Help identifying what is going on

[n0ledge]

Hi this is my first post so I'll make a short explanation of how I'm now taking care of 2 baby squirrels.

So 2 days ago I was working and found a little girl on the sidewalk. I thought she was dead, but wasn't. I carried her in my shirt's pocket and bring her home. The next I've found another one at the same place. Bring him home too.

Now the little boy, Bruce, looks fine, but sometimes for no apparent reason he will scream and move a lot. He will get out of the box, do sudden moves, sometimes there is some foam on his mouth and he even get so tense he seems dead. The first time, we were sure it was the end. Normally, I can hold him with no problems to feed him and all, but when he is in this state he will jerk if I touch him. I try to calm him down by petting him. It goes away after around 20-30 seconds.

We never had to take care of baby squirrels and we hope we are doing everything right. We've read a lot on the subject, but still with no prior experiences we can only hope everything we do is right.

[stepnstone]

Hi this is my first post so I'll make a short explanation of how I'm now taking care of 2 baby squirrels.

So 2 days ago I was working and found a little girl on the sidewalk. I thought she was dead, but wasn't. I carried her in my shirt's pocket and bring her home. The next I've found another one at the same place. Bring him home too.

Now the little boy, Bruce, looks fine, but sometimes for no apparent reason he will scream and move a lot. He will get out of the box, do sudden moves, sometimes there is some foam on his mouth and he even get so tense he seems dead. The first time, we were sure it was the end. Normally, I can hold him with no problems to feed him and all, but when he is in this state he will jerk if I touch him. I try to calm him down by petting him. It goes away after around 20-30 seconds.

We never had to take care of baby squirrels and we hope we are doing everything right. We've read a lot on the subject, but still with no prior experiences we can only hope everything we do is right.

His behavior sounds like he's scared and stressed. First he's orphaned, then he's swooped up by a giant.
Comforting and speaking softly to him is the way to go. :great
Lots of questions...... Did you hydrate first?
How are you feeding? What are you feeding and with what?
Do you have a weight on them to know how much they should be fed? Babies are fed 5-7% according to their body weight.
Can you post a picture so we can assess age, condition, etc so we may better advise.
And.... Thank you for rescuing these boys. :grouphug

[n0ledge]

I've hydrated first, but he isn't drinking much. I tried pedilyte yesterday and today I tried some cat milk, but he only had a few drops of milk.

I didn't weight them yet, but I'm 100% sure Bruce isn't drinking as much as he should. I've added pictures to my profile in an album if you can see it. Otherwise I'll link to imgur

[UDoWhat]

:Welcome to TSB and :thankyou for rescuing these babies. Likely they are from the same litter and there may be more. I would keep looking. Something could have happened to their mom and as the begin to get hungry they will come (fall) down from the nest looking for help. :Love_Icon :Love_Icon

Like Step said, give us some info and we can better help you with these babies. We need to know all those things to even begin to help. Eyes open? Furred ? What you are doing to help them?

Again, Step is right about the little boy being scared. So far all he knows is that anything reaching down, over top of him is likely going to eat him. :eek (Hawks). He is terrified. Sometimes when I get a baby in that will happen to me too. Usually they are older but not always. Pretty soon they learn you are the "feeding giant". :grin3I hope this is all that is going on with your boy.

We are all happy to help you. Stay with TSB for the right answers. There is a ton of incorrect info on line so ask all the questions you need to ask. :Love_Icon

PS I just saw the photos. Looks like one is beginning to peek and open their eyes. They look to be about 5 weeks old if I am correct about the eyes just opening. Not much older. They are adorable!!!

[n0ledge]

:Welcome to TSB and :thankyou for rescuing these babies. Likely they are from the same litter and there may be more. I would keep looking. Something could have happened to their mom and as the begin to get hungry they will come (fall) down from the nest looking for help. :Love_Icon :Love_Icon

Like Step said, give us some info and we can better help you with these babies. We need to know all those things to even begin to help. Eyes open? Furred ? What you are doing to help them?

Again, Step is right about the little boy being scared. So far all he knows is that anything reaching down, over top of him is likely going to eat him. :eek (Hawks). He is terrified. Sometimes when I get a baby in that will happen to me too. Usually they are older but not always. Pretty soon they learn you are the "feeding giant". :grin3I hope this is all that is going on with your boy.

We are all happy to help you. Stay with TSB for the right answers. There is a ton of incorrect info on line so ask all the questions you need to ask. :Love_Icon

Thanks for having me by the way :dance , like I've said in my second post there is some pictures of them on my profile. They do have fur and eyes are mostly closed. Jackie is fine and opened her eyes for the first time today, she have a lot of energy. Also, she clearly understand I'm the feeding giant.

Bruce on the other hand, he mostly have his eyes closed, but sometimes he opens only one. He doesn't blink so it feels off.

We've got an heating blanket to keep them warm, we've bought cat milk and made some pedilyte with water, sugar and salt. I'm feeding them with a small syringe that I've put a very small feeding thingy over it. I'm feeding them one drop at a time very slowly allowing them time to swallow. I'm making them do their piss and poo with a wet/warm cotton ball. They both did their deeds a few times. Bruce poo twice, but Jackie didn't yet.

[Spanky]

We've got an heating blanket to keep them warm, we've bought cat milk and made some pedilyte with water, sugar and salt.

The cat's milk / formula is not a good choice as there is too much protein for a squirrel and the protein source is also not good for squirrels.

