First time Squirrel Mommy

[ChippersMommy]

Hello All!! My name is Chrissy & I am a Mom of 4 Children (3 girls ages 4,9,14 & 1 boy age 11) I recently became a stay at home mom to homeschool my oldest daughter. I have 3 dogs- Kylah age 9 months, Midnyte age 19 months & Ghost 2 1/2 yrs (all outside dogs in their own 12x12x12 Kennels) and 2 cats that roam freely throughout the yard (mom cat was a stray who we mildly tamed when she had a litter and only one survived). Ive always been crazy over squirrels since i was a kid. When i met my husband, his dad had several squirrels that he trained to eat out of his hand and taught me how to do the same. It was the best experience ever. I always wanted a squirrel but with so many mixed reviews I never gave it much more thought.

And then on August 26, 2014 my uncle who lives next door to me (we each have about 3/4 acre fully wooded in out back yards that we own) sent his son over to ask me if i had a box and room for a pet? I thought it was a joke until i went outside and seen the baby squirrel. It had fell out of the tree next to my uncles dog, the dog didnt pay it any attention but im sure thats what prevented the mom for coming back for it. He then moved it away from the dog but close by where the mom was seen and after a couple hrs my uncle went back & it had ants on it. It was gettin dark and I had already been inside doing research for a couple hrs & knew that the likelihood that the mom would come back for it was slim due to all the dogs around.

(Chippers was lightly furred with eyes closed and very light white fur on belly)

I immediately cleaned the ants of (only suffered 1 tiny ant bite thankfully) cleaned Chippers up and brought it in to warm it. Luckily it wasnt dehydrated or cold but followed the routine of warming & hydrating. I hydrated with pedialyte through the night. Then the next morning I immediately went to my local feed and seed store and got the Esbilac (the one w/ prebiotics & probiotics as listed) & followed the recipe from thesquirreltales website. (2 parts water to 1 part Esbilac powder and 1/4 part heavy whipping cream -only mixing what you plan to use within day or 2) Feedings went according to website instructions - Feeding#1= 1/2 cc of formula & 2 1/2 cc plain water (baby only took about 1-2cc) Feeding#2= 1cc formula & 2cc water & so forth until the 7th feeding consisted of the formula mixture itself without extra water. Feedings started at 1-2 cc every 2 hrs for the first 2 days with normal stimulated pee & poo- now Chippers eats 4-5cc every 3 1/2 to 4 hrs. Chippers was very sleepy the first couple days and didnt do much else. Now Chippers participates actively in feedings, pees & poos without full stimulation (goes on his own but i ensure he is finished by stimulating him to be sure) he plays and climbs and loves to nuzzle up to my husband and I - he even climbs out of his next box when he is ready to eat or needs to potty. Im not quite sure how old Chippers is or if he is a he or she Chippers had no teeth when he came home with us but his front two bottom teeth came in August 29.

I follow all the instructions ive been given during my research and Chippers seems to be doing excellent in my opinion but im not a professional so im not sure. Chippers responds to sounds & touch & is very loving. My questions are below- any input is greatly appreciated!!!

* Is Chippers a boy or girl? I've read that males have a nub about 1/2 inch above the anus & females is directly next to anus. I have posted a picture and hopefully someone will be able to tell

* Approximately what age is Chippers?

* Am I feeding Chippers in the correct position (holding him upright w/ syringe angled approx 45 degree angle) and is he eating enough or too much?

* Chippers has begun nibbling the last 2 days- does this mean i should begin rodent block? Is there any other teething tricks or anything else I should offer at his age?

* Chippers snuggles with a couple small soft fleece stuffed animals- is this appropriate? What are considered appropriate toys?

* Is Chippers a Grey Squirrel or other squirrel?

* is there any tips for a first time squirrel mommy like me? I am 100% willing to make any necessary sacrifices and changes to my life style in order to acomodate Chippers and to ensure he has the best life possible. Please know that any tips, input, concerns, and reviews are welcomed and greatly appreciated as I am new to this!

