A new baby

[chippenmouse]

Hi,
I happy to have found this site. Two nights ago I went for a walk outside (midnight) to check on our horses. When I came back up to the house. I saw a baby squirrel curled up in the middle of the road. I picked him up and he was so cold and very stiff, he barely moved at all. I took him into the house and place him on a baggie filled with warm water. This I put on a white towel. Talk about a flea and mite infested little guy. The fleas were abandoning ship! I killed them as they hopped off, all were filled with blood probably about a hundred! I found some bug spray for my horses and carefuly wiped him with a quitip soaked in spray. This is when I saw the mites. There were hundreds of them. They died and fell off, all heaped together they made a pile a little larger than a pea.:shakehead

I wasn't sure what to do next. So I took milk fat free and mixed it with sugar water. (one part milk one part water and 1/4 part sugar. I know now that wasn't the right thing to do. I fed him 1/2 a cc from a syringe. I placed him in a bowl with his warm baggie and a towel and went on the net and found this site, which led me to other good sites. I then mixed up the salt,sugar and water formula and fed him that. He was very dehydrated. He was sort of shriveled and his skin would "tent". I would say he is about 6 weeks old more or less. I now have him on can milk mixed with water and just drop of karo. I'll be picking up some esbilac when I get to town.

Last night 3:00am I fed him 1 1/2 cc of food. Waited 30 mins and fed him the dehydration mix 1 cc. This morning at 7:30am I feed him 1 1/2 cc of food. and at 9:00 am fed him 1 cc of dehydration formula.

He slept a lot the first 12 hours. Last night he was getting around pretty good. This morning he was out of the nest, wanting his food. He even was chirping:crazy . I weighted him and he is 80 grams.

NOW MY PROBLEM.:dono

I have washed his bottom with warm water, but no pee and no turds. With all the fluid that he has been taking in you would think he would go. What can I do to make him go. I've looked in his "nest" and there are no turds and no pee spots. I would think that I would see a little discoloration.

Also when I get the esbilac, do I mix in a bit of real cream? And were do I find the Osteoform powder? I'm wondering if Walmart carries it.

I'm not sure if he is a gray or a ground squirrel. I have also tried to attach two pictures that I took of him last night.

Thanks,
Chippenmouse

[pamela lee]

:Welcome :Welcome I'm not a rehabber so I'm really no help, just wanted to say HI. I am pretty sure he's not a Grey, other then that I'm not sure what he is. He's awfully cute though. Regardless of what he is, he'll need the Esbilac. Good luck with the little guy. Some of the great rehabbers will answer all your questions.
Pamela
I just noticed where you posted this, you'll get a quicker response if you moved it to one of the emergency threads.

[4skwerlz]

Try gently massaging his genital area with a kleenex moistened with warm water. Does his belly appear bloated at all?

(I am not a rehabber, but am just passing on info I learned from them. A rehabber will be here shortly.)

[Mars]

:Welcome :wave123

It is not strange for there to be no poo or pee in a baby that has been hungery for a while and is dehydrated. The body needs to absolve the fluids first - there is no excess yet to pee out. Give it another 24 hours before becoming concerned.

Ease your baby onto the Esbilac by mixing it 1/2 strength for a couple of feedings first before going full strength. Then I would wait at least 3 days before adding the heavy cream a little at a time if you choose to. What I recommentd is adding vanilla organic live cultured yogurt to your formula at 1/3 to 1/2 part. This will provide a healthy source of probiotics. I also recommend a product called Bioplasma ( or bio salts or cells salts ) available at health food stores - put one tablet in the formula twice a day ( first and last feeding ) for the first three days. This will assist in the adjustment to the man made formula.

I feed by the 5% rule. That's 5% of the baby's body weight in grams = cc per feeding. Baby will still act hungery but a back rub to burb and that hunger will disappear. The belly should be nicely full but never tight.


Hope this helps. :)

[island rehabber]

Ditto everything Mars said....and I do think he's an adorable little baby grey squirrel.

[pamela lee]

and I do think he's an adorable little baby grey squirrel.[/FONT][/COLOR]
What IR said. Shows you how much I know about baby squirrels.

