strong heartbeat, rib. cage opening and closing and makes sounds with the palpitation

[Jessquirrel]

We rescue a 5-week baby squirrel that have strong palpitations since last night.

We are trying to rehab him by keeping him warm and giving him what he needs.

Initially were two baby squirrels, but one of them just survived a night. We were giving them pecans, but we stopped because that could have been the cause of his brother’s death.

Now we were giving him kitten’s powered milk (warm and amount based on his weight) and cleaning him with waterless flea remover shampoo since he was full of fleas.

He started to show more spirit, but last night he started to have palpitations that I can even hear if I’m close. Therefore, today we are giving him honey mixed with warm water to hydrate him and increase his glucose levels.

This is his 4th day with us, first day two brothers ate pecans, 2nd day, his brother died, 3rd-day milk diet, 4th honey mixed with water.

He sleeps in an improvised cage made of a cabinet with soft shirts and a heater in the bottom with some cloths for him to hide or get comfy. He was been mostly sleeping eating, eating, and pooping as a routine. Today, was a bit more active and goes out of his cage to climb to us and stay in our chest, he sleeps there and has been like that for the majority of the day.

I have young rats/mice food blocks that I try to give him, but he doesn’t take them yet.

His palpitations worry me and I don’t know how I can help him.

Please if you have any idea of how I can help him let me know. I tried to contact a rehab, but she was already full.

[Squirrelcrazy23]

Hello. I am not sure if you have received a reply or not. Please stop the kitten formula. Your baby will not thrive on that at all. Fox Valley is recommended as well as Esbilac puppy. You do not want the Esbilac goat milk formula. Absolutely no nuts. They are high in Oxylates and baby is way to young. Nuts are always limited in captivity. I am concerned baby may have aspirated. How are you feeding and with what? Thanks.

[Chirps]

Hi, and thanks for caring for this baby. Please click on the link in my signature. It explains how to care for baby squirrels, 6 pages but a quick read. At five weeks your baby needs to be drinking formula. S/he will only be starting to investigate solid food in another week or so. Please read the info in the link and check back with further questions/concerns.

I am worried that the flea product you used may have been toxic to your baby. S/he may have absorbed it through the skin. Are the fleas gone? If it's not too late to prevent further absorption of the flea killer, you should probably give the baby a bath with Dawn dish soap. Be very careful to not let the baby's head get submerged/water near the nose. Also the baby must be dried thoroughly after to prevent chilling. If there are still fleas, the Dawn will help kill them too, or at least immobilize them so they can be flushed/rinsed away. Your baby may tolerate you holding it under the running sink, but people here have advised that the sound of running water may cause panic in most squirrels, so it might be best to have a wash container and a rinse container. Hold baby under armpits and submerge as far as safely possible to wash and then to rinse.

What is the brand of rat blocks you have? They won't be needed for at least another week, but if what you have is a good brand, that will be one less thing to have to get ready when the time comes.

EDIT: Squirrelcrazy23 may be right. If your baby has aspirated, this is an emergency. Hopefully one of the experts will see your post and can advise you on treatment if necessary. Do you have a kitchen scale? Babies are fed based on their weight. Also any meds you may need will be dosed by weight. If you hold the baby next to your ear like a phone, and hear a click with each breath, that would indicate aspiration pneumonia.

[Mel1959]

Squirrel babies this age NEED formula not nuts. They will continue to drink formula till 9-12 weeks old. You must either purchase Esbilac powdered puppy formula or Fox Valley 20/50, which is only available online. There is one other option which I’ve been told is available at some big box pet stores, which is Royal Canin Baby Dog powdered formula. Esbilac powdered puppy formula can also be found at big box pet stores, Tractor Supply and some feed stores. Hydrate with slightly sweetened water in between feedings.

Baby squirrels need to be fed 5-7% of their weight at each feeding, so a gram scale is helpful. At this age feed every 3-4 hours. Stimulate to urinate and defecate. Keep a heat source under one half of their cage with lots of blankets so they can crawl off it when they get too hot.

Squirrels have a much higher heart rate than other animals, especially if frightened.

The first food source that should be introduced after eyes have opened is a hard extruded rodent block. Some brands that are nutritious are Oxbow Regal Rat, Mazuri Rat block and Envigo Harland Teklad 2018 block. The last one being only available online.

Please keep us updated as to how they are doing. I’m sorry I know of no rehabbers in your area.

There is a list of healthy squirrel diet foods in the nutrition section of this forum for when they are older.

[Jessquirrel]

Squirrel babies this age NEED formula not nuts. They will continue to drink formula till 9-12 weeks old. You must either purchase Esbilac powdered puppy formula or Fox Valley 20/50, which is only available online. There is one other option which I’ve been told is available at some big box pet stores, which is Royal Canin Baby Dog powdered formula. Esbilac powdered puppy formula can also be found at big box pet stores, Tractor Supply and some feed stores. Hydrate with slightly sweetened water in between feedings.

Baby squirrels need to be fed 5-7% of their weight at each feeding, so a gram scale is helpful. At this age feed every 3-4 hours. Stimulate to urinate and defecate. Keep a heat source under one half of their cage with lots of blankets so they can crawl off it when they get too hot.

