Help! Squirrel is vomiting!

[jenelleyesh]

My 10 month old baby squirrel is vomiting. I just had him neutered on thursday, and he was fine until I brought him home earlier. I'm not sure if he's dehydrated, has a bowel ubstruction, or if he got worked up after being gone for 5 days. I need to know if I should be concerned or if it could be a side effect of being neutered. He got really worked up when I put him back in his pen, and he ate a lot of nuts (which I don't think he had all weekend ).

[TubeDriver]

Vomiting is not normal for a squirrel. What does the vomit look like? Has he been pooping and peeing normally?

Could he have gotton into anything and eaten something he should not have had?

I would give him water and make sure he is hydrated.

[SammysMom]

What kind of squirrel is this we are talking about? Hydration is the most important thing with vomiting. You can mix 1 cup water and 1tablespoon sugar with 1/4 teaspoon of salt to use as rehydration fluid. Be very careful when syringing the fluids as you do NOT want him to aspirate it into his lungs. Can you tell us what he usually eats on a daily basis?

[jenelleyesh]

He is a red squirrel and he had been at my cousin house because my cousin made the appointment with the vet to get him neutered. When I got him back today, he was a lot skinnier and was possibly dehydrated. He was acting really calm, but my cousin said his squirrel acted like that too for the first couple of days. So when I got him home, I cleaned out his pen and put fresh water and some nuts (peanuts, sunflower seeds, hazel nuts, walnuts) and when I put him in there he was so excited and started stashing nuts away in the newly cleaned pen. Then about an hour ago, I heard what sounded like he was gagging. When I open the pen, he has vomit on his chin and he's got diarrhea. I watched him for a couple mins and he seems to puke after he licks his but after pooping. I washed his butt, but he's still got diarrhea and keeps pooping.
I did remove all of the food from his pen, just in case he stuffed himself into an upset stomach.

[DarkLies212]

Is his normal diet mostly nuts?

[Shewhosweptforest]

Ok this is just a bandaid....not a fix....but you can give him Imodium A-D for children...it's pretty benign so you can give a drop safely...I've used it for diarrhea in a baby grey before and it helped...just controls the symptoms...I think it may help with the stomach upset too...you can give it again...just follow the directions on the bottle...but the thing is this does not answer what is causing this issue...but it may keep him from dehydrating worse than he already has....diarrhea and vomiting in such a small animal will cause severe dehydration quickly.
I would rub some molasses, maple syrup, or Karo syrup on his gums to raise his blood sugar levels.

[jenelleyesh]

Normally yes, he gets corn and an array of nuts on a daily basis. He's such a picky eater, and I have tried giving him celery and fruits and veggies, but he won't eat them, they just rot. So yes, nuts are his daily diet and he's never had an issue with diarrhea. He's always been a healthy weight (a lot skinnier then his chubby brother), but never too skinny. He hasn't puked again in atleast 20 mins, but now he's just perched in his cage, pooping all over the place.

[SammysMom]

That s a pretty big surgery and I wonder if he maybe should be on an antibiotic. I haven't heard of too many people having reds neutered so I don't know much about it. The same vet who did your friend's squirrel did yours? Is this your regular vet? Maybe you could take your squirrel back tomorrow to see him? For now, hydration is the most important thing for him. What kind of a pen is he in? Is it small and inside the house? He may need extra warmth for right now because this is a really big deal for a squirrel to vomit.

[jenelleyesh]

It just seems weird to me that he was fine until he was gone for 5 days, got neutered, probably didn't eat a lot, and then was given a normal sized meal. What would be the best way to make him drink water? I don't have any of the A-D stuff, and of course, I'm afraid to take my eyes off him. He's not lethargic or anything, he's climbing around, acting mostly normal, he's just got the squirts, and keeps licking it. I read that you should make sure they are hydrated before you feed them? He didn't look dehydrated, but thended again I had figured that while he was gone, he would have been fed and watered correctly.

[jenelleyesh]

I noticed that he only puked after he licked his butt after pooping. He hasn't puked in almost an hour now, but still has diarrhea.

[jenelleyesh]

I mixed up some of that water, sugar and salt, and he is drinking it. When I get him out to clean his butt, he fights me, so he's not weak. He even went as far as to nip my gloves.

