Hydrate between feedings?

[ppodcor]

Is is necessary to hydrate (water and honey) between feedings for 3-week baby?

[CritterMom]

As long as the baby isn't dehydrated for some reason, and you are feeding the proper amount at the proper intervals, nope. Baby squirrels don't drink water until they are out of the nest at 9-10 weeks old.

[ppodcor]

As long as the baby isn't dehydrated for some reason, and you are feeding the proper amount at the proper intervals, nope. Baby squirrels don't drink water until they are out of the nest at 9-10 weeks old.

Thank you! He is not dehydrated. But, I believe that I need to space out his feedings. He was a bit malnourished when we found him last week, and I was feeding every 2-3 hours. Yesterday he had around 4cc every feeding. When I went to do a night feeding, I could finally see his milk line! But it took a long time to go away. I did not feed him. No bloating or anything, still pooping fine. He is eating FV with a little bit of greek yogurt mixed in. I went to feed more around 4 hours later and his milk line showed back up after only 2.5 cc (He's 64g). After 4 hours, his milk line is still visible. Would he still be digesting from his big meals yesterday, causing his milk line to show quickly?

Should I space out feedings even more?

[CritterMom]

Has he been on FV from the beginning or were you feeding esbilac?

FV has way more "solids" in it and it also has a more slowly digested protein source than Esbilac does, so switching from Esbilac to FV usually means you need to feed less frequently. Stick to 5-7% of weight for the chow and let the milk line tell you how much time is needed between feedings.

[ppodcor]

Has he been on FV from the beginning or were you feeding esbilac?

FV has way more "solids" in it and it also has a more slowly digested protein source than Esbilac does, so switching from Esbilac to FV usually means you need to feed less frequently. Stick to 5-7% of weight for the chow and let the milk line tell you how much time is needed between feedings.

He has been on FV since the beginning. No change, other than starting with watered down formula once we moved from hydration and slowly moving to full strength and adding a little bit of greek yogurt to help the transition to formula. He did great meeting the 5-7% yesterday (even going a bit over on a couple feedings with no milk line showing up) every 2-3hrs. This is the first time his milk line has been visible and it shows up after only 2.5cc when he should be eating closer to 3.9cc. Once he gets to that point his just kind of falls asleep and suckles a bit but doesn't eat more.

[CritterMom]

He has been on FV since the beginning. No change, other than starting with watered down formula once we moved from hydration and slowly moving to full strength and adding a little bit of greek yogurt to help the transition to formula. He did great meeting the 5-7% yesterday (even going a bit over on a couple feedings with no milk line showing up) every 2-3hrs. This is the first time his milk line has been visible and it shows up after only 2.5cc when he should be eating closer to 3.9cc. Once he gets to that point his just kind of falls asleep and suckles a bit but doesn't eat more.

Ah, yes, the formula was diluted. Give him some more time in between feedings and see how it goes.

[ppodcor]

Ah, yes, the formula was diluted. Give him some more time in between feedings and see how it goes.

Thank you for the advice. He ate 3cc at this last feeding 4.5hrs after the fist. I wanted to make sure I am interpreting the milk line correctly. Here are pictures.

Before feeding

After feedings