Diarrhea and Swollen Anus

[Eyenney]

Hi all! My 6 week old squirrel developed diarrhea. I have him of 20/50 FV, he eats every four hours around 6-9 mL. Rodent blocks will be here wednesday. I have been making sure to clean him up everytime he has diarrhea on himself. His anus is very swollen and almost appears prolapsed. I added some probiotics to his formula because he still has an appetite. I will attatch some pictures, if anyone knows what may be causing this I would love to know. Also what should I do to help him. I don't have pepto-Bismol on hand but I can go and get some if that's my only option. The other brother appears fine and has been having normal bowel movements. Thanks!

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[CritterMom]

I have always had good luck with Pepto Bismol. I give 2 or 3 drops and then wait until the stool turns black (the bismuth in pepto does this). If it is still mushy I redose at that point. The time that elapses from when you give it until when the stool changes color tells you how long it takes things to go entirely through his system, so I use that time as my redose time. If it is firming up after the first dose you may want to give it a little more time before you redose and see if that continues.

Give him some additional hydration between his feedings to help replace what he is pooping out.

What does he weigh? Is his tummy completely flat when you feed him? If not you may want to wait a little longer between feedings. You want them to completely digest and empty out before you feed again.

[HRT4SQRLS]

I’m not sure what is causing the diarrhea but I would recommend worming them with Panacur. You can probably get it at a place like Tractor Supply or online. We usually don’t worm them but in cases like this I think it is a good idea. I still remember a baby that actually did prolapse the rectum. A very compassionate vet tried to surgically correct the prolapse and found a wad of tapeworms in the GI tract. It was a very sad case but a learning opportunity as well.

It might not be parasites at all but it certainly won’t hurt to treat them anyway. We can dose it for you if you get it.

How long have you had the babies? Did the diarrhea start immediately or is this new?

[Eyenney]

I have always had good luck with Pepto Bismol. I give 2 or 3 drops and then wait until the stool turns black (the bismuth in pepto does this). If it is still mushy I redose at that point. The time that elapses from when you give it until when the stool changes color tells you how long it takes things to go entirely through his system, so I use that time as my redose time. If it is firming up after the first dose you may want to give it a little more time before you redose and see if that continues.

Give him some additional hydration between his feedings to help replace what he is pooping out.

What does he weigh? Is his tummy completely flat when you feed him? If not you may want to wait a little longer between feedings. You want them to completely digest and empty out before you feed again.


I will use Pepto thank you! As for hydration should I just use the sugar/salt water recepie that's floating around TSB or purchase the unflavored pedialyte, or just water. He has always had a hard time pooping and always has a belly. It isn't hard like bloating but it seems like he doesn't poop and pee as much as he should. He weights 136 g.

[Eyenney]

I’m not sure what is causing the diarrhea but I would recommend worming them with Panacur. You can probably get it at a place like Tractor Supply or online. We usually don’t worm them but in cases like this I think it is a good idea. I still remember a baby that actually did prolapse the rectum. A very compassionate vet tried to surgically correct the prolapse and found a wad of tapeworms in the GI tract. It was a very sad case but a learning opportunity as well.

It might not be parasites at all but it certainly won’t hurt to treat them anyway. We can dose it for you if you get it.

How long have you had the babies? Did the diarrhea start immediately or is this new?

Deworming is a good idea I haven't considered that. I have had them since they were 1.5-2 weeks old. When I first got them I had them on esbilac and that caused both of their stools to be loose, but not diarrhea. He has been on FV for about three weeks now and has been having solid poops until yesterday evening. Which makes me feel like he might be ok regarding parasites but I am unsure. I did take them outside for the first time yesterday for about 15 minutes and thought it might have been stress induced. However, his rectum is very irritated and so it seems more serious than that.

[CritterMom]

Fill a bowl with warm water - deep enough that you can hang him in the water up to his armpits. Stroke his tummy downward while he is hanging in the water. The warmth relaxes things and often this will help get them to poop. You may have to do it a couple times - make sure it is WARM and make sure that after he gets out you bundle him up and don't let him get cold.

The Panacur is a good idea and it is a very well accepted wormer - I haven't ever heard of it causing any problems.

After feeding, if you hold them up in front of you under the armpits with their back legs dangling, they should be teardrop shaped and the tummy should feel soft and squishy like a partly filled water balloon. That teardrop shape should be almost totally gone before you feed them again. If it isn't, they may not be ready for food yet. Make sure they are nice and warm - like their container should be on a heating pad, because that helps them digest.

[RockyPops]

Could little one have gotten into something outside? Maybe a leaf off a flower, grass etc.?