Pink on Baby squirrel face after giving Henry’s blocks

[DanniCristina]

Hi all,
My 7 week old foster started Henry’s high protein blocks yesterday. He had one yesterday and one today, still on formula. We noticed today, an awful lot of “pink” around his mouth, I am posting a pic. His mouth is kind of wet from formula as he is a super messy eater sometimes, but please take a look and advise why you think it would be like this. It is blood from teething or possibly from eating the blocks? Could he have hurt his mouth or teeth on them? I give him the block whole, is this correct or should they be broken up? Is it possible he has scratched his face up and hurt himself since his nails are so long? He does grab the nipple a lot when drinking formula.

[Tuff]

Hi all,
My 7 week old foster started Henry’s high protein blocks yesterday. He had one yesterday and one today, still on formula. We noticed today, an awful lot of “pink” around his mouth, I am posting a pic. His mouth is kind of wet from formula as he is a super messy eater sometimes, but please take a look and advise why you think it would be like this. It is blood from teething or possibly from eating the blocks? Could he have hurt his mouth or teeth on them? I give him the block whole, is this correct or should they be broken up? Is it possible he has scratched his face up and hurt himself since his nails are so long? He does grab the nipple a lot when drinking formula.

My first question would be do you clean his face really good after you feed formula?

[DanniCristina]

As much as he will let us, we do. We didn’t notice this until today he is usually always dry and clean today he pulled his nipple off then got a little bit on the side of his face but we cleaned him again when he was done. I don’t see any wounds, but I think it’s all as we’re not even really sure what it is. I feel like sometimes I over worry myself but I want to be extra cautious with him. Is it possible he got an irritation from formula is we missed a spot? Also, can we put Neosporin or anything on it? We only use warm water to clean him. We don’t think it’s blood but it did come off on the washcloth.

[Mel1959]

Make sure you wipe down the fur around his mouth and neck after every feeding.

What you may be seeing could actually be blood mixed with saliva and formula. Sometimes when the teeth erupt there can be a little bit of blood that shows up on the nipple, or in this case on his fur around his mouth. Just monitor him and make sure you clean him really well after eating so you can determine if there is something else going on.

They can develop milk scald when the milk is left to dry on their skin and fur. It will also cause hair loss in those areas.

A little neosporin or even just coconut oil rubbed into the skin is fine.

[DanniCristina]

Make sure you wipe down the fur around his mouth and neck after every feeding.

What you may be seeing could actually be blood mixed with saliva and formula. Sometimes when the teeth erupt there can be a little bit of blood that shows up on the nipple, or in this case on his fur around his mouth. Just monitor him and make sure you clean him really well after eating so you can determine if there is something else going on.

They can develop milk scald when the milk is left to dry on their skin and fur. It will also cause hair loss in those areas.

A little neosporin or even just coconut oil rubbed into the skin is fine.

Thank you for this info! I feel absolutely terrible wondering now if he got formula on his neck that we hadn’t seen at some points and didn’t get wiped off well😭 we cleaned him good last night with warm water and a soft sponge and he wasn’t a fan but he looked better! We will clean him good after every feeding. I’ll try some coconut oil or Neosporin, will this heal if that’s what it is and his hair grow back?

[CritterMom]

Thank you for this info! I feel absolutely terrible wondering now if he got formula on his neck that we hadn’t seen at some points and didn’t get wiped off well😭 we cleaned him good last night with warm water and a soft sponge and he wasn’t a fan but he looked better! We will clean him good after every feeding. I’ll try some coconut oil or Neosporin, will this heal if that’s what it is and his hair grow back?

Yes, absolutely, the fur will grow back. This happens so frequently it has a name - formula scald.

[DanniCristina]

Yes, absolutely, the fur will grow back. This happens so frequently it has a name - formula scald.

I appreciate all of this information and help! He is the youngest I’ve ever rescued and what a learning experience it’s been! I did use a little extra virgin coconut oil in his under side of chin and sides of face, but he didn’t like it, and tried to lick it off my hands. It is safe if he got a little in his mouth? He did not like me cleaning him thoroughly one bit, I had to hold him snug in a small towel and speak to him softly while I did it, but lately he’s not as cuddly as he was as he is growing. We have had him 3 full weeks now, since he was 4 weeks. He likes to play with us at times but is much more independent, vocal, and stubborn.

[Mel1959]

The coconut oil is completely safe if he ingests it. That’s one of the reasons I suggested it, considering the location.

[DanniCristina]

Thank you, I appreciate the information so much. Since he just started on the Henry’s Blocks- he was 172 grams at his last weight on Monday- I need to weigh him again today- I still do 8.5 to 9cc formula every 4-4.5 hours, plus two Henry’s blocks (one in morning, one at night) and he goes about 6.5 hours at night without formula, when do I introduce the Tekland blocks too? I put a water bottle in there but I don’t see him drinking it much.