[Critter_Queen]

Ditto what Mars said, and I would add that this little one needs a heat source as well while he recovers. Put a heating pad on low under half of the box he's in and put lots of t-shirts in there for him to snuggle into and hide under.

He looks pretty bad from those pics...I hope you can pull him through...starvation is very hard to bring them out of... He looks like a sweetheart... :Love_Icon

[chippenmouse]

Thank you everyone for the information you have posted. Hmm, I guess I must have been underfeeding a bit. If I have the numbers right for his 80 grams he would need 4 ccs? I have been feeding him 1 1/2 to 2 cc per feeding about 3 hours apart. His belly is not rounded after the feedings and he is not bloated. I will slowly increase the amount that I have been giving him. I plan on still giving him some of the dehydrate formula today. I'm thinking he is still a bit dehydrated.

I have been massaging his genital area after each feeding and hydration with a warm wet cotton ball. I have also massaged his belly (where his blader should be)??

Mars, thank you for the pacifics on the Esbilac feedings.

As for what he is??? We have both greys and grounds here. He does curl his tail up over his back. So thinging he may be a grey.

He is a cutie. Haven't got a name for him yet but may call him
Chip.

Thanks everyone
chippenmouse

[chippenmouse]

Hi you arn't going to belive this.....But first

Critter queen, thanks for the advice. The only heating pad that I have turns itself off after 15 minutes. I have been supplying heat via water bottle (pint canning jar) cover with tee shirt materail and rice bag. Last night I stitched up a bag out of tee shirt materail and put about 2 cups of uncooked rice in it and stitched it up. The rice is very loose and I can mold the "bag" put a dent in it, heap the rice in one spot ectra. I put the bag in the micowave for 30 to 40 seconds which heats up the rice to a nice temp. By the way if you need a heating pad for your neck, back or what ever this method is great just bigger bag and more rice. I also have used corn meal in the past. I reheat this "bag" once an hour or so. I put the bottle on one side and the bag on the other. He is in between. I cover the whole area with a small hand towel. His body temp has come up and he is a lot more active. But still no pee and no poops.:shakehead

Now here is the you wont belive this..... My husband and I were outside when the rain started to pour. We brought the horses into the barn and into their stalls. I thought I heard a chrip. I told my husband that that chrip sounded like a squirrel, but had to be a bird. I kept hearing this chrip. I started to look around for it. 20 minutes later I looked in one of the stalls which was occupided with a horse and saw what kind of looked like a baby squirrel or two horse apples stuck together all covered in sawdust. So I went into the stall and wouldn't you know it. Yes it was another baby. This little guy was a lot better shape. I don't know how he got missed by horse hoofs! I scooped him up in a paper towel and headed to the house. His flea infestation was lots less maybe only 30 fleas and maybe a hundred mites. I got him warmed up on a rice bag and got 2 cc of hydration formula in him. I'm going to wait a bit before I put them together. I think I have my work cut out for me.
wouldn't you know it!
Chippenmouse

[chippenmouse]

I did look around the barn. No others. There really isn't any place for them to hide. The barn is made out of rock. By the way it rained 1.5 inches in 30 minutes! New baby is sleeping soundly.

[4skwerlz]

Gammas is right, better have a check around the property. Raising 2 or more isn't THAT much more work than just one.:D At least now you know what to do. By the way, Welcome to TSB. :Welcome You really went in at the deep end.:D Good luck, and thank you so much for caring.:thankyou

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

:Welcome Glad you found the other baby. Is it possible that the mom is still around somewhere caring for the last little tyke you found since he is in better shape and was out longer? Perhaps she would come back for both her little ones, if you think they are from the same litter.

Do you think that the little tyke could be a fox squirrel? Do you have that kind of squirrel around your area. They are bigger than greys and have an orangish belly. Grey squirrels have a white belly. He is beautiful no matter what kind of squirrel he is! Sounds like you are on the right track with him now.

[chippenmouse]

Hi all,
Thank you so much for all the support and information. Well I think they are from the same litter. I looked around the property and did not find anymore.

I just got done with the 3:00am feeding and baby # 2 isn't doing well at all. I guess when I said he was in better condition I was wrong. He isn't taking the hydration formula at all and is hardly moving. # 1 was cood and stiff and suffering from hypothermia so acted worse. I'm not sure if # 2 will make it. I don't have any ringer solution on hand to subcue him. :shakehead

We do have tuffed squirrels here, the abert, we call them heber after a friend of ours. These guys are not tuffed.

