2 wk old male has red swollen bottom

[Vetcowgirl]

He's not peeing and pooping like he was. I still use a warm wet q-tip to stimulate him but he now chatters like it's hurting. I have but coconut oil to try to help. What can I do? This is what I am feeding him.

[Vetcowgirl]

I have a 2wk old male and his bottom has gotten red and swollen. He has been doing great eating sleeping etc. Last 48 hrs his bottom has gotten red and swollen. Now when I try to stimulate him to poop and pee he chatters like it hurts. He isn't pooping and peeing like he was before either. His appetite and sleeping habits are the same. I put a little coconut oil on to try to help. This is what I am feeding him. Any suggestions?

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

He's not peeing and pooping like he was. I still use a warm wet q-tip to stimulate him but he now chatters like it's hurting. I have but coconut oil to try to help. What can I do? This is what I am feeding him.

Hello Vetcowgirl:
I am assuming that this is the original Squirrel but a new Poster!?! Coconut oil is quite safe and worth a try! You should not push hard when stimulating. It is actually the back and forth gentle friction that serves to stimulate urination and defecations. The q-tip is in place of what Mother Squirrel uses to stimulate and that is her tongue! I would NOT recommend using the Goat's milk Esbilac or any Esbilac other than the plain (NOT Goat's milk) Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer POWDER. This is available at PetsMart, Grainger and many more local facilities. Spanky made this same recommendation in a prior post of his! It is essential that you get the POWDER, not the liquid! They are not the same! At 3-1/2 weeks to 4 weeks you can transition from the Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer POWDER to Fox Valley 20/50 OR you can mix the Esbilac with the FV 20/50 half each by volume and continue this combination through weaning. A number of us use this but transitioning to the FV 20/50 alone is a fine option. Right now, I would recommend a very expeditious transition form the "Goat Esbilac" to the Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer POWDER (again, NOT the liquid!)!

ALL Powder (Esbilac and Fox Valley) should be stored in the FREEZER and taken out only as long as it takes to measure out the necessary powder to make the next day's formula. ALL previously mix formula should be disposed of withing 24 hours and should be kept IN THE REFIGERATOR until it is to be used! The powdered Esbilac (and the FV 20/50) should be mixed with 1 Part Powder and 2 Parts very warm water and stirred thoroughly (the manufacturer states NO blenders, mix by hand only). The mixed powder should then stand for at least 4 hours and preferably 6-8 hours IN THE REFRIGERATOR to permit any undissolved powder to go into solution. It should then be mixed thoroughly again right before you intend to feed it to the Squirrel. Heat some plain water to 102-105 degrees F and then draw up the calculated amount (actually a bit more than that) of formula necessary for the next feeding and draw it up into a 1cc syringe with an o-ring on the plunger and put this in the cup of heated water to heat the formula in the syringe. This should take about 30 seconds and then rock the syringe back and forth several time to mix again and also evenly distribute the temperature through all of the formula in the syringe. You can place a drop or two on the back of your hand to check that it definitely feels warm but NOT uncomfortable!

Her is a link to Henry's Pets Squirrel Care guide. It consists of 6 pages of very informative and concise Squirrel Care information. The one issue with Henry's Guide and that is their recommendation for using Fox Valley 32/40 as an alternative formula. They have not yet updated their guide and eliminated this recommendation but regardless, do NOT use FV 32/40 under any circumstances! It has caused serious problems with babies as it tends to become solidified in the stomach! Here is the link; https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/

Please keep up with the updates!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[Vetcowgirl]

This is great! Thank you so much! Going to get the other formula now. I appreciate the help!