I'm new; any help appreciated

[Craig]

Hello! My family has recently found a baby squirrel on the ground near a tree during a heat wave. My dad wanted to nurse the squirrel to full health but insisted on giving it cow milk from our fridge. I did a quick google and determined that wasn't a good idea. Long story short, I decided to take it upon myself to care for this baby squirrel.

I've considered bringing it to a wildlife rehabilitation center but from the reviews I've read, the ones near me euthanize animals frequently or don't provide adequate care. My dad said they would likely do what I'm doing for the squirrel if not less, as they would have other animals to care for as well. I've also grown attached to the squirrel and would like to care for it, as I would be very upset if I sent it away and found out later it was killed.

He (I think it is a he) was brought into our house on August 27th around 8 pm. On August 28th, I researched what I could and from what I was able to determine, I believe it is about 5 weeks old as his eyes are open and there is fur on his belly, though his tail is not fluffy. it seems to weigh quite a bit less than it should for it's age, at 17-18 grams. I believe it is a southern flying squirrel, as they are found in the area and it matches many of the features, including its "wingsuit" stretching from its from legs to its hind legs, most noticable once it stretches.

On August 28th in the evening, I tried to reunite it with its mother at the place it was picked up, but after only 30 minutes, it was terribly hot out and I worried he would succumb to the heat in the black Tupperware I had placed him in so I took him back home. I also purchased Esbilac puppy milk replacement liquid, and have been feeding him about 5-7% of his body weight in mL, or roughly 1 mL per feeding session. I feed him about 4 times a day from the time I wake up until I go to bed. Yesterday on August 29th, he threw up shortly after his feeding session so I've been careful to not feed him much more than a mL if even that much.

I'm using a 10 mL syringe, which I understand is more dangerous than a 1-3 mL syringe, so I've been careful to be very slow with feeding. He's made clicking sounds one night which worried me, and sometimes he seems to hiccup after feeding. I've started taking extra care feeding him, giving only a drop at a time and allowing him time to swallow. I have Fox Valley 20/50 ordered but it will not arrive until Tuesday, and as it is Friday today, I will have to continue using the Esbilac puppy milk replacement liquid for the next 4 days until then. I understand it can spoil after 3 days of the can being opened, I've frozen some in an lolly pop tray maker and the rest is in a air tight glass container and lid with a cloth on top to keep it from light when the fridge is opened. I hope this I'd good enough for the time being.

The squirrel is currently in a plastic storage container with a thin cloth overtop. I've included an old shirt for him to to crawl into. Under the shirt and half of the container is a heating pad that I keep on low. It does automatically shut off but I assume his fur and the shirt help to insulate heat. He is slowly gaining weight, weighing 17.45 grams 2 days ago, the same weight yesterday, but today he was about 17.8 before his first feeding, and 18 grams at his second feeding.

I know I've written a lot, but I am invested in this little guy and I hope he makes it. I would be devastated if he perished in my care. I've researched quite a bit, and I understand they are very sensitive and can pass away rather easily. This site and community has proved to be helpful so I'm hoping I may be able to get some additional help. Can I do anything differently? What forums might prove beneficial to me? What is a healthy daily weight gain for a flying squirrel? Is he 5 weeks or have I misjudged. Hopefully I will have included photos that may help in determining this.

I should mention that I have not been stimulating him to use the bathroom, as he has pooped before in my hand though it was more of just a flat brown smear when I noticed and I belive he has peed on his own as well already. If there is anything else you'd like to know, let me know and I would be happy to tell you what I know.

[Craig]

I have been helping care for a baby southern flying squirrel found on the ground outside on a hot day. I believe it to be 5 weeks old on account of its eyes being open and fur on its belly, although from what I've read, southern flying squirrels should weigh around 10 grams more than this guy weighs (he weighs 17-18 grams). Is this OK? Have I misjudged his age? And what does an adequate amount of weight gain for him look like? He has gained a little less than half of a gram in the last 2 days. I am feeding him Esbilac puppy milk replacement liquid, will switch to Fox Valley 20/50 when it arrives on Tuesday. I feed him about 1 mL every 4 hours from when I wake up until I go to bed. Am I doing everything right? What might I need to do differently?

[supersquirrelgirl]

Hang in there......There are TSB members who are real pros with Flyers here.

[supersquirrelgirl]

Craig, Just responded on your other thread. Same Flyer ??

TSB has members very experienced in Flyers so they can help you. Hang on until they see this post.

[Craig]

Craig, Just responded on your other thread. Same Flyer ??

TSB has members very experienced in Flyers so they can help you. Hang on until they see this post.