On a good note, # 1 has pooped and peed. Right after I fed him and was tending #2, I watched #1 go to the corner of his cage and did both jobs:multi # 1 is looking good! He is warm and rounded and is pretty active for about 1 minute after feeding, then he is off to bed.

Thanks all

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

I hope the second little tyke is able to pull through. That is great that number 1 is doing so good, he looked like he was in pretty bad shape when you got him. Way to go with him! Just try your best with the second one and see if he can pull through. Can you get him some pedialyte? That would probably be better for him than the homemade rehydration fluids. Also, if he is starving, you do not want to start off feeding him the esbilac and at his full stomach capacity. His body is not used to getting food at this point and is probably starting to shut down. You need to introduce the milk very slowly. The great rehabbers on here suggesst using Ensure milk to introduce the milk instead of Esbilac. Ensure is easier for them to digest because it is lower in carbohydrates. A lot of carbohydrates all at once can mean death for a debilitated animal. I hope this helps. Good luck with both little tykes!

[island rehabber]

Great advice, SR&B2 -- I agree with everything you've said. Good luck with those little sweeties, and we're here for ya.

[drakkonia]

:Welcome What a fantastic story. Good luck with the little guys, and thank you so much for caring! I'm glad you found TSB. Now I know you don't have a lot of time caring for two hungry babies and all, but we do love pictures. :D

[chippenmouse]

Hi all,
On a good note #1 is doing wonderful. He is full of energy and has gained wieght he is 85 grams now. :) This little guy is getting pretty greedy. I gave him his milk 3 1/2 cc, an hour later he was up and asking for more. I gave him water! he drake about 1/2 cc of that. I just want to make sure I don't over feed him, he is eliminating just fine.

On a bad note # 2 is not doing well at all. He isn't moving. This morning I found him belly up in the corner of the cage. I subcued him with about 1/2 t of hydration formula as a last ditch effort. He is still breathing but that is about all I can say. We'll just have to wait and see:shakehead

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Don't sub Q him the rehydration fluid again. I don't think it is safe to sub Q that to him. Lactated Ringers and Normosol are the only fluids that can be sub Qd. Do you have a vet nearby that could get you some. It is really cheap and is safe. I think it would be a good idea to look for a rehabber ASAP for the little one that is not doing good. He is probably too far gone, but if not I think his only chance is with an experienced rehabber. The little guy probably just spent too much time away from his mom and was too far into starvation mode to come out of it. It is hard seeing them go like that, knowing there is nothing more that we can do for them. I will be praying for a miracle for the little guy. Good luck and if you need help finding a rehabber for him, just pm me your location and I will find you one.

[4skwerlz]

Don't sub Q him the rehydration fluid again. I don't think it is safe to sub Q that to him. Lactated Ringers and Normosol are the only fluids that can be sub Qd. I had read that it was okay to sub-Q Pedialyte. Is that wrong?

[chippenmouse]

Hi all,
I know what your saying about the sub q. As I said last ditch effort. The nearest vet is 100 miles away and the nearest rehab is over 150 miles away. I don't think he would make the trip. I've already checked on the rehab locations in my state.

I just checked him and he is moving his head a bit now. we'll just have to wait and see. The spot that I sub Q at is now flat. I am hoping (big hoping) that if he hydrates enough I'll beable to give him via oral. I really don't think he is going to make it.:shakehead

I also think that he may have been hurt a bit from the horse. I forgot to mention that when I first tried to give him the hydration formula, he had a bit of blood on his mouth (fresh). I cleaned that off and there wasn't and hasn't been anymore. I don't think he could have survived being stepped on, but he may have been knocked by a hoof.

I'm sending two pictures one of Chip and one of #2 which I'm thinking of calling mouse. you know Chip en Mouse.

[Secret Squirrel]

I had read that it was okay to sub-Q Pedialyte. Is that wrong?
****NOTICE*******NEVER SUB-Q PEDIALYTE !!!!!!!!!!!!