[SammysMom]

He will definitely need a different diet, but you have to get him through this first. Vomiting is a VERY serious issue with squirrels. They are not made physically to vomit so it is a really serious thing when they do. How old was your friends squirrel when he had him neutered and if you don't mind me asking, who is the vet who did the surgery? Would you say they are experienced with a lot of squirrels or is this unusual for them? I can't think of anything that the surgery should cause that would do this, but you never know. If you have a syringe, you could offer the water mixture with a syringe. He really will be dehydrated with that much diarrhea and that is also very dangerous. Have you had him since he was a tiny baby? We will help you learn what he needs to eat to be healthy. Now that he is neutered, he is definitely NOT releasable ever, so in order to keep him healthy, you will need to improve his diet or he will have MBD.
Here is the link to the healthy diet thread:
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

Is it possible for you to post a picture of your baby so we can see if he looks dehydrated? If you can't upload it, you can text it to me at 203 214-7427

[jenelleyesh]

I didn't think they could vomit either. His vomit is white, if that helps. His poop is running and brownish yellow. I'll post a pic if I can get him to stay still. Any ideas of what this could be? I read about coccidia and giardia, and those concern me the most.

[jenelleyesh]

I got him when he was 7 weeks old from my friend who rescued him and his 3 other siblings, 2 of which are still alive. He's about 7 mo the old now roughly. I know he's still too young to be getting sick, considering most babies don't live past a year old:/

[SammysMom]

I understand your worry about those things, but I am more worried about the onset so close to an unusual surgery. Is there a really bad smell with the diarrhea? As gross as it sounds, a pic of the diarrhea might help too.

[jenelleyesh]

And the vet is a licensed exotic vet. I have an appointment with him in a few weeks to get my female prairie dog spayed. He has done a couple exotics of my cousins, and his squirrel was neutered only about 3 or 4 weeks ago. He recovered fully and never had an issue. His incision is completely healed.

[SammysMom]

Is there an unusual odor with the diarrhea?
That is great that you have a vet who will see squirrels! They are very few and far between. I actually keep a list of those who will see squirrels for our members in areas where it is hard to find them. If you are willing to share his name, you could send it to me in a private message or a text. It would very likely help someone else down the line who needs a vet.

[jenelleyesh]

His poop

[jenelleyesh]

I'll have to get the name from my cousin. He's in Battle Creek Michigan. I tried to load pictures of him, but they were too large. And he wouldn't hold still.

[SammysMom]

Just text them to me and I will resize them. That is really weird poop. Is there any way for you to find out what he has been eating?

[jenelleyesh]

He didn't have diarrhea until after he got home and I put him back in his pen. At that time, I had filled his dish with various nut such as, walnuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, corn, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, and pecans. All of which were part of his everyday diet before he left.

[Chickenlegs]

Don't mean to just jump in but can you go to a Walmart or even a 7/11 TONIGHT and get something to help his diarrhea? Poor guy is likely sore now as well as runny. Just breaking the cycle may help his tummy straighten out. Take his beloved nuts away and give him some Rice Chex to snack on. The rice will help the runs some and if he doesn't feel like eating, at least he's drinking. Do you have Pepto Bismol if you can't find Immodium? Oh--put some vasaline on his bum. You're getting info from the BEST! I hope your baby feels better soon.

[SammysMom]

Here are the pics... He is adorable, but does look dehydrated.

[SammysMom]

Oh dear...no vaseline! He will lick it and the diarrhea will get worse.

[SammysMom]

Do you have any sweet potato? That may help his loose stool also.

[stepnstone]

When surgery requires going under general anesthesia, once the body awakens the digestive system also needs time to adjust.
We are generally asked to fast to some degree before and sometimes several days after surgery with clear liquids and/ or light meals.
One reasoning is so we don't choke on anything coming up during surgery, and another is so we don't expand our stomachs with solid
foods /roughage shortly after surgery that can cause nauseous and lead to vomiting.
Wouldn't be much different with these little's... except I think anesthesia is a lot harder on their tiny systems.

Keep him hydrated as suggested, hopefully the diarrhea will resolve once the colon calms down. I would not be giving him nuts or corn.
I hope the vomiting is done but keep a close eye on him, vomiting can be very serious for a squirrel as they are not designed to do it.
Both diarrhea and vomiting dehydrates.

I couldn't agree more with the necessity of changing that diet! It is totally unbalanced for their nutritional requirements and will most
certainly lead to mbd.

[jenelleyesh]

Would A+D ointment work? A small amount of course

[SammysMom]

Use just a little bit. It may help.

[jenelleyesh]

How much immodium should I give him?

[SammysMom]

Just a drop.