Yes same one! Thank you so much! I will stay tuned.

[supersquirrelgirl]

Just read 10ml syringe.......no no no......please get a 1ml. ask pharmacy to give one....please! regardless how careful you are, big syringes are very dangerous to aspirate the little guy. In addition to you pushing plunger, squirrels also suck it!

1ml is 1st rule for Flyers.

There's TF, thank you for joining!

[TomahawkFlyers]

My goodness, that is one sweet little kid - and you are being superhuman in your effort to bring him out of the woods. Having read what you've written, I'd say you are on the right path. A few things:

1. The 10ml syringe can easily be harmful and even fatal. It is very difficult, if not impossible to make it flow at the same rate as a 1ml syringe. If you don't have one and cannot get one at the pet store or a vet, PM me and I will overnight (no charge) several of them to you. The size of the syringe is important.
2. Is he still clicking? If he is, he may have aspiration pneumonia (AP). You will need to administer antibiotics ASAP. Time really is of the essence - If clicking is present, intermittent, or even recent, check your medicine cabinet and check with neighbors to see what antibiotics you can scrounge up. Reply to this thread with what you find, and one of the admins will provide dosing for you.
3. From the looks of things, he is still in the nursing stage. He's looking for a nipple. Most pet stores carry surrogate nipples - sometimes in a package with a syringe or two. If the syringes are 1ml, you are in business. If not, put them aside and see #1 above. The winning combination is the smallest nipple attached to a 1ml syringe. Henry's Healthy Pets sells the best surrogate nipples for flyers that I have been able to find.
4. As you feed your flyer, be certain that you are holding him with his face and belly facing the floor. Instinct suggests to us that we hold a squirrel as we would a human baby. This is wrong. Face and belly down. Always.
5. The heating pad should be on low, and only a portion of it should be under where he is sleeping and resting. He must have the ability to crawl to an area without the pad underneath so he can cool down when he's overheated.
6. Something opaque should be over his tub so he can be in darkness. Air needs to be able to pass. When you go to check on him, best to have the room lights on low. Those newly opened eyes are hypersensitive to light. With mama out of the picture, he's alone and frightened. If he can't see you, he's that much more frightened. As a human, you smell entirely strange to him. Sight helps him to judge. Speak softly and compassionately every time you feed him and whenever you check on him. He'll have no idea what you're saying, but you will help him sense that you are not a threat. He will come to associate you with food, drink, comfort, warmth, ... you will become Mom.

If you would like to speak over the phone or via videoconference, send us a PM with your phone number or we'll send you ours. We'll arrange a time with you. Please do keep all of us up to date on how things are going. Keep an eye out for other people who will provide additional guidance. For the moment, 1-6 above are important - especially antibiotics. They are, by far, the most time-sensitive.

Jamie

[TomahawkFlyers]

Just read 10ml syringe.......no no no......please get a 1ml. ask pharmacy to give one....please! regardless how careful you are, big syringes are very dangerous to aspirate the little guy. In addition to you pushing plunger, squirrels also suck it!

1ml is 1st rule for Flyers.

There's TF, thank you for joining!

ALWAYS glad to help. Sorry for any typos. The kids are up and at play. That means I am too.

[Craig]

My goodness, that is one sweet little kid - and you are being superhuman in your effort to bring him out of the woods. Having read what you've written, I'd say you are on the right path. A few things:

1. The 10ml syringe can easily be harmful and even fatal. It is very difficult, if not impossible to make it flow at the same rate as a 1ml syringe. If you don't have one and cannot get one at the pet store or a vet, PM me and I will overnight (no charge) several of them to you. The size of the syringe is important.
2. Is he still clicking? If he is, he may have aspiration pneumonia (AP). You will need to administer antibiotics ASAP. Time really is of the essence - If clicking is present, intermittent, or even recent, check your medicine cabinet and check with neighbors to see what antibiotics you can scrounge up. Reply to this thread with what you find, and one of the admins will provide dosing for you.
3. From the looks of things, he is still in the nursing stage. He's looking for a nipple. Most pet stores carry surrogate nipples - sometimes in a package with a syringe or two. If the syringes are 1ml, you are in business. If not, put them aside and see #1 above. The winning combination is the smallest nipple attached to a 1ml syringe. Henry's Healthy Pets sells the best surrogate nipples for flyers that I have been able to find.
4. As you feed your flyer, be certain that you are holding him with his face and belly facing the floor. Instinct suggests to us that we hold a squirrel as we would a human baby. This is wrong. Face and belly down. Always.
5. The heating pad should be on low, and only a portion of it should be under where he is sleeping and resting. He must have the ability to crawl to an area without the pad underneath so he can cool down when he's overheated.
6. Something opaque should be over his tub so he can be in darkness. Air needs to be able to pass. When you go to check on him, best to have the room lights on low. Those newly opened eyes are hypersensitive to light. With mama out of the picture, he's alone and frightened. If he can't see you, he's that much more frightened. As a human, you smell entirely strange to him. Sight helps him to judge. Speak softly and compassionately every time you feed him and whenever you check on him. He'll have no idea what you're saying, but you will help him sense that you are not a threat. He will come to associate you with food, drink, comfort, warmth, ... you will become Mom.

