Have 2 week old squirrel, she has stopped pooping. She was on the esbilac then switched to fox valley. Tried soaking has not helped.
Have 2 week old squirrel, she has stopped pooping. She was on the esbilac then switched to fox valley. Tried soaking has not helped.
How long has the baby not been pooping?
Which Fox Valley are you using?
If you are using 32/40.. stop using it immediately. We have seen a lot of baby squirrels bloat and die on that.
If you are using 20/50.. it is good for baby squirrels, but not until they open their eyes. It is often too rich for a 2 week old.
Flip back to Esbilac until it opens its' eyes.. and then use a 50/50 mix of Esbilac and Fox Valley 20/50 for a while.
Right now, your concern is getting the stuff moving through it's intestines...
How full does the tummy look? Does it feel hard like a rubber ball, or soft like a water balloon? Is it a soft uniform pink, or does it have red areas like a rash?
If the tummy feels soft... go back to Esbilac, offer a little simethicone twice per day (Infant Gas-X at drug store or grocery), and try light tummy massages and warm water bottom baths while stimulating.
If the tummy feels hard and/or has redness along the bottom you may be looking at bloat. You would want to offer just water for a few feedings, simethicone, and massages and baths.
Also check it's dehydration level by pinching the skin behind the neck. If it stays pinched when you release it, or does not relax quickly, offer some water (not pedialyte) between meals.
Also (sorry for so many question, but the more info the better we understand the baby's status) how is it's appetite? Does it act starving, hungry, reluctant, or refuses food?
Bravo (08-05-2019)
. She has pooped. Will stop FV and go back to esbilac. She was on that when she stopped pooping. Her tummy feels like a balloon. How do I avoid this from happening again? I feed her till her tummy feels like a water balloon every 3 hours even thru night. Thank you do much for helping me
She is not dehydrated. Also how much do I give of the Childrens gas x if needed? She pooped a lot this morning when will I see her go back to normal poops after her feedings? Sorry I am all over the place just very panicked
I normally do about .05 ml (half of 1/10th of a milliliter) of Gax-X as a preventative once per day. Which is equal to about 2 drops of water. I do it at the start of a feeding so it gets washed down with the formula.
If you have them on the right formula (Esbilac powder), at the right mix (1 part powder to 2 parts water), 5% of body weight per feeding (1 ml for each 20 grams weight), and the right frequency (every 3 hours until they open their eyes)... they should run smooth.
If you do not have a grams scale... you can get a kitchen one at Walmart for less than $15. Once per day set it to grams, put a tupperware bowl on it, zero the scale, then weigh them in the bowl. Divide that by 20 to find how much to feed them per meal. (This comes out to 5% of their body weight). You don't want to feed them by eye until they look full.. you want to cut them off at 5%. Feeding them too much can cause diarrhea, then dehydration, and then not pooping.
Other than that the most important things are always feeding with a syringe at an upwards angle (to prevent aspiration), and stimulation.
It's normal to feel panicky. I feel the same way every single time a baby will not poop.. after doing over 80 of these guys now.
You would think I would be calmer about it by now. But I lose sleep every single time.
Watch for signs they are not 'starving'. It is often just that the formula is too hot or cold. But it can also be a symptom if it is a repeated pattern.
It helps to keep a log of their weight per day.. and amount per feeding. So you can spot patterns, or see that they are reluctant to eat now because they pigged out last time.
I totally forgot to mention warmth. Keeping them at the right temperature (they should feel warm to the touch, but not hot) is very important.
I am constantly checking and adjusting how warm they are.
They can be very inconsistent during the first 10 days on formula.
They are basically working out air bubbles, filling up intestines, and trying to catch up by converting most of the food into squirrel.
Also if you stimulated her well in water.. and got a lot of poop out.. she may just not have anything to poop right now.
And it may take up to 10 minutes of stimulation to find the right pattern, or spot that will get poop to come out.
I normally stimulate until the anus closes up, and no longer has an opening.
Also check their bedding for passive pooping.
Bravo (08-05-2019)
She pooped earlier today but so far nothing. Is this normal because she pooped so much before should I be worried?