2 Babies in need of guidance!

[sloogan]

Hello, as of last friday 9/8 I rescued 2 pinkie squirrels. From my knowledge they were in indirect/direct sunlight for at least 4 to 5 hours more or less this will (from what i believe) explain the skin flaking. Correct me if i'm wrong...please! I hadn't taken care of a squirrel since i was 9 and seem to have forgotten pretty much everything except heat is key. I was in panic of feeding etc... I gave them pedialyte for the first 6 or 7 hours stool and urine was present which is good! I wen't to walmart and bought puppy replacer by the brand of PetAg (NOT ESBILAC) and fed the canned one for a good 3 days i started to notice mild diarrhea so i drove an hour and a half away and had gotten some esbilac. Did as much research as i could possibly have done on the product itself and i seem to have missed something. I mixed THE FULL 1 TO 2 RATIO OF POWDER FORMULA and fed it to the babies there's some minor bloat and both are still urinating and emitting stool just fine out of fear of dehydration i've only fed them formula once today and pedialyte for all the other feedings. There's still some minor bloat i just would like to know if i'm worried for nothing. I would never forgive myself for killing these babies and neither would my girlfriend. A little back story on the babies I have one boy and one girl the boy when found seem to have a ruptured capilary in his nose healed within 2 days no sign of repressed breathing or any other issues breathing the girl seemed to be 3 or so grams bigger than the boy my assumption with that is because the boy wouldn't eat for the first day because of his nose and how bruised it was he's since always been skinnier than the girl but both non the less they are both eating fine. I've read some terror threads of formula turning the babies into cement and literally impacting and killing the babies. I've attached an Imgur album with pictures of the babies and can take more if needed.

Thanks A bunch please help!

Imgur Album:https://imgur.com/a/TLg9V

[dextersmom]

You must take them to a local rehabilitator. Pinkies are not easy to keep alive. They require every 2-3 hour feedings,they must be kept warm Its a huge undertaking that only a rehaber can deal with and knows how to deal with,exepecially pinkies.

[sloogan]

You must take them to a local rehabilitator. Pinkies are not easy to keep alive. They require every 2-3 hour feedings,they must be kept warm Its a huge undertaking that only a rehaber can deal with and knows how to deal with,exepecially pinkies.

That doesn't help much no offense, i'm very very VERY aware of how much work it is. I know if they're impacted i can use distilled water in regular feeding dosages to clear the intestine. I just need some second hand judgement besides to determine as to whether that is necessary.

[redwuff]

So thank you for taking these babies in...and they are a lot of work. So much so that in our area bigger centers euthanize babies that size.

But let's get to work. Number one. You have done well to have them looking good so far. They are very young. Did they have a black dot for an umbilical stub?

I have had a tough time this year with a 2:1 mix esbilac this year. What I have done is to take the esbilac mixture and cut it with goats milk formula (3 parts goats milk, 1 part heavy whipping creme, 1 part yogurt). Eventually I get to a 50/50 mix between the two. It is a pain to make but it has gotten me through.

Got to go feed but I will check back after.

[Nancy in New York]

Hello, as of last friday 9/8 I rescued 2 pinkie squirrels. From my knowledge they were in indirect/direct sunlight for at least 4 to 5 hours more or less this will (from what i believe) explain the skin flaking. Correct me if i'm wrong...please! I hadn't taken care of a squirrel since i was 9 and seem to have forgotten pretty much everything except heat is key. I was in panic of feeding etc... I gave them pedialyte for the first 6 or 7 hours stool and urine was present which is good! I wen't to walmart and bought puppy replacer by the brand of PetAg (NOT ESBILAC) and fed the canned one for a good 3 days i started to notice mild diarrhea so i drove an hour and a half away and had gotten some esbilac. Did as much research as i could possibly have done on the product itself and i seem to have missed something. I mixed THE FULL 1 TO 2 RATIO OF POWDER FORMULA and fed it to the babies there's some minor bloat and both are still urinating and emitting stool just fine out of fear of dehydration i've only fed them formula once today and pedialyte for all the other feedings. There's still some minor bloat i just would like to know if i'm worried for nothing. I would never forgive myself for killing these babies and neither would my girlfriend. A little back story on the babies I have one boy and one girl the boy when found seem to have a ruptured capilary in his nose healed within 2 days no sign of repressed breathing or any other issues breathing the girl seemed to be 3 or so grams bigger than the boy my assumption with that is because the boy wouldn't eat for the first day because of his nose and how bruised it was he's since always been skinnier than the girl but both non the less they are both eating fine. I've read some terror threads of formula turning the babies into cement and literally impacting and killing the babies. I've attached an Imgur album with pictures of the babies and can take more if needed.

