Please help, I don’t know what to do

[¡Captain!]

Hi, so I’m new to squirrel care and I have a question. About a week ago, we had a litter of squirrels fall out of the tree in front of our house and only one survived :( we took him in, named him Captain and started feeding him PetAg puppy replacer with an unused medicine dropper. His eyes and ears just opened and he’s started exploring. I need help with this: Today, when I got home, he had managed to climb out of his crate and get tangled in a blanket that was left on the floor by one of our kids. There was a string wrapped tightly around his neck and he was scared. We got it cut and I calmed him down for a while. It’s now been roughly 4 hours and he makes this whimpering sound almost like that a puppy makes. I’ve been looking around on here trying to figure out what I can do but I’ve only found that he might be lonely so I’ve been wearing a hoodie backwards and holding him in my hood. He sleeps briefly and whines for what feels like 5 minutes. Nothing I do seems to console him. Do squirrels have nightmares?

[HRT4SQRLS]

Baby squirrels don’t usually whine or whimper. I hope he wasn’t injured. Do you hear a clicking sound when he breathes?

[redwuff]

Hi,

Most likely he is whimpering cos he has an injury someplace. How old is? Will you post a picture of him? You can give him infant ibuprofen but we need a weight on him to be able to dose appropriately. Please do not give him anything like that without a proper dose.

[HRT4SQRLS]

This is a link for baby squirrel care. It is 6 pages long.
https://www.henryspets.com/1-caring-for-a-baby-squirrel/

You will need to get proper supplies ASAP. Go to a pharmacy and ask for a 1cc syringe. They will usually give you one. You also need to get a different formula. The proper formula is powdered Esbilac puppy formula. It is also made by PetAg but the other PetAg formula isn’t good for squirrels.

We use fleece as bedding to avoid what you encountered today. Loose strings on towels, etc are dangerous.

[¡Captain!]

Hi,

Most likely he is whimpering cos he has an injury someplace. How old is? Will you post a picture of him? You can give him infant ibuprofen but we need a weight on him to be able to dose appropriately. Please do not give him anything like that without a proper dose.

I’ve checked him all over and I don’t see any visible injuries. He might be bruised though. He looks to be maybe 5 weeks? I don’t have anything to get a precise weight any suggestions on where I can get one?

[¡Captain!]

Baby squirrels don’t usually whine or whimper. I hope he wasn’t injured. Do you hear a clicking sound when he breathes?

No. When we first got him inside, I read on here about pneumonia and the symptoms so I’ve been obsessively listening to his breathing after every feeding.

[¡Captain!]

This is a link for baby squirrel care. It is 6 pages long.
https://www.henryspets.com/1-caring-for-a-baby-squirrel/

You will need to get proper supplies ASAP. Go to a pharmacy and ask for a 1cc syringe. They will usually give you one. You also need to get a different formula. The proper formula is powdered Esbilac puppy formula. It is also made by PetAg but the other PetAg formula isn’t good for squirrels.

We use fleece as bedding to avoid what you encountered today. Loose strings on towels, etc are dangerous.
Thank you! This link helped a lot! I’ll change his bedding and get the new formula when I get paid and the syringe whe I get off tomorrow.

[redwuff]

Can you go into more detail of what happened. What do you mean by ‘bruised’? If you post a pic of him we can guesstimate a weight.

[HRT4SQRLS]

These are items that you should buy. The Henrys Healthy Pets site sells them.
The syringe you get from the pharmacy won’t last long as the black plunger gets sticky and resistant to movement. It can cause you to unintentionally blast formula into their lungs. The O-ring syringes are smooth as silk. Get the 1cc and the 3cc syringe. You also need a Miracle nipple. These are priorities. An eye dropper is risky and can cause aspiration very easily.

https://www.henryspets.com/miracle-slip-tip-o-ring-syringes/

https://www.henryspets.com/miracle-nipples/

[¡Captain!]

Can you go into more detail of what happened. What do you mean by ‘bruised’? If you post a pic of him we can guesstimate a weight.

