Found Baby Squirrel need help

[Nuttythesquirrel]

Hello,

My son was playing in the driveway last friday and a baby squirrel ran up his leg and sat in his lap. There was a storm the night before and i guess he was displaced from his nest. There is a nest in our bradford pear tree, i went up and looked in it with my ladder and it was empty. We hoped for a reunite with the mother but she was no where to be found. We have alot of hawks in my area and i believe she may have been killed. He appears to be 4 to 7 weeks from what ive read. I bought esbilac puppy formula, a syringe with nipples at petsmart, as well as some "rat blocks". The syringe is to big but was the only one petsmart had. Ive ordered fox valley formula and some syringes and nipples. He seems to sleep alot but once we wake him up and feed and stimulate pee and poop he runs around and plays for like an hour. Last night he sneezed a couple of times , and it has me worried because ive read about aspiration and pneumonia. I built him a 4 ft deep, 6 ft tall, 2 ft wall cage, i only put fleece blankets and t shirts in there, but i noticed last night that the air vent was blowing right into his cage so i closed it, and put a blanket over the top of it. He seemd fine this morning when i got up to feed the little guy. He was gnawing on a rat block, and was yelling at me when i went to get him out to give him formula. He drank all 15 cc and did his business. Should i be worried?

[Ekorre]

Hi there and welcome to The Squirrel Board!

Thank you for taking care of this little baby.

Here's a fantastic guide to help you (it's six pages long and you need to keep clicking on the "next page" button in the upper right-hand corner). https://www.henryspets.com/baby-squirrel-care/

Do you have a scale that measures in grams? This is extremely important so you know how much formula he/she should be getting per feeding. Everything is based on weight with baby squirrels (formula, medications, etc.).

Are you using the correct formula? It should be powdered Esbilac.

The correct Esbilac is the one in this photo:

It should be the powder (not the liquid that comes in a can) and the third ingredient should be "Dried Whey Protein Concentrate".

Do you have a heating pad that does not have auto shut-off (and is set on "low") under half of the container the baby is in? You can buy one here: https://www.henryspets.com/sunbeam-n...f-heating-pad/

It will help the experts a lot if you can post some photos so they can determine age, condition, etc.

Other TSB members will be on the board soon and may be able to find a rehabber in your area who can take the baby.

P.S. Here's a thread that has quite a bit of helpful information about how to prepare, use, & store formula: https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...(Esbilac-etc-)

[Nuttythesquirrel]

Yes that is the same esbilac im feeding him. I dont have a heating pad but will pick one up today. Im at work but my wife will send some pics of him and i will post. He has gotten bigger in the 6 days we have had him and his tail has gotten bushier. The syringe i got at pets mart was huge and caused him to aspirate so i went back and got a bottle kit, and used the elongated nipple from the syringe (he perfers that one). My wife and I absolutely adore the little guy, he is our baby. I was concerned when I heard him sniffle alittle bit last night but he is still eating well. How often do baby squirrels sleep?

[lennysmom]

Hi Nuttythesquirrel, welcome to TSB! Thank you for helping this little one.
How much they sleep really depends on the age of the baby - could you post a picture so perhaps we can estimate the age of your little one?
Also, bottles are never recommended for these babies, even the ones you buy at the pet store because you can't really control the flow and that can also cause aspiration. We recommend using nothing bigger then a 3cc syringe for formula feedings. You can purchase the syringes online at www.henryspets.com

[Ekorre]

Great that you're using the correct Esbilac!

You need a 1ml/1cc syringe so you can carefully control how much formula he's getting (and avoid aspiration). No bottles or bottle nipples.

You can buy the 1ml/1cc syringes here: https://www.henryspets.com/slip-tip-o-ring-syringes/

Miracle Nipples work great for baby squirrels.

You can buy them here (you want the "mini" or "regular"): https://www.henryspets.com/miracle-nipple/

A scale that measures in grams is absolutely crucial. They're inexpensive and easy to get. I would make this item a priority. You need his weight so you can accurately determine how much you should be feeding him (and how frequently). You will also need to know his weight if he has AP (aspiration pneumonia) and needs antibiotics. Without a correct weight in grams, you're pretty much operating in the dark.

It's also important that the formula is being mixed properly, is the right temperature, has no air bubbles, etc. Please see my previous post for a link to this information.

Your feeding technique is also extremely important. Here's a video that shows how it should be done: https://vimeo.com/91095331

and more info: https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...DING-TECHNIQUE!!

Pottying: https://vimeo.com/91094717

There will be others on the board soon who will chime in and help.

