Won’t take formula!

[Squirrelskeeper]

Saige is around 11 weeks now I believe and she won’t really take formula hardly eats vegetables but she loves grape tomatoes and I see that she’s thrown some up. What can I give her?

-also how can I give her water? Hamster water bottle is very foreign to her and any liquid in a small bowl, she gets stuff up her nose :(

[Squirrelskeeper]

Okay I for sure saw her throw up her formula, she took it but not eagerly, she just hopped off my bed and threw it up! What is wrong with her?! Please help

[Squirrelskeeper]

Should I Try to give her pedialyte? :(

[Squirrelskeeper]

She’s breathing slower than usual now... still asking for answers...

[Squirrelskeeper]

Someone please help me

[CritterMom]

Warm her up and keep her quiet. See if she will take very small amounts of warm water with just a tiny bit of sugar or the pedialyte - make sure you warm it up. Don't give a lot - just a little at a tie - you don't want to trigger more vomiting. Use your syringe to feed.

I wouldn't feed tomatoes. First, ALL green parts of a tomato plant are poisonous, including the little thing on the top of the fruit. They are members of the nightshade family, many of which are poisonous. What isn't going to bother a huge human being may make a tiny animal very sick.

If she likes being handled by you, sit with her and stroke her; if not, let her snuggle down in the warmth and hopefully she will sleep and feel better when she wakes.

[Squirrelskeeper]

Just Incase someone may help me:/ she has been exposed to stuff, she gets out of her cage and comes in my room. I made her a nest until I can get a cage but now I noticed she’s been getting up a lot and I gave her water in which she threw up to. I’m trying to keep my hand on her so I know where she is but i am just scared

[Squirrelskeeper]

Warm her up and keep her quiet. See if she will take very small amounts of warm water with just a tiny bit of sugar or the pedialyte - make sure you warm it up. Don't give a lot - just a little at a tie - you don't want to trigger more vomiting. Use your syringe to feed.

I wouldn't feed tomatoes. First, ALL green parts of a tomato plant are poisonous, including the little thing on the top of the fruit. They are members of the nightshade family, many of which are poisonous. What isn't going to bother a huge human being may make a tiny animal very sick.

If she likes being handled by you, sit with her and stroke her; if not, let her snuggle down in the warmth and hopefully she will sleep and feel better when she wakes.
She wouldn’t take pedialyte at all :(

[CritterMom]

OK. Of course she needs to be contained in SOMETHING because your home is filled with dangers - electric cords to chew, meds to get into, poisonous plants to eat... Can you set her up somewhere that she can be warm and just sleep? She feels like crap which is why she doesn't want to drink anything. If she can settle down and sleep she may feel better when she wakes up.

My little flying squirrel apparently ate something that he had stashed that had gone bad and was VERY ill this weekend - I was sure I was going to lose him. It took a good 12 hours after I initially found him sick before he began to be himself again - and he is fine now.

When you try water the next time, make some very weak sugar water up and use that instead. Warm it, pull it up in the syringe and then dip the top of the syringe in either a little of the sugar, or some honey or corn syrup - something sweet so that she can taste it as soon as the syringe touches her mouth. She may be more agreeable.

[Squirrelskeeper]

Anything else I can do for her? She’s very lethargic, doesn’t wanna eat, what can I feed her?

[Squirrelskeeper]

Also her nose and lips aren’t pink, they’re blueish

[Squirrelskeeper]

Don’t know if this is important too but she keeps on wiping her neck area off or trying to but there’s nothing there

[redwuff]

Can you post a picture. Look around where she can get to. Could she have chewed a cord. Is there any burns on her lips or damage to any other part of her body? Look at all of your electrical cords and see if there is any damage. Could she have chewed a plant. Is there any Ouse or rat poison she could have gotten into?

[Squirrelskeeper]

No rat poison, I’m gonna check cords. There’s carpet cleaner and probably other pieces of old food she’s dropped. I believe she was in the bathroom there were baby wipes and hand soap

[Squirrelskeeper]

305840305841

[CritterMom]

Do you have any kind of syrup in the house? Pancake, maple, corn syrup? If not, do you have just some table sugar? If table sugar only, put a little pile down, add a drop or two of water and work it into a paste. You just need to get a bit of one of these in his mouth. You can even dip your finger in and rub it on the gums. I am trying to boost the blood sugar to see if he perks up enough to consume some more food. Put 2 or 3 drops of syrup in his mouth with a dropper or syringe, or use your finger to wipe up a glob of the sugar water paste and just shove it into his mouth. They do't have to swallow it. It will bathe the mucous membranes in the mouth and be absorbed by them.

