Cobb Co, Acworth GA HELP Rescued baby squirrel today..please help! Needs rehab home!

[kylala01]

PLEASE HELP! We rescued a baby squirrel that must have fallen from a tree that was being cut down nearby. His eyes are still closed so very young. We are keeping him warm and trying to syringe-feed. We are leaving town on Sunday so desperately need a rehab home--plus we have never rehabbed a squirrel...please help. We are located in Acworth/Cobb County.
Thanks for your help!
kylala01

[lennysmom]

Welcome to TSB kylala01. :Welcome Thank you for rescuing this little one! Hopefully we will be able to find some help for you soon in your area. In the meantime, here are the basics of caring for your little one. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Baby Squirrel 101

This is general information. We will also give you direct answers to your specific questions. Do you have a heating pad that does not have an automatic shut-off?
Baby Squirrel Information


1) Is the baby uninjured? Is mom still around? and if so, warm the baby and place in a safe spot where mom can reunite if possible. Mom will not take a cold baby!
2) Okay, so you couldn’t reunite with mom. Start by warming the baby in a plastic container full of fleece or tee shirt material. (Not towels as the loops catch little claws and can cause injury) Place the container half on a heating pad that is set on low. It needs to be a heating pad that does not have an automatic shut-off. It needs to be half on and half off so that the baby can get off of the heat if it gets too hot.
3) Check to see if the baby is dehydrated. You can do this by gently picking up the skin on the back of the baby’s shoulders. If the skin goes right back down it is not dehydrated. If the skin remains “tented” for a time, you will need to rehydrate with Pedialyte or homemade Pedialyte.

Hydrate them right away (use a 1cc syringe and go slow)........ give some homemade pedialyte every hour for six to eight hours and then you can start start feeding them some formula made from goats milk (if they are thoroughly hydrated).
Pedialyte for no more than 24 hours!!! Too much sodium!!


Homemade Pedialyte
1 cup warm water
1/4 tsp salt (teaspoon)
1 Tbsp sugar (tablespoon)

Feed slowly with a 1cc syringe - head UP tail DOWN
Keep warm at all times – If no heating pad available fill bottle with hot water (cover bottle with sock) or fill a sock with dry rice or beans and microwave. Be sure to squish the rice or beans around to be sure there are no hot spots that might burn the babies.

____________
4) Once rehydrated begin to feed Fox Valley formula which can be ordered from http://foxvalleynutrition.com or while waiting for that to arrive use recipe below. As a general rule you will feed 5 - 7% of their body weight per feeding

Homemade Goats Milk Recipe -

1 cup Goats Milk * (if can - dilute)
1/3 cup Full Fat Vanilla Yogurt
1/3 cup Heavy Cream (frig section)

(lasts 72 hours in frig)
5) This information is really just meant to get you through until you can get the baby or babies to an experienced rehabber. If you are here on The Squirrel Board, you have access to all of the information you could ever need about squirrels. Most importantly there is generally someone here who can help to find you someone who can take the babies and prepare them for life in the trees. The trees are where they are meant to be and people here know how to get them safely there!

[kylala01]

Thank you so much for all the info! I'm unsure how to reunite with the mother...it is now dark and I read where they are only active during day--plus we live near a lake in a wooden area so have foxes/coyotes. I did see a squirrel this evening in a nearby tree and wondered if it was the mother. We have the baby in a bedded box in our garage and are using the heating pad as suggested. I don't see any visible injuries but he doesn't move around a lot, only when we pick him up, maybe that's normal. How do we attempt to reunite with the mother tomorrow?
Appreciate your help!

[lennysmom]

You could try to reunite her with her mama tomorrow by placing her in a box near the place you found her, perhaps even attached to a tree. If mama is nearby, hopefully she will hear her baby's cries and be looking for her.

If you have a pet store nearby, you might be able to find some Esbalic Puppy Milk Replacer - want to make sure you get the powdered form with pre and probiotics. Have you tried to hydrate her with the hydration forumla? Is there any way you could post a pic of her so we could guesstimate her age and weight?

[Nancy in New York]

THANK YOU so much lennysmom for directiing me to this thread.
I have notified some GA members,
and also changed the title of this
thread. :w00t:hug

[Spanky]

Hi kylala01 -

:thankyou for helping this little one and :Welcome to TSB!

I am going to PM you a number to try if you have not found help. If you have not luck finding help in your immediate area, I will take the baby if you are willing to do some driving. There will be some logistics in order to get that baby here if that is needed....

PS Is this a pinky or are they furred? :grin2

[kylala01]

Thank you everyone, the baby has been rejoined with the mother.

[Nancy in New York]

Thank you everyone, the baby has been rejoined with the mother.
Fantastic update...........there's nobody better than mama to raise her baby squirrel. :w00t

[lennysmom]

Wonderful news!!! :dance Thank you for the update! :thumbsup