My squirrel had a seizure help me

[Joyhicks204]

My cat squirrel had seizure today he has had his eyes opened for about 2 weeks was very active would eat whatever my daughter would give him grapes bananas we gave him bird seed a little Cinnamon toast crunch she's really worried about him he seems to be fine now he recovered fairly quickly after the seizure please help

[Chirps]

Hi! What formula are you giving the baby? The baby needs to be on formula for quite a bit longer than the age it is now. Also, the first solid food the baby needs is a quality rodent block like Harlan Teklid or Mazuri Rat and Mouse diet. In my signature you will see a link to the guide to Baby Squirrel Care. Please read it. It is six pages but a quick read. It will tell you what you need to be doing to keep your baby healthy.

Please check back and let us know how he is doing. The experts here can give you advice, including possible reasons for the seizure. I am wondering if it is nutrition related.

Also, if you can post pictures of the baby it is always useful.

You call it a "cat squirrel." Does that mean it was taken from a cat? Were there any bites/cuts on the baby when found? The bacteria in a cat's mouth is usually deadly to squirrels. If your baby has made it this far, maybe it was lucky enough not to have been bitten, but any and ALL information about your baby's condition when found and feeding habits for the past two weeks are useful to the people who can help you.

[Joyhicks204]

No the fraze " cat squirrel" is what we in the South call a gray squirrel its smaller than a regular squirrel but bigger then a flying squirrel

[cre8ivmind]

We'll need pictures. Smaller than a "regular squirrel" but larger than a flying squirrel? If it's smaller than a "regular squirrel", then the most common squirrels in your area must be the fox squirrels, if that's what you're calling regular squirrels. If my theory is correct from how you're describing, you have a gray squirrel.

I hope you're able to help your little friend!

[CritterMom]

My cat squirrel had seizure today he has had his eyes opened for about 2 weeks was very active would eat whatever my daughter would give him grapes bananas we gave him bird seed a little Cinnamon toast crunch she's really worried about him he seems to be fine now he recovered fairly quickly after the seizure please help

Is this actually what you are feeding him? This is an infant animal and needs formula, not sugar cereal and bird seed. At this age he would still be in the nest, nursing on his mama and having access to NO other food.

You are giving him metabolic bone disease and I have never even heard of it in one so young because the formula prevents it from happening. You MUST make a massive change if you don't want him to die. Go to your local chain pet store and buy a can of POWDERED Esbilac puppy formula. There will be a brown, black and white puppy on the can. Do not get the "goats milk" formula. Do not get the liquid Esbilac. Boy the Powdered. Don't buy another brand either - Esbilac.

You need a 1ml syringe to feed him. No needle. And you should have a small digital scale so you can track his weight gain.

Please, please get him on formula immediately. We will help you with the amounts, etc.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Is this actually what you are feeding him? This is an infant animal and needs formula, not sugar cereal and bird seed. At this age he would still be in the nest, nursing on his mama and having access to NO other food.

You are giving him metabolic bone disease and I have never even heard of it in one so young because the formula prevents it from happening. You MUST make a massive change if you don't want him to die. Go to your local chain pet store and buy a can of POWDERED Esbilac puppy formula. There will be a brown, black and white puppy on the can. Do not get the "goats milk" formula. Do not get the liquid Esbilac. Boy the Powdered. Don't buy another brand either - Esbilac.

You need a 1ml syringe to feed him. No needle. And you should have a small digital scale so you can track his weight gain.

Please, please get him on formula immediately. We will help you with the amounts, etc.

Hi Joyhicks24 and thanks for finding The Squirrel Board and thanks for you love of this baby Squirrel! What is your Squirrel's name? How did your Squirrel get to you (what were the circumstances)?

Are you interested in a having your Squirrel raised by a Rehabber in you area of Louisiana? We may be able to help with suggestions!

