Lethargic, shallow breathing adult squirrel

[britthipp]

Hi there,

I was just given a captured adult squirrel. They believe he had fallen and may be injured. Upon pick up he was very lethargic, barely moving aside from shallow breaths. I plan to take him to a rescue first thing in the morning but I’m hoping to help him through the night. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Spanky]

Most important is warm, dark and quiet. Is there any signs of head trauma.. swelling, head tilt, circling when he walks? If not you can provide some additional heat for him by way of a heating pad set to low under part of the bin / cage he is in.

You can try to apply a small amount of molasses, honey or syrup (in order of preference) to his gums. He does not have to swallow it, it will be absorbed through the gums and mucous membranes. If he is in shock, their sugar levels drop and this will help to bring them back up. Offering small amounts of water would be helpful since they tend to dehydrate under stress.

Be cautious, if he is in shock and comes around you may have quite a handful if this is a wild (is it a wild?) squirrel.

If this is not a wild and a captive squirrel, I would start the MBD protocol if he will swallow. It will not hurt him, but it may save his life:
https://www.henryspets.com/emergency-treatment-for-mbd/