flyer
09-11-2021, 11:32 PM
Hello everyone!
An act of cat landed a 6-7 week old Southern Flying Squirrel in my lap two nights ago (judging by weight; he was at 27 grams this morning pre-feeding), and this forum (and linked resources) have already been very helpful (thank you everyone!).
I got him from the cat, wish I knew where the cat got him so I could return him to the mother, but we're in a deeply wooded area and having a cold spell and just putting him outside and hoping for the best just seems like a cowardly way of euthanizing him at this age. Checked with a contact at DNR to see about any wildlife rehabbers in the area, but they said there weren't any that they knew of, so figure I'll do what I can for him, at least until he's at a less demanding age.
I've ordered Baytril 10% Oral Solution to have on standby in case of pneumonia, or if the cat broke skin anywhere I haven't seen and he starts showing signs of infection. Unfortunately he does have an injured front paw, can't tell if it's sprained or broken, he's still able to grip with it but is generally holding it curled up rather than putting weight on it.
Fortunately I work from home, so can meet his feeding schedule. So far he's at about 2ccs of the homemade goat milk formula every 4 hours (been a learning curve trying to keep him and the formula warm enough that he's eating enough, but seem to be getting there), starting him on the Esbilac tomorrow, waiting on the Fox Valley to arrive. He hasn't shown any interest in any solid foods yet, and his stool is hard and dry, so I've been hydrating him to the extent that he's willing to accept it in between feedings (little bits at a time). Pees on me pretty consistently and it's been getting clearer, so I know that side of things is working at least. Have a heater/humidifier coming, so hoping that will help.
He perked up and became pretty friendly after the initial trauma, but also seems to mostly be sleeping/burrowing in his blanket when I'm not actively handling him. Hoping at this age sleeping a ton, especially during the day, is normal and not a sign he's sick. Watching him like a hawk for bloat or clicking, he seems to mostly lap formula off my fingers instead of figuring out how to work his end of the syringe (3cc, got 1cc also on order, along with a couple of Miracle Nipples from Henry's), has sneezed a couple of times during feeding but I haven't noticed formula coming out the nose (still, wish that Baytril would hurry up and arrive just in case).
Basically I'm as anxious about this baby as a new parent, and while I know I won't be able to mom him as well as an actual flying squirrel mom, am hoping to do everything possible so he can thrive. I also knew exactly zero things about any of this before about 11:00 PM Thursday, so again, thank you so much for being such a great resource! Wanted to say hi, thank you, and get all his information up here in case anyone has any advice or suggestions. Have been too superstitious to name him yet, feels like if I do he's going to take a turn for the worse. He's very sweet and impossibly tiny and fragile, and since I don't know how he injured his paw, am feeling deeply guilty about that (if anyone could recommend how to dose pain relief for him, that would be appreciated hugely).
An act of cat landed a 6-7 week old Southern Flying Squirrel in my lap two nights ago (judging by weight; he was at 27 grams this morning pre-feeding), and this forum (and linked resources) have already been very helpful (thank you everyone!).
I got him from the cat, wish I knew where the cat got him so I could return him to the mother, but we're in a deeply wooded area and having a cold spell and just putting him outside and hoping for the best just seems like a cowardly way of euthanizing him at this age. Checked with a contact at DNR to see about any wildlife rehabbers in the area, but they said there weren't any that they knew of, so figure I'll do what I can for him, at least until he's at a less demanding age.
I've ordered Baytril 10% Oral Solution to have on standby in case of pneumonia, or if the cat broke skin anywhere I haven't seen and he starts showing signs of infection. Unfortunately he does have an injured front paw, can't tell if it's sprained or broken, he's still able to grip with it but is generally holding it curled up rather than putting weight on it.
Fortunately I work from home, so can meet his feeding schedule. So far he's at about 2ccs of the homemade goat milk formula every 4 hours (been a learning curve trying to keep him and the formula warm enough that he's eating enough, but seem to be getting there), starting him on the Esbilac tomorrow, waiting on the Fox Valley to arrive. He hasn't shown any interest in any solid foods yet, and his stool is hard and dry, so I've been hydrating him to the extent that he's willing to accept it in between feedings (little bits at a time). Pees on me pretty consistently and it's been getting clearer, so I know that side of things is working at least. Have a heater/humidifier coming, so hoping that will help.
He perked up and became pretty friendly after the initial trauma, but also seems to mostly be sleeping/burrowing in his blanket when I'm not actively handling him. Hoping at this age sleeping a ton, especially during the day, is normal and not a sign he's sick. Watching him like a hawk for bloat or clicking, he seems to mostly lap formula off my fingers instead of figuring out how to work his end of the syringe (3cc, got 1cc also on order, along with a couple of Miracle Nipples from Henry's), has sneezed a couple of times during feeding but I haven't noticed formula coming out the nose (still, wish that Baytril would hurry up and arrive just in case).
Basically I'm as anxious about this baby as a new parent, and while I know I won't be able to mom him as well as an actual flying squirrel mom, am hoping to do everything possible so he can thrive. I also knew exactly zero things about any of this before about 11:00 PM Thursday, so again, thank you so much for being such a great resource! Wanted to say hi, thank you, and get all his information up here in case anyone has any advice or suggestions. Have been too superstitious to name him yet, feels like if I do he's going to take a turn for the worse. He's very sweet and impossibly tiny and fragile, and since I don't know how he injured his paw, am feeling deeply guilty about that (if anyone could recommend how to dose pain relief for him, that would be appreciated hugely).