New mom…

[Pedsnurse]

Hi everyone. We are new to fostering and very open to any feedback. We have 6 now. Ranging from 2 weeks to 9 weeks. The 9 week pair were the first we have ever done. We have them eating fox valley 4 times a day as well as blocks, Brussels sprouts, carrots and broccoli. We plan to soft release at 16 weeks. When should we stop formula and are there any other foods we should be giving them to prepare them? Thank you in advance.

[Spanky]

Hi everyone. We are new to fostering and very open to any feedback. We have 6 now. Ranging from 2 weeks to 9 weeks. The 9 week pair were the first we have ever done. We have them eating fox valley 4 times a day as well as blocks, Brussels sprouts, carrots and broccoli. We plan to soft release at 16 weeks. When should we stop formula and are there any other foods we should be giving them to prepare them? Thank you in advance.

Here is a primer that may have some helpful info (it is 6 pages long):
https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/

(I am not a fan of using that homemade goat's formula as anything other than temporary until Esbilac can be obtained. JMO)

Do not stop the formula, allow them to wean themselves... and they may not full wean before starting the release. Speaking of which, the soft release is a weeks long process. so I assume you mean you plan to start the release at 16 weeks?

Here is the healthy food pyramid for squirrels:
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

[Mel1959]

There’s no set time that they choose to wean. We like to continue to offer formula along with their other foods for as long as they’ll take it. They usually will taper off around 10-12 weeks. Many will continue to drink it from a bowl even when they’re put in a release cage at 14-16 weeks. We don’t recommend releasing until they are over 16 weeks old. The older they are at release the better they seem to fare.

Here’s the list of acceptable foods. https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels And here’s a list of other foods that are recommended for flyers. The list is a little broader. https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?37700-HEALTHY-DIET-for-PET-Flying-Squirrels The exception to it is that gray squirrels don’t have a protein requirement like flyers do.

You can provide wild foods for them. In Florida they love hibiscus flowers and leaves, purslane, magnolia blooms and the orange ripe seeds from Queen palms. Please be sure that any wild foods haven’t been sprayed with pesticides.