Help!! Sickly flying squirrel

[Patagium]

Yesterday I noticed Benni had some drool or wetness near his mouth and upon examining him I noticed some concerning things. First his tounge is more forward in his mouth, as if he is pushing it outward (not out of his mouth though). His lips aren't closed all the way so I'm wondering if his mouth is swollen or irritated. He'll let me touch his face no problem so I don't suspect he is in pain. His upper incisors look like a healthy length but there is the possibility the lower pair are getting too long. However I only see some slight redness near the base of the lower incisors but nothing else is red. He's also been sneezing, not a new trait but it sounds more wet so I'm wondering if the drool I felt was discharge from his nose as well. Last night he had diarrhea, or loose stools but this was after I gave a large piece of Apple that he ate completely so I thought perhaps he just ate too much of the sugary fruit. Also of concern is the amount he has been sleeping the last two days. Last night he didn't play at all. However being it's Christmas I am back home where I have dogs and a cat. He is safely locked in my room but the smells are scaring him I think so I figured the lack of activity is a result of being scarred, however with all the previous observations I'm worried it's lethargy instead of fear. I cannot seem to post a picture from mobile so I will do my best to describe further any of these symptoms if need be.thank you so much for the help! I'm very worried :(

[SammysMom]

Welcome to TSB Patagium! If you text pics to me at 2032147427 I will post them for you. I am not an expert in the flyer department by any means, but I know we will need to know exactly what your little one eats every day. The sneezing and drooling may be from the bottom teeth being too long if they are touching the roof of his mouth. How old is he and have you ever had to clip his teeth before?

[CritterMom]

Does/can he crack nuts in the shell? This does sound kind of tooth related - and if the lowers are too long they can pierce the tissue on the roof of the mouth, causing infection, which could be the reason for the lethargy. In addition, since everything is so close together in the head, it can cause what looks like a runny nose, eye issues, etc.

[Patagium]

Thank you SammysMom, I will text these photos to you!
He is approximately 6 months old and I have not had to clip his teeth yet. This is the first time I've seen an issue with his teeth.

CritterMom Benni can crack nuts. I also notice his lips look very dry or they have some yellow on them. It is more noticeable in the pictures. Since this morning his gums have gotten more red also visible in the photos.

[Patagium]

He had just started on Henry's blocks about a week ago, and gets fresh veggies daily. Previously he was on fresh vegetables and fruits and mushrooms but I fed them all at one time not realizing he was selecting certain foods. He had some hair loss due to this.

Also I do have access to antibiotics and metacam as well as other meds. If you have any reccomendations on what to use I can consider those. I don't want to proceed without guidance first however.

[HRT4SQRLS]

How long has he been sneezing? I don't believe I've ever heard one of mine sneeze.

What type of bedding are you using? Did he eat the Henry's blocks? (Store them in the freezer.)

[HRT4SQRLS]

Does Benni have a water bottle or a bowl?

[SammysMom]

Pics

[HRT4SQRLS]

I'm very concerned about that bright red lower lip. The 4th pic doesn't look as red.
Is the lip as red as it appears in the first pic.

I think I would offer him some hydration with that bout of diarrhea last night. They usually like the hydration fluid. They are so tiny it doesn't take much to dehydrate them.

1 quart of warm water...............1 pint of warm water
3 Tablespoons of sugar.............. 1 1/2 Tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt.....................1/2 teaspoon of salt :tilt (a smaller volume)

Let's make sure Benni is hydrated.

[SammysMom]

Does Benni eat any protein? Chicken or mealworms maybe?

[Patagium]

Thank you all for the help!!

He would sneeze during periods of high activity when he would run or get hyper. It wasn't a sickly sneeze, like an aspirated squirrel sounds, but a little one. This is been going on since I got him in September.

Should I store the Henry's in the freezer for feeding? Currently they are just refrigerated.

For bedding I use fleece blankets. He has some cotton in a nest he made but for the most part he sleeps in my clothes or in my bed.

Benni has a water bowl, he also gets mealworms but I have not fed chicken regularly

The pics with the pink and bright red lip are the most up to date. The less red pic is from earlier today. I may be able to take him tonight to get his teeth trimmed and I can grab metacam, clavomox or TMS (another AB). Thanks for the hydration formula I will prepare that right now. Is there anything else I can do for him?

[HRT4SQRLS]

Did the apple have the peel on it? It's possible a peel is stick in his throat?
Anne suggested this (on the phone with her now) :tilt

[Nancy in New York]

Should I store the Henry's in the freezer for feeding? Currently they are just refrigerated.



How long has he been sneezing? I don't believe I've ever heard one of mine sneeze.

What type of bedding are you using? Did he eat the Henry's blocks? (Store them in the freezer.)

:thumbsup

[Patagium]

Update!
I took Benni to get his teeth ground down and the results are excellent! He seems a little more upbeat and got to chow down on some coconut manna afterwards! He also pooped during the process and it was solid. Gave the hydration formula anyhow and he loved it. The person I took him to has seen very bad mal occlusions that have healed very nicely after tissue damage and says Benni looks like he will heal up quickly. His upper incisors were starting to cut his lower lip so I'm glad I caught this, thanks all for guiding me in the right direction!

Now for upkeep I realize I will have to bring him to get trimmed regularly. However what are good solids to feed for his teeth? What about other foods or natural items to chew on to help keep his teeth in check?

[DarkLies212]

Glad you got him all fixed up!
Here's the healthy diet thread with some good info for teethies! http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?37700-HEALTHY-DIET-for-PET-Flying-Squirrels&highlight=healthy+flyer+diet

[SammysMom]

Post teeth being ground down...:Love_Icon

[HRT4SQRLS]

I'm glad the trim helped. :thumbsup

You can give Benni hard in-shell nuts to file his teeth down. You can give a hazelnut but as with all nuts they should be limited. The best nut I've found is Hickory nuts. They file holes in them but they don't have a lot of meat in them. I bought them online. Black walnuts are also good for this purpose but my flyers didn't have much interest in them.

Benni should also have 'safe' branches to chew. Branches from oak and maple are good. You can find the 'safe' trees on the Healthy Diet for Pet Squirrels in the Nutrition Section.