Chippenmouse.....I understand you did this as a last ditch effort. Something is better than nothing in a case like this. Can you contact a rehaber in your area??? At least a rehaber may have the supplies you need.
Also I think your squirrels are a sort of ground squirrel since you are in New Mexico...I sure hope they make it...Keep up the good fight.
Here a pic I think is your squirrels....a rock squirrel.

[susanw]

I'm glad Chip is doing well and will be praying that mouse pulls through!

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

It is never a good idea to sub Q anything but the fluids from the bag, but I guess if that is the only option, it is worth a shot. He looks like he is in really bad shape, but just keep trying. I think you are right, he wouldn't make a 100 or more mile trip. Maybe you could get supplies like sub Q fluid though, if he hangs in there. I am glad he absorbed the fluids you gave him. I hope he perks up for you.
They do look like rock squirrels. Thanks for the photo secret squirrel. They look almost like fox squirrels.

[island rehabber]

Yes, I stand corrected -- they do look more like rock squirrels than greys. DOH!!
I truly hope Mouse makes it....he may have some internal injury, hence the blood in his mouth. I'm praying he comes around later on. :(

[chippenmouse]

Hi all,
a quick update. Mouse passed about 2 hours ago. He was just too far gone when I found him and yes he very easly could have had internal injurys.:shakehead I do feel that I gave him the best shot I could.

Chip is alive and well and full of himself. He is going to be just fine. It would have been nice for him to have his brother to keep him company. It would have been easier to release him back into the wild, but as it now stands Chip thinks I'm his mom :) .

[drakkonia]

I'm so sorry to hear about little Mouse. :grouphug But glad to hear that Chip is getting comfy! Hope he continues to thrive.

R.I.P. Mouse.

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

So sorry to hear about Mouse. You did everything you could for the little tyke, he was just too far gone when you found him. RIP sweet little Mouse.

I am so glad to hear that Chip is doing great. That is great that you were able to pull him through. He looked like he was in pretty rough shape when you first found him. Good work :thumbsup . It would have been great to raise them together, but it just wasn't meant to be. I am sure Chip will do great on his own and should wild out as he gets a little older. Keep up the good work!

[susanw]

R.I.P Mouse!:Love_Icon

[Kathy56]

So sorry to hear about Mouse. Hope Chip keeps getting better. Thank you for helping them.:grouphug

[chippenmouse]

Hi all,
Secret Squirrel, I think your right that he is a rock squirrel. I've always called that bred ground squirrels.

Update on Chip. Yesterday I had put a small pea sized piece of banana in a dish and put it in his cage. He wasn't interested. Well about 4 hours later he was up and hungry. I was fixing his bottle (syringe) when I saw him really going after the banana. He ate it all. I'm thinking- I wonder if his system can handle the banana without problems.:eek: Hmmm, I looked in the frig and found some natural vanilla yogart with live culture. I put a dab of that on his feed dish and he ate that too. I then fed feed him his milk and he went to sleep.

From Secret Squirrel's post I saw that these guys eat bugs ectra. At Chips next feeding I went outside and captured a small grasshopper. I killed it and gave chip a hind leg. He grabed it and tried to eat it. I think his jaws are not strong enough to get through the shell. Anyway I gave him the grasshopper, he ate a bit of it and put it down. I feed him his milk and gave him another dap of yogart, which he can't seem to get enough of and then he went to sleep. When I got up at 3:00am to feed him I found that the grasshopper was gone! He had gotten up and had a "snack" in the middle of the night.

This morning he ate raspberry, strawberry, yogart, a part of a new grasshopper and his milk. All of this items except for the grasshopper were pea sized. When I wieghed him he was 91 grams.:wahoo As to the change in his diet, no problems in the stool department.:)

I'm sure you all have gone through this with little ones, but if you want me to keep you all posted on Chip, I will.

Thanks for all the good advice.