If you would like to speak over the phone or via videoconference, send us a PM with your phone number or we'll send you ours. We'll arrange a time with you. Please do keep all of us up to date on how things are going. Keep an eye out for other people who will provide additional guidance. For the moment, 1-6 above are important - especially antibiotics. They are, by far, the most time-sensitive.

Jamie

Thank you for the advice. All nearby pharmacies are closed so I will have to wait until tomorrow before I am able to get a 1 mL syringe unfortunately, but I will get one ASAP.

Fortunately, he hasn't seemed to make those clicking sounds since the single incident that I noticed. Not sure if maybe what I heard was another noise similar or if he may still potentially have aspiration pneumonia. He hasn't shown any other symptoms or signs of being unwell.

I've been feeding him with his head level but his body is usually prompt up in my hand. I can alter this and feed him on all fours next time to be safe. If I'm misunderstanding, please correct me.

I can put something thicker on top of his enclosure to block out more light so it's darker for him. This may sound silly, but I worried without enough light, he wouldn't be able to find his water dish, though I assume now it should be OK.

I have been talking gently with him and holding and petting him for long periods after each feeding, and he seems to feel safe and calm when cupped in my hands.

Is a surrogate nipple necessary by the way? He seems to latch fine without one and I worry about him choking if it comes loose. I will be sure to keep you updated. Thank you for taking an interest in his well-being.

[Craig]

I was able to obtain a 1 mL syringe. I had to delay feeding him for 2 hours, so while I usually feed him every 4 hours, this time it had been 6 hours since his last feeding. Just thought I should update since it was requested.

[Spanky]

You are in great hands with TomahawkFlyers, but I would like to add that the Esbilac Liquid (pre-mixed liquid?) is not really great and almost always results in diarrhea. Seems you not had issues so far so *maybe* it will be okay until the Fox Valley arrives. I know it seems weird but the liquid version is quite a bit different from the powdered version.

It is the powdered Esbilac (the plain, not the Goat's milk) that works best with squirrels. The good news is that if you purchase some powder you can continue to feed that along with the Fox Valley 20/50... here is my standard feeding formula from 3.5 weeks until weaning: 50% Fox Valley 20/50 and 50% Esbilac.

[Craig]

You are in great hands with TomahawkFlyers, but I would like to add that the Esbilac Liquid (pre-mixed liquid?) is not really great and almost always results in diarrhea. Seems you not had issues so far so *maybe* it will be okay until the Fox Valley arrives. I know it seems weird but the liquid version is quite a bit different from the powdered version.

It is the powdered Esbilac (the plain, not the Goat's milk) that works best with squirrels. The good news is that if you purchase some powder you can continue to feed that along with the Fox Valley 20/50... here is my standard feeding formula from 3.5 weeks until weaning: 50% Fox Valley 20/50 and 50% Esbilac.

Thank you for the advice. His stools do seem to be soft. Would you strongly recommended mixing the Fox Valley 20/50 with esbalic puppy formula powder, or would I be fine using only Fox Valley? I ask because I was unable to find the powder in a nearby petstore and I'm not sure if it's something that needs to be purchased online.

Also when I switch the formula, should I continue to feed him 5-7% of his body weight in mL? I also have some other things to mention that if you or someone could answer, would be greatly appreciated.

This last feeding session, after tapping out the air bubbles, I had about 0.75 mL to feed him. However, after I went to refill the syringe and place it in a bowl of warm water to heat it up, enough time had passed that he as no longer hungry when I brought it back. I believe he is supposed to have closer to a mL per feeding according to his size. Is there a better method of more quickly refilling the syringe so he is still hungry when I bring it back? I don't want to microwave a bowl of the liquid as I read the microwave can denature it and make it less effective.

