Should I have offered NONE or MORE water

[oms2017]

A ~ 7-week-old baby black squirrel died last week because of my ignorance. I have been re-playing the series of events leading up to it in my head ever since.

What should I have done differently? Specifically, should I have NOT offered any liquid, or should I have offered MORE?

Skipping the parts unrelated to food/water to make this post more focused:

After 25 hours without mom: baby exited nest on his own - I then started my attempts to re-unite them
After 30 hours without mom: baby was caught
After 32 hours without mom: I gave him water in a small shallow dish, and he lapped it up
After 48 hours without mom: baby died

Before the baby passed:

- he was warm
- un-responsive
- mouth opened very slowly to take a faint & slow breath, then closed slightly, and then very slowly opened his mouth again
- neck was soft
- eyes half-closed/half-open

It's all my fault. But I don't know whether it's my action or inaction that caused it. Did this baby die from pneumonia or starvation?

[Mel1959]

I'm sorry you lost your baby. :hug How did you know the baby had been without mom for 25 hours? I'm fairly certain there have been little ones that have been separated from mom for 48 hours and not passed.

[oms2017]

I know because their nest was made exit-only at 8am while mom was outside. :( Baby climbed out the next morning at 9am.

If the little ones can normally survive > 48 hours without food & water...then that means my giving him water ended up killing him...

[Duckman]

It would only have killed him if you aspirated him. Was he gasping and crawling off heat before he died? That would be aspirated pneumonia.

[pappy1264]

Babies have gone much longer without mom and not passed. How did you know the timing of everything, did you see mom get killed? Hard to say. Did the baby fall, could it have been injured? You said it was warm, so assuming you put it on a heat source before giving it anything? How much fluids did it take and was it only once fluids were taken?

[oms2017]

It would only have killed him if you aspirated him. Was he gasping and crawling off heat before he died? That would be aspirated pneumonia.

The morning he died, his mouth was open wide, to breathe I think. But at that point he's not responsive at all.

The previous afternoon, I didn't monitor him immediately after he drank the water, so I don't know if he aspirated or not.

[oms2017]

Babies have gone much longer without mom and not passed. How did you know the timing of everything, did you see mom get killed? Hard to say. Did the baby fall, could it have been injured? You said it was warm, so assuming you put it on a heat source before giving it anything? How much fluids did it take and was it only once fluids were taken?

Mom was locked out. A camera was set up in front of the exit. The baby was terrified, but not injured and was running around and climbing up and down, before I caught him. I took him indoors, but did not give him a heat pad, before giving him warm water. He took ~3ml.

[stepnstone]

I know because their nest was made exit-only at 8am while mom was outside. :( Baby climbed out the next morning at 9am.

Ideally after mom exited baby (or babies) should have been gathered up, placed in a basket or some other type container
outside or close to the orignal entry. Mom then would have moved them to another nest as squirrels maintain more then one.
Poor mom and poor little baby. :(
Has anyone seen or checked for others? Unusual that there would be only one.

[oms2017]

Ideally after mom exited baby (or babies) should have been gathered up, placed in a basket or some other type container
outside or close to the orignal entry. Mom then would have moved them to another nest as squirrels maintain more then one.
Poor mom and poor little baby. :(
Has anyone seen or checked for others? Unusual that there would be only one.

I saw mom come back at least 4 times and take 3 babies, before this baby climbed out on his own. I have made many many many errors along the way leading up to his death. For most of the errors, I kind of know how to do better if there's a next time - except the giving water on a dish part.

If there's a next time: I suppose I could still give water, but NOT from a dish.

[redwuff]

I know because their nest was made exit-only at 8am while mom was outside. :( Baby climbed out the next morning at 9am.

If the little ones can normally survive > 48 hours without food & water...then that means my giving him water ended up killing him...

I want to let you know that I got a 6-7 week old little grey in that the finders know for sure was shut in a bedroom for 10 days w/out food or water. The finder shut the mother out with out realizing a baby was left behind. Very badly dehydrated and malnourished, we went very slowly. She looks terrific now. She will be released in a month. A few weeks ago, I got in three boys. Thin, no idea how long they had been out. It was after a cold snap here. The biggest boy, probably came out of the nest and was in the cold the longest, and he did not make it.

What was the weather where you are when the momma left the baby. The time line should not have been an issue

[oms2017]

I want to let you know that I got a 6-7 week old little grey in that the finders know for sure was shut in a bedroom for 10 days w/out food or water. The finder shut the mother out with out realizing a baby was left behind. Very badly dehydrated and malnourished, we went very slowly. She looks terrific now. She will be released in a month. A few weeks ago, I got in three boys. Thin, no idea how long they had been out. It was after a cold snap here. The biggest boy, probably came out of the nest and was in the cold the longest, and he did not make it.

What was the weather where you are when the momma left the baby. The time line should not have been an issue

The weather was not bad. Temperature was 1~10 Celsius (33~50 Fahrenheit). UV index high.

Thanks all for your confirmations. I believe my giving him water in the way I did was *the* problem. The price of this lesson is simply much too high :(

[island rehabber]

Your instincts are correct, in my opinion. He hydrated himself too fast. When an animal's cells are starved of water, suddenly taking in a large amount (for that animal's size and age) can overtax the system and cause it to crash. Early on in my rehabbing years I killed a baby by warming her too fast; you can also kill by hydrating too fast. I am so sorry this happened, but I credit you for knowing that you had some part in it and for obviously being committed to learn from this mistake. SO MANY PEOPLE LATELY cannot fathom that they actually screwed up. We all do, of course, but smart people acknowledge it and learn -- like you.

[dextersmom]

Please dont beat yourself up. I have and many of us have been in your shoes. I have learned in spite what everyone might say, if I see a baby without its mother for more than 20 minutes its now under my roof. I would began by warming him up,hydrating him with non flavored pedialyte,than I would begin feeding him the esbilac puppy replacer milk by using a droper. I love the droppers that the vets use for their animal amoxacilin. You tried to wait for its mom which is the correct thing to do,I dont give mom that long before I intervene. I would keep my eyes open in the area in which you had found the baby,and observe to see if mom came back calling for her baby,if so I would put him back for a few minutes under my watch. If nothing occurs than,I wont look anymore. I would just care for the orphan as my responsibility, and eventually do a slow release back.