Vommiting, diarrhea, shivering

[applecrisped]

2.8 y.o. fox squirrel. Normal all day.
I left the room after she went to bed sometime after six. When I came back ~8:15 she was out on her cat tree, which is odd. I turned the overhead light on and found a few smsll spots of vomit and a couple spots of liquid poo on the tree.
Three more vomits on the bed and one on the window sill. I smooshed a glob of it in a tissue - looks like foods she ate today. Smells a tiny bit sour.
No evidence (in the vomit or around the room) of anything she might've gotten into while I was gone.

She regurgitated a few more times after moving around, mostly water. She got a drink after that, laid down, and has kept it down. She's puffed up and shivering and her heart rate might be a little higher than normal (I have a stethoscope but it's so fast I can't count it, I'm just comparing to what I've heard before)

Today she ate two HHB, a baby carrot, a cherry tomato, and a cut of corn on the cob w about 10 kernels on it. I offered romaine lettuce but idk if she ate any. None of this is new for her.
I do pick up freshly fallen twigs with leaves from the oak tree for her. Either stuff the wilds are dropping or what comes down in the wind. I'm out in the yard multiple times a day with the dogs and chickens so these are always very fresh. We don't spray anything. There may have been an acorn bud on a branch she got two or three days ago.
She also has access to mazuri rodent blocks which she only sometimes eats.

While writing this she got another drink and kept it down. Still puffed up and trembling a little.

...and about ten minutes after writing that she got a drink, moved around the room a little and regurgitated water again.
She's back on top of the bunk bed now. I'll try to coax her into the little cage since jumping seems to trigger the regurgitation.

So this is two bouts of vomiting/regurgitation that I've seen in 2 hours. Not counting the initial bout(s) 3ish hours ago.

Any ideas? Should I go ahead and mix up some rehydration formula/homemade pedialyte?

[supersquirrelgirl]

2.8 y.o. fox squirrel. Normal all day.
I left the room after she went to bed sometime after six. When I came back ~8:15 she was out on her cat tree, which is odd. I turned the overhead light on and found a few smsll spots of vomit and a couple spots of liquid poo on the tree.
Three more vomits on the bed and one on the window sill. I smooshed a glob of it in a tissue - looks like foods she ate today. Smells a tiny bit sour.
No evidence (in the vomit or around the room) of anything she might've gotten into while I was gone.

She regurgitated a few more times after moving around, mostly water. She got a drink after that, laid down, and has kept it down. She's puffed up and shivering and her heart rate might be a little higher than normal (I have a stethoscope but it's so fast I can't count it, I'm just comparing to what I've heard before)

Today she ate two HHB, a baby carrot, a cherry tomato, and a cut of corn on the cob w about 10 kernels on it. I offered romaine lettuce but idk if she ate any. None of this is new for her.
I do pick up freshly fallen twigs with leaves from the oak tree for her. Either stuff the wilds are dropping or what comes down in the wind. I'm out in the yard multiple times a day with the dogs and chickens so these are always very fresh. We don't spray anything. There may have been an acorn bud on a branch she got two or three days ago.
She also has access to mazuri rodent blocks which she only sometimes eats.

While writing this she got another drink and kept it down. Still puffed up and trembling a little.

...and about ten minutes after writing that she got a drink, moved around the room a little and regurgitated water again.
She's back on top of the bunk bed now. I'll try to coax her into the little cage since jumping seems to trigger the regurgitation.

So this is two bouts of vomiting/regurgitation that I've seen in 2 hours. Not counting the initial bout(s) 3ish hours ago.

Any ideas? Should I go ahead and mix up some rehydration formula/homemade pedialyte?

Hello, to help others to help you, give a quick food-time line for the last 12 hours. It does sound like some connection to food intake so I would check all food items for any issues. Its important to know if she ate the romaine or not. Was it washed first ?? How about the tree leaves; any contamination like pollen or mold ?

What you described sounds like food poisoning that us humans get. Does she have a fever or feel warm ? Body reponds trying to expel bad food out both ends and bad bacteria in digestive system usually causes minor fever.

Check all you can and update here so TSB experts can help you quickly. I'm sure she is sore and exhausted from vomiting.

[applecrisped]

Her head does feel a little warm. The shivering feels like the sort that happens with a fever too.

I always wash the romaine, and it doesn't look like she ate any today.
I will try to recall her food today.

7-8am: 1 HHB, 1 small cherry tomato, 1/2 a baby carrot, very thin slice of apple (wedge shaped, thin as a coin).
Noon: 1 HHB, 1 small cherry tomato, other half of the baby carrot, romaine (uneaten)
2pm ish - very small piece of corn on the cob.
A little later - finished eating the carrot from lunch.
She may have snacked on a mazuri block and I keep those stored in the fridge, but I can't guarantee she didn't find an old one.
There's a lot of oak twigs and branches for her to chew too, and they all look okay.
It's been at least a couple days since I brought leaves in... I do try to check them and discard any that look funky, but I could've missed something.

I've checked everything food-wise. I ate some of the carrots and the apple she had a slice of. The tomatoes are new and I rinse them. I did toss a bad carrot the other day so maybe the one she had this afternoon was off.

She went about an hour without vomiting. Then threw up a little bile and drank a little water after. She's napping again now.

[applecrisped]

It's almost 1am so I am going to try to get some sleep.

She did not appreciate me trying to scoop her up to put her in the cage, so she's on top of the stuff on the bunk bed in the very corner where she knows I can't reach her. I did manage to get close enough to offer her some water - she drank quite a bit and snuggled back down.
That was 12:40. The last vomit (bile) was about 11:10, so that's an improvement.

