New squirrel mom, please help!

[Adasilva]

I rescued a 4-5 week old baby squirrel about a week and a half ago. I’m feeding him Powdered puppy milk replacement every 4 hours, about 4-5ccs. Everytime he eats he seems to eat so fast it comes out of his nose (he eats like a pig). I have tried, bottles, eye droppers and syringes but I can’t seem to stop this from happening. I am so scared he will catch aspiration pneumonia. After he eats I feel I hear a clicking nose, but then again it could just be the sound of him sleeping? What are normal squirrel noises? I feel I’m always watching him breath, like is he breathing to fast or is he breathing to slow. I’m so scared to do the wrong thing or let something go I should be worried about. I last fed him at 5:30pm and here it is his 9:30 feeding and he doesn’t seem to want to eat, but then again sometimes he’s not always hungry every 4 hours. Just wondering if I’m over thinking or making things more then they are.

[Mel1959]

What is the puppy milk replacer you’re feeding? What size syringe are you using? Do you have a miracle nipple on the end of the syringe, or not? These questions will help us understand if there’s something you could do that would be better or if it’s just the way the baby eats.

I have had babies that snorted milk almost every time they ate. They just do it. Luckily they never ended up with aspiration pneumonia as a result.

Are you holding back gently on the syringe so they can’t suck quite as quickly?

[HRT4SQRLS]

Welcome to TheSquirrelBoard

https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/

This is a link to baby squirrel care. You can order supplies from Henry’s Healthy Pets. I would highly recommend that you order a Miracle nipple and O-ring syringes. Do not use a baby bottle OR eyedroppers. You have to control the flow. We always use syringes. Sometimes they are so aggressive when they eat they will pull the syringe down with their suction. You have to control that by pulling back on the plunger. It limits the amount of formula received so that they don’t aspirate.

Baby squirrels will sometimes have intermittent click after eating. If it goes away it is not pneumonia. If it is constant, even while sleeping, it is a symptom of aspiration pneumonia. When they have aspiration pneumonia, they will also have loss of appetite and lethargy. It is critical to treat aspiration pneumonia ASAP because they crash rapidly. It might be a good idea to find an antibiotic to have just in case. Ciprofloxacin or Baytril (veterinary antibiotic) are good if you can get it.

[Adasilva]

316407
I got syringes off of amazon, (not sure if the pic posted) I am using the smallest one that holds 5ml. I tried controlling the syringe but when I do he just sucks it out him self. I don’t have the steadiest hands so when I try to control the syringe i fee like either I’m pushing to much or he’s not getting any at all. Last night he ate more then usual from the syringe which was around 5:30, he then slept until about 9, and I attempted again to feed him around 9:30. He didn’t seem to want anymore food, I figured he was still full so I tried again around 12:30, he still wasn’t taking any food, and that’s when I got nervous. By around 1:15 am he ended up eating regular and falling back asleep until about 4, around 5:30 I attempted again and he took about 2 1/2 cc’s of the formula. My mom takes him to work with her, and says he seems to be more active but less interested in eating. He’s climbing the cage, chewing on his toes, and seems to look like he’s trying to dig for something. He is making noises but they seem to be your typical squirrel noises. He is using pet AG puppy milk replacement from Walmart. I tried again to feed him at 9:30 and the same thing, only about 2 1/2 cc’d of formula. And then back to “playing” just want to make sure he’s ok.. thanks so much for your response by the way. Still trying to figure out how to navigate this forum!

[Spanky]

I got syringes off of amazon, (not sure if the pic posted) I am using the smallest one that holds 5ml.

A 5ml syringe is really too big for feeding a squirrel the age of yours. You can get 1ml and 3ml syringes from Henry's and the ones they sell (O-Ring) will not get "sticky" with repeated use like most syringes (I am not familiar with the ones you bought from Amazon). THe smaller the syringe, the lesser the chance of aspirating the baby.

https://www.henryspets.com/o-ring-syringes/

[Adasilva]

Ok thanks so much! I will look into those syringes! Any idea why he may not be interested in eating as much right now?

