Hello New/First Time Squirrel Parent Los Angeles

[KidSquirrel]

Hello Everyone,

First I'd like to thank everyone in here for all your posts and sharing information this has been a huge help and comfort to me and my partner since finding a baby about a month ago. My partner found what we think, based on images and reading through info online, a 4-week-old baby (eyes open, looked healthy no injuries, great coat so his Mama did a great job before he got lost) at the park he works out at. He was there for about an hour and he suspects the baby had fallen out of the tree he was under and had been there a few hours before he arrived at the park. He said the baby had been crying and by the time he was ready to leave he noticed he had stopped and was curled up, and not moving very much. Since it was about to get dark and extremely windy he decided to take him with him because he said some off-leash dogs were circling the area and he had a bad feeling. The next day I called around to the places I knew dealt with California wildlife, where we live, and I was referred to a chain of several people who were all full because of the recent winds and rain, before deciding we should just try to take care of him ourselves. We don't have permits or anything so we are nervous about having him in our possession.

He's about 7/8 weeks old now and doing pretty well, active, loves to play with us and solo with his plushies, loves feeding times, loved napping with me on the couch up till this last weekend when he decided he's a big boy and is cool with being in the enclosure we got for him. He had some diarrhea in the beginning, but since we put him on the goat milk formula and now the fox valley 20/50 he's been doing well with his poops and has gotten quite big. He was 128g when we weighed him the first few days and as of a few days ago, he is now 315g. We've been monitoring his bathroom situation closely because I'm paranoid since the diarrhea, but a few days ago I noticed his urine had some pinkish/reddish sediment in it. We started him on blocks about 2 weeks ago and he has been having 2 HHB and a few small pieces of kale, brussel sprouts, broccoli, and bok choy in between his feedings of formula. We didn't know we were supposed to introduce a water source yet so our water bottle came in Tuesday and his urine went back to pretty clear for a whole day, but last night his last urine before bed had the sediment again. This morning (Friday) it was back to clear and all day it's been pretty clear (drying down to a light yellow stain on the pads) since he's been drinking some water throughout the days since Wednesday. Does anyone have any insight into this? I've read other threads that suggested uti, crystals, etc. but I didn't find anything that fit this exact description. He doesn't seem to have trouble going to the bathroom, we started him on a puppy pad regime in our kitchen so he lets us know he needs to urinate by waking up and stirring around his cage. He is less discerning about pooping now and started pooping wherever, whenever (mostly on us :rotfl).

We don't know who to contact for a vet who would be ok with seeing him and also returning him to us because it's technically illegal and we don't have a license. Any resources or info would be greatly appreciated. He's such a sweet little boy and we are also trying to figure out where to take him once he is weened/almost weened because we have to go out of the country in late May. So names of any rehabbers that might be able to take over for us would also be greatly appreciated. Thinking about giving him up is already breaking my heart, but he's a healthy little boy who will no doubt grow to be a strong guy so we know we can't keep him long term, we live in an apartment and there's not really a great way for us to try to release him ourselves since we are on the second floor and the closest tree would be way too far for him to jump to from our deck and we live near some busy streets.

Anyway sorry for the long novel. Again thank you all for being such a great resource!

P.S. His name is Cyrus (after Miley) because I was listening to her song 'When I Look At You' when my partner brought him home and her line "When the waves are flooding the shore and I can't find my way home anymore' broke my heart and I started balling thinking about how he had just lost his entire family.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Hello KidSquirrel and Cyrus and welcome to the Squirrel Board! I am at work and have just a moment but I will check back with Cyrus's thread as I am able but others are her to help. Are you still giving Cyrus the FV 20/50 as he at 7-8 weeks is not ready for weaning and this process should be initiated and completed by the Squirrel rather than the Squirrel's human! The water bottle is fine but they do malfunction so please check its functionality several times each day. Assuming Cyrus is still getting appropriate amounts of FV 20/50 at appropriate frequencies throughout the day, he will get hydration from the formula but the additional water available will help with hydration and will eventually be Cyrus's only source of hydration once Cyrus has decided he is weaned! From what you have described so far, I don't believe that Cyrus has a UTI but "things" should be monitored and reassessed regularly! Color and odor of the urine can vary from one day to the next. Please verify that you have read the baby Squirrel Care Guide on Henry's website (this is the same Henry's where you are getting the HHB's). Here is a link just in case; https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/.

