NEED HELP ( IN THE UK )

[Jordn01]

HI guys so im taking care of two abandoned gray baby squirrels

they are around 5 and a half weeks
one of them is 139g and the other is 132g

the smaller one hasn't put on any weight in 3 days
i tried sugary water because i thought he might be abit dehydrated but he just doesn't eat as much as the other one
maybe 2.5ml per feed every 4 hours

the bigger one is on 6ml per feed every 4 hours

its so hard in the UK to get help iv been researching so much
in the UK gray squirrels are seen as pests so the RSPCA and wildlife centres wont take them
they will just kill them because the gray squirrels kill off the endangered red squirrels

its so annoying I'm doing the best i can with what i have available and i would love it if you guys could help


when they got given to me the person gave me kitten powder milk
me thinking they had researched it thought it was fine but iv been reading not to feed that them
so i have some puppy milk coming tomorrow i will attach the link if you guys could read and see if this is okay for them

https://petsmagnet.co.uk/products/be...puppy-food-2kg

im also so scared of them getting pneumonia im being really carful feeding them both but i have bought some baytril
you cant get it in the uk without prescription so i had to order is overseas will this be okay if the unfortunate happens
i just want to be ready, i saw a link saying someone had got this online i just wanted to check if this is okay

https://pigeons.mercasystems.com/ind...-espectro.html

i love animals so much i just want to do the best for them
this website has helped me so much

im just worried about the smaller baby


right now im hating living in the uk as there is no online shops or anything what offer squirrel products
if anyone could look at what i could give them as an alternative to henrys rodent blocks

im going to order some on friday from america and pay the $40 dollar postage but i would really love an alternative
iv looked everywhere and cant find anything

any information you guys have would be great

am i okay to put apple tree branches in the cage because they have started knawing
i have a mineral block in there but they are not interested in that yet
is it okay for me to put a reindeer bone in there now or are they to young


whats the best vegetables to offer them right now ? or should i wait a while


any tips on how i can get the smaller one feeding more im worried as he takes half the intake of the bigger one
i make sure hes weed if he doesnt take much then try again

i posted in the life threating because i believe if the smaller one doesn't start feeding properly he's going to deteriorate fast


Thank you for any information xx

[CritterMom]

Yes, the UK does make it difficult.

First, have you read through this yet? https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/ It is 6 pages long - read through them all. Some info is specific to the US but a lot of the basic stuff is universal.

Babies need to be on heat still. Are they? If not, this needs to be rigged up - they need to be warm to eat.

I am hoping you are using a 1cc syringe to feed formula. Do NOT feed via baby bottle - that is how they aspirate and get pneumonia. If you don't have any, see your druggist - explain that your child's guinea pig had a baby and rejected it and you need one to feed it (get used to lying about them!).

The change in formula is good. When you get the puppy formula, do a slow transition - don't abruptly change formulas. Make up a batch each of the kitten and the puppy and blend them in a third container for feeding. Start at 3:1 kitten to puppy, then after a couple feedings, do 1:1 kitten to puppy and then after a few more feedings, d0 1:3 kitten to puppy and then all puppy.

Even your bigger guy isn't actually eating enough right now. First, try heating the formula a few degrees warmer than you think it should be. Every baby I have ever fed wanted formula that was a lot warmer than his mama could have provided without a really high fever! See if warmer squirrels and warmer formula will change their minds about eating.

You already found the way people in the UK get meds for their animals - pigeon supply! I glanced quickly at the site - I saw "Enrofloxacin" pills I believe. This is the generic for Baytril and what you want. I saw a liquid also but if the price isn't a lot more, get the pills. Meds in liquid don't last very long - the pills will last you for YEARS if you keep them in a cool, dry place. If you need them, come back here and provide us with the weight of the squrrel you are dosing and the strength of the meds you are using (info from the pill bottle) and someone will send you directions telling you how to properly dilute one of the pills and how much of a dose to use.

By the way - if you feed them properly - with the small syringe, in the position that the guide I linked to mentions, they won't aspirate and you won't NEED meds.

[Jordn01]

Thanks for the reply

Yes iv read through that over and over again it's helped me alot!