Squirrels have a much higher heart rate than other animals, especially if frightened.

The first food source that should be introduced after eyes have opened is a hard extruded rodent block. Some brands that are nutritious are Oxbow Regal Rat, Mazuri Rat block and Envigo Harland Teklad 2018 block. The last one being only available online.

Please keep us updated as to how they are doing. I’m sorry I know of no rehabbers in your area.

There is a list of healthy squirrel diet foods in the nutrition section of this forum for when they are older.

Thank you! I will get a different powder milk. His eyes are open, so he is probably going more towards 6 weeks. I also have rodent blocks, but I haven’t give him anything yet until he has more strength.

I going to the pet store to change the milk then. I have with me PetLac Kitten, but I’ll get Esbilac while the Fox Valley arrives.

Thank you for taking the time for helping

[Jessquirrel]

Hello. I am not sure if you have received a reply or not. Please stop the kitten formula. Your baby will not thrive on that at all. Fox Valley is recommended as well as Esbilac puppy. You do not want the Esbilac goat milk formula. Absolutely no nuts. They are high in Oxylates and baby is way to young. Nuts are always limited in captivity. I am concerned baby may have aspirated. How are you feeding and with what? Thanks.

Thank you squirrelcrazy23 for your answer!
I was giving him for a day PetLac kittens formula, but we stopped after seeing that reaction; I will get Fox Valley now. No nuts at the moment. Currently he is in warm water mixed with honey, I gave him a slice of a banana too. I do not know what to give him today, while the milk arrives. I am using a feeding baby bottle.

He does have a clicking sound when breathing.

[Jessquirrel]

Hi, and thanks for caring for this baby. Please click on the link in my signature. It explains how to care for baby squirrels, 6 pages but a quick read. At five weeks your baby needs to be drinking formula. S/he will only be starting to investigate solid food in another week or so. Please read the info in the link and check back with further questions/concerns.

I am worried that the flea product you used may have been toxic to your baby. S/he may have absorbed it through the skin. Are the fleas gone? If it's not too late to prevent further absorption of the flea killer, you should probably give the baby a bath with Dawn dish soap. Be very careful to not let the baby's head get submerged/water near the nose. Also the baby must be dried thoroughly after to prevent chilling. If there are still fleas, the Dawn will help kill them too, or at least immobilize them so they can be flushed/rinsed away. Your baby may tolerate you holding it under the running sink, but people here have advised that the sound of running water may cause panic in most squirrels, so it might be best to have a wash container and a rinse container. Hold baby under armpits and submerge as far as safely possible to wash and then to rinse.

What is the brand of rat blocks you have? They won't be needed for at least another week, but if what you have is a good brand, that will be one less thing to have to get ready when the time comes.

EDIT: Squirrelcrazy23 may be right. If your baby has aspirated, this is an emergency. Hopefully one of the experts will see your post and can advise you on treatment if necessary. Do you have a kitchen scale? Babies are fed based on their weight. Also any meds you may need will be dosed by weight. If you hold the baby next to your ear like a phone, and hear a click with each breath, that would indicate aspiration pneumonia.

Dear Chrips,

Thank you for sharing this. I went through your guide and I am following mostly everything, but the syringe part for feeding. I think this might cause his condition 😭

So I think it could be an aspiration

[Tashahaven]

It is best to use an O-ring syringe vs the standard gasket type, because they wear out rather quickly, and stick which can cause aspiration. You would need to order them online, either from Amazon or Henry’s who sells the fox valley. I would not use any larger than a 3cc syringe, preferably 1cc for a while first. But until they arrive, I suggest getting your hands on some 1cc syringes from local pharmacy. Just go up to the pharmacist and tell them you are feeding a baby bird or baby kitten. They will hand you a few for free. Definitely discontinue the baby bottle, it allows too much liquid through too fast. ❤️

[CritterMom]

Is this baby still struggling to breathe and showing the other symptoms? Will she eat? If this is aspiration pneumonia she needs antibiotics to get past it. Human abx can be used - we can help you with that so you give the CORRECT dose. What is her condition now? And if it is still the same, you need to get with friends and family and see if anyone has any unused antibiotics leftover from a past illness. Get a list of what is available. And get rid of the bottle.

[Tashahaven]

These are the 2 types of syringes. The “miracle” is o ring type. The blue one is the standard plunger. For reference

[CritterMom]

These are the 2 types of syringes. The “miracle” is o ring type. The blue one is the standard plunger. For reference

This is great. The O-ring type is what you want for feeding. The smaller rubber plunger at the tip slides smoothly in the barrel of the syringe, which gives you good control of how much milk is going out and helps prevent aspirating. The standard plunger is meant to be a "one use" tool and using it repeatedly results in that big plunger getting stuck in the barrel and then suddenly letting go and dispensing a big burst of formula. No bueno. If you have to wait for an o-ring to be shipped to you, you can use the standard but you need to pull the plunger all the way out and rub the rubber part with vegetable oil before using.