~5 Week old baby squirrel eating less than 2cc :/

[LoveLife]

I’ve had this little guy 4 days now. He went from neatly eating 5% of his body weight to eating less than 5% during his last to feedings. I feed him Esiblac 1:2 ratio (first day was Pedialyte, second day Esiblac 1:3 ratio). He has gained weight since I found him, opened his eyes, and today is pooping/peeing on his own.

Is it normal for a baby squirrel to eat less than 5% of body weight when fed every 3-4hrs?

[Spanky]

A baby approximately 5 weeks old need only be fed about every 4 hours. I'd suggest moving out feedings to every 4 hours and see how that goes. :thumbsup

How much does your baby weigh?

(No more fly strike I hope?!?!).

[Javarat]

As you progress, you will hit a period each week when they start cutting off early.
If they appear healthy this normally indicates they are ready to move to longer meal periods.
A squirrel with open eyes can eat up to 8% of their body weight without discomfort.
They tend to average around one hour less than their age in weeks.
Example: 6 weeks = 5 hours, 8 weeks = 7 hours.

[LoveLife]

A baby approximately 5 weeks old need only be fed about every 4 hours. I'd suggest moving out feedings to every 4 hours and see how that goes. :thumbsup

How much does your baby weigh?

(No more fly strike I hope?!?!).

Ok, I will space out his feedings to 4 hours.

I also use a 1cc feeder. When feeding today he did not want to stop when it was empty. But I had to take it out of his mouth to refill. He wouldn’t take the nipple again after that. Going to get a 3cc feeder and see if that helps.

He weighs 50g today
When I found him he was 46g

And yes, all fly eggs are gone! And gave capstar a couple days ago just to be safe.

Thanks for the info

[LoveLife]

As you progress, you will hit a period each week when they start cutting off early.
If they appear healthy this normally indicates they are ready to move to longer meal periods.
A squirrel with open eyes can eat up to 8% of their body weight without discomfort.
They tend to average around one hour less than their age in weeks.
Example: 6 weeks = 5 hours, 8 weeks = 7 hours.

Thank you for this info! I will keep this in mind as he gets older.

[redwuff]

I’ve had this little guy 4 days now. He went from neatly eating 5% of his body weight to eating less than 5% during his last to feedings. I feed him Esiblac 1:2 ratio (first day was Pedialyte, second day Esiblac 1:3 ratio). He has gained weight since I found him, opened his eyes, and today is pooping/peeing on his own.

Is it normal for a baby squirrel to eat less than 5% of body weight when fed every 3-4hrs?

Is there any chance he might have have aspiration pneumonia? Symptoms are: clicking with every breath, loss of appetite, lethargy. The other suggestions are great if AP is not present.

[LoveLife]

Is there any chance he might have have aspiration pneumonia? Symptoms are: clicking with every breath, loss of appetite, lethargy. The other suggestions are great if AP is not present.

No symptoms of AP, and I feed slow and steady. I waited 5 min and got him to take another 1cc of formula (2cc total this feeding). Still short of the 2.5cc min
Hoping a bigger feeder helps so I don’t have to interrupt his feeding while he is the most hungry.

[Spanky]

Ok, I will space out his feedings to 4 hours.

I also use a 1cc feeder. When feeding today he did not want to stop when it was empty. But I had to take it out of his mouth to refill. He wouldn’t take the nipple again after that. Going to get a 3cc feeder and see if that helps.

I would stick to the 1ML syringe for now... having multiple syringes and nipples may help since you'll already have a full one and less time between syringe swaps. He should start gaining weight each day...


He weighs 50g today
When I found him he was 46g

I have fed A LOT of baby squirrels (literally thousands of syringes each season) and as a rule I do not switch to a 3ml syringe until they 100grams.


And yes, all fly eggs are gone! And gave capstar a couple days ago just to be safe.

Thanks for the info

Capstar a must with fly strike!!! Good job! :thumbsup

[LoveLife]

Just an update...I got a 3cc feeder and that solved the feeding problem. The nipple size remained the same, and I just feed slowly. Cinnamon got their min food with no interruptions and seems to be doing well. Thanks again for all the feedback and advice.