1am now, 20mins after water and no vommiting. Phew. Good night, I'll check back in the morning.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Hi Applecrisped:
What is the name of you little Squirrel?
It appears to be that that she has what is called Gastroenteritis. This is a general term for gastrointestinal irritation and/or inflammation that can have a multitude of causes, some very rare; but viruses, bacteria, toxins, drugs and spoiled food are quite common! You have done a good job trying to identify a possible dietary cause for your Squirrels regurgitation and diarrhea! Another related endeavor would be to thoroughly check for food stashes! HHBs are frequently found to be presumptive culprits as they have no preservatives and if all remnants of the Henry's Blocks are not removed from the cage daily and a search for stashes is not conducted daily, they can be left in the cage to spoil and this will occur relatively quickly at room temperature.

It appears that the signs of gastroenteritis are spontaneously subsiding which commonly occurs and of course is a great sign! As far as my humble recommendations (I am not a Veterinarian) for fluid supplementation in light of the regurgitation and diarrhea would be for you to "encourage" (give a little extra) fluids. In your original post, you mentioned use of electrolyte containing rehydration fluid such as Pedialyte. If you have read some of my other posts regarding dehydration, you may have noticed that I am not an advocate for Pedialyte (or similar electrolyte solutions) for "simple" dehydration which can result from inadequate fluid intake because the fluid loss in that case is predominantly what is called Free Water which is water that is NOT accompanied by loss of electrolytes such as sodium and chloride! In those cases, Free Water (plain, clear, clean water) is all that is needed, BUT when there is diarrhea, the loss of water in those cases is usually accompanied by loss of electrolytes and replacing both Free Water and electrolytes would be the best practice. With your Squirrel, I would suggest; assuming that the signs of regurgitation and diarrhea are indeed subsiding; would be to continue the HHBs and/or Mazuri Blocks (both of which contain electrolytes) and give divided "doses" of Pedialyte or similar rehydrating solution (or even mix half Pedialyte and half plain water if the Pedialyte is not tolerated well) calculated using 5% of your Squirrel's weight in Grams forming the basis for calculating the TOTAL goal amount of rehydrating solution in Milliliters to be given in this first 24 hours and divide this up to give the first does now and the second and subsequent doses every 3-4 hours (or so) during the next 24 hours until the calculated total amount of supplemental (extra) electrolyte containing rehydrating fluid has been given. An example would be if if your Squirrel weighed 600 Grams, 5% of this would be 30 Milliliters and this would be your goal amount of extra fluids for the next 24. This calculation is just for this case and is based upon from what you have described would likely be mild dehydration along with your Squirrel having a good appetite and apparent spontaneous resolution of the diarrhea and regurgitation. Your Squirrel should also get her regular fluids and you can even give some formula during the next 24-48 hours.

Please keep on with the updates. I hope you got some well-deserved sleep!

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[applecrisped]

Her name is Sweetie.

She is perky this morning but her head is still a little warm and she's still trembling. She's eating her HHB right now, enthusiastically.

I'm going to clean up her food area and check for stashes. I hadn't considered the HHBs as she doesn't usually stash them, but I have found old pieces occasionally in the past.

Okay, she has finished eating and gone to her nest. She spent the night out on the bunk bed which is very unusual, so this is also an improvement imo.
I didn't have a chance to mix up any rehydration formula and I don't want to wake her up for it, so we're skipping it for now. The diarrhea wasn't bad - three small spots (~pea size), and one more that was super soft but not liquid.

Seems all is well, or almost well. Thank you for the feedback; her throwing up the water had me worried!

[CritterMom]

My little flyer Laz got very sick from what I suspect was a grungy HHB piece. I got up and stumbled to the bathroom one night and then stopped by his cage to see what he was up to and found him hunched over, regurgitating. At that point he was ice cold. I got him on heat immediately and dibbled some sugar water into him and several hours later he finally went back to his nest on his own. If I hadn't stopped to see him and get him warmed up I am convinced I would have lost him. He is a maniacal stasher, and this has begin a never ending multi year competition between he and I and his stashes which I find daily and then he will find a new place and evade me for a while but eventually I find THEM and he finds OTHER new places...sigh. I can't even begin to list the things I have done to foil him and still he is able to come up with new, better spots.

Crash the cage daily, remove every bit of food every day. And prepare to be humbled!

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Her name is Sweetie.

She is perky this morning but her head is still a little warm and she's still trembling. She's eating her HHB right now, enthusiastically.

I'm going to clean up her food area and check for stashes. I hadn't considered the HHBs as she doesn't usually stash them, but I have found old pieces occasionally in the past.

Okay, she has finished eating and gone to her nest. She spent the night out on the bunk bed which is very unusual, so this is also an improvement imo.
I didn't have a chance to mix up any rehydration formula and I don't want to wake her up for it, so we're skipping it for now. The diarrhea wasn't bad - three small spots (~pea size), and one more that was super soft but not liquid.

Seems all is well, or almost well. Thank you for the feedback; her throwing up the water had me worried!

I'm glad that Sweetie is doing much better! As CM mentioned, when it comes to a stash search; be thorough and look EVERYWHERE, even places you know are "impossibilities!" Please let us know how things continue to go!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[supersquirrelgirl]

Glad to hear Sweetie is doing better after a rough night. Good news to start the morning!

You are in excellent hands with the TSB folks. Update all later.

[applecrisped]

I think we're in the clear :dance

Sweetie ate her lunch, got a drink, and ran around a little before going back to bed. She usually doesn't nap this much so she's still feeling off, but I didn't feel any fever or trembling. She's not puffy and no vommiting today.

I've cleaned up the usual spots and found one piece of carrot, but she has free run of the room all the time (I'm always home), so I've got several more places to look. We were overdue for a deep clean anyways :)