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Last season I had a lot of trouble finding information on Kitten Fur Syndrome when I received a squirrel to rehab with that condition. To save future rehabbers from the trouble I went through researching it, I wrote a small article and put it on a free webpage site. I hope people find it helpful:
http://www.geocities.com/insect_quee..._syndrome.html
You get a gold star for doing a good deed!:thankyou
I got 3 last night the fit the bill to a Tee.. They are a mess. The lady that I got them from had them for about 3 weeks.
Great article!! :thumbsup
Topping the list is a proper litterbox. Your tiny orphan kitten needs a small box with low sides no more than 2 to 3 inches high. A kitten 6 weeks old or older can easily handle the height of a standard litterbox. Reserve extra-large or jumbo pans with high sides for large adult cats. Whenever possible, use the same litter your kitten used before adoption.:osnap :multi :wave123
Quote:
Originally Posted by cecily
This topic isn't about kittens.
Kitten fur syndrome is one of the effects of a poor diet in which a squirrels' fur falls out of thins.
Darn! I wanted to read the article and my computer says the Geocities site has closed. Any chance of inserting the text here?Quote:
Originally Posted by elizalalala
Any one have a copy of the article mentioned above or have more info that describes kitten fur syndrome?
Here is what WMB has to say about kitten fur syndrome:
"Kitten Fur Syndrome refers to a collection of symptoms sometimes found in
young gray squirrels. Penelope Eastham was first to recognize this as a health
problem and to develop a protocol of treatment for them. The cause of this
syndrome is most likely nutritional and may be a stage of metabolic bone
disease.
Kitten Fur squirrels have a soft fluffy coat similar to that of a kitten. They usually
come in for rehabilitation from the wild at about 8 weeks old. They look healthy
but seem developmentally delayed. They are very lightweight and usually have
trouble thermoregulating. Treat these squirrels as though they are infants. Make
heat available to them. Start their feedings with rehydration formula and
transition carefully to full formula. If the babies seem to do well on straight
Esbilac, begin to add Multi-Milk powder when you prepare the formula, until you
reach a mix of one part Esbilac powder, one part Multi-Milk powder, and two
parts water. Always offer the formula warmed. Offer solids (rodent chow and
monkey chow) but keep feeding formula at normal amounts for the animal's
weight for at least two weeks. Begin to wean at the normal age but monitor their
weight carefully. Ms. Eastham recommends that these babies continue on this
regimen for 4-6 weeks. When the babies are no longer choosing to be on heat,
the heat source can be removed.
If a squirrel comes into your care and you aren't certain that it has Kitten Fur
Syndrome, it is safest to treat it as though it does."