Thanks A bunch please help!

Imgur Album:https://imgur.com/a/TLg9V

Just to try to cover all bases, is this the Esbilac you now have,and are you mixing it 1 part powder to 2 parts hot water?
Make this ahead of time, and let it set in the refrig for 6-8 hours whisking periodically. We want to make sure that it
dissolves completely to help avoid the "cement" You can also make it ahead of time, let it set and then fill ice cube trays with
the formula. Take out what you need the night before to thaw in the refrig.

Do NOT give pedialyte for more than24-48 hours. It has too many additives.
Just to refresh you, here's is a link to Baby Squirrel Care. It's 6 pages long with the next button at the top right hand corner.
https://www.henryspets.com/baby-squirrel-care/
How are their poops now?
Also we suggest nothing with loops for their bedding.
Get some fleece or flannel and "pile" it in but not too high that they
can crawl out of the container.
I too had a baby that was out in the sun all day and ended up "peeling"
Part of her skin had a more severe burn, which I had to keep cleaning and
slapping on the silvadene cream. She recovered beautifully.
Her fur in that area grew back in a reddish streak.


Almost forgot, what do they weigh, and how much
and how often are you feeding.
They look fantastic by the way!

Good luck with your little ones, and keep us posted.
Ask all the questions you want, we are here to help.

[Nancy in New York]

I just wanted to add some more information that came from a member who's squirrel
was impacted due to the 32/40 formula.
Here is his suggestion.

The trick for me seemed to be getting in as much water, as quickly as possible, once you see and feel the hardness in the belly. Not sugar water or Pedilyte, but plain water. I did this every hour (giving about .2-.3 ml) and ensure you stimulate after each, for 2 reasons. 1. You have to get that water out of the bladder, and it will burst if you don't. 2. You want that water to start working on the crud in the belly. After 8-10 hours, you should start seeing some movement out of the bowel (they will continue to poop, but you will start to see it more watery, which is what you want). At that time, start introducing diluted formula at the ratio of 25% Esbilac, 75% water. Feed this for the first half day. The second half day, I bumped up the ration to 50/50. I fed this for a day and then went to 75% Esbilac, 25% water and introduced full food the next day (and the blockage was gone!). So far, I am at 100% success rate. One note though. I check my pinkies after every feeding, so see if their bellies are hard or squishy. I would suggest everyone get in the habit of checking them after every feeding as habit and you can't go wrong in catching them before they bloat up. Once they take on that angry red color on their bellies (this is when their system goes septic), they are gone and can't be saved, so the trick is to catch them before this happens (hence, getting in the habit to see if their tummies are hard or not).

After rereading Duckman's suggestions, I want to hopefully clarify something.

I'm not really sure what he means when starting to give diluted formula.

I will have to check with him for clarification as the part I underlined is confusing to me.

For the first half day, feed 1 part powdered formula to 4 parts water.
The second half of the day, feed 1 part formula to 3 parts water.
Personally I would feed the 1 part formula to 3 parts water for full day.
Then go to 1 part formula to 2 parts water. Make sure the water is HOT,
and that it completely dissolves. This may take a few hours sitting in the
refrig.

[sloogan]

Just to try to cover all bases, is this the Esbilac you now have,and are you mixing it 1 part powder to 2 parts hot water?
Make this ahead of time, and let it set in the refrig for 6-8 hours whisking periodically. We want to make sure that it
dissolves completely to help avoid the "cement" You can also make it ahead of time, let it set and then fill ice cube trays with
the formula. Take out what you need the night before to thaw in the refrig.