[Nuttythesquirrel]

I got some on order from fox valley along with formula but it won't be here until tuesday or Wednesday.

[lennysmom]

Do you think your local pharmacy would be willing to give you a syringe or two to feed a "baby kitten"? I was able to obtain a couple from my pharmacy in a pinch when I found my first baby squirrel.

Edit : I forgot to mention, your little cutie looks to be around 6-7 weeks old

[Nuttythesquirrel]

I just went to a local vets office and they gave me 2 of them 🐿
My wife just called me and said Nutty was eating rat block and running around his cage when she got home to feed him his formula. No sneezing so far today! Told her to be careful when feeding him with the bottle and make sure he drinks slow until i get home with the syringes.

[lennysmom]

Ok, just be very cautious - if the sneezing continues or you start to hear faint clicking with every breath, your little one may very well have aspiration phemonia, which can be very deadly to them and you would need to start antibotics ASAP.
Glad you were able to obtain some syringes at the vet office. One more word of cation, in most states it is illegal to rehab wildlife without a licence, so do be careful with who you tell that you have a baby squirrel. If you decide you want help, we can also see if we can find a local rehabber to care for the little one.

[Mel1959]

Do you think your local pharmacy would be willing to give you a syringe or two to feed a "baby kitten"? I was able to obtain a couple from my pharmacy in a pinch when I found my first baby squirrel.

Edit : I forgot to mention, your little cutie looks to be around 6-7 weeks old

Yes, go to the pharmacy and ask for a syringe to feed a baby kitten. They may be more willing to give it to you if you say kitten instead of squirrel. Your cutie looks in great shape. Good job! . In the picture it looks like you might have your little one outside. It's best not to take a chance on him getting spooked and running up a tree. He's not equipped to handle life outdoors yet.

There is a lot of information on here about the release process and the features your release cage should have. You might want to start researching it. They grow up and become very agile climbers very quickly.

It sounds like you are totally smitten with this little one, which is so very easy to do. . Since you have a singleton please provide him with a little stuffed toy to snuggle with. Make sure it has no plastic eyes or nose and no beans inside.

I realize it's been 6 days since you found him, but have you checked periodically for a litter mate? Sometimes one will show itself before the other. Since the tree is in your yard, it doesn't hurt to keep checking.

Thank you for caring enough to help this baby.

As Lennysmom mentioned you might need antibiotics. Check your medicine cabinet for any you might have. Augmentin (people) Baytril (animal) or amoxicillin or any type, just in case it's needed. Someone on here can tell you how to dose it, but they will need a weight for the squirrel and the mg. of the pill you find. Please dont dose without guidance.

[Nuttythesquirrel]

Yeah ive been checking the yard and the nest. My co worker says she has a brand new prescription to penicillin she will give me a pill. Hopefully i won't need it. Ps. That pic is the orginal one my wife sent me when she told me about the squirrel running up in my sons lap outside. I didnt believe it so i asked for evidence lol! She tried to take some pictures of him after feeding him but said he was so hyper she couldn't get him to be still.

[Nuttythesquirrel]

this is Nutty today. I found a heating pad and digital scale that measures grams ar Walmart!

[Mel1959]

Just be on the lookout for any changes in eating, sleeping, etc. baby squirrels do sleep a lot, but he should wake to want to eat. Hold him up to your ear periodically to determine if you hear him clicking with each breath. If you do then there's a good chance he could have pneumonia and need abs. We will cross that bridge if we come to it, though.

[lennysmom]

Aww, what a beautiful little sweetie Nutty is!

[Mel1959]

Nutty looks great! Good job!

[Nuttythesquirrel]

Thanks for everybody responding! This page has been the squirrell bible for me since friday! Good to have some experts advice! 🐿🐿🐿🐿

[Ekorre]

Your baby is a total cutie!

I'm glad you got the heating pad & a scale that measures in grams. Keep up the good work!

Most heating pads have auto shut-off which means your sweet little squirrel could get cold when the pad shuts itself off. Here's one that does NOT have auto shut-off: https://www.henryspets.com/sunbeam-n...f-heating-pad/

Here's info about how to use it: https://www.henryspets.com/baby-squirrel-care/

You want to make it possible for him to stay on the area that's being warmed by the heating pad, but also be able to get off that area if it's too warm for him. (That's why the heating pad should only be placed under half the container).

[VTech1]

I found heating pads that do not 'auto shut' off at CVS pharmacy. I had looked everywhere!!!

[Nuttythesquirrel]

Nutty weighs 157 grams. No sneezing yesterday or this morning and extremely active! Running around his cage like a crazy man!

[Mel1959]

That's great!