Yes I keep them next to a radiator which is on constantly and the small cage they are in is half on it and half off, I also made some pouches and they snuggle up in them they are always warm if i touch them,

With the puppy formula do i just follow the mixing instructions?

They just took 1ml of food this feeding 😔
So I tried them with sugar water again and they took 5ml
They must hate the kitten formula
The puppy formula arrives in around 10 hours

Iv also noticed every now and then they sniffle
Iv listened to them closely to my ears for about 10 minutes and I didn't hear anything
Do you think this could be a sign of pneumonia?
They both do it

I really hate how there is nothing or no help in the UK for these poor babies

And yes im using a 1cc syringe I brought 100 of them so I'm stocked up
I'm feeding very slowly but the person who brought them to me fed them a few times before me so that's what's worrying me,

They have no signs of pneumonia but I bought that liquid bottle as I know how fast it can kill squirrels and I want it available to me if the worst comes and I need it but il remember to always buy pill form next time

I honestly really appreciate that you took the time to reply to me i feel abit lost and just want these babies to survive so much

[Rock Monkey]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLjR...relsandmorellc

This is a very good video about feeding young squirrels and give tips on how to prevent aspiration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjPM...relsandmorellc

Yes, keeping them sufficiently hydrated is very important. They can't properly process their food if they are not sufficiently hydrated. The above is a video which shows you how to test if they are dehydrated. Also keep an eye on her poop, that contains a lot of useful diagnostic information.

If you would post a couple of pictures of them that would help board members to assess their health.

[Jordn01]

Thank you i have been watching her videos today
I know im feeding them the correct way,
How much water sugar solution should I feed them? Especially the little one if he isn't eating enough food
He drank 5ml of it last feed

The next feed is in 3 hours if he won't take the milk should I carry on giving him sugar water?

The new formula will be here in 8 or so hours


It's 3.30am here so I will post pictures in the morning
Currently can't sleep to worried about them

Thanks for replying

[Rock Monkey]

Thank you i have been watching her videos today
I know im feeding them the correct way,
How much water sugar solution should I feed them? Especially the little one if he isn't eating enough food
He drank 5ml of it last feed

The next feed is in 3 hours if he won't take the milk should I carry on giving him sugar water?

Proper feeding technique will go a very long way to help prevent aspiration.

Did you watch the other video about how to test for dehydration? The skin turgor test.

Yes keep giving the lightly sweetened water, especially if he isn't eating much. Dehydration can start a nasty downward spiral.

They can go without food for a little while but if they aren't getting some water in some fashion that is very deleterious.

Give the sugar water separately from the formula. Space it evenly in time in between the formula feedings. This allows the water to hydrate the squirrels cells.

Since you are concerned about AP here is a list of symptoms to keep an eye out for.

Symptoms:
1. Lethargic (inactive)
2. Difficult/labored breathing or rapid breathing or slow breathing and/or open mouth breathing
3. Rapid heartbeat
4. Fever or Chills
5. Pale, bluish to dark purple skin from a lack of oxygen (Look at lips and pads of feet)
6. Nasal discharge
7. Sweet or foul smelling breath
8. Wheezing, crackling, or clicking sounds when inhaling and/or exhaling

[Jordn01]

Thanks rock monkey
Yes iv been doing that I say it takes 1-2 seconds for the skin to go back down

I really am trying my hardest iv been doing alot of research

Do babies normally sniffle? Both of them are doing it every once in a while

I'm really hoping the new formula will help fingers crossed

I don't want to sleep (can't) is this what it feels like when becoming a mum 😂

I'm to worried I just want them to be eating properly

The AP symptoms were the first thing I read up about
Think I scared myself abit

But the sniffling is concerning me
I wouldn't say its a sneeze it's more of a fast sniff but outwards

Il record it when im up

Thanks for taking the time to reply

[CritterMom]

Yes, they sniffle and snort and lip smack and make all kinds of mouth noises that sound terrifying when you are so frightened of something happening to them.

Since they like the water, try this just for the heck of it - add a little sugar or honey to the formula and see if they like it better.