[Squirrelskeeper]

I have honey and sugar. She wants to eat I think but she’s just not feeling great at all. I bought Kaytee Forti diet hamster and gerbil food along with some broccoli. She chews with nothing in her mouth though. I’m gonna attempt the sugar paste. No chewed cords but she may have gotten in left over carpet cleaner. Still not very sure

[CritterMom]

I have honey and sugar. She wants to eat I think but she’s just not feeling great at all. I bought Kaytee Forti diet hamster and gerbil food along with some broccoli. She chews with nothing in her mouth though. I’m gonna attempt the sugar paste. No chewed cords but she may have gotten in left over carpet cleaner. Still not very sure

Use either one. The honey may be easier.

This may perk her up a bit. If so, put a teaspoon f sugar in a cup of water and use that for hydration. She may like it better than the pedialyte. Here is what happens:

They vomit. That starts to dehydrate them. The dehydration makes them feel lousy and not want to eat or drink. Which dehydrates them more and makes them feel worse and so on. You need to start very slowly reversing that. If she only takes a few drops, fine, give a few drops and let her be for 10 minutes or so, then go back and try another few drops.

What do you mean by "she chews with nothing in her mouth?"

[Squirrelskeeper]

Food is by her mouth and she puts her mouth on it but doesn’t get any and she chews as if there is something in there

[CritterMom]

What is her favorite treat in the world? A nut? Give her a little bit and see if she eats it.

[Squirrelskeeper]

She loves pecans, I’m gonna find some! If not my mom will bring some from her job

[Squirrelskeeper]

Did sugar and honey, giving water every time I can. She’s sleeping but no throw up !

[Mel1959]

I have honey and sugar. She wants to eat I think but she’s just not feeling great at all. I bought Kaytee Forti diet hamster and gerbil food along with some broccoli. She chews with nothing in her mouth though. I’m gonna attempt the sugar paste. No chewed cords but she may have gotten in left over carpet cleaner. Still not very sure

The Kaytee Forti diet isn’t seeds and colorful tidbits, is it? You want her to eat some type of rodent block. Henry’s Healthy Pets sells one, but must be purchased online. Harlan Teklad (Envigo) sells a good one, but again, must be purchased online. The big box pet stores should have Oxbow Regal Rat or Mazuri Rodent Block. Block, except Henry’s, should be 80% of their daily diet. Henrys only requires 2-3 blocks a day along with healthy veggies.

[CritterMom]

Did sugar and honey, giving water every time I can. She’s sleeping but no throw up !

That is great. Just do the honey the one time - it is just to jump start her blood sugar and she doesn't need more. Do let her sleep. Hopefully once she gets herself hydrated she will want to try some food.

Will she still take formula?

[jbtartell]

I agree with mell she needs to be on some kind of rodent block and I prefer henrys blocks.. and put a small bowl or mason lid in with her full of water and a water bottle.. she will learn to drink from both.. she has to have water or she will become dehydrated and my guess she has and that's why she wont eat.. soo if she is eating solids let her have that and please put the water in so she can learn,, they all sneeze and fall into it and it will take some time with water bottle but she will figure it out.. I repeatedly show mine where it is.. I put their noses on it so they can feel the water.. I believe the issue is she is dehydrated and she need to be on block.. some ween off the formula and don't want it anymore so I would not force it as long as she is eating solids.. I hope this helps and I hope this is the answer and she gets better..:Love_Icon

[Squirrelskeeper]

I got many recommendations but I will get the block Friday. She’s livening up definitely, started to put up a fight when I tried to give her more water. She actually opened her mouth when I gave her some corn from the food I bought today

[Mel1959]

I got many recommendations but I will get the block Friday. She’s livening up definitely, started to put up a fight when I tried to give her more water. She actually opened her mouth when I gave her some corn from the food I bought today

I fear the things you are feeding are counterproductive to having a healthy squirrel. Seeds, nuts, corn (dried or fresh) are all unhealthy for squirrels and should be given sparingly as treats. The reason is that these items are high in phosphorous. The majority of a Squirrels food should have a 2:1 calcium to phosphorous ratio because if they have too many items (nuts, seeds, corn etc.) high in phosphorous their bodies will pull the calcium out of their bones to achieve a balance. Bones with not enough calcium become brittle and can lead to metabolic bone disease, which can be fatal if untreated when it occurs.