[DanniCristina]

Also besides the question on the blocks, can anyone tell me what kind of toys he should have for enrichment purposes besides the noseless and eyeless stuffed animals?

[Chirps]

I appreciate all of this information and help! He is the youngest I’ve ever rescued and what a learning experience it’s been! I did use a little extra virgin coconut oil in his under side of chin and sides of face, but he didn’t like it, and tried to lick it off my hands. It is safe if he got a little in his mouth? He did not like me cleaning him thoroughly one bit, I had to hold him snug in a small towel and speak to him softly while I did it, but lately he’s not as cuddly as he was as he is growing. We have had him 3 full weeks now, since he was 4 weeks. He likes to play with us at times but is much more independent, vocal, and stubborn.
Ah, you're taking me down Memory Lane. Sounds almost like my baby. Found her at four weeks also. She was only a cuddler for a short period (so it seemed to me, I'm also starting to forget all the little details that I thought back then I never would). The more skills she acquired, the more she wanted to be DOING things on her own. I was still useful as her first "tree" to practice climbing etc. but when she started exploring more and more outside the cage she got more and more independent-minded.

She also wasn't fun to wrestle/play with almost as soon as she sprouted teeth since she was quick to start using them. Sometimes I wish in hindsight I had tried harder to try to get her to be more gentle, like teaching her when she was being too rough as others here seemed to be successful at doing with their babies so we could have had more of that kind of interaction, but I just backed off and let her amuse herself and just made myself her guide and protector more than trying to be her playmate.

[DanniCristina]

Ah, you're taking me down Memory Lane. Sounds almost like my baby. Found her at four weeks also. She was only a cuddler for a short period (so it seemed to me, I'm also starting to forget all the little details that I thought back then I never would). The more skills she acquired, the more she wanted to be DOING things on her own. I was still useful as her first "tree" to practice climbing etc. but when she started exploring more and more outside the cage she got more and more independent-minded.

She also wasn't fun to wrestle/play with almost as soon as she sprouted teeth since she was quick to start using them. Sometimes I wish in hindsight I had tried harder to try to get her to be more gentle, like teaching her when she was being too rough as others here seemed to be successful at doing with their babies so we could have had more of that kind of interaction, but I just backed off and let her amuse herself and just made myself her guide and protector more than trying to be her playmate.

I try to let him know when he gets too rough, luckily at almost 8 weeks-He has not been too rough just yet and when he has started to be a couple times- we have to let out a high pitch squeal or very gently give a little blow towards him and he stops. He is a lot of fun right now with playfulness but I definitely feel with this new independence I’m not as needed! I’m trying to embrace every second that we have with him because I know someday I won’t, and for some reason I am by far more attached to this baby than I’ve ever been my other rescues :/ How long did you have your baby for before release?

[Chirps]

Calculating back from when she opened her eyes I decided her birthday was July 14. She kind of self released in . . . early October? She was in a 2?x2?x3? foot cage that I had been schlepping up and down stairs every day to keep her away from the cat and dog. Then I set the cage up on a table on the "porch" which is a room with the door to the yard, with cover etc. on one side to give her privacy from the cat in case the cat got up on the table, which wasn't allowed but hey it's a cat. I knew she would but didn't want her to be able to see or get near my Love. I'd schlep the cage in and out to let her see the world. Started doing over a big cage we already had to make it into a release cage but one evening she just wouldn't come down from the yew so I could get her back in for the night. As far as I could tell she slept that night in a bunch of debris in the middle of the yew's massed trunks, maybe 8' off the ground. I got up before dawn the next morning to check on her and offer formula. I kept detailed notes, but haven't read them in a long time. I think I put her nest box (a cockatiel nest box from a pet store) in the release cage (hung up it was maybe 5+ feet above the ground) so more snug in some ways but not as secure height wise as the debris "drey" in the yew. Someone made me a squirrel nest box which I hung in the yew, and I wasn't sure when she took up residence but it was possibly the first or second night it was hung, like she knew it was for her. She took formula in a bowl (was long since past syringes since she'd just chew them to pieces and I didn't have a nipple) twice a day until maybe near the end of October she stopped.

So she was unintentionally released before planned, but she did exactly what I hoped she'd do which was live right there and come to me for food every day even as she learned about the world.

[DanniCristina]

Calculating back from when she opened her eyes I decided her birthday was July 14. She kind of self released in . . . early October? She was in a 2?x2?x3? foot cage that I had been schlepping up and down stairs every day to keep her away from the cat and dog. Then I set the cage up on a table on the "porch" which is a room with the door to the yard, with cover etc. on one side to give her privacy from the cat in case the cat got up on the table, which wasn't allowed but hey it's a cat. I knew she would but didn't want her to be able to see or get near my Love. I'd schlep the cage in and out to let her see the world. Started doing over a big cage we already had to make it into a release cage but one evening she just wouldn't come down from the yew so I could get her back in for the night. As far as I could tell she slept that night in a bunch of debris in the middle of the yew's massed trunks, maybe 8' off the ground. I got up before dawn the next morning to check on her and offer formula. I kept detailed notes, but haven't read them in a long time. I think I put her nest box (a cockatiel nest box from a pet store) in the release cage (hung up it was maybe 5+ feet above the ground) so more snug in some ways but not as secure height wise as the debris "drey" in the yew. Someone made me a squirrel nest box which I hung in the yew, and I wasn't sure when she took up residence but it was possibly the first or second night it was hung, like she knew it was for her. She took formula in a bowl (was long since past syringes since she'd just chew them to pieces and I didn't have a nipple) twice a day until maybe near the end of October she stopped.

