found a baby squirrel

[jeanie59]

we have squirrels which we put nuts out for daily they sit on the picnic table and wait for me. today no squirrels were around which is very strange a little later today we went up in the yard and found a baby suirrel on the ground not moving too well we waited all day as we checked him and no mom came to his aid he was moving but not much,evening came and I was not about to leave him outside to die so I picked it up and had nothing but baby formula to feed him I used to be a vet tech and had some small syringes so I did feed him a little formula, he even moved his hands trying to knead the mother while I fed him, he then started moving more and crawled across my leg and snuggled in my shirt his eyes are not opened yet but does have fur I beleive him to be about 3-4 weeks old. My question is should I feed him more formula tonight or wait till morning and get pedialyte and esbilac, I dont want him to starve before then. My boyfriend just called and he said he will bring me some pedialyte home in 2 hours so I should just wait for that but any input will be appreciated.

[Mars]

Best to get him on the pedialyte. Trust me he won't strave and if he is emaciated he won't be able to digest formula anyways at first. Concentrate on rehydration. A baby left alone all day is going to need fluid replacement first. Only after you are sure his gut is working and is fully hydrated can you then move first to a diluted esbilac for several feeding and slowly bring him up to full strength formula. Depending on the condition of the baby it can take up to 3 days to come up to full formula. Watch his stool and pee. the pee should be nearly clear with no odor and the poop soft well formed golden brown nugets. The first poop will be dark but once on formula they will lighten.

Hope this helps.:)

[jeanie59]

thank you so much for your help. All I had was an empty drinking water bottle filled with warm water wrapped in a towel and he can move from it if need be. Thanks again so much how much pedialyte do I give him

[Mars]

If he is not very dehydrated go by the 5% rule and give him 5% of his body weight in grams = # cc per feeding. I would at 2 to 3 weeks plan to feed every 3 to 4 hours ( he will tell when he is hungry) with no feeding after 12 pm till about 6 or 7 am. If he is very dehydrated I would star with very small amounts more often and increase the amount as I was sure he was absorbing it. then legthen the time in between to a normal feeding pattern. :)

[pamela lee]

:Welcome How is your baby doing this mornin'? If you don't have a heating pad you could make a rice buddy (they stay warm longer than the warm water in a bottle), all you need is an old sock and some rice. Fill the sock with the rice (not all the way full maybe halfway) tie off the open end and then you can microwave it for a few seconds (hopfully someone can tell you exactly how long) and let the baby cuddle up to it.
Pamela

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

Jeanie I pm'd you my area...If you arent close I still may be able to help you find a rehabber.
Did anyone else get a more definite location, if so could you pm me?

[thundersquirrel]

i wonder if jeanie is still out there. anyone talked to her today?

[pamela lee]

i wonder if jeanie is still out there. anyone talked to her today?
Jeanie PM'd me and says her little fella is going great, as of yesterday. I have not heard from her today yet. She's doing a great job with this baby. He should be opening his eyes soon.
Pamela

[jeanie59]

She is doing great,finally moved her bowels from stimulation, I was starting to get worried with that,but she did it. Looks a lot better than the day I found her and moves around good hope to see her eyes opening this week.

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

I am posting her picture of a little baby red. I am sure its going to be too large could someone downsize it for me photobucket is currently down?

[jeanie59]

Giving an update on my little red she has gained 2 grams in 6 days, I ahope that is good. She was 29 grams when we found her and now she is at 31!Eyes not opened yet but she is very mobile at feeding time and very hyper when she hears me and I pick her up, she starts trying to suck my hands looking for her food.