Help!!! Any advice appreiciated!!!

[Timberthesquirrel]

Hello, I am new to this forum and need some help/advice. I received Timber the grey squirrel almost two weeks ago from a gentlemen who cut a tree, she was the only survivor from the fall. She has been eating well using the bathroom when stimulated she seemed to be thriving. I have estimated her to be about 3/4 weeks old. She has her bottom front teeth and weighed 50 grams when I got her went up to 60 grams and is now down to 55/57 grams About 3 days ago she started refusing to eat after much coaxing I can get her to take some formula but nothing compared to the 3.5 to 4 ml as before. I’m terribly concerned. I have read everything I can get my hands on watched every video, researched religiously on hand rearing orphaned squirrels. Any advice as to what may be going on with her is greatly appreciated. Thank You

[TubeDriver]

A small baby losing weight like that is a red flag that something is not right. I am going to move this post to the emergency life threatening section so we can get some experienced eyes on this.

A couple questions that would help:

What type of formula are you using?
How much have you been feeding and how frequently?
Are you using a syringe to feed the formula?
Have you been stimulating her to pee and poop at each feeding?
Is she warm to the touch now and how have you kept her warm?

Hello, I am new to this forum and need some help/advice. I received Timber the grey squirrel almost two weeks ago from a gentlemen who cut a tree, she was the only survivor from the fall. She has been eating well using the bathroom when stimulated she seemed to be thriving. I have estimated her to be about 3/4 weeks old. She has her bottom front teeth and weighed 50 grams when I got her went up to 60 grams and is now down to 55/57 grams About 3 days ago she started refusing to eat after much coaxing I can get her to take some formula but nothing compared to the 3.5 to 4 ml as before. I’m terribly concerned. I have read everything I can get my hands on watched every video, researched religiously on hand rearing orphaned squirrels. Any advice as to what may be going on with her is greatly appreciated. Thank You

[Timberthesquirrel]

I am feeding her Esbilac Puppy milk replacer mixed 1:2 ratio. I feed her every four hours usually 3 to 3.5 ml. I stimulate her before feeding and if she only urinates then I will feed her a few drops and then stimulate her to deficate. I am using the mini miracle and 3ml syringe that cane with it. I have her in a fleeced lined plastic tote with air holes, I have a heating pad on one side with towels on top so she can crawl to the other side if need be. She always feels warm to the touch and i know this sounds weird but the last couple of days I thought she has felt to warm while holding her skin to skin she didn’t feel that way when she first came into my care and honestly I contributed that to the fact that she has quite a lot more hair now. I think I answered all the questions you asked. Also for a few days i did add a small amount of whipping cream which she seems to readily eat but I thought perhaps this was the reason for the decline in appetite so I stopped adding that.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Put her up to your ear and listen carefully. Do you hear clicking ... or even faint clicking?

Is the heating pad on LOW? I like to have small scraps of fleece in the bin so they can also climb upward on the fleece if they get too warm.

[Timberthesquirrel]

Sorry it took so long she is pretty squirmy, When I put her up to my ear and she’s moving a lot I hear kind of hear a clicking or maybe even a grinding noise when I calm her down while I’m listening and she lays still and peaceful I don’t hear the noise. I checked this earlier today to see if I heard clicking and I thought it sounded like she was grinding teeth. The heating pad only has one setting so I put several inches of towel under her bed and several inches of fleece inside. I also only have it on one side of her bed so she can move to the other side if needed.

[HRT4SQRLS]

I worry about the single temp heating pad. I hope she isn’t getting too warm. I would buy a no shut off heating pad with Hi, Med, Low. They are often difficult to find. Auto shut off are much more common.

When a healthy baby starts slowing down on formula there is usually a problem brewing. Clicking, lethargy and loss of appetite are the symptoms of aspiration pneumonia. A normal healthy baby does just the opposite. They want more and more formula. You have to cut them off or they will over eat.

If this was my baby squirrel, out of an abundance of caution I would start looking for antibiotics now. Try to find Ciprofloxacin or Baytril (veterinary antibiotic). People often have left over antibiotics. A single pill is enough. The problem is that IF this is aspiration pneumonia they go down very fast. A delay in treatment while you search for antibiotics might be the difference between life and death. We can dose it for you. See what you can find and have it ready in case.

[Timberthesquirrel]

I do not know how to obtain veterinary antibiotics possessing a squirrel where I live is prohibited. The nearest rehabilitation facility where I live is over four hours away. The local DNR will remove her and place her in the woods to die or they tell you to leave them and let nature take its course. Do human antibiotics work? Let me see what I can find thank you so very much. I will call all family and friends with pets and see what they have.

[HRT4SQRLS]

You have probably seen this but I’ll post a link in case you haven’t seen it.
https://www.henryspets.com/1-basic-setup/
It is 6 pages long.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Yes, absolutely... human antibiotics work. See if you have any human or vet antibiotics that were for a cat or dog. If you don’t have any, often a friend or family member does.

You are right in that vets will not see squirrels or other wildlife for the public. Often they will seize. You don’t want that.

[Timberthesquirrel]

My sister has one pill of Ciprofloxacin she is bringing it to me now. Should I start it and if not when and how much?

[HRT4SQRLS]

Perfect... I am sending you a Private Message.