As you have mentioned, your need some place to take Cyrus when you leave the County, this is very much a concern as a Squirrel can NOT be what is called Hard Released! This is where an animal once in captivity is simply dropped off in the wild. A Squirrel raised in captivity will NEVER survive a Hard Release and will perish! Squirrels raised in captivity MUST be Soft Released which is a controlled and relatively safe means of facilitating the your Squirrel to get in touch with his instincts and actually transition form a captive Squirrel with no cares in the world to a fully functional wild animal! Finding a rehabber ASAP who is familiar with Squirrels and has Squirrels are a part of their Rehabbing practice would be the ideal means for helping to ensure Cyrus has the best chances and opportunities for realizing his destiny in the trees!

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[KidSquirrel]

Update:
Every time he has urinated today there has been a tiny bit of the reddish pink sediment. I've been encouraging him to drink water, but his puddles on the puppy pad are smaller than usual too. He doesn't seem to be acting very different other than wanting to wrestle a lot more and not be in his enclosure as much, so he has spent a good amount of the day playing with us and he's getting faster. His new favorite thing is running around us on the floor in circles and occasionally jumping on us before running another circle.

I've included some images of the sediment from Tuesday, Yesterday and today a few hours ago

[KidSquirrel]

Hello KidSquirrel and Cyrus and welcome to the Squirrel Board! I am at work and have just a moment but I will check back with Cyrus's thread as I am able but others are her to help. Are you still giving Cyrus the FV 20/50 as he at 7-8 weeks is not ready for weaning and this process should be initiated and completed by the Squirrel rather than the Squirrel's human! The water bottle is fine but they do malfunction so please check its functionality several times each day. Assuming Cyrus is still getting appropriate amounts of FV 20/50 at appropriate frequencies throughout the day, he will get hydration from the formula but the additional water available will help with hydration and will eventually be Cyrus's only source of hydration once Cyrus has decided he is weaned! From what you have described so far, I don't believe that Cyrus has a UTI but "things" should be monitored and reassessed regularly! Color and odor of the urine can vary from one day to the next. Please verify that you have read the baby Squirrel Care Guide on Henry's website (this is the same Henry's where you are getting the HHB's). Here is a link just in case; https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/.

As you have mentioned, your need some place to take Cyrus when you leave the County, this is very much a concern as a Squirrel can NOT be what is called Hard Released! This is where an animal once in captivity is simply dropped off in the wild. A Squirrel raised in captivity will NEVER survive a Hard Release and will perish! Squirrels raised in captivity MUST be Soft Released which is a controlled and relatively safe means of facilitating the your Squirrel to get in touch with his instincts and actually transition form a captive Squirrel with no cares in the world to a fully functional wild animal! Finding a rehabber ASAP who is familiar with Squirrels and has Squirrels are a part of their Rehabbing practice would be the ideal means for helping to ensure Cyrus has the best chances and opportunities for realizing his destiny in the trees!

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel


Hi Sam! Thank you for your reply. Yes, I've read through everything on Henry's a few times and refer back to it often. No, I have not attempted to wean him I did read that they let you know when they are ready, I've just been providing the extras (blocks, greens) to him as snacks after feedings during the day. He still has 4 feeding times a day and still very much loves his formula. Yes, we are looking for another Rehabber to bring him to for the soft release process and would never consider just dropping him in the wild. But I do want to find a trusted person to bring him to. The last person I had spoken with before deciding to take on his care myself was extremely flustered and seemed swamped and said on the phone "I'm at capacity and shouldn't take any more on, but I will" and told me we'd have to give her money to take him. We do not have a problem with donating money and items to help anyone doing this work full time as we know this is an expensive endeavor and we have spent quite a bit in the last few weeks so I can do the math by multiplying that by many babies is a huge financial undertaking, but that didn't fill me with confidence and since both my partner and I work from home as artists we can spend a lot of time with Cyrus and provide round the clock care.

[CritterMom]

If you feel the need to see a vet, try Dr. Christopher Cauble, LA Mobile Wildlife Unit (818) 242-5576. He has seen a couple squirrels from here and he comes to you!

Am I correct that for some time they were eating regular adult food and formula but didn't also have water? That may be the reason for what you are seeing. I would most certainly push water on him - you can even add a tiny smidge of sugar to it to make it more appealing.

[KidSquirrel]

If you feel the need to see a vet, try Dr. Christopher Cauble, LA Mobile Wildlife Unit (818) 242-5576. He has seen a couple squirrels from here and he comes to you!

Am I correct that for some time they were eating regular adult food and formula but didn't also have water? That may be the reason for what you are seeing. I would most certainly push water on him - you can even add a tiny smidge of sugar to it to make it more appealing.


