New at squirrel rehabilitation

[KristyC]

Hello I’m Kristy. Thanks for approving my request to join. I appreciate this forum and the great valuable info here! Our cat brought us a baby squirrel. I’ve been feeding him the homemade goat formula with goat milk. I have a set up for him with a heating pad and sheets for him to burrow into. I’ve never rehabbed a squirrel but I’ve rehabbed opossums and orphaned kittens. He appears healthy, hydrated, and he is very active. I spoke with an expert who advised me of the correct way to hold him when feeding. The problem is he hates being held this way. He squirms and struggles to get back to a lying position in my hand. Only way he will eat is side lying on my hand one drop at a time in corner of his mouth. Is it harmful to feed that way? I’ve tried using warm cotton ball to stimulate elimination. He hasn’t gone. I’ve had him for 12 hours. Any input is greatly appreciated.

[CritterMom]

Hello I’m Kristy. Thanks for approving my request to join. I appreciate this forum and the great valuable info here! Our cat brought us a baby squirrel. I’ve been feeding him the homemade goat formula with goat milk. I have a set up for him with a heating pad and sheets for him to burrow into. I’ve never rehabbed a squirrel but I’ve rehabbed opossums and orphaned kittens. He appears healthy, hydrated, and he is very active. I spoke with an expert who advised me of the correct way to hold him when feeding. The problem is he hates being held this way. He squirms and struggles to get back to a lying position in my hand. Only way he will eat is side lying on my hand one drop at a time in corner of his mouth. Is it harmful to feed that way? I’ve tried using warm cotton ball to stimulate elimination. He hasn’t gone. I’ve had him for 12 hours. Any input is greatly appreciated.

The position of the baby during feeding is less important than the position of the nipple.

Mama squirrel lays on her back, nipples pointing up. Babies crawl over and position themselves crawling up on her tummy from either side to get to those nipples, which will be pointing UP into their mouths while they suckle. So lying down on their tummy with the syringe and nipple pointing up into their mouth toward the roof of the mouth is the most natural way for them to eat. Some of them like to be held upright in your hand like they are standing upright like a little person, again with the nipple approaching from below so the nipple is pointed toward the roof of the mouth. What you are trying to do is fight gravity. When the formula is in the baby's mouth you want them to swallow it down, not for gravity to cause it to slide down the throat. THAT is what causes aspiration and that is a big problem. So you can lie him tummy side down if he likes that, or stand him up, as long as you have the syringe pointing the right way. Humans desperately want to lay them on their back and shove the nipple down their throat because that is how humans nurse and it can be deadly to do so.

When he is a little older you are going to have to loop a finger around the plunger of the syringe to control the milk flow because they are strong enough to suck it dry without you pushing the plunger and they can aspirate themselves that way. Mama's milk does NOT come out like a fire hose! They have to work for it. I find older babies harder to feed just because you have to fight against their desire to INHALE the food at once!

So always point the syringe up so the nipple is pointing toward the roof of the mouth, not down their throat, and control the flow of milk so they don't eat too fast and you have all but eliminated the fear of aspiration.

Poops - if baby hadn't eaten in a while when you got him it will take a while. As long as the tummy is flattening out indicating that the milk is digesting a couple hours after eating, just feed and stimulate and the poops will come. If you hold him up by the armpits with his back legs dangling down after eating he will look teardrop shaped, like a half filled water balloon, and will feel like one, too, soft, squishy tummy. When it is feeding time again the bottom of the teardrop will have contracted and flattened out.

[Mel1959]

We strongly recommend a course of antibiotics for squirrels that have been in a cats mouth. Do you have any human, or pet, antibiotics? You just need one pill. If you can locate something tell us what the drug is and someone will let you know if it’s appropriate and how to dose it. We will also need the strength of the medicine and the weight of the squirrel. Call around to family and friends if necessary. Cat saliva is deadly to squirrels and sometimes there can be a scratch that isn’t noticeable, which is why we recommend treating with antibiotics.