[jenelleyesh]

Gave baby Immodium and water in a syringe last night before I went to bed, and when I woke up this morning and checked on him, he looked to be doing a lot better. His butt was dry, so I don't think he had much if any diarrhea after I went to bed. He also stopped puking, and I put A+D ointment on his poor little butt, and fed him some sweet potato baby food. I'll check back in this afternoon after I get out of work. Thank you all so much for all of the great advice:)

[Mommaluvy]

Ditto to Step.

My little one that had surgery vomited afterward. But that was the same day as the surgery.

Hope your little guy is still improving.

[stepnstone]

My 10 month old baby squirrel is vomiting. I just had him neutered on thursday, and he was fine until I brought him home earlier. I'm not sure if he's dehydrated, has a bowel ubstruction, or if he got worked up after being gone for 5 days. I need to know if I should be concerned or if it could be a side effect of being neutered. He got really worked up when I put him back in his pen, and he ate a lot of nuts (which I don't think he had all weekend ).


He is a red squirrel and he had been at my cousin house because my cousin made the appointment with the vet to get him neutered. When I got him back today, he was a lot skinnier and was possibly dehydrated. He was acting really calm, but my cousin said his squirrel acted like that too for the first couple of days. So when I got him home, I cleaned out his pen and put fresh water and some nuts (peanuts, sunflower seeds, hazel nuts, walnuts) and when I put him in there he was so excited and started stashing nuts away in the newly cleaned pen. Then about an hour ago, I heard what sounded like he was gagging. When I open the pen, he has vomit on his chin and he's got diarrhea. I watched him for a couple mins and he seems to puke after he licks his but after pooping. I washed his butt, but he's still got diarrhea and keeps pooping.
I did remove all of the food from his pen, just in case he stuffed himself into an upset stomach.

I know the panic when there is something wrong with our little's and how worst case scenarios can play on that panic.
I read between the lines and for me the red flags were obvious...
I'm glad to read he's doing better and hope he's past the worst of it... now to work on that diet...

[jenelleyesh]

Does anyone have any suggestions on things I should be buying for him to eat? How much food should I be giving him everyday, so he will actually eat it, instead of stash it? He gets bored with food very quickly.

[CritterMom]

The very first thing you MUST do is order him some of these: http://www.henryspets.com/squirrel-diet/. I would get him wither the adult formula or the picky blocks. He should get two of them a day.

Cut out 99% of the nuts you are feeding him. And NO nuts until he has eaten his blocks.

Then read this: http://www.henryspets.com/squirrel-diet/

[Nancy in New York]

The very first thing you MUST do is order him some of these: http://www.henryspets.com/squirrel-diet/. I would get him wither the adult formula or the picky blocks. He should get two of them a day.

Cut out 99% of the nuts you are feeding him. And NO nuts until he has eaten his blocks.

Then read this: http://www.henryspets.com/squirrel-diet/

Opppppps I see CritterMom has been hitting the bottle again, she gave you two links to the same page.
Try this. It's the healthy diet. Click the picture on several times, and it comes up larger.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

Then again, she could have meant this.
It explains the calcium to phosphorus ratios and which veggies etc. are best.
The ratio we strive for is 2:1 Cal/Phos
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?15397-Food-Data-Chart-Update-Calcium-to-Phosphorus-Ratios

Lynn you KNOW I'm kidding,
I know you don't drink on week nights. :rolf :poke

[lovesmice]

Haha-You are a riot, NiNY. I look forward to CM's reply because she always has me laughing, too.

I hope your little one gets better, jenelleyesh. You came to the right place for advice because the folks here really know what they are talking about.

[Nancy in New York]

Haha-You are a riot, NiNY. I look forward to CM's reply because she always has me laughing, too.



I don't think I'm going to read her reply. :hidechair
Call me when the coast is clear.:grin2

[CritterMom]

I don't think I'm going to read her reply. :hidechair
Call me when the coast is clear.:grin2

The hell I don't drink on weeknights! How do you think I make it to the weekENDS?

I was trying to link to the healthy diet - as you may KNOW Nancy, ahem, sometimes things get stuck in your clipboard!! (Nancy tried to send me some links by PM the other day and instead sent me to two pics of Tumbleweed!!)

[island rehabber]

(Nancy tried to send me some links by PM the other day and instead sent me to two pics of Tumbleweed!!)

ohhh Nancy's a hoot that way -- just ask her about Dr P & his kimono, sometime........:rotfl :rotfl :rotfl