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Thread: Pinkie grey squirrel in the UK – worried he is not thriving. Can you help?

  1. #41
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    Default Re: Pinkie grey squirrel in the UK – worried he is not thriving. Can you help?

    Posting a little update on Miss Cheeky as it’s been a while. Life got a bit crazy these last couple of weeks, so it’s been tough to post...

    Cheeky is five weeks now and continues to do well. She’s 96gr and puts on roughly 4gr every day. She’s still on the Royal Canin puppy milk with added full fat vanilla flavoured Greek yoghurt plus single cream. I’ve changed the ratios a bit, so now I make 3 teaspoons formula (plus 6 teaspoons water), with 1 teaspoon yoghurt and 1 teaspoon cream. She gets that every 4 hours and now takes about 5.5ml/6ml per feed.

    She’s still not wild about getting fed and it still takes me at least 30 minutes to get 6ml in her, but it’s better than it was. She toilets well and is getting a lot more active. She’s trying to walk and climb a lot more which is super cute. Her eyes are still closed but I’m hoping they’ll open this week. We’re going away for a week on Sunday so I really hope I don’t miss it! I’m hopeful that she can stay with the vet for that week, to be confirmed tomorrow. Alternatively, our babysitter said they can take her too. They’re fab with animals.

    Just need to make sure I feel 100% about whoever takes her as I would feel incredibly guilty if her care slipped while I was on holiday. It’s not been easy finding someone, but I’m confident I’ll have a good plan in place by tomorrow. Because I’ll need time to prep for the handover etc. So much more complicated than with our dog, lol!

    Her leg seems to be healing really well and the bump she had near her right joint is barely noticeable now. It doesn’t seem to impact her movements, but I’ll get her checked again tomorrow. Hat tip to CritterMom for reminding me how lucky I am to have our vet and for suggesting to bring them some baked goods. We got the lovely nurse who has been helping us a few bags of luxury biscuits to share with colleagues and they were very well received.

    Now that Cheeky is getting close to being able to take solids I have been doing a lot of research to see if I might be able to find a UK equivalent to the Henry’s blocks. And as many UK members before me have found, I too have failed so ended up calling Henry’s last week to see if they thought the blocks would stay good in transit. They did, so I risked it and got it on express delivery ($73 delivery charge, ouch!). Ordered on Thursday and they arrived today. They look good to me and I cannot see any sign of mould. I got a bag of picky, a healthy and a hazelnut. I also got a bag of Fox Valley 20/50, the Ultraboost and the probiotic.

    I have a few questions in relation to introducing her to solids:

    1. Because we are going away for a week, is it better if I hold off on introducing her to the blocks until we come back? She’ll be 7 weeks by then. Or could I start her this week already, even though she hasn’t opened her eyes yet? I’m assuming that the eyes opening is a key milestone in relation to introducing solids, but want to make sure. Would appreciate a steer on this.
    2. I just put the blocks in the freezer as they were. With that little sachet to keep them dry still in it. Should I remove that?
    3. Would you recommend that I start to change her to the Fox Valley before we go away? I’ve just been thinking that for the week that we are away it will be easier to either keep her on the Royal Canin with added FV probiotic and ultraboost OR change her over completely to FV 20/50 with the probiotic and ultraboost. I just think messing around with yoghurt and cream is a bit too much to ask for whoever looks after her that week.

    I got her two new cages as well; the larger one I showed before from Ebay which should hopefully come this week and then today I picked up a smaller one for the week away. An almost new hamster cage that looks really good and I’m soaking at the moment. She should be comfortable in that. The hamster cage came with a water bottle and I was wondering if you think I should replace that, just in case. She wouldn't be able to use it yet for now as it's high-up in the cage. But want to make sure she has a water bottle in case I start her on the blocks this week.

    Below a few pictures from this morning after her feed. I just can’t get over how quickly she’s developing; how much fur she has now, how big her ears, tail and feet are getting. She’s just cuteness overload and I’m so pleased she is still with us and doing well! I feel a lot better prepared now for the next phase but could not have done that without the incredible advice from this community or the lovely people over at Henry’s who were very excited to hear about this little squirrel in the UK, who is named after a Beatrix Potter character.

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    These blocks look ok right?

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  2. #42
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    Default Re: Pinkie grey squirrel in the UK – worried he is not thriving. Can you help?

    Cheeky put on 10gr in a day and has been nibbling everything she can get her bottom teeth on during feeds (me, my clothes, the blanket I feed her on...). Can I start her on a block even though her eyes are still closed and she's only five weeks?

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  3. #43
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    Default Re: Pinkie grey squirrel in the UK – worried he is not thriving. Can you help?

    Also, it is possible for an admin to update the title of this thread? I'm not sure the last bit (– worried he is not thriving. Can you help?) is still needed

  4. #44
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    Default Re: Pinkie grey squirrel in the UK – worried he is not thriving. Can you help?

    Now that is the weight gain we like to see! She is precious.

    I try to stick a little closer to what would normally happen to them if the fall from the nest never occurred. Mama squirrels do not transport food to the nest in any for except their milk, and the babies don't really leave the nest until they are 9-ish weeks old and they are still nursing then too. We usually recommend introducing a block for them to investigate at 6-7 weeks old - not that they would get that in the wild, but starting a couple weeks before they would normally be peeking out of the nest and even exploring a little on the branches is mom allows gives them a chance to get used to what is to become their staple food. which is VERY important for the time they are under out care. Given that her weight gain is ramping up nicely, I would keep the blocks in the freezer for a couple weeks yet and let her keep taking the formula exclusively until then.

  5. #45
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    Default Re: Pinkie grey squirrel in the UK – worried he is not thriving. Can you help?

    I just read this thread and it made me smile. It is a lovely story coming out of the UK as most stories about little orphans from that area aren’t nearly as happy, due to the lack of resources (vets, foods, etc.)

    Your baby looks amazing and healthy. Great job! I currently have 3 little ones that are several weeks older than Miss Cheeky so what you’re going through with eating is very fresh in my mind. Stay the course with only the formula for a bit longer as CM suggested. Mine did the same thing about not being overly thrilled with formula until one morning they woke up and decided it tasted pretty good and never looked back….until now. Mine are currently about 9-10 weeks old and their milk (formula) appetite is beginning to wane. They get milk 2 times a day and the amount varies greatly. They’re also eating block, boo balls and veggies, but giving them formula, as much as they want for as long as they want, assures me that they are getting proper nutrition.

    Don’t be afraid to adjust her feeding schedule as she grows. Watch her for signs of when you need to cut out a feeding because she’s just not hungry enough when the next feeding time rolls around. She’ll let you know if you pay attention.

    As for your formula…..switching formula can be very hard on their GI systems so needs to be done very gradually. The Royal Canin you’re using is the equivalent of the US Esbilac, probably better, which many folks use for the entire time. I’m not sure what others think, but if it were me, I’d keep using the Royal Canin for 50%, add FV for 25% and Ultraboost for 25%. The Ultraboost would replace the single cream. The yogurt you can continue because she’s probably used to it and may detect it missing. You could cut the amount some though. Many rehabbers like combining two different formulas because if there are nutritional components missing from one the other fills the gap. Very important that the transition to new formula is gradual.

    Kudos for finding a vet that is willing to help. . Ditto on bestowing kind offerings on them.

    I look forward to updates on Miss Cheeky.

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