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Thread: Baby rock squirrel isn't pooping!

  1. #1
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    Default Baby rock squirrel isn't pooping!

    Hi, I'm new to the forum. I work at a zoo that does wildlife rehab as well and we recently got in a rock squirrel that was a cat grab. We estimate it to be about 5-6 weeks old. Its eyes were open and we could find no punctures or injuries. The problem is that we've had him since Saturday (5 days) and he's only pooped once. He is urinating but no fecal. He's getting about 5 cc of formula every 3 hours. His last weight was 105 g. We are stimulating him, we've soaked his bottom in warm water and nothing! What else can we try? Thanks for help in advance!

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Baby rock squirrel isn't pooping!

    Are there signs other than the lack of poop that there is a problem? Any signs of bloating?

    May I ask what formula you are feeding? The amount is pretty conservative - we recommend 5-7% of body weight per feeding - but every three hours is pretty frequent. They often don't poop for a while after intake if they have been on their own and not eating for a bit because their little bodies are so starved for food...

    May I ask what zoo you are affiliated - partly because I am nosey and my mom lives in Tucson so I am huge fans of the Desert Museum and Reid Park Zoo, both of which have large resident rock squirrel populations living off all the good chow laying around, and partly because we get people here frequently from AZ looking for help and really don't have anywhere to send them...
    Last edited by stepnstone; 07-29-2020 at 10:08 PM. Reason: corrected % of body weight which read 5-5%

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Baby rock squirrel isn't pooping!

    He sometimes has a tight feeling tummy after eating but it resolves fairly quickly. He refuses to take more than that amount at this point. I'm up in Prescott and work at Heritage Park Zoo. We're not as big or well funded as the Tucson and Phoenix area zoos but we try! We did mix a little pumpkin puree in with his formula (esbilac because we are waiting on the fox valley formula - we don't get many squirrels in) today because we just don't know what else to do to help him poop. We have no idea how long he was away from mom before the cats owner found him.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Baby rock squirrel isn't pooping!

    Hi Sara. For nursing squirrels the go to source are the dairy pre-probiotics. For weaned young, soil based Probiotics, aka: (SBO) are a surrogate source that replaces the wild sources that soil ingesting mammals consume to replenish their digestive gut bacteria, which comprises over 70% of their immune system. In the warmer months, this is seen in squirrels pulling up and flipping over tufts of grasses to chew on the soil that surrounds the roots, which also contains calcium and other key vital minerals vital to their nutritional needs. Unfortunately, these soils may also contain unhealthy intestinal worms, parasites, heavy metals and other unhealthy contaminants.

    This source has been used in a squirrel diet for a number of years. It contains no additives or flavorings.

    https://www.amazon.com/Vitality-Scie...upplies&sr=1-7

    1/64th Tsp. for maintenance daily added to a moist/wet foods.

    This is one source of mini measuring Teaspoons that can be used to support this tiny measure with the fraction measures noted on the handles.

    https://www.amazon.com/New-Star-Food...6084168&sr=8-4

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