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Lainann89
10-26-2022, 01:49 PM
First off, I’ve never rescued a baby squirrel. I’m an animal lover and when I was younger I raised baby birds around the clock so I knew a little about syringe feeding. I found this sweet little guy behind my house, he was kind of crawling towards me and had a little cut above his eye. It was getting dark so I brought him in. I’ve just been learning as I go and trying to find everything I can online but I still have so many questions. I had him in a nice little make shift home with heat right away, some fluids, and the next day esbilac. I thought maybe he was about six weeks at first but then within a couple of days he really perked up and then I was seriously questioning how old he was. So basically my first question is wondering if anyone can help me with aging him. I want to say when I first realized I needed to weigh him he was about.. 172 grams
So I was trying to feed him 12ml every four hours, sometimes he would eat it all but often he wouldn’t. So I proceeded to get him squirrel blocks and realized he was ready to begin eating, he sat up and ate just fine so I began introducing more foods and recently he just started refusing the formula, so from what I read I thought maybe he was weaning from it because he was older than I thought. But I really don’t know! Any insight on his age and how much I should be feeding him now would be so much appreciated. I also have questions about his genitals. When I found him he was VERY swollen down there and had scabbed over. So from what I read I soaked him in warm water and removed the scab and it slowly got better and then he was doing great! Urinating and pooping on his own without any stimulation. I found him on October 7th, Well just yesterday I noticed his penis is swollen again and very purple on the end and I saw him trying to mess with it. I’m guessing he is self sucking but no clue if it’s because he needs formula or maybe if he is stressed. When I first got him he was sweet and would snuggle and like to be around me but now he really wants nothing to do with me outside of food. I got him a really nice cage and all he does is run to it once I get him out. I know I’ve read that they need interaction but it’s hard now when he seems to not want it. I also thought Of releasing him but I live in North Idaho and it’s in the 30’s and low 40’s here so I’m nervous about that. Sorry for the book! I will try to attach some photos of when I first got him and then a few days later.

Lainann89
10-26-2022, 01:54 PM
When I first found him and then about 2 or 3 days later, he’s been with me almost three weeks

Spanky
10-26-2022, 02:49 PM
Here is a good reference for baby squirrels, it is six pages long:
https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/

I am going to guess he was about 9weeks in that picture. A recent of him may help... he is a fox squirrel and I have never had the pleasure of raising a foxer.

Soft release should not start until at least 14 weeks old, especially for singletons. I'd venture to say overwintering a singleton in Idaho would be the best option.

Lainann89
10-26-2022, 03:10 PM
323489323490

Today and his situation

CritterMom
10-26-2022, 05:09 PM
They self suckle for a lot of reasons - hunger, habit...it can be a real problem - a life threatening one. I don't know how to keep a baby this age away from itself - even pinkies are difficult. I know he is trying to wean - why don't you try boosting the amount of formula he is getting and see if the extra chow AND the extra nursing helps sooth him. He is an adorable little foxer!

Make sure he can urinate - be certain a scab doesn't close that up. If it is, you need to hold a damp cloth against it for some time to soften the scab and very carefully rub it away, then grease the area up FREQUENTLY with vaseline.