No Activity nor Solids for 7 week old

[sleepless]

Hi! My guy is almost 7 weeks and still sleeping ALL THE TIME and won't even try solids, he just wants to gulp down his formula and go back to sleep -- should I worry?

[Mars]

Hmmm :thinking What formula are you feeding and how much how often?? Babies do sleep a lot still at that age. I see them want to be up and exploring for about 10 or 15 minutes and then back to bed. :)

[sleepless]

I accidentilly was feeding him kitty formula until a week ago when I switched to the puppy stuff per TSB. Also I'm feeding him 3 to 4 times a day -- is that enough?

[Mars]

How much is he taking per feeding? Do you have a scale to measure his weight in grams?? We feed by the 5% rule - ie 5% of baby's weight in grams = #cc's per feeding.

At 7 weeks you are on the cusp of change with your baby. If baby's tail fur is about 1/2 inch long low activity is not unusual. If the tail hair is longer say 3/4 of an inch in length then the inactivity is a possible concern. Can you post a picture?

[sleepless]

I can't post a picture right now, but about 1/2 and inch sounds about right (only in the last few days has it started getting bushy at all)

And he is getting appx 4 to 5 cc's per feeding

[Mars]

If you have a grey squirrel I'm going to guess his wieght range to be 120 to 150 grams for his age. Therefore I would be feeding 6 to 7.5 cc per feeding. If you have a fox squirrel My guess is he is bigger. A red squirrel is smaller. A good rule of thumb is to feed until the tummy is nice and round but not tight. Baby should still act hungery but if you burb him ( a nice back rub ) the hunger will disapear. It is time to feed agian when tummy is flat. :) 4 to 5 feedings is fine at this age. And you can sleep through the night as so will baby. :D I'm not concerned by his lack of activity at this point. Give him a week. LOL If you are still concerned or things seem to be getting worse we can put our heads together again and see what we come up with. :)

[sleepless]

Thank you so much! He is a red squirrel (couldn't you tell by reading my mind) ;) And after from you guys I'm thinking he's cool. When do I need to put a water bottle in his cage and a bowl of food?

[Mars]

You can put a water bottle on his cage at any point once his eyes are open. He will explore it and start using it in his own time. Solid foods to can be left for him to play with. Rodent block is excellent for teething on. Banana chips are another favorite. Introduce new foods slowing. Make sure he is chewing and not sucking on them as he could suck something in and choke. you can introduce smaller things like pumpkin seed when you are very sure he is eating and not just shredding the food. Try cheerios they make a good first food too. :)

[sleepless]

Ya'll are awesome -- thank you so much!