[4skwerlz]

Wonderful news. It's great of you to try to mimic Chip's natural diet as closely as possible. :thumbsup That will really help him survive once he goes free. Please keep us posted on his progress, including lots of pics! Good job!:thumbsup

[chippenmouse]

Hi eveyone,
I'll mimic his natural diet all except for the carrion. Don't know where I would find that and wouldn't want to touch it anyway. He'll have to figure out that one himself. I've noticed his relitives have been digging in my composted pile of horse manure for grubs. today I'll do a little digging myself. His Uncles and Auntys can't be wrong:rotfl

[Secret Squirrel]

:wahoo Grubs....sweet and juicy...just what he needs. And full of protein.:wahoo

[Squirrelly]

:wahoo Grubs....sweet and juicy...just what he needs. And full of protein.:wahoo

Yeah, with a coating of chocolate to boot!:thumbsup

[chippenmouse]

Hi all,
Chip is doing great. I have to go to town, so will write up and update when I get back.

[chippenmouse]

Hi all,
Chip is going great guns. He weighted in at 104 grams this morning. Yesterday when I was in town I got him the puppy formula that has been recomended. I mixed that up and was starting to mix it gradualy with the evap milk, evap was 3cc and the puppy formula was 1/2 cc. well! the little bugger turn his nose up and wouldn't have anything to do with it. I was worried about his calium so gave him a calium pill with the coating off. He nibbled on it a bit. Let me know what else I can do. I think with all the other foods I have been giving him he should be OK. When I went and picked up the milk subsitute, the vets office gave me a bag of sience diet puppy chow for little puppy, you know the sample size. He really liked that too and I only gave him 1 tiny piece. I read the ingredance and found corn to be the first ingredant. So have stopped giving him that. Will this hurt him?

He REaLLY likes grasshopper. I can't belive how he goes after them. He is fast and those little paws are a grabbin just as fast as they can.

I have made him up a tray to die for. I'll rate how well he likes the item, 10 being can't get enough and 1 being not interested. All of these items are about the size of a pea except for grasshoppers, which come in all sizes! I tell ya it has to be pretty funny seeing this 52 year old woman stocking and catching grasshoppers!:rotfl

1. grasshoppers #10
2. banana #10
3. yogart #9
4. real whipping cream #8
5. blue berry #4
6. Almond #7
7. Grub #1
8. cherry #5
9. grape #5
10. prickly pear catus (New leaf) #8
11. angle worm #1
12. walnut # 2
13. peach #7
14. baby ceral, dutch apple desert, milk mix #7
15. calcum pill with coating taken off #7

The first grasshopper I put in the cage for chip was dead. He went after it with such gusto that I figured he might beable to catch his own. I only gave him the one for the day. The day that I went to town. I cought a couple of small hoppers and let them loose. He had trouble tracking their movements, but it didn't take him long to catch them both and eat them. way to go chip!:alright.gif

Chip has started to play. When I get done feeding him the milk he rolls over on his back and wiggles all over. I play with him gently with my fingers and he licks and kicks them ectra. He is also liking to bite a bit not hard. Don't thing that it good for me, but probably good for him. So I just give him a Q-tip to bite on. I don't plan on making a pet of him so figure he needs to be a bit agressive to make it on his own.

It is amazing how he goes after those grasshoppers. Today I got him one of those "big" ones with wings. No problem caught it and ate it like a popcicle, hence we now call his hoppers hoppcicles.

I've enclosed a couple of pictures of him.

[4skwerlz]

What a great story! You are doing a fabulous job, giving Chip all those good things to eat. Even teaching him how to catch grasshoppers! It's great you're thinking ahead about when he'll be a wild squirrel. He is so adorable, it will be hard for you to let him go. But without you, he wouldn't have made it this far. :thankyou for saving his precious little life. :thumbsup :thumbsup :thumbsup

[Mars]

What a sweety!

Try giving him a bit of hard boiled egg and leave the shell on for him. The shell has calcuim. The puppy food as a treat won't hurt him at all. Sounds like your doing a great job! can you give him some branches to chew on?? He needs to chew to keep his teeth the right length as they grow continuously. Not sure what you have out your way but Apple is a favorite, Maple or oak or beech are all good too.

[chippenmouse]

Hi all,
Great idea about the boiled egg and branches. I could get some apple as there are some orchards near here. I have also seen some old cow bones that I could give him to chew on. Hadn't thought about that, great Idea.:)

Last night chip didn't want anything to do with his bottle, but I feed him a big hopper. He really liked that and went off to bed. I checked on him at about 4:00am, he was still asleep and didn't need anything. He had snacked on the cereal/dutch apple mix and also had eaten the cactus. He didn't get up until 7:00am. This time he was ready for his bottle, ate 5cc of milk. He also captured and ate 4 small grasshoppers. He is still active and I've noticed he is scratching a bit, so think it is time to de bug him. I lightly sprayed his bedding. That should take care of any bugs he has. I know when he gets out in the wild he will get a whole new set of bugs.

