Baby Indian Palm Squirrel leg and neck injury

[Arjun Karfa]

Today my 7week old squirrel jumped from the window (which is at some height) and fell on his right side. After the impact he didn't move for a few seconds and I thought he is dead. I took him on my hand and after a few seconds he started moving again.
But his activity has reduced a lot (I have 3 Indian Palm Squirrel and he is the naughtiest). He can't move his right leg a lot. Also he is making noise time to time. I don't know what to do.
Is his leg fractured?
He is just sitting in a position and moving very less. (When he sees his siblings running then he is moving a little).
Also his right eye has become small (see the pic)
Please help and guide me so that I can help the baby.

[Rock Monkey]

He may have broken his leg. If that is the case, it will likely take weeks to heal, but this is certainly something they can recover from.

The degree to which he is inactive strongly suggests the severity of the injury. If it were a sprain, he would likely be moving around more just holding his weight off the injured arm.

The noises probably indicate some pain and anxiety. You don't want him to move around much so that the injury can heal. The pain will prevent him from making the injury worse.

You will want to monitor him closely. Pay particular attention if he becomes increasingly lethargic, this may indicate a worsening head injury. If it is mostly just an arm injury he should become a little more active with each day.

You may need to confine him to an enclosure to prevent him from jumping and climbing and aggravating the injury even more.

Alternatively, you could make some makeshift ramps between objects so he can walk instead of jumping.

How is he today?

[Arjun Karfa]

He may have broken his leg. If that is the case, it will likely take weeks to heal, but this is certainly something they can recover from.

The degree to which he is inactive strongly suggests the severity of the injury. If it were a sprain, he would likely be moving around more just holding his weight off the injured arm.

The noises probably indicate some pain and anxiety. You don't want him to move around much so that the injury can heal. The pain will prevent him from making the injury worse.

You will want to monitor him closely. Pay particular attention if he becomes increasingly lethargic, this may indicate a worsening head injury. If it is mostly just an arm injury he should become a little more active with each day.

You may need to confine him to an enclosure to prevent him from jumping and climbing and aggravating the injury even more.

Alternatively, you could make some makeshift ramps between objects so he can walk instead of jumping.

How is he today?

He is a little better today. Drinking good amount of formula, though his movements are still low but there is some little running. Though he is trying to jump . But he can't make the jump. After running for like 5seconds, he is walking and trying to go back to sleep. Hopefully he will recover soon.

Another good news is his eye is a lot better ( it's almost normal now) and is not making noise. Also I don't know why but he is running away from me. Like today only, he hid himself under the cupboard, and when I moved the cupboard , he moved along with it so that I can't catch .

Is there any way I can speed up his recovery?
Thanks for the reply. I will keep him in constant observation. Hopefully he will start running and jumping again soon. Cheers.

[Rock Monkey]

When they are injured they realize that they are vulnerable, so instincts tell them to hide so no predator can catch them when they have limited mobility. Also, sometimes they assume that people might have caused their fall to happen if you were anywhere nearby when the fall occurred. I had one get into a freak accident and fall as it interacted with me and she assumed that somehow I had done this to her and hid under a cabinet for hours, not making a sound.

Sleeping more than usual is a sign that its body is working to heal from a serious injury. As the healing continues, the amount of extra sleep should diminish over the coming days and weeks. Let us know if he becomes more lethargic.

The best thing you can do to help the healing is try to limit his ability to leap, though pain on landing should make him refrain from leaping, at least to some extent. So, I don't recommend giving him anything for pain. It is the body's way of saying, "Don't Do That!"

Also, try to squirrel proof the environment he is in as much as possible. Remove objects that might easily be tipped over by leaping squirrels.

[Rock Monkey]

Also, he may be avoiding you because as you try to grab him you may be hurting his injured arm. So, keep a close eye on him, but respect his need to keep to himself a little more than usual, this will likely diminish with time.

[stepnstone]

The best thing you can do to help the healing is try to limit his ability to leap, though pain on landing should make him refrain from leaping, at least to some extent. So,
I don't recommend giving him anything for pain. It is the body's way of saying, "Don't Do That!"

Both of these comments are totally ridiculous (IMO) and obviously you don't get the concept of an animal in survival mode
and know nothing of the benefits of pain management! Managing pain is beneficial to healing! Pain is a known stressor that
can elevate blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels. Elevated cortisol levels can lead to weakness, neuromuscular
disorders, fatigue, and a decrease in immune function. The lack of managing pain can result in delayed healing and a lack of cooperation by a subject/patent.

[Rock Monkey]

Both of these comments are totally ridiculous

Pain is not an evolutionary mistake.

Pain is a critical part of an intricate, hard-wired, genetically laid down, feedback system that allows organisms to safely navigate their environments. Pain serves to prevent further injury.

Our genetic wiring is ancient, designed for a much simpler world, but one with a non-stop gauntlet of physical challenges.

Pain tells us not to sit so close to the fire. It tells us to come in from the bitter, deathly cold. It tells us we have spent too much time in the sun. It tells us that the sharp rocks we are walking on are damaging our feet. It tells us that we are being attacked when we are unaware, when bitten by insects or rats as we sleep. It tells us when we have eaten something toxic. It tells us when we have worked so hard that we are blistered and bloodied. It tells us when we have an infection. It tells us when we are sick and should rest. It tells us not to weight an ankle when we have sprained it. It tells us when we have broken a bone or torn a ligament. It tells us when we have walked or ran too far without rest and nourishment.

Pain tells us when damage is being done.

[stepnstone]

Agree, pain is not a mistake but your 10X "It tells us" does not equate to the survival mindset of an animal who
will continue to jump and drag it's injuried broken body without intervention.
Neither does what "it tells us" eliminate the fact that managing pain is beneficial to healing!

However, common sense should be what tells us that when we minimize activity of an injuried animal (or person)
we can prevent further injury and we can expedite healing by managing their pain.