Baby squirrel gasping for air during feeding

[Catolivia]

Hi! This is my first post here. I’ve been raising a baby squirrel for a few weeks now. She’s around 4-5 weeks old. Lately she has started gasping for air in the middle of every feeding. She pushes her two front hands out and looks like a fish gasping for air. It can last a minute. Not sure why, but she’s doing it more frequently which worries me. Anyone know what’s going on??

[CritterMom]

Yup. We call it "guppy mouth" and it is basically a feeding seizure. Nobody knows why they do it, but I assume it is something mechanical happening due to the rather profound difference between a syringe and mamas nipples. It isn't dangerous in and of itself, but it makes feeding a real challenge. Do NOT continue to dispense formula in her mouth while she is doing this. You need to startle them a little to snap them out of it - you can puff a short burst of air in their face, or since I am having to pull they syringe out anyway, I use it to (gently) bop them on the top of the head. Once the gaping behavior subsides, you can resume feeding - until it happens again.

What are you using to feed her? The perfect combination is a 1cc 0-ring slip tip syringe with a miracle nipple.

This: https://henryspets.com/codan-slip-tip-o-ring-syringes/, or this: https://henryspets.com/exacta-med-slip-tip-o-ring-syringes/ with this type nipple: https://henryspets.com/easy-grip-nipple-for-nursing-baby-animals/ (believe it or not, you want the longer one - the medium). The wide base gives them something to push on with their hands, which they do with mom to encourage her milk to drop. Make sure you get the 1ml

The nipple that simulates mom *may* help with the guppy mouth. Or it may not. My first squirrel did this for quite a while.