Well, I have to be going, as the horse shoer is coming this morning.
Thanks for the wonderful encouragement and information.
Chips mom

[pamela lee]

Chip is absolutely adorable. You're doing a great job with him. We don't have ground squirrels where I'm at, at least I've never seen one:dono. I'm from New Mexico and all my mom's family still lives there. Well keep up the good work, he'll be grown before you know it.
Pamela

[chippenmouse]

Hi,

It looks like Chip is wanting a nest. He is starting to pull the threads on the terry clouth towel that I cover him with. So I have shredded up a couple of paper towels and have put those under his "blanket" We'll see if he shreds them more or what. I'm not sure what these guys use in the wild, but would guess it would be grass, hmmmm. Anyway Chip is 112grams now. Thats quite a bit from the 78 grams that he started out at.

Yah, he is a cutie. Sometimes when he is sitting eating his food, you can see his little belly sticking out like a spare tire:) . It is so cute.

[Isis]

hi there chippenmouse! you must be nite-owl like me :D You little Chip is such a cutie & it seems you are doing wonderful caring for him. :Love_Icon

Pls take all the terry cloth OUT of his cage... not to scare you, but I lost my first baby pine squirrel (after raising her from a baby & had her for 5 years) to a towel she'd shredded... it wasn't even in her cage... I'd used it as a cover at nite. she got a loop of it around her neck & I woke up to find she'd strangled *sobs* I now use cotton balls, scraps of fleece & even scraps of sheepskin furs for the grey squirrel I have now (Bitty). He luvs paper towels too... shreds them to pieces :thumbsup

[island rehabber]

Yes, nobody asked me but I have to butt in and say that's rule #1 in squirrel rehabbng: NO TOWELS. Not terrycloth or anything else that has a loopy weave. I'm so sorry about your squirrel, Isis, that's awful. And it's one of so many similar stories I've heard about towels & baby squirrels.

You guys must be night owls....I'm an early bird with pinkies to feed.....:wave123

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Sounds like the little tyke is doing great. Way to go Chippenmouse! He is sooooooooooooooooo cute!

[Momma Squirrel]

Chip is just too cute and sweet. Great job there, keep us posted on his progress and more pictures please :D

[philomycus]

I "borrow" the blankets from the airlines every time I fly. They are great! Mine likes toilet paper, paper towles, and the carboard (paper towel roll itself).

[chippenmouse]

Hi all,
Thank you for the advise on the terry towel. What a horrible way to lose a pet. This is how people learn not to make the same mistakes. Thank you so much for sharing with me. I'm sorry about your loss. Chip just lost his blankee. I have a bit of polarfleese. That will make him happy.

I think today he woke up with better eyesite. He saw me coming and was sending out the vocal alarm. He probably was thinking "what is that! No way that could be mom!" After he sniffed my hand he calmed down. He was even swishing his tail from side to side. Which I'm not sure what that means, but think it is some kind of warning. Maybe for me to be a bit carful of him. He is a wild animal....

His food preferances have changed. Banana is no longer at the top of the list. Hoppers are still there. I'm wondering if he was needing the potassium in the banana? All the other foods are a before. I fed him boiled egg..not a lot of interst. I have collected the old cow bone from the pasture. I have yet to put that in with him. It looks like the calium pill is gone or maybe he took it to bed. I find all kinds of stuff in his bed. This morning it was parts and pieces of hoppers, a grape and his calium pill.

Thank you all for the good advise. I had no idea how bad a towel could be. I'm lucky to have all of you to help me. Thanks

[4skwerlz]

It looks like the calium pill is gone or maybe he took it to bed. I find all kinds of stuff in his bed. This morning it was parts and pieces of hoppers, a grape and his calium pill.

One calcium pill per week is probably enough for Chip. How many milligrams is in one pill?

