Baby I cared for..info re condition

[SquirrelSense]

Hello Squirrel Board,
Aug 12 a nest came down in the Boston Public Garden where I have taken care of many injured squirrel over 3 decades. It was almost dark, nest down directly over rat and possum/predator giant holes so no choice for mom to take him. Nest had 2 baby's, one gone...looked like broken neck :-(. I took the other, baby "Phoenix" to Tufts Wildlife, got formula, (sadly they use kms kitten, but no choice to find esbilac at 9:30 pm. He had. A rough time, but took the formula, spilled a lot before latching each time. Difficult to know how much he took each feeding. He slept very little. He would not poo after stimulating and was spilling so much formula, tough to know how much wee wee. Baby was maybe 3 1/2 weeks

my concern...he seemed to have more than a normal amount of twitching. Every 30 seconds or so he seemed to have a spasm. I reunited him successfully with mom at dawn Aug 13. I check to see she is still protecting the knot hole she lives in and her mammary glands are engorged, nipples large. I am guessing from behavior he is alive. Will try and attach photos. I am studying for rehabber license in MA and trying to learn about any abnormal or concerning behavior or symptoms. The spasms seemed to gain momentum over the 9 hours I had him. Can anyone address this? Was this because he had not voided? Uncomfortable without his without mommy? Neurological injury? Would like to link up with a MA rehabber to be available for Boston area squirrels after I get the license or in emergencies. Wonderful having him, but glad momma Kahlua the squirrel has him. Need to gain info for issues in the future. Ps he was spasming BEFOREnthe formula so it was not upset tummy from KMS.

[SquirrelSense]

Can't find a place to edit photos, this one got removed...this is a close up of the baby

[CritterMom]

What a little fattie - he probably wasn't hungry! His mama took really good care of him. I am so glad you were able to reunite!

May I make a couple suggestions and observations?

First, never use a bottle for squirrels. It is too big and you have no control of the flow. It is really easy to aspirate them, and if you do it badly enough, they will get pneumonia. If you are truly a squirrelygirl, you should have at least:

* A couple of 1cc syringes, preferably with nipple attachments. Don't use anything larger than 1cc until after eyes open, and then never go higher than 3cc.
* A can of Esbilac POWDERED puppy formula, available at chain pet stores and Tractor Supply. ONLY the powdered. You can keep it in the freezer until you need it.
* A heating pad without the auto-shutoff feature. CVS's cheapest model is a no shutoff.
* A sterlite (plastic) bin with ventilation holes drilled in it.

A gram scale is important to calculate the amount of formula that is being fed. If you are only going to be in the position to perhaps stabilize and hold them overnight until you transport elsewhere, someone on here can usually give you a pretty good guess.

Your picture 3 is the only one where you are using the correct feeding position. It seems awkward to a human, but you want the nipple pointing UP at the roof of their mouth, not pointing down their throat. This is again a way to avoid aspiration. Mama lays on her back with her nipples pointing UP and the baby climbs up on her and nurses in exactly this position.

A lot of the things I have described can be found at www.Henryspets.com. Not only does she have all the syringes and nipples and even a heating pad, but if you look at the top of the page there is a Baby Squirrel Care primer broken into categories that is EXCELLENT as a reference.

Regarding his spasms...baby squirrels twitch a LOT, and this one was suddenly without his sibs and mommy and in a strange place. He looks REALLY healthy in the pic you put up.

What a beautiful place you are "working" in! It is nice to think of the city squirrels having people around who care about them.

[SquirrelSense]

Thank you so much for the reply! I knew someone would think he ate in that position..he did not, my husband took pics as I was settling him in and I posed him under the light while he was just smelling the formula..he was upright for feeding. The syringe Tufts Wildlife gave me had no nipple, formula gushed out because the clinic only gave me that one and the bottle you see w/nipple for it! The older ones I had had gone stiff and no formula came out. By the time we got back to Boston all the Petco type stores were closed. I am too aware of pneumonia and did not want him to aspirate, but he was resistant so bottle was better than nothing. After re-reading I am happy for the info for equip!! The only kits here are what is in the pictures and that is what the wildlife clinic gave me..the same kit I see in every store. I have a lot of the other required scale, box, heating pad..he was very squirmy and just wanted to be on my body. I only had him 9 hours and was up all night with him, but had momma NOT taken him back I would have had him situated in a secure incubator. He did spasm from the time I got him untangled from the nest though, and that concerned me. I watch mommy every day and feed her to make sure she isn't eating Cheeto's and ice cream like most of the park animals. The clinic had little equipment for squirrels and the wrong formula. I don't know why. I just saw the link you put for the feeding syringes and nipple, info is most welcome! Thank you!! Bye the way..the adult in the pic beside is his mom Kahlua! She is wonderful!

[pappy1264]

Get in touch with this group, I think they may be closer to you. http://new-arc.org/