Juvenile squirrel, age unkown, open mouth breathing with clicking sound, bloody nose

[Wolfers99]

Hi im extremely new to the squirrel rescue game, i was collecting wood off a lawn the other day when i heard frantic squeaking and found a scared squirrel(presumably young) under a log pile(not crushed, just hiding). He was all alone and seemed like he had no idea what to do so i scooped him up and brought him home. Well i noticed in the box there was a small amount of blood and his nose seemed dry and cracked(im assuming dehydrated). I gave him a few nuts and a water dish but he just layed there. At first he was really freaked out but has calmed down since and had been accepting of my affection, but he seems to be lacking in energy. Anyways what i really need to know about is the mouth breathing and clicking, from what ive read it sounds like pneumonia. Thank you.

[Nancy in New York]

Hi im extremely new to the squirrel rescue game, i was collecting wood off a lawn the other day when i heard frantic squeaking and found a scared squirrel(presumably young) under a log pile(not crushed, just hiding). He was all alone and seemed like he had no idea what to do so i scooped him up and brought him home. Well i noticed in the box there was a small amount of blood and his nose seemed dry and cracked(im assuming dehydrated). I gave him a few nuts and a water dish but he just layed there. At first he was really freaked out but has calmed down since and had been accepting of my affection, but he seems to be lacking in energy. Anyways what i really need to know about is the mouth breathing and clicking, from what ive read it sounds like pneumonia. Thank you.

Moving your thread to the emergency section.
Hopefully someone will come on to help.
I am leaving for about an hour and running late.

[TubeDriver]

Thank you for helping him!

Can you place an old tee shirt or fleece (no towels as they get their claws stuck in them) in your cage so he has a place to hide? It would make him feel safer and calmer.

Keep him in a quiet area if your home and safe from any other cats or dogs you might have in your home.

You can place a small bowl with water in the cage for him to drink out of.

Do you have any antibiotics left over, a single pill is usually enough. Clavamox, Baytril/ Cipro are good ones.

If you have a heating pad, you can place it under half his cage on low so he can move off it if he gets too hot.

Let us know about antibiotic availability and also if you notice any other injuries besides the mouth/nose? Thanks!

[Nancy in New York]

This member came on, posted and left.
I will send them an email telling them to please come back on.

[UDoWhat]

First I would start by making this baby comfortable. He needs fleece or t-shirt material. I would also cover his cage. No towels, babies can get their little nails caught in the loops and get hurt. He needs to be on heat so he doesn't have to expend ant energy staying warm. If he is clicking he will need antibiotics. You need to give him either Baytril (animal drug) Cipro (human drug) or Clavamox (animal) Augmentin (human) Amoxicillin will work until you can find the other drugs. We can help dose any of these drugs for you. See if you can find even 1 pill. Call neighbors, friends and family. Look in you ned cabinet.

He looks like he needs to be nursing. See if you can get a syringe from the Rx. They will usually give you oneif you tell them you are hand feeding kittens. I would ask for a 1ml(cc)syringe. You will need that to dose meds and feed with. He needs to be warm first. Do not feed a cold baby. When he feels warm, start hydrating him. You can use flavored Pedialyte or the homemade solution. The homemade hydration solution is:

2 cups water
1 tablespoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Mix well and syringe feed. The hydration solution should be warmed. He is probably pretty dehydrated. I would give him as much of the hydration solution as he will take. I would give this solution every three hours. Feed him this solution every three hours.
We need a weight on this baby. Do you have a kitchen scale? Feeding is based on weight. Baby squirrels are fed 5 to 7% of their body weight. We also need to dose meds by weight. You can usually get a gram scale at Walmart or a kitchen store.

After he has been hydrated you will need to start feeding him. Baby squirrels are fed Esbilac puppy replacement formula. It is the powdered kind. Do not get the liquid can formula. It is not the same as the powder. The liquid is not appropriate for baby squirrels. Here is the kind you should get.

[Wolfers99]

Thank you for all the help, i wasnt sure about bedding but i got the stuff they use in hamster cages, i had given him a few syringes of water but its hard to tell if he takes it, ill try the homemade rehydration formula, i got the puppy powder formula and tried to give him some but same as the water i couldn't tell if he took it (he did seem to make a lip smacking sound/motion a couple times). I dont think hes having major issues with heat as he feels warm to the touch and the weather was fair when i found him, but ill try to find a heating pad. My father is a nurse so ill ask him about the med availability and i might have a scale so ill get back to you with the weight. Again thank you, id hate for this little guy not to make it.

[KarmaKay]

Thank you for all the help, i wasnt sure about bedding but i got the stuff they use in hamster cages, i had given him a few syringes of water but its hard to tell if he takes it, ill try the homemade rehydration formula, i got the puppy powder formula and tried to give him some but same as the water i couldn't tell if he took it (he did seem to make a lip smacking sound/motion a couple times). I dont think hes having major issues with heat as he feels warm to the touch and the weather was fair when i found him, but ill try to find a heating pad. My father is a nurse so ill ask him about the med availability and i might have a scale so ill get back to you with the weight. Again thank you, id hate for this little guy not to make it.

Also, what size syringe are you using?

[Nancy in New York]

Please go to this link.
It's a guide to baby squirrel care.
It's 6 short concise pages with the next button in the top right corner.
https://www.henryspets.com/baby-squirrel-care/
It will help you alot.
We are here for you, but this will answer many of your questions in
the meantime.

[Wolfers99]

Just wanted to give you an update, i gave him a syringe of the hydration solution and he took to it well (only a few drops hit the ground), so i then tried giving him formula and he took it as well (i switched from a bottle that came with the formula to another syringe) i tried to weigh him on a jewelry scale which was really hard xD anyways i cant be sure how accurate it was but i got somewhere around 4oz but again i have no idea if its even within the right range xD.

As for the syringe i really dont know how big it is, i think the side says 3ml.