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

My babies also love banana when they are smaller (ages 5 weeks to about 10 weeks) and then lose interest. I don't know if they would like them again later because I stop buying them because it gets gross and sticky in the cage and they don't even want it. They all seem to really really like it when they are young though and then altogether refuse it just a few weeks later. Who knows :dono . My guys always go for the grapes, apple, and cucumber though and sometimes will eat kale or mustard greens. They really like dandelions and clover and always seem to eat that if they get it. Mine are all foxers and greys though, I don't know if it would be the same for a ground squirrel.

[chippenmouse]

Hi all,
4skwerlz the calium pills are 600mg. I have not found his missing pill yet, but his bedding is starting to look like a big fluffy monster. It still could be hidden in there somewhere. I had some sheep skin with wool about 1/2 inch long. I cut some of that off for Chip. he really liked it. I have also given him the lint from the dryer. Talk about recycling :) . I have also given him part of a tee shirt. It was sort of chopped up, he really likes that too. I have been warming up his bed (corn meal bag) about 4 times a day. How long do I need to do this? When I put it back in his cage after a warmup, he jumps on it and streches himself full length on it belly down. He really enjoys it.

I'll take some pictures today and will send them by tomorrow.
Thanks again for all the advise.

[4skwerlz]

Chip sounds like an absolute doll. What cute little ways he has. Who knew Rock Squirrels were so squidgeable! As long as Chip can move on and off the heat source, you can't go wrong. A rehabber will tell you when you can quit. Sounds like you're enjoying raising him. You're taking fabulous care of him.:thumbsup :thumbsup :thumbsup

Re: the calcium pills. One of those 600 mg pills per week is probably enough since it sounds like he's getting a good diet otherwise. Is he getting his Full-Spectrum Light?

We need lots more pics!!!

[Squirrelly]

As a precaution with the lint from the dryer (all those tiny fibers conjure up a sneeze!) and any linens that are washed for him in general, I'm just suggesting that too much perfume may irritate him. If anyone here has any experience with their little fuzzer and possible allergies or irritation from scented detergent or fabric softener, please chime in.:thankyou

Just a thought to keep our fuzzers safe and happy:Love_Icon

That warmed up bed sounds like a real treat!:thumbsup Spoil that little one, he deserves it!:bowdown

[chippenmouse]

Hi all,
Chip is now 133 grams!:D Wow is he ever growing. Good advise on the lint. The lint had made its way to the bathroom corner of his cage and he had peed on it. :rotfl On that note what is good to put on the bottom of the cage? I have a tee shirt on the bottom which I change daily. Seems there could be a better solution. As for the soap and softeners in the laundry. I do not use softeners. The soap I use is Tide. As far as I know tide is the least allergic of detergents.

Chip really likes it when I rub his eyes, the side of his face and his ears. I was rubbing him this way (he was standing on his hind legs) and he started to bump me. He would sort of butting my hand every couple of seconds. His eyes were closed. It was as he were trying to get milk. Right before this he had refused his bottle. After he did this bumping thing I offered him the milk and he took it???

Chip is also nibbling when I play with him. I think this is what he would do with his sibs. Although this morning when I picked him up to move his out of the way so I could get his bed, he actually tried to bite. There is a differance in the nibbling behavior and the actually trying to bite. I would guess that this will progress as he gets older and "wilds up".

I checked chips bedding and the pill was GONE! I'll give him another in a day or so.

Thanks everyone for all the great advice

[chippenmouse]

Hi all,
just a note, the terry towel you see in the back ground of the pictures, is on the outside. I cover up his cage with it. the top of the cage has 1/4 inch wire mesh. Just so you know, he can't get to it.:)

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Chip is such a cutie. It is possible that you stimulated him to want the milk by rubbing on his face. I think they snuggle in their moms fur before nursing, so maybe that is what your rubbing his face made him think of. He is absolutely adorable! :Love_Icon

[Squirrelly]

:Love_Icon Chip is SO adorable:Love_Icon T-shirts are great, also baby receiving blankets (used to use them for linens for our ferrets) and pieces of fleece are often suggested here. I'm sure fleece would be easy to find in the fabrics section of a dept. store.:thankyou for being such a great Mom for Chip; I wanna just reach into the computer screen and pluck him out to give him a loving!:Love_Icon :wahoo

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Most of the rehabbers here no longer use a heat source after the babies have had their eyes open for a few days. At that point they are able to thermoregulate on their own. I often leave the heating pad on until my little tykes go off milk. I think it helps them digest their milk. They seem to like it and as long as it is only under half the cage, it gives them an opportunity to choose whether they want it or no longer need it. So, make sure the sack is only under half the cage and then watch what he chooses. If Chip starts spending all his time off the sack, then you can just take it off. If he likes snuggling with it (he will probably want it longer since he doesn't have any squirrely friends to snuggle up with) than I would just leave it in until you take him off milk in a couple weeks.

