Hi there! I haven't posted in this forum before but have been an avid lurker for a little while now. I love squirrels, and though I have only raised one many years ago, I am looking into volunteering for a wildlife rehab near me and very interested in learning more, because I've always considered going into wildlife rehab.
Though I'm not feeding any baby squirrels, I am using Esbilac at the moment (for puppies). I'm new to the formula and I was wondering if a gritty, quite sandy texture is normal when Esbilac is first mixed. I mix in a measuring cup and use a whisk to get rid of lumps, and then transfer to a small container where it gets a little bit of a shake and then sits for 4-8 hours, and is used within 24. I don't think it's especially gritty after resting, though it will have the occasional tiny lump that feels moistened rather than gritty. I just found that, when transferring the formula to the small container, a lot of gritty material is left behind in the bottom of the measuring cup, which I didn't expect. It feels very dry and sandy between the fingers. I got my formula at Chris's Squirrels and More actually, due to the much lower price than what I can get locally (and the wonderful miracle nipples), and it's the kind with probiotics. I do notice the dry powder has rather large clumps sometimes as well. (I store the opened canister in the fridge, of course.) I know a lot of people use Esbilac for baby squirrels, so I thought this might be a good place to ask about it. I do know it's recommended to let the formula sit because the solids need time to dissolve, so maybe this is completely normal, but I thought I'd better ask anyway just in case I got a strange batch of Esbilac.
I've taken a picture of the gritty stuff in the measuring cup just in case that helps.
Anyway, thanks in advance for any help!