My kiddo not growing much

[Missliss]

Hey all. I'm not sure if this is life threatening or not..
I have been raising 2 little boys, Simeon and Alistair, since the beginning of September - they couldn't have been much more than a week old, making them about 8 weeks old now. Alistair has always been the smaller of the two, but in the past couple of weeks he is very noticeably lagging behind in growth. (I'll post pictures once I figure out how to) He is an eager eater, for about 4-5 cc's, then he will pull away and refuse the nipple. When I put him back after he refuses, he walks around looking for a nipple - and sometimes I can pick him up a second time and he will eat more. Sim continues to grow at a very fast rate, he is probably twice the size of his brother now.
The other thing is Al's energy level. He sleeps more than brother, and doesn't climb around as much. He was recently treated for AP because, with the apparent lethargy and slight aversion to food, Vet Tech and I both thought AP. The clavamox didn't help him, but he does not seem to be getting worse...
I'm at a loss!! Please help a worried squirrel mama.

[stepnstone]

Hey all. I'm not sure if this is life threatening or not..
I have been raising 2 little boys, Simeon and Alistair, since the beginning of September - they couldn't have been much more than a week old, making them about 8 weeks old now. Alistair has always been the smaller of the two, but in the past couple of weeks he is very noticeably lagging behind in growth. (I'll post pictures once I figure out how to) He is an eager eater, for about 4-5 cc's, then he will pull away and refuse the nipple. When I put him back after he refuses, he walks around looking for a nipple - and sometimes I can pick him up a second time and he will eat more. Sim continues to grow at a very fast rate, he is probably twice the size of his brother now.
The other thing is Al's energy level. He sleeps more than brother, and doesn't climb around as much. He was recently treated for AP because, with the apparent lethargy and slight aversion to food, Vet Tech and I both thought AP. The clavamox didn't help him, but he does not seem to be getting worse...
I'm at a loss!! Please help a worried squirrel mama.

What is the formula you are feeding?

[Missliss]

I know it is Fox Valley, for kiddos 4+ weeks old. I don't know the numbers - I resupply from an animal rescue that lost their license recently.

[Missliss]

Something that occurred to me is the possibility of liver problems from the antibiotic use? Is there some kind of low-fat formula (easy on the liver) I can use in the interim to see if he gets better??
Or is this even a plausible scenario..?

[stepnstone]

I know it is Fox Valley, for kiddos 4+ weeks old. I don't know the numbers - I resupply from an animal rescue that lost their license recently.

You need to know which FV, it sounds like it could be FV 32/40. If it is, there is your problem.
The 32/40 is no longer recommended on tsb due to many babies failure to survive on it. It sits
like sludge in their stomachs and they can not properly digest it.
If you are feeding 32/40 and the one is doing well consider yourself lucky, at the same time remember
all babies are not created equal and should not be gauged the same even if from the same litter.

[Missliss]

It has proven impossible to get a picture of them both together.. they are squirrely squirrels :) I tried to use my hand as a scale.
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ABOVE IS SIMEON
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ABOVE IS ALISTAIR
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SIMEON
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ALISTAIR
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ALISTAIR

[stepnstone]

He was recently treated for AP because, with the apparent lethargy and slight aversion to food, Vet Tech and I both thought AP. The clavamox didn't help him,


Something that occurred to me is the possibility of liver problems from the antibiotic use? Is there some kind of low-fat formula (easy on the liver) I can use in the interim to see if he gets better??
Or is this even a plausible scenario..?

Who dosed the clavamox?
Can you tell us the millagram of the clavamox and how (amounts) he was dosed?
How long treated and was he given extra probiotics?
All ab's are hard on their digestive system and has the potential of messing up their
gut flora which leads right back to not being able to digest properly to be absorbing
the nutrients they need.

[Missliss]

The dosage was .02 mL twice a day for 3 days then same dose once daily for 3 days.

[stepnstone]

[QUOTE=Missliss;1241704]It has proven impossible to get a picture of them both together.. they are squirrely squirrels :) I tried to use my hand as a scale.[QUOTE]

Cute little buggers... :grin2

ALISTAIR does look underweight, health issues/ nutrition isues will stunt their growth not to be unexpected.
Most will get on a growth spurt once their nutrition is being met.
Do you not have a scale to know what these babies weigh?
Squirrels need to be fed 5-7% of their body weight. Having a scale is essential, not just for feeding but all
meds are dosed by body weight.

[Missliss]

He was weighed for the dosage, but I have been going by the tummy test for feeding.. when it feels like a half-full water balloon, I stop. This is what I was told to do..
Also worth mentioning, Al is starting to eat avocado (just a couple of tiny bites and only when I am giving it to him - not when he's alone). They also have monkey biscuits in their cage.
Could he be trying to wean but not quite sure how to eat solid foods yet?

[stepnstone]

Got to step off but also want to mention there has been a lot of "runts" seen this past year.
I got in one myself, He's healthy and developed but I didn't think he was ever going to grow.
I called him my chip monk or tea cup baby. :grin2

The other thing is you really should get them started on a good quality rodent block.

[stepnstone]

He was weighed for the dosage, but I have been going by the tummy test for feeding.. when it feels like a half-full water balloon, I stop. This is what I was told to do..
Also worth mentioning, Al is starting to eat avocado (just a couple of tiny bites and only when I am giving it to him - not when he's alone). They also have monkey biscuits in their cage.
Could he be trying to wean but not quite sure how to eat solid foods yet?

This is so wrong! Whoever told you that are so wrong!
Stomach capacity 5-7%, underfeeding or overfeeding can both be detrimental to these babies.

Good on feeding the block.:greatWhich block are you feeding?