3.5 week old not eating very much, wants to sleep

[ashlee1228]

I have a 3.5 week old male grey squirrel who is not wanting to eat very much and wants to go back to sleep. he had been eating up to 4cc's per feeding but now has dropped to 1.5-2cc per feeding. he had been feeding very well and was the best eater but now he is refusing formula and spitting it out. all he wants to do is find his sister and snuggle.

Not cool, not lethargic, bright eyes, has not aspirated to my knowledge, no crackles in lungs and breath sounds are clear, no discharge from nose or eyes. Not dehydrated.

housing: inside dark semi enclosed box with pillowcase for bedding, box sits on top of heating pad set to low placed under 1/2 of box.
formula: Esbailac puppy replacement powder- warmed (not too hot, not too cool).
bathroom: firm and light, urination and bowls are regular. normal.

Does anyone have any ideas? I have raised tons of baby squirrels but never had one act like this.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Listen for clicking in his chest.

:Welcome

[Nancy in New York]

I have a 3.5 week old male grey squirrel who is not wanting to eat very much and wants to go back to sleep. he had been eating up to 4cc's per feeding but now has dropped to 1.5-2cc per feeding. he had been feeding very well and was the best eater but now he is refusing formula and spitting it out. all he wants to do is find his sister and snuggle.

Not cool, not lethargic, bright eyes, has not aspirated to my knowledge, no crackles in lungs and breath sounds are clear, no discharge from nose or eyes. Not dehydrated.

housing: inside dark semi enclosed box with pillowcase for bedding, box sits on top of heating pad set to low placed under 1/2 of box.
formula: Esbailac puppy replacement powder- warmed (not too hot, not too cool).
bathroom: firm and light, urination and bowls are regular. normal.

Does anyone have any ideas? I have raised tons of baby squirrels but never had one act like this.

How long have you had this little one?
What size syringe are you using?
How much does this little one weigh?
Is this the formula that you are feeding?

How often are you feeding?

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-CDTTKJg/0/O/i-CDTTKJg.jpg

[ashlee1228]

Listen for clicking in his chest.

:Welcome

there is no clicking and his breath sounds are clear

[Rhapsody]

Some babies just go through these moments for a while then snap out of it. In the mean time let's make sure all is well with him....... Hold him up to your ear and see if you hear clicking, if you do he has pneumonia and needs medication. Keep in mind that squirrels like their formula hot and will not drink it when it gets cold. Squirrels will eat more in the morning and often back off on the amount of formula they take in as the day goes on.

[ashlee1228]

How long have you had this little one?
What size syringe are you using?
How much does this little one weigh?
Is this the formula that you are feeding?

How often are you feeding?

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-CDTTKJg/0/O/i-CDTTKJg.jpg

I got him on Saturday after hurricane Hermine, until yesterday he ate well. so 5 days.
I am using a small 1cc syringe
I don not know his weight but he is small, about the size of a early 2 week old, maybe slightly larger
I feed every 3.5-4 hours

I know the formula is Esbilac puppy milk replacement, but the wildlife rescue organization I volunteer with buys it in bulk. But I am sure it is the correct one.

[ashlee1228]

Some babies just go through these moments for a while then snap out of it. In the mean time let's make sure all is well with him....... Hold him up to your ear and see if you hear clicking, if you do he has pneumonia and needs medication. Keep in mind that squirrels like their formula hot and will not drink it when it gets cold. Squirrels will eat more in the morning and often back off on the amount of formula they take in as the day goes on.

He has no clicking and his breath sounds are clear. His formula is always nice and warm for him because they dont like cool.
but that is just it, he always eats 4-5 cc in the morning, but the past 2 days all I can get him to take is 2cc max. Now there is an obvious size difference between his sister and him.

I will post pics when I get home in an hour

[Rhapsody]

How much in cc is he eating at each feeding? --he should eat 5-7% of his body weight, and why knowing weight is so important.

[Rhapsody]

He has no clicking and his breath sounds are clear. His formula is always nice and warm for him because they dont like cool.
but that is just it, he always eats 4-5 cc in the morning, but the past 2 days all I can get him to take is 2cc max. Now there is an obvious size difference between his sister and him.

I will post pics when I get home in an hour

Since his health is good atm i can only assume his changes in eating is a stage he is going through and should pick back up soon...... I've had this happen with a few of my babies and they went went up and down on the cc they took in then finally got back on track. (at 4 weeks old you can yogurt to the formula).

[ashlee1228]

When I got home it was time for feeding and the little stinker had 4cc's for me. Mommy is very happy. So we shall see if it continues.