[chippenmouse]

Hi all,
Thanks for the information. Chip is now 160 grams. Only wants milk half the time. I warm his bed about 4 times a day. He loves to snuggle in it. He also gets very playful when I first put his warm bed back in his cage. Some times I find him asleep on top of his bedding. Cant write much as I have a house full of friends. Chips cage has indirect lighting from outside. He still loves his hoppers and I think I've put a big dent in the hopper population:) Got to run.

thanks again.

[chippenmouse]

Hi all,
Sorry I haven't had time to drop a note about Chip. We had family here and i just didn't have time.

I weighted Chip two days agoe and he was 210grams. The cage I had him in was too small. So I built a new cage, 3x3. He has stopped taking the formula altogether and I have moved him outside. I have covered part of his cage with a sheet so he will feel more secure. I have his cage in a outside dog kennel, so the coyotes and what not can't get too close. He really would rather be inside. He is a funny little guy. When he was inside the house in his small cage, he would have a fit if I tried to pick him up. Now that he is out in his big cage, he is wanting me to pick him up. go figure! I'm wondering what I should do now to help he get a handle on living in the wild. He is still too young to go on his own. I called the one rehabilitator that was located here in the state and their number turned out to be the police station. I was told that the people who did this kind of work no longer did it.....

[chippenmouse]

Hi all,
just an update, Chip is doing fine. He is up to 280grams in weight. I'm still looking for a rehab place for him. He is getting more wild :) which I like. He is looking more like an adult now! Only lots smaller!
Thanks everyone.

[Momma Squirrel]

So glad Chip is doing well and growing :thumbsup If you can't find a rehabber will you just release him yourself? Do you have a place to release him?

[Squirrelly]

That's very nice to hear! We wouldn't mind some pix if you feel like posting 1 or 100! (hint, hint, or was that too subtle?) LOL

[chippenmouse]

Hi all,
A quick update on Chip. I found a rehab place about 50 miles from where I live. I delivered Chip there. The rehab person said that Chip was in great shape. :) And that he would interduce Chip to more of his native foods. Then it will be off to his new home in the wild. He said that he had a great place to release Chip where there wasn't any people around. So this story about a little guy has a very happy ending. I'll post one more post in a day or so with some last pictures that I took of Chip. Thank you everyone for all your help.

[Bravo]

Such a cute little guy. Those and the golden maned ground squirrels are soooo fuzzy and squidgeable.

Way to go on the care and comfort. :thumbsup

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

That is great news! Now Chip can have some other squirrely friends and go free. Sounds like you took great care of the little guy. That was very kind of you to think of his best interest and take him to a rehabber. I know how hard it is to give them up once you are attached, but you did what was best for Chip. Way to go!

[TexanSquirrel]

:Welcome and good luck!!!

[Squirrelly]

It's great that things worked out well for you and Chip.:thankyou for caring for him! Don't forget to post some last pictures, please....:thumbsup

[chippenmouse]

Hi All,
I'm attaching some of the last pictures that I took of Chip. As you can see he is pretty healthy. I do miss the little guy, but it was always my intention to release him back into the wild. So knowing that, I didn't get too attached, yah, right. :) It was a very rewarding exsperiance and I would do it again if I found another little guy who had lost his mom. Again thank you all for your help.

Its nice to know that Chip is going to a nice place were lots of other rock squirrels live. I'm going to call the rehab person in a few days and ask how Chip is doing. Maybe I'll have great news that he is already released.:flash3

[Squirrelly]

Yes, Chip is a doll baby alright! Thank you for caring for him; he's so adorable! I'm glad things worked out so well for you and him....:thumbsup :Love_Icon :thankyou for the nice pictures too.