Baby Squirrel Constipated
I hope I’m wrong and this isn’t life threatening! The little guy has a dried/crusted bottom, and pus is seeping out when I put a warm cloth on it to try to gently clean and soften it. After some time, softly, carefully, the crust came off. Now, his bottom is “open” and super red. It looks unnatural and very concerning to me. I put some Vaseline on it and ran to the internet for help!
History: My dogs alerted me to a baby squirrel in our yard a few days ago. Mom was above squawking loudly. It was 10:00pm and 33degrees outside, so we got some fleece for him to stay cozy while he was down there all alone and waited for her to get him for over an hour, but, nothing, and then we spotted a raccoon making a move... so we got him inside and warm. We had to think fast and google was all over the place on advice, including “let nature take its course with the raccoon.” Sorry, nope. I can’t watch a cockroach die, much less a precious baby squirrel...but, we hope we did the right thing taking him inside away from mom. The next morning, we tried to release him via methods we read about online to his mom. She never showed. We’ve tried several times since then. Nothing.
In the past when I worked at a vet that took wildlife, Puppy milk was what everyone said to use (some still used KMR, but I never did). An old post from this board helped reiterate puppymilk, but I now see the helpful warning on this page about that. Despite the fact that we estimate he’s about 8-10 weeks, we are swapping to the goat milk formula listed here until we can order something or find a rehabber if mom is truly giving up.
Food history: I gave him kale, puppy milk, a few organic craisins, and a little broccoli. Then, I introduced a couple of pecan pieces yesterday and today and 2 small pieces of butternut squash. To be clear, I hoped this was temporary and mom would claim him.
I am more than committed to helping this guy, and now that I am feeling like mom isn’t coming back, I a) want to get this issue with his bottom settled, and b) want a longer-term healthy rehab situation for him, whether with me or an expert. I am known as the pet person in our area—plenty of bottle babies of the puppy and kitten variety, and I’ve whelped more litters than I can count, but wildlife/squirrels are a much more delicate area. I want what is best for this little life, and I’m more than comfortable admitting that, if I’m not the best person for this, I’ll happily give this guy to an experienced rehabber, but the two listed nearby are ones I’m familiar with and would NEVER take an animal to. I’m in the Atlanta area, and, yes, it’s not legal for me to have him without a license, I know that. I was hoping to get him back to mom...
I’m really concerned about him. He was moderately okay being around me the past couple of days. He seemed to know I was caring for him; he wasn’t attached to me, but he was comfortable with me and knew I brought food. Today, he’s freaking out, panicked seeming, trying to hide and get away. He seems very unsettled, which I can’t help but wonder if it’s connected to him not feeling well—assuming he isn’t feeling well. Please help!
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