Excessive water drinking all of the sudden?

[RosieSuperman]

I’ve been caring for orphaned baby squirrels for a few weeks and battling diarrhea with them on and off. Nothing showed up in their fecal tests at the vet but our rehabber who oversees me suggested treating with Metro to be safe. She also suggested we mix in the Fox Valley weight booster to help them catch up in weight. I started both today and out of nowhere one squirrel is suddenly drinking a HUGE amount of water. The water bottle was empty out of nowhere (no leaks or spills) and she sucked down 15mL of hydrating fluid (homemade using Henry’s recipe). Other than formula all they get are an occasional bit of a Harry’s block or a walnut. But nothing big because they’re only 5 weeks old. Should I check her for diabetes or could the weight gain Fox Valley (it’s mixed appropriately with the regular 20/50 FV) be the culprit? I would assume the others would be that way if so. Thanks! I’ve never had such a trouble batch as these poor buds have been :(

[Spanky]

I’ve been caring for orphaned baby squirrels for a few weeks and battling diarrhea with them on and off. Nothing showed up in their fecal tests at the vet but our rehabber who oversees me suggested treating with Metro to be safe. She also suggested we mix in the Fox Valley weight booster to help them catch up in weight. I started both today and out of nowhere one squirrel is suddenly drinking a HUGE amount of water. The water bottle was empty out of nowhere (no leaks or spills) and she sucked down 15mL of hydrating fluid (homemade using Henry’s recipe). Other than formula all they get are an occasional bit of a Harry’s block or a walnut. But nothing big because they’re only 5 weeks old. Should I check her for diabetes or could the weight gain Fox Valley (it’s mixed appropriately with the regular 20/50 FV) be the culprit? I would assume the others would be that way if so. Thanks! I’ve never had such a trouble batch as these poor buds have been :(

I think treating with Metro is a good call... I have had a few bouts of issues the last 2 seasons that only Metro would resolve.

At 5 weeks they should not be getting any nuts at all IMO. At that age all they are offerred by me is Henry's until they are eating (actually eating) that very well. Once they are eating the Henry's, I introduce veggies, then fruit. Kids around here don't know what a nut is until they are 10 weeks or older.

You'll need to expand on what the Ultraboost being "mixed appropriately with the regular 20/50 FV" means exactly? I use Ultraboost often with kids that were behind for whatever reason and never had issues. Some folks use it with all their babies without issue.

I've had episodes of the bottle going dry like this but it usually because of a malfunction.. the ball bearing gets out of place a bit and the bottle drips until it is empty.

[RosieSuperman]

Thanks! I’ve removed all nuts and only use the squirrel blocks now. They are still drinking a ton of fluid between feedings, but it really is hot outside so maybe the heat is the cause? The metro cleaned up their diarrhea (yay!) and they’re still gaining and energetic and developing as they should. I’ll continue to keep a close eye on them for any water issues.