[Rock Monkey]

Also, squirrels purr when they are content, happy.

The purr is a high speed ticking, multiple ticks a second, it is faster than their breathing rate and usually lasts for less than 30 seconds.

[Adasilva]

That’s great to know! Thanks so much for the response!

[Spanky]

Ok thanks so much! I will look into those syringes! Any idea why he may not be interested in eating as much right now?

Can you post a picture of him (does he have a name)? Do you know how much he weighs?

At 4 weeks they'd be wanting to eat closer to every 4 hours, at 5 weeks eating every 5 hours is not unusual.

[Adasilva]

316414

Yes his name is Simon, Im going to have to get a better one of his whole body when I get home, and also weigh him, he seems to have doubled in size, just in the week and a half we have had him. UPDATE: he woke up about an hr ago, and ate about 5ccs of formula, and ate it like he was starving. When we feed him he pulls the syringe closer to him and sucks it like a mad man, he then literally in a matter of seconds puts his head down, rolls up into a ball, and goes right to sleep.316417

[Adasilva]

316418
This was the day we got him. So he is smaller here. His eyes still had not opened

[Rock Monkey]

Yes, they eat way too fast. Try to control the flow.

I think they are just wired to eat as much possible as quickly as possible, to outcompete their siblings.

They can eat so fast that they have difficulty swallowing.

[HRT4SQRLS]

What a precious baby! :grin2

I’m not sure which PetAg product you bought. Is it PetLac or Esbilac? Last fall there were serious problems with PetAg products. Personally I haven’t forgiven them for the death of a thousand babies so I won’t use it again. If you bought PetLac you will need to switch. It just doesn’t have the nutrients that baby squirrels need. If you bought Esbilac the expiration date should be after 10/21. Products with expiration date before that is defective. I use FoxValley 20:50. It grows fat, beautiful little baby squirrels. It has never failed me yet. Others use the Esbilac but personally I LOVE FoxValley 20:50. You can purchase it at Henry’s Healthy Pets.

The problem with defective formula is that they appear to be doing well and then they start failing. Last year the first sign of problem was when babies started breaking bones because of the defective formula.

[Adasilva]

Omg! It is Pet-Lac I believe I will switch right away, so I just completely switch over? Or just fresh one day with it? Thanks for letting know that!

[HRT4SQRLS]

Omg! It is Pet-Lac I believe I will switch right away, so I just completely switch over? Or just fresh one day with it? Thanks for letting know that!

No, no. Don’t switch suddenly. You need to transition. Mix your PetLac per the instructions. Mix the new formula as per the instructions.
Start the transition.

75% PetLac with 25% new formula for a couple feedings.
Then,
50% PetLac with 50% new formula for a couple feedings.
Then,
25% PetLac with 75% new formula for a couple feedings.
Then,
Go to 100% new formula.

Keep in mind, the PetLac is not poison so it won’t kill your baby right away. It is nutritionally deficient and won’t sustain life long term. You definitely need to switch.

[stepnstone]

Just for a little FYI and clarification...
When a baby has aspirated their formula it's not they eat so fast they have difficulty swallowing.
On the contrary, they eat /swallow so fast it goes straight to the lungs. This is what causes AP.

This is a video on the click one can expect to hear from aspiration pneumonia:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtqWQKTOeRI

Not to be confused with "clicking," this video is of a squirrel purring:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWUVWj8_jLs

[Adasilva]

Thanks so much for this information! I’ll be sure to watch the video!

[Adasilva]

Ok great! I ordered the fox valley last night, I will be sure to start weening him into it as soon as possible! Thanks so much for the info!

[HRT4SQRLS]

Thank you for ordering the Fox Valley 20:50. Your healthy, fat baby will thank you. :)