I mean like his neck might be bruised from the string or if he fell when he first got out.

The picture is from yesterday after a feeding

[¡Captain!]

These are items that you should buy. The Henrys Healthy Pets site sells them.
The syringe you get from the pharmacy won’t last long as the black plunger gets sticky and resistant to movement. It can cause you to unintentionally blast formula into their lungs. The O-ring syringes are smooth as silk. Get the 1cc and the 3cc syringe. You also need a Miracle nipple. These are priorities. An eye dropper is risky and can cause aspiration very easily.

https://www.henryspets.com/miracle-slip-tip-o-ring-syringes/

https://www.henryspets.com/miracle-nipples/

Awesome! I’ll check these out in the morning thank you!!!:grin3

[¡Captain!]

I mean like his neck might be bruised from the string or if he fell when he first got out.

The picture is from yesterday after a feeding

I don’t know how to post pictures :embar

[HRT4SQRLS]

I just read some information on ligature strangulation. This is a serious situation. There can be damage to the blood vessels that supply the brain, swelling of the airway, cardiovascular complications and neurological complications like seizures and stroke. According to the article, death can occur up to 36 hrs after the strangulation. I fear that your baby isn’t out of the woods just yet.

All you can do is supportive care and pray for a positive outcome. If your baby will take formula I think it’s a good sign. I think a swollen airway and swelling in the neck would make nursing difficult. The whimpering is heartbreaking.

[¡Captain!]

I mean like his neck might be bruised from the string or if he fell when he first got out.

The picture is from yesterday after a feeding


I just read some information on ligature strangulation. This is a serious situation. There can be damage to the blood vessels that supply the brain, swelling of the airway, cardiovascular complications and neurological complications like seizures and stroke. According to the article, death can occur up to 36 hrs after the strangulation. I fear that your baby isn’t out of the woods just yet.

All you can do is supportive care and pray for a positive outcome. If your baby will take formula I think it’s a good sign. I think a swollen airway and swelling in the neck would make nursing difficult. The whimpering is heartbreaking.

Eek okay thank you. He’s eaten every time I’ve fed him and everything is all regular.

He’s been peacefully sleeping in my hood for about an hour now I’m hoping he’ll be able to sleep the rest of the night between feedings.

[redwuff]

Today, when I got home, he had managed to climb out of his crate and get tangled in a blanket that was left on the floor by one of our kids. There was a string wrapped tightly around his neck and he was scared. We got it cut and I calmed him down for a while.

I read in your bio that you have 6 dogs and 6 cats. That is quite a big family, but That is 12 predators that could cause a disaster for your little baby. This baby needs to be in a container that is kept closed at all times and is in a safe place away from the other animals.
We hear horror stories all the time about situations like that.

[Spanky]

I am in the Lake Hartwell / Lavonia area, have vet access, all the supplies and meds... release cages, etc. Let me know if you determine she needs more experienced care, a vet , etc. I would be happy to help. :thumbsup

[¡Captain!]

UPDATE ON CAP:

He’s eating well and in a proper crate now with a lid and separated from the large animals. He’s no longer whimpering (thank goodness!) and he’s even started to walk more confidently in his bed! I’ll continue to keep a close eye on him at every feeding and update if anything happens. Thank you to all that helped me!

[HRT4SQRLS]

I’m so happy to hear that. I was very worried. I don’t know if I mentioned it but don’t use towels in the bin. They have the same risks as the blanket. Actually they are worse because the claws will get caught in the loops and break legs in addition to the strangulation risk. We use fleece as bedding.

Very happy for you and Captain. You dodged a bullet there.

[¡Captain!]

I’m so happy to hear that. I was very worried. I don’t know if I mentioned it but don’t use towels in the bin. They have the same risks as the blanket. Actually they are worse because the claws will get caught in the loops and break legs in addition to the strangulation risk. We use fleece as bedding.

Very happy for you and Captain. You dodged a bullet there.

Yes I actually bought him his own fleece blanket yesterday as well. Thank you so much for helping me :thankyou