Thank you CritterMom! I will give him a call. Yes, he's been having water provided in his cage since Tuesday and we had started him on some greens last week, HHB the week before that. I have been trying to encourage him to the water bottle and he drinks from it pretty easily and I've seen him go to it himself a few times, especially during playtime. I've also taken to wetting the HHB a little before giving them to him and he is now devouring them and licking up all the crumbs, before he just was kinda turning it into dust and then moving on not really eating them.

[CritterMom]

Thank you CritterMom! I will give him a call. Yes, he's been having water provided in his cage since Tuesday and we had started him on some greens last week, HHB the week before that. I have been trying to encourage him to the water bottle and he drinks from it pretty easily and I've seen him go to it himself a few times, especially during playtime. I've also taken to wetting the HHB a little before giving them to him and he is now devouring them and licking up all the crumbs, before he just was kinda turning it into dust and then moving on not really eating them.

If you end up speaking to him, I would bet he would be a good conduit to finding a rehabber or someone else who can release him. Do you know what breed he is? Eastern Gray, Western Gray or Fox Squirrel? His nails will ne black and his tummy turning kind of pale apricot if he is a fox squirrel. Eastern grays have a lot of brown on them - Western grays are almost a steel blue gray - no brown.

[KidSquirrel]

If you end up speaking to him, I would bet he would be a good conduit to finding a rehabber or someone else who can release him. Do you know what breed he is? Eastern Gray, Western Gray or Fox Squirrel? His nails will ne black and his tummy turning kind of pale apricot if he is a fox squirrel. Eastern grays have a lot of brown on them - Western grays are almost a steel blue gray - no brown.

Pretty sure he is a Fox Squirrel (the first photo was from the day my partner found him to last week and yesterday)

[CritterMom]

Then I would definitely speak to that vet about a place for him. Fox squirrels are considered non-native and I don't think rehabbers are allowed to rehab them. He would know the laws better but if that is the case you need to find someone to do this on the down low. He is freaking adorable. Foxers are so cute.

The first person I saw here who used this guy had a fox squirrel and he took care of him with no problems, but it is something you should find out about in advance.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Hi Sam! Thank you for your reply. Yes, I've read through everything on Henry's a few times and refer back to it often. No, I have not attempted to wean him I did read that they let you know when they are ready, I've just been providing the extras (blocks, greens) to him as snacks after feedings during the day. He still has 4 feeding times a day and still very much loves his formula. Yes, we are looking for another Rehabber to bring him to for the soft release process and would never consider just dropping him in the wild. But I do want to find a trusted person to bring him to. The last person I had spoken with before deciding to take on his care myself was extremely flustered and seemed swamped and said on the phone "I'm at capacity and shouldn't take any more on, but I will" and told me we'd have to give her money to take him. We do not have a problem with donating money and items to help anyone doing this work full time as we know this is an expensive endeavor and we have spent quite a bit in the last few weeks so I can do the math by multiplying that by many babies is a huge financial undertaking, but that didn't fill me with confidence and since both my partner and I work from home as artists we can spend a lot of time with Cyrus and provide round the clock care.

Thanks for the response, KidSquirrel!
Just to comment on what your experience with the "rehabber" in that she would consider taking in Cyrus IF you would essentially pay her to do so; this is a RED FLAG concern! Licensed Rehabbers may in most cases accept Donations but they are forbidden to charge for their services! I would avoid this person! If she is unlawfully making payment a necessary prerequisite for taking in Cyrus; IMO, you can't trust her at all. She may keep the money and euthanize or hard release Cyrus! Who knows!

It certainly sounds like you are familiar with Henry's Guide and putting it in practice. Additional hydration may be the key and often is when urine is discolored but a reddish color can be secondary to dyes that may be present in bedding or elsewhere, certain food seem to give urine a reddish color (although I don't believe you are feeding Cyrus beets) and most mammals with the exception of adult primates have Hardarian Glands near the eyes which among other functions are involved in a substance called porphyrin. Porphyrin can discolor tears and nasal secretions reddish and porphyrin can even be excreted in the urine giving it a reddish tinge. Also, as you have mentioned, red urine may indicate hematuria which is blood in the urine and may be related to urinary tract disease or infection. If you have access to a Black Light (a UV light); in a dark room, shine the UV light on the red stuff on the pads and note whether or not it fluoresces (the red spots will emits a light of their own). Porphyrin fluoresces but blood does not. This can give a good idea of whether the reddish spots are from porphyrin but this reasoning it can NOT be used in reverse because while blood does not fluoresce, most other likely causes also lack fluorescence under UV light. I would still give another day or so with regular hydration, observation and reassessment but I would like to suggest that you begin a search for antibiotics. If you have some available or can get some from friends or family, that would be ideal. Most of the Squirrels on TSB who get antibiotics get human antibiotics that one of us can provide mixing and dosing instructions for you. We would need that specific antibiotic and its strength and a recent weight of Cyrus from a digital scale and preferably in Grams.