Do NOT give pedialyte for more than24-48 hours. It has too many additives.
Just to refresh you, here's is a link to Baby Squirrel Care. It's 6 pages long with the next button at the top right hand corner.
https://www.henryspets.com/baby-squirrel-care/
How are their poops now?
Also we suggest nothing with loops for their bedding.
Get some fleece or flannel and "pile" it in but not too high that they
can crawl out of the container.
I too had a baby that was out in the sun all day and ended up "peeling"
Part of her skin had a more severe burn, which I had to keep cleaning and
slapping on the silvadene cream. She recovered beautifully.
Her fur in that area grew back in a reddish streak.


Almost forgot, what do they weigh, and how much
and how often are you feeding.
They look fantastic by the way!

Good luck with your little ones, and keep us posted.
Ask all the questions you want, we are here to help.

A lot of useful information here thank you very very much. This is indeed the probiotic formula as well. I had started feeding a more diluted formula to aid in digestion and seems to be working flawlessly, no more white tummy line. I only fed pedialyte for a span of 18 hours so i believe all is well. As far as the poop goes, it's like tiny beige/brown/yellow pellets.

When they were bloated i tried to feed little and often within a span of 8 hours every hour and a half the 6 to 1 ratio of esbilac(probably 1ml or less Don't have my syringe yet ordered them Thursday some delay with the parcel?) Then slowly lowered it to a 5 to 1 ratio as i saw white tummy line pretty much disappear.

The skin peeling i read on the board here somewhere that pinkies peel a little whenever they transition with more hair, I'm starting to believe the babies might just have a little flaky skin because of that. As of this morning most if not all the skin flake is gone.


The girl weighs 30/31G the boy weighs 28/29G. Thank you i worked hard to get them fat and healthy.

[Nancy in New York]

A lot of useful information here thank you very very much. This is indeed the probiotic formula as well. I had started feeding a more diluted formula to aid in digestion and seems to be working flawlessly, no more white tummy line. I only fed pedialyte for a span of 18 hours so i believe all is well. As far as the poop goes, it's like tiny beige/brown/yellow pellets.

When they were bloated i tried to feed little and often within a span of 8 hours every hour and a half the 6 to 1 ratio of esbilac(probably 1ml or less Don't have my syringe yet ordered them Thursday some delay with the parcel?) Then slowly lowered it to a 5 to 1 ratio as i saw white tummy line pretty much disappear.

The skin peeling i read on the board here somewhere that pinkies peel a little whenever they transition with more hair, I'm starting to believe the babies might just have a little flaky skin because of that. As of this morning most if not all the skin flake is gone.


The girl weighs 30/31G the boy weighs 28/29G. Thank you i worked hard to get them fat and healthy.

Are they on full strength formula now?
What kind of container are they in?
I only ask because if they are in cardboard, that causes dry skin.
For future reference, if the dry skin happens again,
sometimes putting a little
glass jar (from baby food) with a damp sponge in it,
in the container adds moisture to the bin and the peeling stops.

[sloogan]

Are they on full strength formula now?
What kind of container are they in?
I only ask because if they are in cardboard, that causes dry skin.
For future reference, if the dry skin happens again,
sometimes putting a little
glass jar (from baby food) with a damp sponge in it,
in the container adds moisture to the bin and the peeling stops.

No i weaned them down to 4 to 1 ratio of esbilac ill probably go 3 to 1 tomorrow and then full strenght the next day if i notice weight loss in excess will drop down to 3 to 1 today. They are in fact in cardboard, i did not actually know the cardboard could draw enough moisture. Will go buy a rubbermaid today.

[Nancy in New York]

No i weaned them down to 4 to 1 ratio of esbilac ill probably go 3 to 1 tomorrow and then full strenght the next day if i notice weight loss in excess will drop down to 3 to 1 today. They are in fact in cardboard, i did not actually know the cardboard could draw enough moisture. Will go buy a rubbermaid today.

