Hair not growing!

[WCD]

My baby squirrel is approx. 4 weeks old and is doing great other than he is not growing hair on the end of his tail. There is also a dark spot on the end of his tail. Has anyone ever seen this before?? I don't know if it is something to worry about or not.

[stepnstone]

My baby squirrel is approx. 4 weeks old and is doing great other than he is not growing hair on the end of his tail. There is also a dark spot on the end of his tail. Has anyone ever seen this before?? I don't know if it is something to worry about or not.

Sometimes lack of fur growth can be contributed to a lack of the right nutrition in their diet
which is generally the first thing we ask, what formula and or foods have you been feeding?

Sometimes it's unexplained but they catch up later down the road and it grows out fine.

The dark area looks like he may have gotten it pinched somehow, hard to tell from this side of the fence.
If it is due to injury he will most likely lose the tip which is not a big deal and won't even be noticed once
he furs out.

[WCD]

I've been feeding him FV for the last 2 weeks. The first 2 weeks I had him I fed him esbilac with probiotics. He weighs 52g and I feed him 2.5cc every 3.5 hours.

[stepnstone]

I've been feeding him FV for the last 2 weeks. The first 2 weeks I had him I fed him esbilac with probiotics. He weighs 52g and I feed him 2.5cc every 3.5 hours.

He's small for a 4 week old....
"Average" weight on a grey at 4 weeks should fall between 80 -120 grams.
Feeding every 4 throughout the night.
5% @ 52 grams would be 2.6, 7% would be 3.6
I would boost his intake as long as his bowels remain stable.

[WCD]

Since he is underweight, and if his stools become soft, do you suggest less formula more frequently, or stay with recommended amount less frequently, or is there another option I am leaving out?

Will he eventually catch up to average weight for his age over time and is there any long term effects of him not being average weight right now?

When should I begin the transition to the FV 20/50 formula? (Assuming he is roughly 4 weeks)

[Spanky]

I've been feeding him FV for the last 2 weeks. The first 2 weeks I had him I fed him esbilac with probiotics. He weighs 52g and I feed him 2.5cc every 3.5 hours.


When should I begin the transition to the FV 20/50 formula? (Assuming he is roughly 4 weeks)

A little contradiction in what he is eating so I am not sure what to make of this... :thinking

If you have had him 4 weeks and estimate his age at 4 weeks then he would likely have had his umbilical stump still attached when he was found? If you post a picture of his entire self, folks can help confirm the age guesstimate.

But.. I would recommend a half Esbilac and half FV 20/50 combo. Many here have been using exactly that (myself included) with good results. And since you have both, you could minimally use up the Esbilac you already have on hand.

Is he being feed every 4 hours around the clock?

Were it me I would feed him more, trying to get closer to the 7% (or 3.6ML for a 52 gram squirrel) every 4 hours. I would continue the around-the-clock feedings for a few weeks more, hoping to help catch him up. Ultraboost (made by Fox Valley) may also help him catch up.

If he is going to catch up, it will be over the next few weeks and months but it require the proper diet. I had one last fall that was severely underweight and malnourished when he got here (6 weeks and 44 grams :eek). He is still a small squirrel but a healthy squirrel that is free in the trees and doing well other than being one of the smallest squirrels around. He grew up with 4 other squirrels, which I am sure helped him learn to compensate for his small stature.

[Nancy in New York]

A little contradiction in what he is eating so I am not sure what to make of this... :thinking



Spanky, I am assuming that this little one has been on the FV 32/40 and she is talking about transitioning him to
the 20/50 for squirrels 4 weeks and older.
BUT
I can be totally wrong. :)

[Spanky]

I've been feeding him FV for the last 2 weeks. The first 2 weeks I had him I fed him esbilac with probiotics. He weighs 52g and I feed him 2.5cc every 3.5 hours.


Spanky, I am assuming that this little one has been on the FV 32/40 and she is talking about transitioning him to
the 20/50 for squirrels 4 weeks and older. BUT I can be totally wrong. :)

That was my original take too, but when I decided to respond I read a little more carefully.... (at least this time?). :grin2

[WCD]

Yes, he has been on 20/32 and I have 20/50 on the way.

His umbilical cord stump was still attached when I found him. It did not fall off for 3 days or so.

His stools don't seem to agree with more than 3cc of formula. They seem to get very soft when he goes up in formula.

I am feeding him every 4 hours around the clock.

Just curious, why is it beneficial to mix the FV with esbilac?

[Spanky]

Spanky, I am assuming that this little one has been on the FV 32/40 and she is talking about transitioning him to
the 20/50 for squirrels 4 weeks and older.
BUT
I can be totally wrong. :)

Even when Nancy explains it to me, it does not register. Maybe she could type slower so I can comprehend better? (I am fairly sure she was convinced she was not wrong) :poke :grin2 :rotfl


Yes, he has been on 20/32 and I have 20/50 on the way.

His umbilical cord stump was still attached when I found him. It did not fall off for 3 days or so.

His stools don't seem to agree with more than 3cc of formula. They seem to get very soft when he goes up in formula.

I am feeding him every 4 hours around the clock.

Just curious, why is it beneficial to mix the FV with esbilac?

Does the stool color change at all or do they just get softer? And do they get softer even with a small increase?

Seems I was stuck on stoopid on the formula transitions!!!

Were any difference noticed with how he did on the on the FV 32/40 versus the first 2 weeks on Esbilac? Perhaps better weight gain on one versus the other? There has been some discussion on the board about FV 32/40 versus Esbilac for babies up to 4 - 5 weeks the last few seasons, but I personally have not cared for any babies that younger than 4 weeks since those discussions started so I will let other weigh in on that if they chose to do so.

There may advantages (anecdotally) to the 50/50 mix with the pre/pro-biotics and we have seen a lot of healthy, happy babies that were raised on that mix.

[WCD]

Doesn't change color. Just softer and sometimes a little runny but not bad runny. He didn't gain weight very well on esbilac. He really put it on with the FV.

[Nancy in New York]

Since your little one did gain better on the Fox Valley 32/40 than the Esbilac,
I would go straight to the Fox Valley 20/50 when it arrives.
NO need to transition them over to the 20/50 if you are feeding just the 32/40 now.
Some members stick with just the FV 20/50 while others use 50/50 (Fox Valley 20/50 AND powdered puppy Esbilac).
The Esbilac is said to have slightly higher copper.
Whatever works best for you and your little one gains weight is the correct formula. :)
You can add Ultra Boost to the 20/50 as Spanky suggested earlier,
but the 20/50 is higher in fat than the 32/40, so there may be no need.
Wait and see how the weight gain goes, you can always order it down the line.