Baby squirrel question!

[bbcoop05]

First time mom here! I have two babies, the seem to be 4 weeks? ( picture below haven’t open their eyes yet) how do I determine how much to feed them, and also if dehydrated what’s the best solution. I’ve been feeding goat milk every 2 hours since I got them, but they seem to not be very interested some times. TIA!

[Grinderhead]

https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/
This is 6 pages long.
Next page is in the top right.

[Mel1959]

:Welcome

Feeding baby squirrels is based on their weight. You must get a gram scale. They are sold at WalMart, Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, etc. They’re usually only about $20. We recommend feeding between 5-7% of their weight at each feeding. Example a 50gr baby would eat between 2.5ml-3.5ml at each feeding. This is the general capacity of their stomachs. As they get older they tend to want more than this and that’s fine as long as the increases are gradual over feeding causes diarrhea.

I like to weigh my babies each morning before feeding but after stimulating them. This way I know that they are consistently gaining, which is what you want. I also note whether they have a bowel movement, urinate and anything else that might be important....like did they snort formula at a feeding, weren’t interested in eating, etc.

Here is a guide for caring for baby squirrels. https://www.henryspets.com/1-basic-setup/

Are you feeding straight goats milk or the homemade goats milk formula? If they are about 4 weeks then you should order some Fox Valley 20/50 to transition them to. The goats milk formula is only a temporary formula. The Fox Valley can be ordered online at Henrys Pets. You also want to order a bag of picky eater or hazelnut blocks. This is the first food you’ll offer. We don’t recommend weaning them. We think it’s best to let them decide which they usually do around 12 weeks. You can offer the block once their eyes open. They probably won’t actually eat it for some time but it will allow them to get used to it. Once they are eating the block well then we add veggies from the Healthy diet. https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

As for hydration, you can offer some slightly sweetened warm water between their regular feedings. A dehydrated squirrel doesn’t eat well, so this might be part of your problem.

Any other questions just ask.

[bbcoop05]

:Welcome

Feeding baby squirrels is based on their weight. You must get a gram scale. They are sold at WalMart, Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, etc. They’re usually only about $20. We recommend feeding between 5-7% of their weight at each feeding. Example a 50gr baby would eat between 2.5ml-3.5ml at each feeding. This is the general capacity of their stomachs. As they get older they tend to want more than this and that’s fine as long as the increases are gradual over feeding causes diarrhea.

I like to weigh my babies each morning before feeding but after stimulating them. This way I know that they are consistently gaining, which is what you want. I also note whether they have a bowel movement, urinate and anything else that might be important....like did they snort formula at a feeding, weren’t interested in eating, etc.

Here is a guide for caring for baby squirrels. https://www.henryspets.com/1-basic-setup/

Are you feeding straight goats milk or the homemade goats milk formula? If they are about 4 weeks then you should order some Fox Valley 20/50 to transition them to. The goats milk formula is only a temporary formula. The Fox Valley can be ordered online at Henrys Pets. You also want to order a bag of picky eater or hazelnut blocks. This is the first food you’ll offer. We don’t recommend weaning them. We think it’s best to let them decide which they usually do around 12 weeks. You can offer the block once their eyes open. They probably won’t actually eat it for some time but it will allow them to get used to it. Once they are eating the block well then we add veggies from the Healthy diet. https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

As for hydration, you can offer some slightly sweetened warm water between their regular feedings. A dehydrated squirrel doesn’t eat well, so this might be part of your problem.

Any other questions just ask.



When you say sweetened warm water, is that with sugar or sweeten milk?

[Mel1959]

Sweeten the warm water with a tiny bit of sugar or honey. Just a tad helps them to like the taste a bit better.