We recommend Esbilac puppy formula (the Powdered version and not the pre-made liquid.. they are not the same!) but I believe that is difficult to find in CA. Royal Canin is the brand I beleive our CA friends use with their squirrels.

[n0ledge]

The cat's milk / formula is not a good choice as there is too much protein for a squirrel and the protein source is also not good for squirrels.

We recommend Esbilac puppy formula (the Powdered version and not the pre-made liquid.. they are not the same!) but I believe that is difficult to find in CA. Royal Canin is the brand I beleive our CA friends use with their squirrels.

What I'm using is kmr kitten milk replacer. That's what was available to us. I've checked and there is only 7% protein differences between the stuff I've got and esbilac.

[stepnstone]

What I'm using is kmr kitten milk replacer. That's what was available to us. I've checked and there is only 7% protein differences between the stuff I've got and esbilac.

The stuff you've got is no good for a squirrel. Squirrels identify with canine, not feline. It's not just a matter of protein, the KMR is not good for their digestive system, and your likely to wind up with uncontrollable diarrhea as so many do.
The powered formula (never (pre-mixed liquid) Esbilac puppy with the pre and pro biotics pictured below is what you need.
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=292013&stc=1

[n0ledge]

The stuff you've got is no good for a squirrel. Squirrels identify with canine, not feline. It's not just a matter of protein, the KMR is not good for their digestive system, and your likely to wind up with uncontrollable diarrhea as so many do.
The powered formula (never (pre-mixed liquid) Esbilac puppy with the pre and pro biotics pictured below is what you need.
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=292013&stc=1

Alright then, I'll go try and get some. Thanks

[stepnstone]

Below is a link that can benefit you, it can be a huge help.
It's 6 pages long with the next button on the top right corner.
Please know we don't expect you to know (or understand) everything,
so ask any questions or concerns you may have. We are here to help
you raise healthy happy babies.
http://www.henryspets.com/baby-squirrel-care/

[n0ledge]

Below is a link that can benefit you, it can be a huge help.
It's 6 pages long with the next button on the top right corner.
Please know we don't expect you to know (or understand) everything,
so ask any questions or concerns you may have. We are here to help
you raise healthy happy babies.
http://www.henryspets.com/baby-squirrel-care/

Thanks for the link, I think Bruce got pneumonia. We've been threatened to have them killed and fined by vets we called. Is there anyway we could get something to help this little guy out off the shelves?

[stepnstone]

Thanks for the link, I think Bruce got pneumonia. We've been threatened to have them killed and fined by vets we called. Is there anyway we could get something to help this little guy out off the shelves?
I know of no appropriate AB OTC that can be purchased that would help with AP.
I would suggest you call around to family, friends to see if you can get hold of an antibiotic. 1-2 pills is all you would need.
Most people that have taken Ab's don't finish a prescription so it's possible you could luck out. Cipro is a med many woman use and sometimes keep on hand.
Someone may even have an Ab they were giving to their dog or cat. Let us know what you may be able to find and we can tell you how to break down and dose.

[n0ledge]

I know of no appropriate AB OTC that can be purchased that would help with AP.
I would suggest you call around to family, friends to see if you can get hold of an antibiotic. 1-2 pills is all you would need.
Most people that have taken Ab's don't finish a prescription so it's possible you could luck out. Cipro is a med many woman use and sometimes keep on hand.
Someone may even have an Ab they were giving to their dog or cat. Let us know what you may be able to find and we can tell you how to break down and dose.

Thanks for the input, I've finally found and went to get some today. There is a facebook group in my area that helped me get some and also helped with dosage. I'm not taking any chances with Jackie, I'm giving them both some. I'm not so sure that what I hear is the clicking sound from pneumonia, because Jackie is way louder, but she is full of energy. Anyway, I have enough for a week for both.

Bruce is getting better, he drinks a lot more and he opened his eyes. He's had a very good amount of pedialyte yesterday and especially today. I might go for milk tonight.

[n0ledge]

Little Bruce is getting better. He is now on milk and he was starving. There is this weird thing he started doing tho. He has a full belly of milk, but he keep on trying to eat it seems. He is gnawing on his arm and if I hold him he starts to do it softly on my hand. When I feed him sometimes he will stop and reach for his arm. His arm seems fine, there is no redness or anything out of the ordinary. I'm not sure what to do with this.

[UDoWhat]

Thanks for the input, I've finally found and went to get some today. There is a facebook group in my area that helped me get some and also helped with dosage. I'm not taking any chances with Jackie, I'm giving them both some. I'm not so sure that what I hear is the clicking sound from pneumonia, because Jackie is way louder, but she is full of energy. Anyway, I have enough for a week for both.

Bruce is getting better, he drinks a lot more and he opened his eyes. He's had a very good amount of pedialyte yesterday and especially today. I might go for milk tonight.

Ok ...the only way to tell if he is getting enough or too much formula is the weigh your babies. Squirrel babies have to be weighed to accurately feed them. They eat between 5-7% of their weight in ml.

Did you weigh them to dose the meds? There is no possible way to give an accurate dose of meds without a weight on them. Hope your FB friends knew that. If you are not getting advice from a rehabiltator you should be careful.

[n0ledge]

Ok ...the only way to tell if he is getting enough or too much formula is the weigh your babies. Squirrel babies have to be weighed to accurately feed them. They eat between 5-7% of their weight in ml.

Did you weigh them to dose the meds? There is no possible way to give an accurate dose of meds without a weight on them. Hope your FB friends knew that. If you are not getting advice from a rehabiltator you should be careful.

Yes they have been weighed and I've weighed them at home too before that.