Little Stink Pot wants his formula sweeter. Help!

[littlerattie]

A little squirrel ran up to my son yesterday, so we have had Stink Pot for 24 hours now. I think he is about 5 weeks? He is fully furred, seems to be about 1/3 the size of a grown squirrel, and can climb in his cage well. His tail does not curl over his back though, but I did see it straight up his back once, so maybe the curl is coming soon? So he is "almost curly tail old". lol
I made him some electrolyte solution last night, and he LOVED it. (Made it with a recipe on this site)
I got some goats milk, cream, and yogurt this morning, and made some formula for him. He does not like the formula unless it is mixed 1:1 with the electrolyte fluids.
I was wondering if I should just add a small amount of salt and sugar to the plain formula to make it sweeter? Will he get enough nutrition if I continue to mix the formula 1:1 with electrolyte for another day or two? Then try reducing the electrolyte over time?

Also, he is only taking about 6 CC of formula at a time, and his tummy is not getting round and full by the end of the feeding. I think (based on what I have read here) he should be drinking about 10-12 CC to make his tummy full and round. I have been feeding him about every 3 hours because I am worried he won't be getting enough nutrition with the current mixture. As long as there is enough electrolyte in his feeding he eats like a pro... He would eat 10 CC of plain electrolyte if he could. Little stinker.

He also likes apples, and we had some nuts and seeds granola bar that he ate. For now though, I have only been giving solids after he eats his formula. I do not have rat blocks yet, but hope to get some Friday. (we live an hour from the closest store that has them)

He is warm, perky, poops brown poop pellets, and pees clear. Eyes are bright, clear, and discharge free. He seems very healthy at the moment. I also have a stethoscope, and listened to his little chest, and the only noise is his little churr/growl talking noise: no click with in/expiration.

[AJR]

For his diet, I learned from TSB that calcium is crucial. I ordered powdered calcium bicarbonate from Amazon from a supplier called NOW. It's a huge container and will last a long time and was about $9. I add a small pinch to Sandy's formula feedings to help prevent metabolic bone disease (which I also learned about from this site) and I learned it is important not to give any kind of a nut, just sparingly as a special treat because of their ability to take calcium from bone. I also add a little baby food to her formula (about a tsp)...veggies or fruit. She LOVES THIS. I got the Esbilac puppy powered formula that contains pre/probiotics, as recommended from TSB.
We also had our little gal come to us for help. She walked right up to us and was also about 5 weeks old. She's 9 weeks now, and happy and healthy. I also give her a dirt container that she can bury and dig in. She gets pine branches to gnaw on and loves them. She gets out of cage time of an hr+/day...again, all things I learned from this amazing board.
Just some helpful suggestions to you, as new squirrel parents.

[AJR]

Also- what size of syringe are you using for feedings? You have to watch out for the larger syringes, as it is easier for them to aspirate with their feedings. This can lead to pneumonia, which is life threatening.

[UDoWhat]

First you should hydrate him for at least 12 hours on the electrolyte solution and then SLOWLY transition him to the formula by starting with 1/4 strength for 2 feedings then ,1/2 strength for two feedings, 3/4 strength for two feedings finally working up to 100% full strength goats milk formula. We never start babies out on 100% strength formula. Diarrhea can be the result of moving to formula too fast. I would not mix the GM formula with the electrolyte solution. Nothing needs to be added to the goats milk formula. If he would like the formula a little sweeter you can add a vanilla flavored full fat yogurt or I use a maple flavored full fat yogurt. I personally would change to the Esbilac puppy formula with pre-and pro biotics.

How much does your baby weigh? We feed baby squirrels by weight. They should be getting 5 to 7% of their body weight grams each feeding. An example would be if a baby weighs 100 g they should be getting 5 mL at 4 to 5 times a day at each feeding. The feeding times vary depending on their age. If your baby is five weeks old I would feed him five times a day. It is very important for you to get a kitchen scale that weighs in grams. To properly raise a baby you must have a kitchen scale so you can monitor his weight and growth. I weigh my babies every day to see how much formula they should have for the day's feedings.

Feeding babies anything but rodent block for the first solid foods is a huge mistake. You will be setting your baby up to only like junk foods. Baby squirrels are like human children if you feed them pizza and cookies they will never eat broccoli and kale. Even the foods you think are healthy, like apple, can be deadly to a squirrel. If his diet is not corrected now he will get a deadly and painful disease called metabolic bone disease. We have just seen a little baby at TSB die from this deadly disease over the weekend. It could have been prevented if fed the correct diet. It was heartbreaking to all of us.

Please read as much as you can on TSB and learn the proper diet for a baby squirrel. There are many forums here that will guide you to a healthy happy squirrel. Good luck with your baby. There is so much to know about raising a baby squirrel properly. Raising a baby squirrel is not easy.

[UDoWhat]

Meant to add a 50/50 mix of GM and Esbilac is what We are currently doing and our babies really like it.

AJR is correct. I would not use a syringe that is any bigger than 3cc for now. You should have a nipple too. It is better for their teeth and mouth. Also the formula should be warmed just like a baby's formula. They like it pretty warm. Warm to the wrist is how I judge it.