I have attached a few pictures!
IMG_20140826_183346.jpg CHIPPERS DAY 1
IMG_20140826_183352.jpg CHIPPERS DAY 1 PICTURE 2
IMG_20140827_153439.jpg CHIPPERS 1ST FORMULA FEEDING
IMG_20140831_211310.jpg CHIPPERS A BOY OR A GIRL????
IMG_20140831_211322.jpg CHIPPERS DAY 5
IMG_20140831_211326.jpg CHIPPERS DAY 5 PIC 2
IMG_20140830_194612.jpg CHIPPERS DAY 4


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[ALittleNutty]

My questions are below- any input is greatly appreciated!!!

* Is Chippers a boy or girl? I've read that males have a nub about 1/2 inch above the anus & females is directly next to anus. I have posted a picture and hopefully someone will be able to tell

* Approximately what age is Chippers?

* Am I feeding Chippers in the correct position (holding him upright w/ syringe angled approx 45 degree angle) and is he eating enough or too much?

* Chippers has begun nibbling the last 2 days- does this mean i should begin rodent block? Is there any other teething tricks or anything else I should offer at his age?

* Chippers snuggles with a couple small soft fleece stuffed animals- is this appropriate? What are considered appropriate toys?

* Is Chippers a Grey Squirrel or other squirrel?

* is there any tips for a first time squirrel mommy like me? I am 100% willing to make any necessary sacrifices and changes to my life style in order to acomodate Chippers and to ensure he has the best life possible. Please know that any tips, input, concerns, and reviews are welcomed and greatly appreciated as I am new to this!


Congratulations you have a girl. She is probably about 4 weeks old and her eyes should open in the next week or so. Don't worry if one opens and the other doesn't until a few hours or even the next day or so, it's normal.

Feeding position is correct. As to the feedings you need to get a scale that weighs in grams in order to determine how much to feed. She should be getting 5-7% at each feeding and at this age 5-6 feedings per day.

You can go ahead and start putting blocks in but most of them just shred them and pee on them at first. We recommend Henry's Healthy Blocks. After the blocks are being eaten well for about 2 weeks then you can gradually start adding other foods. Formula should be given as long as possible.

She still needs to be on heat with a heating pad set on low half under her container. Lots of fleece to snuggle in too.

Toys are okay as long as there aren't any plastic or other hard parts that she could bite off and swallow.

She looks like an eastern gray to me.

[lilidukes]

She is a four week old baby grey.

Looks to me like you are doing a great job.

Do you still have her on heat?? She needs to be.

You'll need to buy a gram scale so you can feed by weight.
5-7% is the norm.

[ChippersMommy]

Thank you soo much. We are soo excited to have Chippers and even more excited now that I have TSB to come to for help. Also, regarding the heating pad- I have Chippers nest box half on the heating pad as instructed but it is an auto shut off heating pad that shuts off about every 4 hrs when it is on low. It cuts off for approx 15 min and then comes back on automatically- will the heat thats build up during the 4 hours of it being on last for the 15 minute shut off it has? I have been setting my phone alarm for every 4 hrs during the night and have it scheduled when the pad turns off and while it is off i ensure Chippers is snuggled and nestled in fleece- is this appropriate or should i purchase a new pad without the 15 min shut off?

[Mommaluvy]

I am guessing your little GIRL . Is aprox 4 weeks. Rodent block is fine.
She looks like a grey to me.

Your syringe is good but looks big . Can you get a 1 cc .

Sounds like your doing it all well. My suggestion would be to get a miracle nipple from Chris squirrels and more.

[ALittleNutty]

Thank you soo much. We are soo excited to have Chippers and even more excited now that I have TSB to come to for help. Also, regarding the heating pad- I have Chippers nest box half on the heating pad as instructed but it is an auto shut off heating pad that shuts off about every 4 hrs when it is on low. It cuts off for approx 15 min and then comes back on automatically- will the heat thats build up during the 4 hours of it being on last for the 15 minute shut off it has? I have been setting my phone alarm for every 4 hrs during the night and have it scheduled when the pad turns off and while it is off i ensure Chippers is snuggled and nestled in fleece- is this appropriate or should i purchase a new pad without the 15 min shut off?

