6 month old grey with diarrhea

[Juli]

I am an accidental squirrel mom. My dog brought a newborn (based on comparison to pictures) pinkie and dropped it at my feet on March 7th. After trying to leave it out for it's mother to hopefully retrieve it with no luck, I brought him in and warmed him up. I have a 10 year old animal lover who wants to save everything including bugs so I went through the motions to save him. To my complete surprise, he survived! There were several difficulties and I thought he was going to die a couple of time early on. Mostly because I had no idea what to feed him (he got cow's milk for a couple of days) and he nearly drowned on formula because of my incorrect feeding technique. But, he's a fighter (thus, the name Rocky) and he grew into a healthy boy. He is on the small side compared to other grey squirrels in my neighborhood. He currently weighs 12 3/4 oz. He eats fresh veggies (carrots, celery, lettuce, cauliflower, zucchini, cucumbers, snap peas, tomatoes), Hartz gerbil, hamster and rat diet mix, and a little rodent block (this is his least favorite). For treats, he gets walnuts, pecans, almonds and dried coconut chunks. I have researched a lot and feel that I keep running on to things that he has been eating that might kill him such as brazil nuts and things that should be very limited like parsley. About 2 weeks ago I had him outside, which is not unusual as he loves to play in the magnolia tree, but something scared him and he bolted. I couldn't find him or get him to respond when I called him. Of course, I was devastated. He has never had any attempt made to teach him to live in the wild. 48 hours later he was scratching on my front window!! Other than missing a little tail hair and being extremely tired, he seemed fine.

Since then he has developed soft formed stools to almost liquid. It seems to get better, then worse, then better but never back to normal. After he came home, the only things that he has been eating that are new is walnuts and parsley. At first I was giving him alot of parsley because he seemed to love it. After I discovered that he shouldn't have it in large amounts a few days ago, I have almost completely stopped giving it to him. I have some immodium liquid but I couldn't find the children's dosage. What I have has 1mg in 7.5ml. Could his diarrhea be caused by what I am feeding him? Could he have picked up something while he was out free for 2 days? What dose of immodium should I give him? I have seen many posts on here about diarrhea in babies but nothing about older squirrels.

I also recently discovered that he needs vitamin D which is normally gotten through exposure to the sun. He does not get daily or even close to daily direct sun exposure. After being outside for 2 days he seems to be terrified of it and darts back in the house whenever I take him out. Do I need to give him Vit D supplement? I have children's drops but I am worried because I understand that high doses of Vit D are used to kill rodents. Any suggestions about how to make sure he gets enough vit D?

I appreciate any and all help! Please be kind as I have been struggling along with this boy, learning as I go. He is my baby and I am worried that I am doing something to cause his issues. Thanks in advance for the advice! Oh, and I am in a state where my having him is illegal so I can't take him to the vet unless I want him to be confiscated. If he were sick enough to need a vet, I fear they would euthanize him after confiscation rather than help him.

[Rhapsody]

Thanks for taking care of this little guy...... (((hugs))). It is very possible your baby ate some thing while he was away that did not set well with his tummy, now we need to get him better. You need to try and push the water to flush his system out and give 1-3 drops of the Immodium for the diarrhea every 3 hours.

Please do not take your squirrel back outside unless he is confined to a cage, other wise he may become scared again and run off...... getting hurt or never returning.

As far as vitamin D goes..... you can place his cage outside for a hour for sunlight exposure few times a week, you can place his cage by a widow blinds open and you can feed him fresh mushrooms.

His diet needs to be mostly vegetables, few fruits with limited nuts........ and always a good quality squirrel block.... we suggest HHB as the best squirrel block to use.

Please look over the diet section for suggested food to feed.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

[Daisey007]

I think you've done a great job especially being your first squirrel rehab! :blowkiss Even old timers like myself have to back up and punt sometimes! I'm sure there will be lots of great advice from some true experts here to give you great information and guidance for your current issue with your baby's diarrhea.