A visit with a Veterinarian would be what I would recommend if at all possible because a Vet can professionally examine Cyrus and also perform a urinalysis and look at Cyrus's urine under a microscope!

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[KidSquirrel]

Thanks for the response, KidSquirrel!
Just to comment on what your experience with the "rehabber" in that she would consider taking in Cyrus IF you would essentially pay her to do so; this is a RED FLAG concern! Licensed Rehabbers may in most cases accept Donations but they are forbidden to charge for their services! I would avoid this person! If she is unlawfully making payment a necessary prerequisite for taking in Cyrus; IMO, you can't trust her at all. She may keep the money and euthanize or hard release Cyrus! Who knows!

It certainly sounds like you are familiar with Henry's Guide and putting it in practice. Additional hydration may be the key and often is when urine is discolored but a reddish color can be secondary to dyes that may be present in bedding or elsewhere, certain food seem to give urine a reddish color (although I don't believe you are feeding Cyrus beets) and most mammals with the exception of adult primates have Hardarian Glands near the eyes which among other functions are involved in a substance called porphyrin. Porphyrin can discolor tears and nasal secretions reddish and porphyrin can even be excreted in the urine giving it a reddish tinge. Also, as you have mentioned, red urine may indicate hematuria which is blood in the urine and may be related to urinary tract disease or infection. If you have access to a Black Light (a UV light); in a dark room, shine the UV light on the red stuff on the pads and note whether or not it fluoresces (the red spots will emits a light of their own). Porphyrin fluoresces but blood does not. This can give a good idea of whether the reddish spots are from porphyrin but this reasoning it can NOT be used in reverse because while blood does not fluoresce, most other likely causes also lack fluorescence under UV light. I would still give another day or so with regular hydration, observation and reassessment but I would like to suggest that you begin a search for antibiotics. If you have some available or can get some from friends or family, that would be ideal. Most of the Squirrels on TSB who get antibiotics get human antibiotics that one of us can provide mixing and dosing instructions for you. We would need that specific antibiotic and its strength and a recent weight of Cyrus from a digital scale and preferably in Grams.

A visit with a Veterinarian would be what I would recommend if at all possible because a Vet can professionally examine Cyrus and also perform a urinalysis and look at Cyrus's urine under a microscope!

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

Thanks this is all really helpful. And yes, I'm glad I went with my instincts and didn't bring him to her because it just seemed off the way she was speaking to me.
I will keep monitoring his urine and look into a vet this week. We don't have a UV light or access to antibiotics, unfortunately, so it probably is for the best I reach out to a vet because I don't want to neglect if this could be something more serious. No, we haven't given him anything other than those approved greens and I read that Oxalates can cause urine to turn red, but I also read all the things we are giving him are low oxalate foods. Also other than that sediment his urine isn't showing up a color when it dries it looks like nothing or yellowish edges.

[KidSquirrel]

Then I would definitely speak to that vet about a place for him. Fox squirrels are considered non-native and I don't think rehabbers are allowed to rehab them. He would know the laws better but if that is the case you need to find someone to do this on the down low. He is freaking adorable. Foxers are so cute.

The first person I saw here who used this guy had a fox squirrel and he took care of him with no problems, but it is something you should find out about in advance.

Oh no! I had no idea he wasn't native to California, but that makes sense since a lot of people I've seen post about them on YouTube are from North Carolina. Yes, I definitely want to make sure he is not taken to the wrong place or euthanized. That's horrible. He's a really cute little guy with a lot of personality and so affectionate to us. This was him taking a nap next to me last week. So needless to say I'm quite invested and I want him to live a long and healthy life.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

What a cute little Squirrel!
Regards,
StS

[supersquirrelgirl]

Hello KidSquirrel and Cyrus,

I'm in NorCal (Pleasanton). We have many wild fox squirrels around here that visit the yard regularly. Yes, they are invasive to CA and many Rehabs and Wildlife Center are not interested in helping. I have contacted several previously and only found one that will help on fox squirrels. (my special squirrel, Ms Mo was sick. see my posting on TSB if interested)


Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley
3027 Penitencia Creek Rd, San Jose, CA 95132
(408) 929-9453
wcsv.org

This wildlife center was open to take Mo and they had one strict condition based on rehab rules or law. When squirrel was recovered and its time to release, this must be at the same place of capture. (In my case, I was very happy as I would get Mo back here.)