Lastly, I recorded what sounded like clicking. I really do hope I've got it wrong and it's something else but he seems to make a clicking sound while his mouth moves. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was just licking or something. Really hoping it isn't AP but if it is please let me know and I can scrounge up antibiotics.

https://imgur.com/a/S7Jhpob

[Spanky]

You'll be fine with the FV 20/50 if the Esbilac is not readily available. And yes, continue the 5% - 7% guidelines.

Most of us use multiple syringes... so if you have 2 syringes, one can warm up while the other is being fed and the "swap" is just a few seconds.

Microwaving is NEVER a good idea... among other things like heat regulating it kills the probiotics which are so very important.

Scrounge up antibiotics and have them at the ready, because if you need them there will be very precious hours to find them in time to save a life.

AP click comes from the lungs, but it takes a lot of experience to tell the difference from a mouth click IMO. Every squirrel mouth clicks, especially after eating. AP click is persistent... it is like hiccups.. they cannot not click when breathing. Other symptoms include lethargy and loss of appetite. If they are clicking in their sleep is bad.

[Spanky]

Let's get multiple opinions... that clicking in the video seems like intermittent. Listen for this when he is asleep... I suspect since you are holding him he was not completely asleep. Cut the bottom out of a plastic solo cup and use that like a gramophone to listen while he is sleeping.

[Craig]

Let's get multiple opinions... that clicking in the video seems like intermittent. Listen for this when he is asleep... I suspect since you are holding him he was not completely asleep. Cut the bottom out of a plastic solo cup and use that like a gramophone to listen while he is sleeping.

I did as you suggested and cut out the bottom to a red solo cup. When I entered the room to check on him though, he must've woken up or was up already as he was moving around. I pressed the cut out section of the solo cup to my ear and listened close once he stopped moving but heard no clicking noise, only hearing the small adjustments of my fingers around the cup. If it is AP, can the clicking come and go? How often should I check for clicking?

[Craig]

Here is another video I took just now. I haven't heard clicking since the first video link I sent. Only sending this one to show it isn't constant and I've only noticed it twice before. I hope this can help clear things up. If they can't not click while breathing, I hope that means the sounds I heard before were something else, as here he is breathing without clicking. I should emphasize that him clicking is not he norm. I've only heard it twice and it lasts maybe a minute or two. Both times were shortly after feeding. Hoping for the best.

https://imgur.com/a/7z7x8m2

[supersquirrelgirl]

Craig,

As mentioned by TF and Spanky, have the antibiotic readily available when time is important. I suggest you ask family and friends if they have any unused antibiotics. You only need 1 pill. Fore A/P, a good generic antibiotic is amoxicillin-clavulanate (brand name: Augmentin for human, Clavamox for animal). Amoxi-clava is very common prescription med. If not found, get whatever you can and check back.

Another thought is getting a few 1ml syringes for feeding. You can order on Amazon. Or maybe ask TF to send a few by regular mail. Always good to have extra.

If you can spare the extra cost, please get a heating pad that does NOT auto shutoff. Take no risk. Easily bought at Henrys.

Hang in there - You are getting help from some of the best TSB members.

Mr.SSG

[supersquirrelgirl]

Hello ADMINs

This thread is duplicate with the active one in Introduce Yourself forum.

Delete this one ??

[Craig]

Thank you. I can order a no auto shut off heating pad although it wouldn't arrive until September 10th, almost 2 weeks away. I will attempt to find one in a nearby store. I have a friend who will bring me a pill of amoxicillin tonight. I believe she said the dosage was 250 mg but I will double check when I've got it.

If I am able to get the pill, would I start dosing him as soon as the proper dose is determined, or is there still a chance I won't need to use it just yet. It just fills my stomach with a pit worrying that he may be terribly sick.

As for the syringe, I was thinking about taking a spoonful of his feeding and putting it in a sealed plastic bag, then putting that in a bowl of very warm water so I can refill the syringe more quickly after he finishes it. Would this be a viable solution?

Thank you for all the help.

[Craig]

Update: I've fed him again. He ate about 1.2 mL before refusing more which I believe is within a healthy range for his current weight.

My friend has brought me a capsule of amoxicillin. She showed me a video of the bottle, which confirms it's name and its dosage of 250 MG. I also asked her to pick me up a no auto shutoff heating pad, which I have now.

I have the capsule and will await further instructions from your replies before doing anything with it.

I am also under the impression that he can start chewing on rodent blocks, and have been looking into purchasing a rodent block from Henry's pets. Before I do though, I wanted to ask if he would be ready for something like that as well as which one is preferred.

Is it also OK to put vegetable produce in a dish for him in his cage? I have been cutting up pieces of lettuce and cabbage into tiny sizes and putting them in his food bowl in his cage already. Should I stop?