White specks and not pooping

[AndyPinkie]

Hey guys, I found this little guy a few days ago. Tried to reunite him with his mother, but not luck
He seems to be doing well
But I have 2 concerns right now

1. He has a bunch of little white specks all over his abdomen. He also has one dark one that almost looks like a blackhead near his butt (last picture) - anybody have any idea what this is? I couldn't find a clear answer in the forums

https://ibb.co/L1q0TrZ
https://ibb.co/M2wbXfT
https://ibb.co/51cPB3x
https://ibb.co/MPTXRRQ


2. He's peeing plenty when we stimulate his genital area, but he only poops about once per day. We had luck giving him a warm bath before stimulating last night, but we can't get him to go today...His appetite seems lower too. Not sure if this is connected

I'd appreciate any help at all

[CritterMom]

I don't know what your level of experience is, but if you are not an experienced rehabber you have been plunged into the deep end of the pool with a baby this young. This is a link to an excellent guide - it is several pages long and the "next page" arrow is at the top of each page instead of the bottom: https://www.henryspets.com/1-caring-for-a-baby-squirrel/

Pinkies need frequent feedngs of spcific amounts and need to be fed the proper formula. What are you feeding?

I will guide some pinkie people your way, too.

In the meantime, this is likely a little skin staph infection. From your local drug store, purchase a bottle of Betadyne (10% povidone iodine) in the wound care aisle. It is the orange stuff they use in surgery. Dilute it to 1/4 cup water and 15 drops of Betadyne. Warm that solution up and using a cotton ball, wipe the baby down with the liquid. Wrap him up immediately and get him back on the heat - you don't want to allow a pinky to chill. I would do this twice a day.

[AndyPinkie]

I don't know what your level of experience is, but if you are not an experienced rehabber you have been plunged into the deep end of the pool with a baby this young. This is a link to an excellent guide - it is several pages long and the "next page" arrow is at the top of each page instead of the bottom: https://www.henryspets.com/1-caring-for-a-baby-squirrel/

Pinkies need frequent feedngs of spcific amounts and need to be fed the proper formula. What are you feeding?

I will guide some pinkie people your way, too.

In the meantime, this is likely a little skin staph infection. From your local drug store, purchase a bottle of Betadyne (10% povidone iodine) in the wound care aisle. It is the orange stuff they use in surgery. Dilute it to 1/4 cup water and 15 drops of Betadyne. Warm that solution up and using a cotton ball, wipe the baby down with the liquid. Wrap him up immediately and get him back on the heat - you don't want to allow a pinky to chill. I would do this twice a day.


Thank you! The link is definitely coming in handy. I was already doing a lot of what it said from other googling I’ve done. We’ve been feeding him powdered esbilac with prebiotics and probiotics. Stimulating him for waste after every feeding. Had him in a cardboard box but I’ve since upgraded him to a plastic container with fleece (thanks to the link you shared). I bought the betadyne and I’m going to get ready to use that now. Also rehydrating him with pedialyte. I’m hoping that’s why he isn’t pooping. He seemed a little lethargic today and kept curling into a ball. His skin didn’t deflate right back down like it’s dupposed to. I’ll keep you updated

[CritterMom]

Don't continue the pedialyte for more than 24 hours. If baby is still dehydrated, use plain water or water with a tiny bit of sugar in between the regular feedings to help with the hydration.

You mention cardboard - lets boost the humidity in his new little plastic container because the cardboard would have contributed to his dehydration. Saturate a paper towel in water and place it in a glass container with sides high enough to prevent him from getting into it - like a jar. Put the jar inside his container sitting on the warmest side of the box. It will make a teeny sauna for him.

Another tip - pinkies seem to really like WARM formula - like quite a bit warmer than what mama would be serving. Sometimes an additional 5 or so degrees will make the difference between eating and not eating.

[Spanky]

1. He has a bunch of little white specks all over his abdomen. He also has one dark one that almost looks like a blackhead near his butt (last picture) - anybody have any idea what this is? I couldn't find a clear answer in the forums

Is there any chance he was caught by a cat? The "blackhead" type bump near his butt (I think I see one in Andy-1 pic high on his shoulder also) resembles a tiny cat nail puncture.

[AndyPinkie]

Is there any chance he was caught by a cat? The "blackhead" type bump near his butt (I think I see one in Andy-1 pic high on his shoulder also) resembles a tiny cat nail puncture.

Certainly not while he was in our car. And prior to that he was outside under a tree with a visible nest a good 30 feet in the air. Other than that, I don’t know

[island rehabber]

Late to the party here as usual, but you've gotten the BEST advice from Crit and Spanky, two of our best. The white dots do look like Pyoderma to me, the staph infection Critter Mom mentioned. When babies are stressed this often comes out; I am told it's similar to impetigo in human kids. The Betadyne should get rid of it in a day or so.

Keep an eye on the blackhead things.....if they get larger they could be ticks. I wouldn't mess with them for now because a pinky squirrel's skin is so fragile. I can't always get on TSB during the day but if you need a quick question answered and not getting a response quickly enough, email me at mmandrano @ gmail .com (leave out the spaces) and it will pop up on my phone. I love pinkies!