Since you have a May travel deadline, please keep giving updates so we can try to help you. I'm concerned about the future placement of Cyrus due to time constraints. Tossing this out - Are your travel plans changeable if the situation becomes serious ??

Mr.SSG

[KidSquirrel]

Hello KidSquirrel and Cyrus,

I'm in NorCal (Pleasanton). We have many wild fox squirrels around here that visit the yard regularly. Yes, they are invasive to CA and many Rehabs and Wildlife Center are not interested in helping. I have contacted several previously and only found one that will help on fox squirrels. (my special squirrel, Ms Mo was sick. see my posting on TSB if interested)


Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley
3027 Penitencia Creek Rd, San Jose, CA 95132
(408) 929-9453
wcsv.org

This wildlife center was open to take Mo and they had one strict condition based on rehab rules or law. When squirrel was recovered and its time to release, this must be at the same place of capture. (In my case, I was very happy as I would get Mo back here.)

Since you have a May travel deadline, please keep giving updates so we can try to help you. I'm concerned about the future placement of Cyrus due to time constraints. Tossing this out - Are your travel plans changeable if the situation becomes serious ??

Mr.SSG

Hi Supersquirrelgirl, thanks for the info! Norcal is kinda far for us to take him to, but I'll give them a call to see if they have any leads in our area. I will definitely be contacting the mobile vet tomorrow and another friend found a woman in LA who she just took an injured Mourning Dove to and told me she had some squirrels that looked like Cyrus so that could be a lead. I will definitely keep you all posted, I'm very grateful to all of you for your advice and so glad this community exists. Our plans are for a friend's wedding, but if we don't have a place to take him by then I am willing to stay home because I can't even think about just leaving him or taking him somewhere I don't feel confident will give him the care he deserves. So this is my priority number one atm and I'm in between assignments at work so I have time to devote to figuring out his next arrangement. It really broke our hearts to know that his kind are invasive, but also got me feeling sad for the Gray Squirrels out here, because neither of us can recall ever seeing them and my partner grew up here, just ones that look like Cyrus.

I'm originally from Massachusetts so Grays are the most common where I'm from and we often have little black ones around too and the occasional albino (so cute), but ya I've been out here for 16 years and have never seen a Gray so that's pretty sad, but it's hard for me to hate on Foxes because they provide a lot of entertainment out our windows and we had one big girl when we first moved into this apartment that would sploot outside our window on the powerline platform and bark at 7am. Mostly at neighbors' pets and rats that attempt to use the power lines for travel, we've watched a lot of her babies grow up over the years so we assumed they were native to the area.

[Mel1959]

The whole situation regarding native and non-native squirrels is sad. It’s not as though the Fox squirrels kill the gray squirrels….they don’t. The two species don’t normally reside in the same habitats. I hope you have good luck with your placement of Cyrus when necessary. IMO Fox squirrels are less hyper and more docile than gray squirrels. I wish we had them in Florida. :sniff

[supersquirrelgirl]

The whole situation regarding native and non-native squirrels is sad. It’s not as though the Fox squirrels kill the gray squirrels….they don’t. The two species don’t normally reside in the same habitats. I hope you have good luck with your placement of Cyrus when necessary. IMO Fox squirrels are less hyper and more docile than gray squirrels. I wish we had them in Florida. :sniff

Hi Mel,

I agree that foxes are laid back and much less aggressive in general. We have mostly foxes here but do have a handful of hyper agressive grey squirrels. When put side by side, the foxes are 2X taller and much wider. (giants!) The greys runs around like ADHD squirrels and the foxes get annoyed by so much jumping around. Funny to watch. I give it to the greys for not being bullied by bigger foxes. They are very bold in their own way. I do believe a grey is much quicker than a fox in movement.

Just my observation.

Mr.SSG

[supersquirrelgirl]

Hello KidSquirrel,

Checking back to hear any updates for Cyrus.

I checked with Silicon Valley Wildlife and to my surpise they are merging with Pennisula Humane Society (SF Bay Area pennisula). Looks like the San Jose Rescue Center will still be open and a new high-tech wildlife recue center will open in Saratoga, CA with big funding from Larry Ellison (Oracle Founder).

Fingers Crossed for Cyrus !!

Mr.SSG

[KidSquirrel]

If you feel the need to see a vet, try Dr. Christopher Cauble, LA Mobile Wildlife Unit (818) 242-5576. He has seen a couple squirrels from here and he comes to you!

Am I correct that for some time they were eating regular adult food and formula but didn't also have water? That may be the reason for what you are seeing. I would most certainly push water on him - you can even add a tiny smidge of sugar to it to make it more appealing.