Seizure activity in itself is an emergent concern and the likely cause in the case of your Squirrel is truly an emergency! Beyond complications of trauma such as a head injury; the two most common causes of seizures in a baby Squirrel are hypoglycemia and inadequate mineral salts intake (inadequate Calcium as a primary example) or excessive intake of substances such as phosphorus that interfere with calcium absorption and utilization! Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) that Critter Mom mentioned is usually seen in older animals because its presence implies that there was at one time, adequate calcium utilization in the body and optimal calcium reserves in the bones and MBD takes some time to develop in these animals and far longer to resolve. In the particular case of your baby, with the diet you describe, the equivalent to MBD can develop very quickly because there is very little reserve calcium present in the bones! Please get this baby started on the proper IMMEDIATELY! Here is a link to Henry's Pets excellent Baby Squirrel Care Guidelines. It is only 6 pages and right now, your only focus should be on the first 3 pages and I would suggest reading them immediately! https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/

As the Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer Powder (this MUST BE THE POWDER, not the liquid and it is available at all major pet stores such as PetSmart and even at Tractor Supply) I would suggest getting this immediately. The powdered formula should be kept in the freezer except when mixing new formula which will help to keep it from spoiling.

I would also suggest ordering Fox Valley 20/50 formula that is available from Henry's. They also have 1ml o-ring syringes and small Miracle nipples and these can also be ordered. They have a flat rate shipping the last time I checked so this is convenient for ordering all that you may need for your Squirrel's care!

Also, any formula that you make should be kept in the refrigerator and disposed of within 24 hours.

Most people assume that formula can be mixed by using room temperature or even cold water, stirring it a few times and then feeding it to the Squirrel! This is NOT so and the manufacturers neglect being very clear as to how all powdered formulas must be mixed! While doing a "quick-mix," the formula does appear to be completely suspended in the water and ready to go this is NOT the case at all!

A very common cause of soft stool or diarrhea in warm and well hydrated babies (the order of things is that the baby must be warmed before rehydrating and must be rehydrated before being fed) is the use of a "quick mix" of formula! Even though it appears that the powder is thorough mixed, there are really tiny particles of the the formula that are still suspended in the water and not really dissolved can easily be the cause soft or loose stool! The Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer Powder should be mixed with very hot water! I use heated bottle water as the base for all my formulas and try for a temperature near 170 degrees F just to put a number to it but somewhere between hot tap water which is often around 120-140 degrees and well below boiling will be fine!

Mix only the amount of Formula you need for the next 24 hour period (or be ready to dispose of any extra as ALL mixed liquid Formula must NEVER be kept more than 24 hours under any circumstances! The formula should be hand mixed only but mixed thoroughly, THEN; instead of giving it to the Squirrel, put it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and preferably 6-8 hours (or overnight) to allow the particles of powdered formula to become fully dissolved in the water.

Before each feeding, the formula should be thoroughly hand mixed again and then pulled up in a 1cc syringe preferably with an O-ring plunger. Next, heat a cup of water to around 102-105 degrees F using a thermometer to ensure accuracy and place the syringe into this warm arm water just prior to feeding and this will warm the formula in approximately 30 seconds, check a drop on the back of your wrist just to double check if you want but it should be quire warm (again102-105 F) as the babies prefer it that way, then gently rock the syringe back and forth a few times as a final mixing and to fully distribute the heat and then feed it to your Squirrel!

Use the 1ml syringe to feed the Squirrel and go drop by drop!

As you will see in Henry's Guidelines, the amount of formula that should be fed depends upon obtaining an accurate weight of your Squirrel using a digital scale and expressed in Grams. This weight should be obtained every morning before the first feeding and each of the days feeding should be based upon this new morning weight.

Here is a formula "cheat sheet" for calculating the amount of formula to give with each feeding. Henry's Guide has recommendations for frequency of feeding but right now, based upon the usual time for eyes opening at around 5 weeks of age; probably feeding every 4 hours hours would be best. For the next week at least, my suggestion would be to use only the formula as food!



Please post regular updates about your Squirrel and please post any further concerns or questions and we will get back to you with a timely response!

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel