Feeding 4-5 week old Squirrels

[mvogt]

I recently found 2 baby grey squirrels out in our yard. tried locating the mother or a nest but she never returned. They are doing well i just need some advice on them I am not for sure what to feed them there are so many dos and don'ts and its got me all confused on what to do. I got some puppy milk replacement. And feeding them every 4 hours and stimulating after. They both have their eyes open and have front teeth. One is starting to have trouble pooping. Both today were not wanting anything to eat or drink. NEED HELP and or advice. Please.

[cava]

Hi there. You want to use: Powdered Puppy Esbilac with pre and probiotics on the label. If you aren't feeding this exact puppy formula, go get it right now. The others have made babies sick and people have lost them. It has to be powdered, the liquid is a different formula.

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=301169&stc=1

They should be fed based on weight, 5% of their body weight in grams. Multiply 0.05 x weight in grams and you get the amount of ml's you should feed every 4 hours.

At this age they may be going on their own so be sure to check their habitat for little poops. How do their tummies look? Are they bloated? What do they feel like?

Give us a weight and we can get you a dose of infant gas x for them, if so. You can buy kitchen scales for $10-20 at Walmart, Target, etc. It's an absolute must.

Here's a helpful link for feeding do's and don'ts, how to house them, etc... Read all the pages https://www.henryspets.com/baby-squirrel-care/

If you post a photo of them, we can help assess belly and general appearance for you. From the side and from the front is best. Thanks for helping these little ones! As always, keep away from small children, loud noises, stressers and especially pets.

[mvogt]

Where can i get this at? Charlie's is not bloated and Odis's belly is not hard but bigger than Odis's. :( And i believe charlie is pooping and Odis is the one having trouble making a movement.

[Nancy in New York]

Where can i get this at? and will the pet ag brand work as well?

Many tractor supply stores should carry this.
Call them and ask for Powdered Puppy Esbilac.
Or Amazon has it as well.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002ASRZ8/ref=twister_B00UCVIU3Q?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
No other brand will do,(other than Fox Valley 20/50 which has to be ordered on line)
and no other pet ag product will work
In fact there is one called PetLac that will sit like sludge in the babies tummies.
Is this what you're feeding them?

REMEMBER TO READ THE LINK THAT CAVA SUGGESTED.
https://www.henryspets.com/baby-squirrel-care/

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-VpVv8FQ/0/68fb4e8c/M/i-VpVv8FQ-M.jpg

[mvogt]

okay thanks so much yeah that what I was feeding them :( So i will go get some of that when i get off work.

[mvogt]

What should i feed until the milk replacement comes in ?

[cava]

Are you getting it after work or are you ordering it? How long until it comes in?

You can make a temporary goat's milk formula which is gentle for tummies and safe to feed until you get the Powdered Esbilac.

3 parts goat's milk (if you get concentrate or powdered, reconstitute it according to directions before using)

1 part Heavy whipping cream (refrigerated with coffee creamers usually)

1 part full fat vanilla yogurt (no artificial sweeteners)

Mix all ingredients, store in fridge for 24 hours, feed based on weight as you would the Esbilac and once it's in we will help you do a slower transition to Esbilac but get these guys off the Pet Lac asap and start this.

*never reheat or reuse formula once heated toss it.

[Nancy in New York]

They both have their eyes open and have front teeth. One is starting to have trouble pooping. Both today were not wanting anything to eat or drink. NEED HELP and or advice. Please.

Can you post pictures of your little ones?
HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD THEM?
If you were feeding the PetLac, it sits like cement in their tummies.
IF they are not pooping you need to follow the protocol below.
This can be life threatening.
Please post a photo of their stomached so we can see.
Not wanting formula is indicative of a BIG problem.
When Duckman says below to get as much water into them as quickly as possible,
he doesn't mean to feed them fast, he means, don't hesitate.
Are their tummies hard?


The trick for me seemed to be getting in as much water, as quickly as possible, once you see and feel the hardness in the belly. Not sugar water or Pedilyte, but plain water. I did this every hour (giving about .2-.3 ml) and ensure you stimulate after each, for 2 reasons. 1. You have to get that water out of the bladder, and it will burst if you don't. 2. You want that water to start working on the crud in the belly. After 8-10 hours, you should start seeing some movement out of the bowel (they will continue to poop, but you will start to see it more watery, which is what you want). At that time, start introducing diluted formula at the ratio of 25% Esbilac, 75% water. Feed this for the first half day. The second half day, I bumped up the ration to 50/50. I fed this for a day and then went to 75% Esbilac, 25% water and introduced full food the next day (and the blockage was gone!). So far, I am at 100% success rate. One note though. I check my pinkies after every feeding, so see if their bellies are hard or squishy. I would suggest everyone get in the habit of checking them after every feeding as habit and you can't go wrong in catching them before they bloat up. Once they take on that angry red color on their bellies (this is when their system goes septic), they are gone and can't be saved, so the trick is to catch them before this happens (hence, getting in the habit to see if their tummies are hard or not).

[Nancy in New York]

Any news on these little ones? :dono