So she was unintentionally released before planned, but she did exactly what I hoped she'd do which was live right there and come to me for food every day even as she learned about the world.

This was actually a very sweet ending, thank you for sharing! I think my baby was born around April 18. His eyes opened on May 24. Right now he is very playful- I am actually starting to think perhaps I sexed him wrong when he was so young and maybe I have a girl. I am going to include the best picture I could get. I am trying to move into a bigger cage so he has room to play more since he’s such a very active baby-but the one I found the bar spacing is 1 inch. Is this too big? I am concerned about the spacing but the cage itself is a great price so if that’s okay, I don’t want to pass it up but if it’s not I’ll invest in a different one.
Here is a pic- boy or girl? I am now having second thoughts he is a he!

[CritterMom]

You got yourself a girlie there!

[DanniCristina]

You got yourself a girlie there!

Awww!! Thats what I was starting to think too!! She was so sick on and off when I first got her I only checked while she needed stimulation to go, and I was so focused on other situations with her! Then I looked the other day and thought wait, I think this might be a little girl!❤️

Are there toys I can buy so she can play with that are safe for her? Do you think 1 inch cage spacing for bars is okay?

[DanniCristina]

Hi all, I am so upset, I am probably over reacting but, we have been cleaning her face good after every formula feeding. I did stop using coconut oil (after a week her fur was looking better) and now, tonight I noticed that it seems like much of the fur is still missing. I feel so bad! She is playing, eating, drinking, eating 2 Henry’s high protein blocks a day, eating Tekland blocks throughout the day, and she still takes 4 feedings of formula throughout day too. I don’t understand why her face fur looks like this, should I start the coconut oil again?

[CritterMom]

Just keep wiping her down. It can take a little while for the fur to return, but the skin looks fine - not angry and red any more. Their fur growth is dictated to some degree by growth and season - they naturally grow a coat of fur when they are babies, and that fur remains until their next seasonal molt, which is spring and fall. This baby had grown her first coat and it isn't time to grow a new one yet so the process can be sort of slow because her fur growth clock is between seasons. When the skin turns from white-pink to gray it is happening - the skin isn't really gray - you are seeing the fur starting before it has broken the skin.

[Rock Monkey]

Helen lost fur in a similar location when she was really little and it really freaked me out at first, then I realized it wasn't life threatening. It took a while to grow back, but now she looks totally normal.

[DanniCristina]

Thank you for the responses! I was so worried. I felt so bad when I seen her fur missing! But it doesn’t seem to bother her. She is doing something new last night into today- she took formula as normal until last night- then took one syringe after quite awhile. Now this morning, it’s been an hour and she’s not taking it at all. Well it’s been an hour and I’ll try again in a little while but is this normal? She’s just over nine weeks, eating her Henry’s blocks, and her Tekland blocks. Plus she’s drinking out of a water bottle. Is this a normal age they start refusing formula? I have a new cage coming in for her because these are 1 inch spacing and she’s definitely chewing on the bars, so I needed to get a smaller one in for her. Also any tips on training for litter box? She is going all over the cage not even in her normal spot like she used to when she was younger I swear every time she moves she is pooping lol, at least it feels that way-although they look like normal salad poops.

[DanniCristina]

Thank you for the responses! I was so worried. I felt so bad when I seen her fur missing! But it doesn’t seem to bother her. She is doing something new last night into today- she took formula as normal until last night- then took one syringe after quite awhile. Now this morning, it’s been an hour and she’s not taking it at all. Well it’s been an hour and I’ll try again in a little while but is this normal? She’s just over nine weeks, eating her Henry’s blocks, and her Tekland blocks. Plus she’s drinking out of a water bottle. Is this a normal age they start refusing formula? I have a new cage coming in for her because these are 1 inch spacing and she’s definitely chewing on the bars, so I needed to get a smaller one in for her. Also any tips on training for litter box? She is going all over the cage not even in her normal spot like she used to when she was younger I swear every time she moves she is pooping lol, at least it feels that way-although they look like normal salad poops.

*solid* not salad poops.

[island rehabber]

Sounds totally normal to me!

[DanniCristina]

Sounds totally normal to me!

Thank you!! So do they naturally start weaning themselves off around nine weeks? Because I read online that they should be having formula until they’re about 14 weeks so I was confused and quite worried!