There is a healthy diet food pyramid in the Squirrel Nutrition section on this forum. The items in column 1 and 2 are preferred items to feed. Please read what is recommended to feed your little one. I can tell that you love her a lot and want what’s best for her. :blowkiss

[Squirrelskeeper]

I honestly just tried to get her something to hold over. I have a picture of the nutrition pyramid and etc. she’s back jumping around now, so I’ll have to get vegetables tomorrow and order the blocks. Would it be fine if I fed her limited amounts of the hamster food until the blocks come?

[Squirrelskeeper]

There are some colorful bits but I took blue and green ones out but I she ate the red one.

[CritterMom]

It is very hard to find stuff locally for them.

Order the Henrys right away - get either the Adult Formula or the Picky Bites. They ship REALLY fast. Since shipping costs are always an issue, here is a secret: The woman who owns Henrys and designed this food is one of us. Henry was her squirrel. They understand the shipping cost issue. They use flat rate USPS shipping and they can and will jam more stuff into a flat rate box than seems possible to avoid going to a larger and pricier size. I regularly get boxes jammed so full they roll!!! That means the shipping on a single bag and the shipping on 5 bags is the same.

They have no preservatives so get them out of the mailbox and keep them in the freezer. I keep 2 or 3 days worth in a sealed container in the fridge and the rest stay frozen.

I am very glad she is feeling better! She needs to be contained someway - if not in a cage, then in a room that anything she can hurt herself with has been removed.

[Jen413]

How is her sister? Is this the baby with the injured eye or the other one? Glad to see she seems to be feeling better.

[jbtartell]

sounds as if the hydration it helping and for now if you can get her some Katees rodent block from pet store that would work till you get hernrys bocks.. something that is for now.. and like IR said she needs some good veggies.. she needs water access all the time..:Love_Icon

[Squirrelskeeper]

How is her sister? Is this the baby with the injured eye or the other one? Glad to see she seems to be feeling better.

The baby with the eye injury (Sabina) passes away suddenly. I only have Saige, her sister :(

[Squirrelskeeper]

sounds as if the hydration it helping and for now if you can get her some Katees rodent block from pet store that would work till you get hernrys bocks.. something that is for now.. and like IR said she needs some good veggies.. she needs water access all the time..:Love_Icon

I got vegetables and have been giving her water thru a syringe since she’s still having a hard time!

[Rocky1]

Apologies if the following is old news, but I wanted to make sure you have it.

Food Pyramid:
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

Two a day I believe has complete nutrients (This plus a dish of water, plus some healthy veggies, plus arguably some other blocks like Kaytee*, plus maybe some wild foods see pyramid, plus a nut or two.):
https://www.henryspets.com/hi-protein-blocks/

*PS - I am not a rehabber so those who are can override me on this. I would normally not recommend multiple kinds of blocks, but if nutrition is a concern, then I turn to Henrys (which needs to be refrigerated btw). As you might know, Kaytee blocks have at least 2 kinds of content, one are the wide pellets and others are the narrow pellets that are more of a solid green. I take out the narrow ones before feeding. The narrow ones were not in the old kind of blocks to my understanding and I think a lot of people take that out. Just trouble shooting. Hope the other squirrel gets better! Thank you for helping them!!

Lastly, if you think she ate something poisonous, there are a few ways to go about working on that. One expression, "The solution to pollution is dilution," so you might consider finding something that she will certainly eat or drink, like a favorite food or drink (yep, honey, pecans), to effectively dilute what is already in her stomach/digestive tract. Activated carbon might be recommended in some cases but a rehabber would have to confirm that as I am not sure if it is optimal in this case. And of course, as you probably know, go around the house and look for holes and areas a squirrel might get into and squirrel proof the house. Hope this is helpful and not just redundant!

How is she doing now? What are the current problems? Injuries? Overall well being? Is she eating/drinking/pooping/peeing?

[jbtartell]

hope little one is doing better...:Love_Icon