Thanks for the recommendation CritterMom! We had him come out today to see Cyrus. He looked at some of the photos and checked him thoroughly and gave him two shots. The Dr. said he might have a low-level infection, but he looked great and couldn't feel any issues in his kidneys or bladder. It was pretty stressful for Cyrus and he's been low energy all day since. But glad we got him looked at and they might have a contact for us to reach out to bring him to in May.

Thanks to everyone for checking in. I haven't had time to get back to you guys the past couple of days, but ya Cyrus is doing well. Tuesday night we gave him a little probiotic yogurt with a few drops of real cranberry juice (no sugar) just to help him in case.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Thanks for the recommendation CritterMom! We had him come out today to see Cyrus. He looked at some of the photos and checked him thoroughly and gave him two shots. The Dr. said he might have a low-level infection, but he looked great and couldn't feel any issues in his kidneys or bladder. It was pretty stressful for Cyrus and he's been low energy all day since. But glad we got him looked at and they might have a contact for us to reach out to bring him to in May.

Thanks to everyone for checking in. I haven't had time to get back to you guys the past couple of days, but ya Cyrus is doing well. Tuesday night we gave him a little probiotic yogurt with a few drops of real cranberry juice (no sugar) just to help him in case.

Thanks for the update, KidSquirrel! I'm glad that Cyrus is doing well and it is encouraging that the Vet may be able to arrange for someone to assume care for little Cyrus when you depart! Out of interest, what were the shots Cyrus was given?
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[KidSquirrel]

Thanks for the update, KidSquirrel! I'm glad that Cyrus is doing well and it is encouraging that the Vet may be able to arrange for someone to assume care for little Cyrus when you depart! Out of interest, what were the shots Cyrus was given?
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

They gave him Entro (the antibiotic) and Vito a vitamin B shot I think.

He said we needed to place more water around his enclosure too because his poops were too hard so we got some small reptile ceramic bowls to place on every level and we've seen him drink from them a few times today. So that's good news and we've already noticed his poops are softening up.

[supersquirrelgirl]

Antibiotic is Enrofloxacin (enro) used for animals and Ciprofloxacin (cipro) used for humans. This is a strong broad antibiotic commonly used for infections. (you might have some Cipro around the house in tablet form ??)

How is Cyrus doing today ?? (first time to see Vet/Rehabber and be given a shot is stressful)

Mr.SSG

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

They gave him Entro (the antibiotic) and Vito a vitamin B shot I think.

He said we needed to place more water around his enclosure too because his poops were too hard so we got some small reptile ceramic bowls to place on every level and we've seen him drink from them a few times today. So that's good news and we've already noticed his poops are softening up.

Thanks for the update, KidSquirrel! I'm glad that Cyrus is doing well. Please let us know how things are progressing with arranging an "adoption" for Cyrus and of course to let us know how the Little Guy is doing in general. As Mr SSG has surmised, most likely the antibiotic was Enrofloxacin ( this is a Veterinary medication in the fluoroquinolone family and a common brand name for this is Baytril). I'm not sure about the "vito" but it may have been as you say; an injection of one of B vitamins. Please tell Cyrus that I said Hello and I wish the very best for both of you!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[KidSquirrel]

Antibiotic is Enrofloxacin (enro) used for animals and Ciprofloxacin (cipro) used for humans. This is a strong broad antibiotic commonly used for infections. (you might have some Cipro around the house in tablet form ??)

How is Cyrus doing today ?? (first time to see Vet/Rehabber and be given a shot is stressful)

Mr.SSG

I don't keep antibiotics around, whenever I have had them they were limited doses for infections I was dealing with. So if he needs them again we'll just have to call the Vet back, but he said the Enro is good for up to two months to knock out anything he might be dealing with.

Cyrus is doing better, he was super tired after the visit and definitely upset. It was hard to handle him like that, we have been very gentle with him and he immediately wanted nothing to do with new people. So he was pretty scared and very vocal about it. We had never heard him make those distress noises before. The vet was good with him though and checked all his organs feeling for any inflammation, but couldn't feel anything and said we are doing a great job, which made us feel better. His heart and lungs are strong and we are feeding him all the right stuff. I think his thigh was pretty sore after the shots because he wasn't jumping much and every time we put him down he just splooted. Today and Yesterday he's been back to his active self, unfortunately, we did notice that since Wednesday he has been growling when we hold him and he doesn't want to do something, so it has definitely altered his behavior to feeling like he needs to be more forceful with us about his boundaries. It's happened 3 or 4 times, and before the vet visit he hadn't done that. So that has made us a little sad, but I don't regret having the vet look at him because if he did have a more serious infection and we didn't do anything about it I would not have forgiven myself. It was just heartbreaking watching him walk away after the vet let him go and he hid just watching us like "Wow! I can't believe you did that to me! :(" It didn't last long though he was back to interacting with us after about 10 minutes after they left.

