Found babies in a snow bank and they’re hungry

[Efb1024]

Hello!

We’re in the middle of a snowstorm and I found 2 4-week (I’m estimating) old babies that were crying in a pile of snow. Their nest had blown out of a tree, and I couldn’t leave them for mom to find as they would have succumbed to the cold. Now they’re warmed up and acting hungry. All I have is KMR, which I know is NOT recommended, and I can’t get Fox Valley until Friday. I can pick up some goat milk tomorrow, but no sooner as the weather/roads are impassable.

What do I do? Help!!

[Shellysfriend]

Welcome and thank you for helping! The wrong food is worse than no food and I cannot answer that in a pinch it would be acceptable or not. I do know that they can go longer than you would think without food while other issues get corrected. Unless someone with more experience than I have wanders through, I would tend to say stick with a heating pad on low under a plastic bin with fleece or maybe old sheets that they can curl up in. Then take a cup of water with a tiny amount of either honey or syrup or sugar, just enough to sweeten ever so slightly and warm it to between 105-110. Feeding would be done with a 1 ml syringe with out a needle. If you do not have a 1ml syringe they will need fed drop by drop another by another means. They will need to stay paws down when they are fed, NOT on their backs like human babies. Possibly this will get you through the night and you could reunite them with mama a little after daybreak. Esbilac powdered puppy formula would be what I would try to find at this stage until the Fox valley 20/50 could be had. I’ll look for the Homemade goat milk recipe just in case though.

[Shellysfriend]

https://henryspets.com/content/BabySquirrelCare.pdf
The homemade Goat milk recipe is on page 3

[Efb1024]

Thank you! Yes, I currently have them warm and cozy in a bin with a heating pad underneath. :-) I never even thought to do water with a bit of honey, so that’s super helpful! I was mostly concerned with dehydration versus going hungry and I do have a 1mL syringe thanks to many foster kittens, so that will work great. We’re supposed to have 50mph wind gusts and more snow tomorrow, so I’m worried that I won’t be able to bring them back out until Thursday! I feel so bad for their mama!!

[Shellysfriend]

Open the door and let mama in too

[Efb1024]

Hahaha you’re not the first person to say that! I wish!!

[Shellysfriend]

Just in case, if reuniting with mom doesn’t work out and if you for any reason, need someone to raise them, I see I’m only a couple hours away from you.

[Charley Chuckles]

Thank you for rescuing 👍
Just a side note: the heating pad should be kept on low and not completely all the way under bin, like 3/4 so they can get off heat if they feel too warm.

Good luck with these littles ❤️🙏

[Efb1024]

Thank you for rescuing 👍
Just a side note: the heating pad should be kept on low and not completely all the way under bin, like 3/4 so they can get off heat if they feel too warm.

Good luck with these littles ❤️🙏

Yes! Thank you! 😊 I followed the instructions on the Henry’s Pets website for how to make their little incubator.

[Efb1024]

Just in case, if reuniting with mom doesn’t work out and if you for any reason, need someone to raise them, I see I’m only a couple hours away from you.

Oh thank you! That’s great to know!! So far I’ve gotten them each to take some of the water honey mixture. (About 5mL this morning) and they look completely content. My husband will be bringing home the ingredients for the goat’s milk formula after work. I hope I’m doing everything right by them!

[Charley Chuckles]

Oh they are so precious 😍
They look plump 😁