I just wanted to mention something regarding your dilemma of not being licensed to rehab. Have you checked into obtaining a wildlife license of your own? I am not familiar with the laws in your state or the licensing regulations but it's not usually a huge deal to get one in most states. In Georgia you have to pass a written exam. They direct you to various wildlife books to use as a study guide. Then when you feel you're ready, you schedule and take the exam. You must score an 80 or better to pass. The exam is FREE and you can take it as many times as you want but you must wait 30 days between each exam. The problem in Georgia is that the exam is ridiculously difficult! Anyway, once you are licensed, you can take your baby to see a vet if he needs it. Of course, needless to say, you have to pretend that he's a "soft release" and not a PET. And you can have a license and never use it too. It's good to have 'in case' and it doesn't eat anything!

If, for whatever reason, you don't want a license, then there may be a second option to get vet care for your baby without a license. Find a local rehabber, and get to know them. Ask them lots of questions to see if "hypothetically" they would help you get vet care using their license in an emergency. Most of us are licensed because we LOVE squirrels, and not a single one of us would turn our backs on a squirrel in need. I would say that most aren't in agreement with confiscation/euthanasia of a beloved squirrel. Of course, it's not advertised but...

Best wishes with getting your sweet baby healthy again....

:grouphug:Love_Icon

[Juli]

Thanks for the advice! How can I find a rehabber in my area? I'm in central MO. Thanks!!

[Spanky]

I also recently discovered that he needs vitamin D which is normally gotten through exposure to the sun. He does not get daily or even close to daily direct sun exposure. After being outside for 2 days he seems to be terrified of it and darts back in the house whenever I take him out.

I just wanted to provide you some cautions about "direct sunlight".
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?17785-WARNING!-Squirrels-Can-Overheat-in-Summer!&highlight=heatstroke


Feeding him a couple Henry's Healthy Blocks for squirrels will help ensure he is getting enough Vitamin D (and everything else!).

http://www.henryspets.com/squirrel-diet/

[Juli]

His stools have gotten firmer, then softer and back & forth. They were a medium brown sometimes to dark brown when on the firmer side. This morning the are formed but very soft, black & bloody. I'm really worried. What could this be? The only new food he's had is I started giving him baby Bella mushrooms about 3 days ago.

[island rehabber]

Hmmm..because his problems started right after he went AWOL for 48hrs, right? I am going to suggest that he contracted a bug out there from a wild squirrel.the dark and/or bloody stools could be from giardia or even coccidia. Do you have access to veterinary medicine such as Albon or Baycox?

[RiverSong]

Thanks for the advice! How can I find a rehabber in my area? I'm in central MO. Thanks!!

I'm in Iowa and the DNR keeps a PDF directory posted on their website - MO's DNR or Dept of Conservation may have something similar. I also found this - http://wildliferehabber.com/rehabber-location-listings/us/mo but am not sure how up-to-date it is.

Here's the steps on getting a permit or license in MO, if you're interested: http://s1.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/adrules/csr/current/3csr/3c10-9.pdf "Missouri Department of Conservation... Missouri wildlife rehabilitation applicants must fill out an application providing information about relevant experience, facilities they will be using, and proof of a licensed veterinarian who is willing to assist the applicant."

[Mel1959]

Go to the website : www.calvet.com This is a website located in California that sells antibiotics without a prescription. If you suspect some type of intestinal parasite, like giarrdia or coccidia, then Albon or Baycox would be the drug of choice. Metronidazole can be used for giarrdia, but I believe it's ineffective for coccidia. Please anyone out there correct me if I am wrong.

I understand a rehab license may not be what you are looking for, you just want to see your little one be healthy. I'm not sure what your little one is eating, but pumpkin, banana and infant rice cereal have the ability to help bind stools.

I hope this helps. Thank you for helping this little one. :hug

[Juli]

Funny, that link (calvet.com) took me to a winery website. I could use that too! I do have access to metronidazole. What would be the dosage? Thanks again for your help!! The

[Nancy in New York]

Funny, that link (calvet.com) took me to a winery website. I could use that too! I do have access to metronidazole. What would be the dosage? Thanks again for your help!! The

We would need the mg of the Metro and the weight of the squirrel in grams.
This is used to treat Giardia as Mel said.
If you want to try the Imodium, we can dose that as well,
but we need a weight. That should be fun. :)