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Sureka0626
09-04-2022, 07:36 PM
New squirrel Mom here.
My baby is approximately 4 weeks on this coming Tuesday. His eating amount has fluctuated today and I have her a few clicking sounds (not consistently). I am worried. Should I administer antibiotics?

I have the following medications:
Cefdinir
Metronidazole
Clindamycin
Acyclovir
Amoxicillin
Minocycline

Spanky
09-05-2022, 01:11 AM
New squirrel Mom here.
My baby is approximately 4 weeks on this coming Tuesday. His eating amount has fluctuated today and I have her a few clicking sounds (not consistently). I am worried. Should I administer antibiotics?

I have the following medications:
Cefdinir
Metronidazole
Clindamycin
Acyclovir
Amoxicillin
Minocycline

Can you be more specific about what "fluctuating" represents? Usually an AP click is persistent / non-stop. Most baby squirrels will have a "mouth click" that usually happens after feeding when their mouths are extra moist.

I personally do not have dosing info do not have dosing info on minocycline or cefdinir.

None of the medications listed are ones we recommend to treat Aspiration Pneumonia (AP). The Amoxicillin can be used as a "better than nothing", but it really a 50/50 proposition.

Baytril (Cipro), Clavamox (Augmentin) and Batrim (SMZ-TMP) are some for the meds we recommend and know to be effective.

The weight of the squirrel is always needed for dosing medications.

Sureka0626
09-05-2022, 07:11 AM
Can you be more specific about what "fluctuating" represents? Usually an AP click is persistent / non-stop. Most baby squirrels will have a "mouth click" that usually happens after feeding when their mouths are extra moist.

I personally do not have dosing info do not have dosing info on minocycline or cefdinir.

None of the medications listed are ones we recommend to treat Aspiration Pneumonia (AP). The Amoxicillin can be used as a "better than nothing", but it really a 50/50 proposition.

Baytril (Cipro), Clavamox (Augmentin) and Batrim (SMZ-TMP) are some for the meds we recommend and know to be effective.

The weight of the squirrel is always needed for dosing medications.

I could be reading too much into it but the clicking sound I hear is random. I only got concerned because of his feedings. Yesterday his first daily feeding was 4-5 mls. By his third feeding he only consumed 2 mls and stayed around 3 mls for the remainder of his 24 hour schedule. I know that teething is up on us and that could be a factor as well. He currently weighs 58 grams. He has tripled his weight since we obtained him. He was found alone and cold and we estimated him being around 24 hours old at the time of rescue.
We are feeding Esbilac every 3 hours and are preparing to switch to FV for his 4 week milestone.

Spanky
09-05-2022, 09:11 AM
I could be reading too much into it but the clicking sound I hear is random. I only got concerned because of his feedings. Yesterday his first daily feeding was 4-5 mls. By his third feeding he only consumed 2 mls and stayed around 3 mls for the remainder of his 24 hour schedule. I know that teething is up on us and that could be a factor as well. He currently weighs 58 grams. He has tripled his weight since we obtained him. He was found alone and cold and we estimated him being around 24 hours old at the time of rescue.
We are feeding Esbilac every 3 hours and are preparing to switch to FV for his 4 week milestone.

FWIW - I use a 50% Esbilac and 50% Fox Valley 20/50 from about 3.5 weeks to wean.

See how his appetite is today and if he takes more normal amounts of formula. The 3ml is not too concerning since that is ~5% of 60grams. Keep an ear out for a persistent clicking... I like to listen to them while since it is very likely AP is they are clicking in their sleep. I have found using a plastic Solo type cup with the bottom cut out.. holding the bottom / narrow end to your ear and the larger end over the baby... helps amplify any noises.

It would be good if you asked family friends and neighbors for antibiotics to have on hand.... the ones you listed are not known to be effective for AP in squirrels.

Sureka0626
09-05-2022, 10:04 AM
FWIW - I use a 50% Esbilac and 50% Fox Valley 20/50 from about 3.5 weeks to wean.

See how his appetite is today and if he takes more normal amounts of formula. The 3ml is not too concerning since that is ~5% of 60grams. Keep an ear out for a persistent clicking... I like to listen to them while since it is very likely AP is they are clicking in their sleep. I have found using a plastic Solo type cup with the bottom cut out.. holding the bottom / narrow end to your ear and the larger end over the baby... helps amplify any noises.

It would be good if you asked family friends and neighbors for antibiotics to have on hand.... the ones you listed are not known to be effective for AP in squirrels.

Thank you so much for the info! I will update in a couple days. I love this board and have found all the info very helpful. This little baby is everything to me; he is named Skrat and is an Eastern Grey. <3