[Javarat]

Remember to check her hydration levels with a pinch test on the back of her neck.
It may be that she is simply dehydrated, and feels nauseous... so she stops eating after the initial hunger is taken care of.
I note you said "the last couple of days I thought she has felt to warm while holding her skin to skin she didn’t feel that way when she first came into my care".
Sometimes if they are too warm, they will become dehydrated and act like this.
And the loss of water will decrease their weight.
If it is dehydration... stopping the formula for 4 to 6 hours and doing just electrolyte feedings should bring her appetite back.

[kcassidy]

Can you make a video of her so we can eyeball her, that helps us too.

Also I would be using the regular sized Miracle Nipple

How do you prepare your Esbilac? Do you have the shaker that squirrelsandmore.com sells? Do you mix it and let it rest for 1-2 hours before feeding? These steps are all necessary.

Has she aspirated at all? That means getting formula in her lungs, if she has you'd know it. Milk comes out of their nose and they rear up and freak out if it happens. That is what would cause the clicking sound that you've been asked about.

One final thing, we really recommend that you do NOT use towels as bedding. The fibers can wrap around their fingers & toes and you can't see it til the affected digit turns black and falls off. We use Fleece, it works great.

If you need help with posting a video let us know and we will help you out.

What is your babies name?

[Timberthesquirrel]

I usually mix her formula with heated distilled water, I whisk it and use a spatula to mix. I put it in a plastic bottle and shake it then pour it through a tiny wire strainer. I do let it set for a minimum of an hour before using. I use fleece as her bedding. I would definitely upload a video but I would need help figuring out how to upload a video. Her name is Timber she was orphaned by a logger cutting down her home she was the lone survivor. I thought this was kind of an appropriate name. I have never personally seen her aspirate but there have been a couple of times that “helpful” family members have decided to try to feed her with out my knowledge at the time. So to err on the side of caution and with the guidance of a senior member of the group I started her on antibiotics yesterday. I think I have answered all of your questions and again I would need help posting the video. Thank you and everyone for all of your help!!

[HRT4SQRLS]

Try making enough formula for the next day. When I feed I microwave an inch of water in a coffee mug. I use a small baby food jar or small stainless steel condiment cups to put the formula in. I float this in the coffee mug until the formula is warm enough and then I feed.

Those darn formulas are hard to get into solution so I like to make it ahead of time. I worry that the formula strained out is nutrient that Timber needs.

I would help you upload a video but frankly I can’t do it either.

How is her appetite today?

[TubeDriver]

Distilled water by itself is hypotonic and can actually increase urine output. So I would not give it straight to a squirrel for hydration. Now when mixed in with formula it should not be an issue.

I usually mix her formula with heated distilled water, I whisk it and use a spatula to mix. I put it in a plastic bottle and shake it then pour it through a tiny wire strainer. I do let it set for a minimum of an hour before using. I use fleece as her bedding. I would definitely upload a video but I would need help figuring out how to upload a video. Her name is Timber she was orphaned by a logger cutting down her home she was the lone survivor. I thought this was kind of an appropriate name. I have never personally seen her aspirate but there have been a couple of times that “helpful” family members have decided to try to feed her with out my knowledge at the time. So to err on the side of caution and with the guidance of a senior member of the group I started her on antibiotics yesterday. I think I have answered all of your questions and again I would need help posting the video. Thank you and everyone for all of your help!!

[Timberthesquirrel]

Her appetite has picked up somewhat today but she is definitely not back to where she was. I just ordered the Original Miracle nipple earlier as suggested by another member. I had been using the mini. I also took the advice of another member and tried pedialyte to rehydrate I managed to get her to take 1 ml after much coaxing. I do have bene bac, should I give some because of the antibiotics or is it unnecessary? Also I only use distilled to mix formula we have a lot of added chlorine in our “city” water as we call it. I do not hydrate with it.

[HRT4SQRLS]

I think you’ll find she likes the regular Miracle nipple better.
The bene bac will be good.

[Javarat]

Supplement her for a while with 1 ml of flavored Pedialyte between feedings.
With the drugs and everything, she will need the extra fluids.
Don't mix the electrolyte with formula powder. The powder already has Sodium and such in it, it would wind up too much and could cause dehydration.

She should be peeing a RIVER... well hydrated squirrels often active local Flash Flood watches when stimulated. It's like they have a quart sized bladder.

Note that you may spot blood on the syringe from teething around this time.. so don't freak out if it happens.

You said that she is around 55 grams. That sounds like a 3 week old squirrel. Her tummy should be showing a mist of white hair along the top now, with eyes closed. You must have got her when she was totally pink. Good job getting this far.

[Timberthesquirrel]

Yes!!! She projectile pees if I’m not careful with the tissue when I stimulate her. She had very little hair when I got her she now has hair all over very white on her tummy and tail which seems to have happened overnight. She seems to be feeling much better today. She had been feeling feverish (that might sound silly to some but if you are the primary care giver my personal belief is I could tell the difference when I held her. My family said I was imagining it.) Today she is pushing herself up on all fours and trying to walk/wobble around. She really hadn’t started this until last night. My husband said she looked like a drunk cat, lol. Something I did notice different today she squealed. I’m not sure if that is the correct term, but the only other time I had heard her do this was the night she arrived here. Thank you to everyone for the help!!! She seems to be much stronger today and feeling quite a bit better.