula mentioned in a previous post. He isn't getting anything out of the peanut butter and bird seed. Those things are really bad for him (read up on Metabolic Bone Disease, MBD)

Weigh him and determine how much formula he should be getting. Get some syringes from a pharmacy. Just tell them you are feeding a kitten or something. The 1cc syringe is the best size.

Here is a pic of what the can of powdered formula looks like

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:Welcome to TSB and thanks for caring about this little one enough to find this board and help him!

[stepnstone]

Squirrel wasn't wet when I picked it up nor had any blood or puncture marks on it.
I hope your right but just recently heard this same thing from another finder...
days later tiny little scabs started showing up.
Cat attack, antibiotics.

[Spanky]

I hope your right but just recently heard this same thing from another finder... days later tiny little scabs started showing up.
Cat attack, antibiotics.

That may have been the cat attacked baby I got last week... from a vet's office. the tech found no wounds, but I found a small puncture right next to her nose and another in the back of her head under the fur. A third showed up a day or two later which was easily seen on her knee. I was wondering how in the world I missed that on my initial examination but SNS explained sometimes the punctures are not seen for a few days.

[PoetEms]

Went to tractor supply and got the formula with an eye dropper. The squirrel weights 22 ounces. The lady at tractor supply says I can bring the squirrel in every week for a daily weight. Feed it some of the formula with the eye dropper. It's keeping it down so far and has peed up a storm in its travel cage. I will continue to look for any puncture marks but I have yet to see any scabs or marks on it. How do you tell the sex of it?

[pappy1264]

Can you get to a pharmacy and get a 1 cc syringe? Eye droppers are not a good choice, way too easy to aspirate them not to mention no way to measure the amount you are feeding. Just tell them you found an orphaned kitten and need some syringes.

[PoetEms]

Can you get to a pharmacy and get a 1 cc syringe? Eye droppers are not a good choice, way too easy to aspirate them not to mention no way to measure the amount you are feeding. Just tell them you found an orphaned kitten and need some syringes.

Can pick them up tomorrow when I go back into town. The squirrel didn't puke up any of the formula when I gave it to it through the eye dropper however I didn't squeeze it. I let it suck it out by itself.

[Rocky1]

OP, congratulations so far! I agree with essentially everything that's been said on this thread by everyone on here. Until you can make the proscribed changes, just keep up what you are doing. Peanut butter, mealworms, and bird seed is better than nothing! (In fact, mealworms from a pet store might be a great selection.) And of course, water too (just plain water)! Squirrel might want some extra fleece, flannel, or t-shirts. Great work, OP!

PS - In case you haven't already seen this, "little dude" MIGHT be big enough to each much of what's listed here (just be careful to read all fine print), http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

[PoetEms]

Correction on weight. It was .022 ounces. Can someone tell me if it's a boy or girl? I'd like to name the squirrel but want the right gender to put with it. This is the cage I'm homing it in. Travel cage is on top. I've added clothes to each layer and chew sticks from outside under the tree it came from. Is shredded paper okay to use for nesting or litter in the cage? The formula is working well. It's keeping the formula down and maintaining it's bathroom needs without any help. After it eats it has a lot of energy and runs all over the place.

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[HRT4SQRLS]

It's a girl!

Your scale is not accurate. :grin2
0.022ounce is less than 1 gram (0.6g) and I know that's not right.
0.22 ounce is 6 grams and that ain't right either.
22 ounces equals 623 grams... nope!

I would guess your baby about 100-120 grams.

[lennysmom]

From the picture, looks like you've got yourself a cute little girl.:Love_Icon The size of the cage looks fine to me for now - if you plan to overwinter her, you will need one a bit bigger. I will say that your travel cage may not hold up to well for her when she gets older because an older squirrel can chew through that plastic fairly quickly.. believe me, I found that out the hard way!:shakehead

I see you are using an eye dropper to feed her - are you able to control the flow with it? Perhaps your local pharmacy would be willing to give you a 1 or 3cc syringe without the needle if you told them you needed it to care for an orphaned baby animal? I just know how easily these little ones can aspirate on formula and it is very important to be able to control the flow when feeding.

[PoetEms]

I'm going to be picking up a cc syringe from the pharmacy tomorrow. As for the eye dropper it doesn't leak cause it's a crock one (got from wal-mart in the eye care section; made from glass n rubber bulb) nor do I squeeze to let the milk out. So she doesn't drink fast. But I always check to make sure she doesn't have any breathing problems while eating nor pukes the formula up before offering her more. I've decided to call her: Willow! I want to say THANK YOU! to everyone who has come and gave advice on tending to Willow. I'm researching more and using the advice from here to make sure she is well cared for.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Willow. I love it! :Love_Icon

[stepnstone]

How do you tell the sex of it?
I realize you already know you have a girl but for future reference..
belly button- boy, between the legs- girl. :grin2

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