Yes, please get them on full formula asap.
I only say this because they are getting very little nutrition with it
being watered down so much.
Just make sure that you do the formula up ahead of time and let
it completely dissolve.
After feeding and before the next feeding you SHOULD see the milk line
for a couple of hours.

Take a look at this link:
You will see in the very first photo a bin
with the holes, fleece, heating pad etc.

https://www.henryspets.com/baby-squirrel-care/


IF you have problems, you may want to go to the Esbilac/Goat Milk
mixture of 50/50.

TEMPORARY GOAT'S MILK FORMULA:


3 parts goat’s milk
1 part heavy whipping cream*
1 part vanilla yogurt

Formula will last 48 hours in refrigerator.

Goat’s Milk
This can be purchased at natural food stores such as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, and at most health food stores that sell groceries. It is a product for humans. Do not substitute commercial formula made for baby goats or other livestock sold at feed stores.

Goat’s milk is available fresh in a carton; evaporated in a can; and as a powdered milk. If you purchase either the evaporated or powdered versions, please blend them with water according to the package directions before using to make the formula.

Heavy Whipping Cream
This is found in small cartons in the grocery store near the coffee creamers and half and half. Regular heavy cream may be substituted if it is unavailable, but the heavy whipping cream has the highest fat content, and is preferred.

Yogurt
Yogurt has beneficial bacteria in it that soothes and settles digestion. Full fat yogurt is best, and a good choice that is very widely available is Stoneyfield Yobaby yogurt. However if it is unavailable, a low fat vanilla yogurt may be substituted. Avoid those that have artificial sweeteners in them. Vanilla and banana are both popular flavors, and the sweet taste of the yogurt helps to convince the baby to accept it.

It has been recently discovered that very small pinky squirrels do better with the ESBILAC PUPPY FORMULA, with probiotics, instead of Fox Valley. If the Goat's Milk formula is used, omit the heavy whipping cream for the first two weeks of life.

[cava]

I don't know if this would apply here, but I had to use KMR on my last two kitten litters and that stuff cemented and I had kitties not pooping for days. It was terrifying.

I got into the habit of mixing powder in a blender with stove top hot water, not boiling, then blended the heck out of it, then slowly strained through double/triple layer cheese cloth TWO TIMES, THEN let sit in the fridge for hours before serving.

It was a pain, but double straining took the uncertainty out of the equation ( and a lot of weird debris too) and with the constipation treatment they were ok and never had the problem again and my second litter didn't have any problems at all.

Again, not sure if this applies, but if I had a pinky I'd do this same thing.

[sloogan]

I don't know if this would apply here, but I had to use KMR on my last two kitten litters and that stuff cemented and I had kitties not pooping for days. It was terrifying.

I got into the habit of mixing powder in a blender with stove top hot water, not boiling, then blended the heck out of it, then slowly strained through double/triple layer cheese cloth TWO TIMES, THEN let sit in the fridge for hours before serving.

It was a pain, but double straining took the uncertainty out of the equation ( and a lot of weird debris too) and with the constipation treatment they were ok and never had the problem again and my second litter didn't have any problems at all.

Again, not sure if this applies, but if I had a pinky I'd do this same thing.

Did t his this afternoon today took a flower sifter over a pasta strainer, supprisingly simple but effective. They seem to be eating so much better i did a 2 and a half to 1 ratio of formula. I've upgraded their box to a long rubbermaid with 2 throw fleeces they seem to be more comfy, who knows.

[sloogan]

So thank you for taking these babies in...and they are a lot of work. So much so that in our area bigger centers euthanize babies that size.

But let's get to work. Number one. You have done well to have them looking good so far. They are very young. Did they have a black dot for an umbilical stub?

I have had a tough time this year with a 2:1 mix esbilac this year. What I have done is to take the esbilac mixture and cut it with goats milk formula (3 parts goats milk, 1 part heavy whipping creme, 1 part yogurt). Eventually I get to a 50/50 mix between the two. It is a pain to make but it has gotten me through.

Got to go feed but I will check back after.

Sorry, was caught up in hurricane mess all day. They didn't have a umbilical stub it looked as if it had just fallen off the day we got them.