[KidSquirrel]

Thanks for the update, KidSquirrel! I'm glad that Cyrus is doing well. Please let us know how things are progressing with arranging an "adoption" for Cyrus and of course to let us know how the Little Guy is doing in general. As Mr SSG has surmised, most likely the antibiotic was Enrofloxacin ( this is a Veterinary medication in the fluoroquinolone family and a common brand name for this is Baytril). I'm not sure about the "vito" but it may have been as you say; an injection of one of B vitamins. Please tell Cyrus that I said Hello and I wish the very best for both of you!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

Cyrus says, "Hello! Thanks for helping me get the best care possible!" It's tough being a sweetheart. :3


I haven't reached out to the contact the vet gave us yet, but I will this weekend. Hopefully, she will be the right fit.

In a funny turn of events the contact my other friend had turned out to be the same person I last spoke with and did, in fact, also ask my friend for a donation. My friend said she only gave her $25, but that whole situation continues to rub me the wrong way. I also put together this was the same person that I had reached out to via social media and when I asked for advice instead of being helpful, like everyone in here, wrote back and told us not to touch him, not to give him fluids, and not to feed him because we would do it wrong. They took the time to write all that instead of being helpful like everyone in here and all the people that have taken their time to make YouTube videos to show people how to do it right, which is what we used to make sure we didn't do anything wrong to hurt him. Plus I already kind of knew that because my mom had rescued kittens and puppies when I was younger and always did it the way they would if they were nursing from their mothers. I didn't even realize it was the same person until I was double-checking that the contact we got from the vet wasn't any of the people I felt were being rude and gatekeepy about helping him survive. Turns out it was just one in the same person lol. There were some other things that I had flagged about looking at their social media that really do make me wonder what they are doing with the money because they seem very appearance-based. They also kept stressing to my friend that they "do it all by themselves without any help from the state" which is also what they said to me on the phone. To which I have to laugh because I assume EVERYONE that does this is doing it out of their own pocket without much or any help. I've noticed there are some people out here in LA who kind of use animal rescue as a way to schmooze with celebrities and that makes me uneasy. I didn't grow up here so my values are a bit different and I always side-eye organizations that are supposed to be altruistic that are very heavy on getting celebrities to be the face and focus of them. I get that it can help, but there are also lots of people doing this work that aren't famous.

Anyway, all that to say I am very grateful to all of you for being so welcoming, kind, and helpful about helping these little guys and girls. I think we also got really lucky he was pretty healthy to begin with which has made him a lot easier to care for. It must be really difficult and heartbreaking when they have injuries or more serious health complications.

[supersquirrelgirl]

Hi KidSquirrel,

Be aware there are ALL KINDS of people in the world so trust you gut. You will know when it feels right.

In California, the wildlife laws are quite strict. Keeping pet squirrel is illegal and having wildlife without a rehab license is bigger risk. Fox squirrels are not native here so even more issues. So what I'm saying is to be guarded for yourself and Cyrus as you search out. I don't want to scare you but you do need to be aware.

Mr.SSG

[Mel1959]

I’m going to send you a couple of possible resources in California in a private message.

Edit: pm sent

[Simmerpop]

Hi there!

i'm in silver lake with my own crew and been lucky enough to rehab a few babies. I think I know who they sent you to. I'll DM you some resources too. I also built a huge soft release cage and my babies are a bit older so if you have your own yard I can help get this to you for your baby when you're ready. Also my babies self weaned and I have an unopened bag of fox valley if you would want it!

Thanks for helping this little guy. I'm here as a local resource for whatever you need.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Cyrus says, "Hello! Thanks for helping me get the best care possible!" It's tough being a sweetheart. :3


I haven't reached out to the contact the vet gave us yet, but I will this weekend. Hopefully, she will be the right fit.