I have never had one that shut off and then turned back on but if it's only off for 15 minutes then you should be fine as long as she has lots of fleece to snuggle in. I would just make sure she's not getting a draft from a fan or A/C unit.

[Mommaluvy]

Ugh - sorry for being redundant .. I see you are already in great hands.

Any hoo welcome to TSB

[ChippersMommy]

Thanks to all for all the great advice. I searched every where for a 1 cc but smallest i found was a 3 cc however I have already ordered some items from Fox Valley Nutrition- I ordered 5- 1cc syringes, 5- 3 cc, 3-5cc, 1-10cc, and 2 sets of miracle nipples along with the 8lb 20/50. I am currently awaiting their arrivals but am hoping what i have will suffice until it arrives. she is such an awesome snuggler she likes to snuggle down in my shirt pocket and sleep (of course i dont let her stay there long for fear she will get cold) she has done a little bit of exploring by me laying out a flannel sheet over my couch and my husband and i sat at each end and she never even roamed towards the edge! I was so impressed. Chippers has already stolen my heart and I am lucky to have her in my life! Please continue to give input and suggestions- I can never have to much help with this being my first time

[Mommaluvy]

Sounds like your doing well for an eyes closed.

Once they open they need more activity and hard stuff to chew like block and an antler. As long as poops/pees and basic health continues .. Warmth and hydration and love .. You should just keep trucking along.

Are you planning on release ?

BTW .. I am a homeschool mom too !

[pjjere]

Welcome to TSB! Chipper is a cutie. We are also in SC and recently (June) released our first Squirrel rehab named Nutkin. There is truly something magical about Squirrels. If you plan on raising her you will need to prepare a cage for her to overwinter in and hopefully a safe room for her to get lots of out of cage play time in. There are plenty of threads here regarding cage setup and eventually how to do a soft release. Please ask for help as needed and feel free to PM me if I can help in any way.

[DarkLies212]

Welcome to TSB!
She looks awesome and thank you for taking her in and doing what you can for her

Really looking forward to seeing more updates!!

[ChippersMommy]

Baby Chippers opened her left eye today at 11:30am during a feeding!!! I was the first thing she saw!! It was an amazing feeling! Once her left eye opened she immediatly started to snuggle up to me even more than before!!! She is alot more playful with more time spent awake today than shes ever been. My husband and i have already begun building her a 6'x6' cage that will sit on a stand about 22" off the floor for her to have lots of room during the time she is in her cage. We plan to let her have free roam of her room which is about 12' x 14' spare room once we finish squirrel-proofing it. She is starting to climb today! Each time i put her in her nest box that we have been using since we got her she crawls out and up the couch and onto me and snuggles in to sleep. She has been crawling/climbing to me since her eye opened today. I am sooo excited and so thankful to have TSB to come to for support! Thanks for all the great help and tips!!!!

[Monipenny]

Please keep the cats away from the squirrel, if every bitten by a cat, they get a deadly infection. Looks like you are doing a great job.

[ChippersMommy]

Please keep the cats away from the squirrel, if every bitten by a cat, they get a deadly infection. Looks like you are doing a great job.

Fortunately our cats are outside cats & have never been inside, to be honest the only person the cats have anything to do with is my youngest daughter since they are technically 'her cats'. I read the risk of cats around squirrels right after I took Baby Chippers in to raise and immediately stressed to everyone in the family to never allow the cats around Chippers or in the house and to never touch Chippers without thoroughly washing hands & changing clothing just to be on the safe side. Luckily I was fortunate enough to be forewarned about cats danger to squirrels early on and by it being mentioned in this forum also maybe it will forewarn others as well so that no baby squirrel has to suffer from the terrible infection cats can cause. Thanks so much to all for the help and advice!!