Is this baby bloated? (Photo)

Hi, I have a question - does this baby seem bloated?

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I found her a few days ago & the mum didn’t come back. Eyes aren’t opened yet.

Have been feeding it every 3 hours; honestly after reading Henry’s guide, I think I have been overfeeding her.

She weighs 28grams and I have been giving her 2ml of goat’s milk.

She’s active & very enthusiastic when it comes to feeding time — this may have contributed to the overfeeding… she never seems to get enough!

I make sure she is warm with a heated pad, and have been helping her go potty after each feeding.

I just worry if she’s bloated now. I do rehydrate her every now and then (1 cup of warm water + 1 tbsp of sugar).

Can anyone tell me if I’m on the right track? Thanks!!

She doesn’t look bloated to me. Can you see a milk line on her belly? If so the milk line should get smaller before you feed again. If you’re feeding 2 ml that’s right at the 7% maximum amount we recommend per feeding. The rule of thumb is 5-7% of their weight in grams. Example 28gr x 5%= 1.4ml and 28gr x 7%= 1.97ml. Feedings should be every 3-4 hours. A bloated baby’s skin looks very tight over their belly.

A you feeding the goats milk formula recipe that includes heavy whipping cream and yogurt to be mixed with the goats milk?

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Originally Posted by Mel1959

She doesn’t look bloated to me. Can you see a milk line on her belly? If so the milk line should get smaller before you feed again. If you’re feeding 2 ml that’s right at the 7% maximum amount we recommend per feeding. The rule of thumb is 5-7% of their weight in grams. Example 28gr x 5%= 1.4ml and 28gr x 7%= 1.97ml. Feedings should be every 3-4 hours. A bloated baby’s skin looks very tight over their belly.

A you feeding the goats milk formula recipe that includes heavy whipping cream and yogurt to be mixed with the goats milk?

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Thank you for replying! It’s a relief to know she’s not bloated!

I have some more questions:

What’s a milk line? How do I identify it?

At the moment I am feeding it goats milk only, as that’s what my local vet recommended. Is goats milk alone not nutritionally sufficient?

Will Emborg Whipping Cream do? I take it any plain yogurt will do for the recipe.

Alternatively, is it OK to feed the baby Royal Canin Baby Cat Milk Replacer? Because I think I can get one of those around here.

Thank you again! :blowkiss

Hi! I see you're in SE Asia. Royal Canin Babydog milk replacer has been used with much success by people raising squirrels in Europe and Asia. From what I've been reading here in the forums over the past year or so, it seems to be the equivalent of the brands available in the U.S. Hopefully others who've used it will chime in on what they may have mixed with it, like yogurt and/or whipping cream. While you're waiting for a reply, check out the forums here and maybe someone will have gone into the detail you need about what they fed their baby.

What kind of squirrel is your baby? We do have some forums that discuss plantain and palm squirrels. Check those out. They might have the info you need.

Thanks for taking care of this baby!

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Originally Posted by Chirps

Hi! I see you're in SE Asia. Royal Canin Babydog milk replacer has been used with much success by people raising squirrels in Europe and Asia. From what I've been reading here in the forums over the past year or so, it seems to be the equivalent of the brands available in the U.S. Hopefully others who've used it will chime in on what they may have mixed with it, like yogurt and/or whipping cream. While you're waiting for a reply, check out the forums here and maybe someone will have gone into the detail you need about what they fed their baby.

What kind of squirrel is your baby? We do have some forums that discuss plantain and palm squirrels. Check those out. They might have the info you need.

Thanks for taking care of this baby!

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Thanks for pointing out those forums, I have gone through them but to be honest, I’m still unsure what type of squirrel this baby is!

I believe the locals call her “tupai tanah,” which technically is a treeshrew and not a squirrel. But her snout isn’t as long as the ones I see on google.

Her bottom teeth make me think she is a squirrel. She hasn’t got any stripes down her side, so I don’t think she’s a plantain squirrel. I’m leaning towards slender squirrel, but at this point I am getting off-topic & should probably create a separate thread for this!

Thank you again for the suggestion, I’ll try looking for the Royal Canin Baby Dog Milk Replacer!!

I never heard of a tree shrew, interesting! Had to go look them up. And I agree with you that your baby's face definitely looks more squirrelly than shrewy. It looks like a plantain squirrel rather than a palm squirrel, but I don't see the white eye ring I see in the photos of plantain squirrels. Are there any other species in SE Asia? Might the white ring develop later? :dono :thinking

EDIT: Oops, my bad. You answered already. I didn't realize that "slender squirrel" IS another species. I thought you were calling it slender as an adjective. Just looked them up. I agree, it looks like one of those. You may be the very first person to have introduced a slender squirrel to TSB! That might be tricky if its nutritional requirements are different from the species that are more familiar here.

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Originally Posted by Angah

Thank you for replying! It’s a relief to know she’s not bloated!

I have some more questions:

What’s a milk line? How do I identify it?

At the moment I am feeding it goats milk only, as that’s what my local vet recommended. Is goats milk alone not nutritionally sufficient?

Will Emborg Whipping Cream do? I take it any plain yogurt will do for the recipe.

Alternatively, is it OK to feed the baby Royal Canin Baby Cat Milk Replacer? Because I think I can get one of those around here.

Thank you again! :blowkiss

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Here’s the goats milk formula recipe. TEMPORARY GOAT'S MILK FORMULA:


3 parts goat’s milk
1 part heavy whipping cream*
1 part vanilla yogurt

This formulation is best used as a temporary formula because as the baby gets bigger its nutritional needs aren’t completely met with it. That’s why the Royal Canin Baby Dog formula is a better choice.

A milk line is literally the milk that can be seen through the thin skin of a baby squirrel. It’s most noticeable when the baby has little to no hair. If you can see it on your baby it’s a way to gauge that the milk is being digested. You want to see the line get smaller prior to feeding again. Your baby should be fed about every 3-4 hours.

Here’s the link to caring for a baby squirrel with some helpful information, some of which you may already know. https://www.henryspets.com/1-basic-setup/

It’s best to weigh your baby every morning after pottying so you can track her weight gain.

If you have any other questions please ask.

Update on the baby: she’s opened her eyes 4 days ago & is MUCH more active!

I read from Henry’s guide that squirrels open their eyes at around 5 weeks old, so that’s my estimation of this baby’s age.

She weighs 39grams now and is pooping & peeing as usual.

Naturally, I have some more questions now that she’s opened her eyes (although I also did try to read up on old posts on this forum) :

1. Should I introduce fruits like banana to her?

- I understand that I should continue feeding formula until she’s about 9-10weeks old. Now that she’s more active, I believe she’s gotta have more than the formula to keep her energised, right?
- Also is hamster feed safe for squirrels? Squirrel blocks & a lot of the other items on Henry’s site is a tad pricey for me :(

2. At what age do they start regulating their own body temperature?

- I’m still placing heated pads under her container, but am just wondering how long I should do this for.
- Also, I am from SEA, it’s around 28-30°C here during the day, usually.

Eternally grateful for everyone on this forum!!

You will need to keep the heating pad under half the container until she starts consistently moving to the other side of the container away from the heat. At that point you are safe to remove it.

What sort of enclosure is she being kept in?

She will definitely eat more as she grows, which is why getting a weight on her each day is imperative. You will need it to know how much formula to give her, as it is based on 5-7% of her weight.

How much does she currently weigh?