In a funny turn of events the contact my other friend had turned out to be the same person I last spoke with and did, in fact, also ask my friend for a donation. My friend said she only gave her $25, but that whole situation continues to rub me the wrong way. I also put together this was the same person that I had reached out to via social media and when I asked for advice instead of being helpful, like everyone in here, wrote back and told us not to touch him, not to give him fluids, and not to feed him because we would do it wrong. They took the time to write all that instead of being helpful like everyone in here and all the people that have taken their time to make YouTube videos to show people how to do it right, which is what we used to make sure we didn't do anything wrong to hurt him. Plus I already kind of knew that because my mom had rescued kittens and puppies when I was younger and always did it the way they would if they were nursing from their mothers. I didn't even realize it was the same person until I was double-checking that the contact we got from the vet wasn't any of the people I felt were being rude and gatekeepy about helping him survive. Turns out it was just one in the same person lol. There were some other things that I had flagged about looking at their social media that really do make me wonder what they are doing with the money because they seem very appearance-based. They also kept stressing to my friend that they "do it all by themselves without any help from the state" which is also what they said to me on the phone. To which I have to laugh because I assume EVERYONE that does this is doing it out of their own pocket without much or any help. I've noticed there are some people out here in LA who kind of use animal rescue as a way to schmooze with celebrities and that makes me uneasy. I didn't grow up here so my values are a bit different and I always side-eye organizations that are supposed to be altruistic that are very heavy on getting celebrities to be the face and focus of them. I get that it can help, but there are also lots of people doing this work that aren't famous.

Anyway, all that to say I am very grateful to all of you for being so welcoming, kind, and helpful about helping these little guys and girls. I think we also got really lucky he was pretty healthy to begin with which has made him a lot easier to care for. It must be really difficult and heartbreaking when they have injuries or more serious health complications.

Thank you for your kind comments about TSB and for your accurate commentary on Rehabbing. No State permits "professional" rehabbing and as you recognize, ALL legitimate Rehabbers "do it all by themselves without any help from the state." That being said, a Licensed Rehabber is permitted to have people help them with their rehabbing tasks and in fact, to become licensed, documented experience is a requirement in most States and working with a Licensed Rehabber is the type of experience that Licensing Authorities desire! Rehabbers are NOT paid for their services but as I mentioned, donations can be accepted and are greatly appreciated because while Rehabbing is truly an act of love and requires a considerable personal dedication of time and direct involvement in animal care; it is also quite costly as all supplies, foods, medicines and even Veterinary care for any animals requiring Vet care are the Rehabber's responsibility. Donations of these items and others along with financial donations are usually greatly appreciated. You original "rehabber" crossed the line by requiring a direct fee for service and I am glad that she did because it raised Red Flags of concern about this individual and the operation she is running!

As far as your comments about TSB itself; on behalf of everyone here; thanks! There are truly some wonderful, knowledgeable and experienced folk on TSB, all who are quite willing to help others with their Squirrel issues (and often other things as well)! All of us, even the most experienced of us, also continue to learn from the threads and posts made here on this Forum! Many of us, I am included are not licensed Rehabbers and while TSB is obviously NOT a secret society, it accepts us and values our input and protects us as best it can as we unlicensed individuals are operating under the "radar" and certainly want to continue to do so! I was interested in Rehabbing long before I ever directly cared for a Squirrel and I was one of the many anonymous users of TSB for a number of years before joining as a member.

Thank you again for your love and caring for Cyrus and for keeping us updated on how he (and you too!) is doing!

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[KidSquirrel]

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to drop by and say hello and I've read through your messages and thank you!
Haven't had much time this week to reply since I've been monitoring Cyrus more and he is up to 3-5 hours of playtime a day in between all my other day-to-day stuff. If I haven't responded it's because time flies by the end of the day, I'm passed out. Trying to relish as much time with him as I can right now, because I know we have to say goodbye soon and it's breaking my heart. Every day he proves to be even more sweet and affectionate with us and it feels so special. I had a few questions about as they grow is it normal that his skin seems a little loose in the chest area? We are trying to get him to drink water after play and feedings and just periodically throughout the day and sometimes he takes it and sometimes he shakes his head and runs away. I am making sure I change out his dishes of water every few hours so it's not stale and free from any debris. We noticed he's looking leaner than a week ago, but I don't know if that's because he's being a lot more active. Also, do any of your babies grab your hands and pull them close to their chest and head and just stay there? Cyrus has been doing that a lot to me lately. He will nestle his chin between my knuckles and just hold my hand tightly.

[supersquirrelgirl]

Hi KidSquirrel,

Glad things are going well with you and Cyrus. I wanted to make a comment on you saying "saying goodbye soon and its breaking my heart." I'm concerned for Cyrus as he gets more attached to you but the plan is to re-home him in less than a month. In my opinion and the fairness to Cyrus, I would like to suggest you expedite the re-home transfer so he doesn't feel a significant separation loss when you are not there. Cyrus will soon be a teenager with crazy hormones that might complicate his life. For his success, he needs ample time to bond to the new person as much as he did with you. I know this is not a popular thought and probably hurts to hear it, but consider it for the good of Cyrus. You and Hubby have done a great job for his rescue and his day-to-day loving care. Thank you! Not many people would take this on.

Mr.SSG