drinking/urination problem

[chelsea]

I think my little one has a URINATION PROBLEM..
when he pees, it seems like it takes him FOREVER to get started and sometimes its not that much and other times it is. also, his pee dark..
my bigger squirrel seems fine. he'll be running and then he'll stop suddenly-thats when you know hes peeing!! ugh. lol and then he'll just keep on running. its always been on my brown carpet, so i cant ever see the color.

ive only seen the little ones pee because hes peed on me so many times and by me.. coincidence?..



DRINKING PROBLEM:
ive tried water bottles,syringes i used with their formula, bowls, lids, a small upside down water container(like a dog or cat would use) but way smaller. its actually for bird seeds, but hey whatever works, right? the bigger squirrel(Rambo) will drink out of all the above. BUT my smaller squirrel(Dixon) used to drink out of the water bottle you'd put on the cage but now the only way i can get him to drink water is out of my hand. he wont drink it if its a little puddle, my hand just has to be wet and then he likes licking it off. even if theirs a tiny puddle in my hand, he somehow always gets water up his nose, and then he starts freaking out and he'll, not necessarily sneeze, more like hes blowing that water out, so then i have to hold him upside down.
has anyone else had this problem? its so bad that he cant even drink out of a pop bottle or water bottle lid, without it going up his nose. i feel so bad....

[Milo's Mom]

Dark pee can be a sign of dehydration or possibly a UTI or bladder infection. How does the pee smell?

The urge to pee but not peeing can also be a sign of a UTI or bladder infection.

Since you already know he's not drinking a lot, I'd tend to think he's probably dehydrated (reason for dark pee). Try using bottled water. (I have a very long story about a squirrel that would not drink water from my tap. Short version...she will ONLY drink bottled water imported from Iceland...not just any bottled water, it has to be the Icelandic water.)

Place some clean rocks or marbles in the water dish. This will help the dish from tipping over and it also makes seeing the water easier. If he can see it easier he may not stick his face in it.

[chelsea]

Sometimes his pee stinks and since it seems like hes trying to go to the bathroom, i was thinking UTI but didnt know if squirrels could get a UTI.
if it is a UTI, what can i do? any at home remedies or over the counter meds i can buy.
the vet said that if i take the squirrel up there that she has a legal obligation to seize the animal, uthinize him, and turn me into the police. of course she didnt know they were my squirrels..i told her they were someone else.. oops...


i will definitely try and get more fluids down him to see if its dehydration. and ill try bottled water!

thanks!

[farrelli]

Cranberries or REAL cranberry juice (not that Ocean Spray stuff) helps and antibiotics would be needed. Tell us what you have or cold get a hold of and we'll tell you if it can be used. Then tell us the weight of the sq and we'll tell you how much to dose. Cipro and Baytril are great.

[Milo's Mom]

Sometimes his pee stinks and since it seems like hes trying to go to the bathroom, i was thinking UTI but didnt know if squirrels could get a UTI.
if it is a UTI, what can i do? any at home remedies or over the counter meds i can buy.
the vet said that if i take the squirrel up there that she has a legal obligation to seize the animal, uthinize him, and turn me into the police. of course she didnt know they were my squirrels..i told her they were someone else.. oops...


i will definitely try and get more fluids down him to see if its dehydration. and ill try bottled water!

thanks!

Start with getting him fully hydrated and keeping him that way. Ideally before giving meds the animal should be hydrated, so this is kinda step one anyway. (and you might find it fixes everything)

It might also be A LOT easier to address all of your questions in one thread versus 3 or 4 different ones.

[chelsea]

The one that i thought had a UTI is fine now, i guess hims was a little dehydrated. he isnt anymore.

but the other one seriously does have a UTI i think
i noticed it today. he sat in the same spot for 15+minutes trying to pee and barely did anything.
and his brother kept going crazy trying to smell his pee/pee pee?

Anything I can buy, medecine wise? I want to relieve it as soon as i can. i feel so bad.
I will pick up some real cranberry juice but i get UTI's a lot and i know how irritating it is.

he will only play a little bit at a time, until its time for him to pee and then he gets really grumpy

i'm not sure what i can get ahold of because I dont know what to TRY to get ahold of.
if you could give me a list of medecine then i can see what i can do!

I take AZO when i have a UTI but thats over the counter and dont know if its squirrel safe.

im so sad for him

[farrelli]

Real cranberries or cranberry juice is a good start.

What antibiotics can you get ahold of? Cipro is very common. Many pet stores sell them for fish and reptiles without a script. Fish FLox is good.