audiecakes
09-04-2017, 09:26 PM
Hi all! I'll start with some background: Little female gray (I live in New Jersey) found by my front door on 8/31/17. Cold, dehydrated, apparently had fallen from nest. Had some blood coming from her nose but I took her to work with me - luckily I work at a vet, but it is dog/cat only - and one of the doctors who has worked with exotics took a look and determined the injury to be just a bang to the face and nothing worse. Bleeding stopped within an hour or two. I warmed her immediately and have consistently provided her with fabric bedding and a heating pad.
The first day, she was refusing food and after doing some research I realized she needed some hydration, so I used a homemade solution, and then she was eating with gusto! Over the last 3 days she's been getting a warm mixture of powdered esbilac, heavy cream, and baby oatmeal every 4-5 hours, so 4-5 times a day. She currently weighs 119 grams. I think she is 5-6 weeks old.
My concern is that her last feeding (8pm today) was a little off. I removed her from her "nest" and she immediately pooped and wanted to run around and climb all over me - not lethargic at all. However, it took a good deal of coaxing to get her to eat and she consumed a decent amount but did not finish. She ate, but not like she usually does.
I ruled out some things:
She was warm (although the ambient temp OUTSIDE of the nest might have been a bit chilly).
Her skin did not tent.
Her belly was not distended or hard.
No respiratory sounds/clicks.
Eliminating normally.
So my question is - is it normal for babies to sometimes be fussy about feeding? Should I be worried or am I being paranoid? So far this only happened once but I love her and want to make sure she is okay.
The first day, she was refusing food and after doing some research I realized she needed some hydration, so I used a homemade solution, and then she was eating with gusto! Over the last 3 days she's been getting a warm mixture of powdered esbilac, heavy cream, and baby oatmeal every 4-5 hours, so 4-5 times a day. She currently weighs 119 grams. I think she is 5-6 weeks old.
My concern is that her last feeding (8pm today) was a little off. I removed her from her "nest" and she immediately pooped and wanted to run around and climb all over me - not lethargic at all. However, it took a good deal of coaxing to get her to eat and she consumed a decent amount but did not finish. She ate, but not like she usually does.
I ruled out some things:
She was warm (although the ambient temp OUTSIDE of the nest might have been a bit chilly).
Her skin did not tent.
Her belly was not distended or hard.
No respiratory sounds/clicks.
Eliminating normally.
So my question is - is it normal for babies to sometimes be fussy about feeding? Should I be worried or am I being paranoid? So far this only happened once but I love her and want to make sure she is okay.