My baby Indian Palm Squirrel aspirates everytime

[Anu]

I have a baby Indian palm squirrel age around 4 weeks...my problem is he aspirates everytime I feed him...I use 3 CC syringe.. without a feeding nipple..(I can't find feeding nipples here). I feed my baby very carefully by holding him upright position...he is very active when he drinking milk...he always trying to get the syringe to his mouth..I feed him drop by drop.. however he aspirates. but thank god he is so far in a good health. His bathroom activities are fine...

Guys the problem is do every Indian Palm babies aspirates some sort of milk when they been feeding ?
and
do every aspirated squirrel get pneumonia ?
if so how to avoid it ?
everytime my baby aspirated he blows those milk from nose.. please help me
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[Spanky]

Can you get a smaller 1ml syringe to feed him? The smaller the syringe, the less chance of aspiration.

If the syringe is sticky, try pulling it apart and rub some olive oil on the gasket... but be care, it may become very slippery and you have to hold back the plunger to prevent them sucking too much out too quickly and aspirating; hold back the plunger to control this.

[Anu]

thank you for replying me...I can get 1 CC syringe but the problem is the needle is attached with the syringe...cannot apart the needle and the syringe...is there any good method to feed baby other than using a syringe ? I tried the pippet and it's not good.

do every aspirated squirrel get pneumonia ?

[Clare]

Hello. I also am raising 2 Indian palm squirrels for two months now. Yes. They aspirate sometimes. Always make sure to feed him drop by drop(though his tendency would be to gobble up). You HAVE to control the flow of milk/formula.
I always keep Ciprofloxacin. When they aspirate a lot, I give them a very mild dose of Cipro mixed with water just to avoid any complications. (Make sure you give him probiotics (eg. Greek Yogurt) two hours after you give him antibiotics).

Note: Do NOT give him Amoxicillin. Please. Buy Cipro.
Cipro would be the safest and best choice for us here as the other Western antibiotics are not available here.

[Spanky]

do every aspirated squirrel get pneumonia ?

Aspirating does not mean they will get Aspiration Pneumonia (AP). While aspirating is the cause of AP, not every instance of aspiration will result in AP. Having said that, the more frequent the aspiration the higher the risk of acquiring AP.

If you could get 1ml syringes (no needles of course) that would reduce the aspiration a lot.

[Anu]

thank you so much for replying me guys...clare and spanky...I will try my best to feed him slowly without letting him aspirate...and I will do as you mentioned clare...and spanky I will get 1 cc syringe however thank you guys so so so much !

now I have another problem...he is pooping like once a day or twice... yesterday he didn't poop...is this a normal situation ? however when he poops, poop seems to be normal golden yellow and it's not dry...I don't know what's the cause to this..his tummy also not bloated...I checked...has interest on food ( milk ) too..
can you guys tell me what can I do for that ? is this normal..last week he pooped like after every meal..
now he is 4 and 1/2 weeks old...

please guys help

[Clare]

Hello Anu. I'm living in India and I've had 2 Indian palm squirrels for nearly 3 months now. I am not an expert, but I can give you a few suggestions from my experience.
I know we don't get goat's milk or Fox Valley here in India. Don't worry. But plain cow's milk will not be enough for the squirrel as the mother's milk of a squirrel is very high in fat.

So what you need is a mixture of the following:

1. Full fat milk(Cow's milk is fine here. I don't know about the quality of cow's milk in the Western countries, but I've had rehabbers successfully release healthy squirrels raised on cow's milk mixture here).
(Eg. Aavin orange/brown packet. Please strain the milk before every feeding as aadai or milk skin forms even if kept in the fridge. So filter every time).

2. Heavy cream(We don't get heavy cream a lot here. So fresh cream is also fine).

3. Greek yogurt (preferably plain and not flavoured)(I would suggest the Epigamia Greek Yogurt as the Milky mist yogurt is not Greek yogurt and it has a lot of sugar which is not good for the squirrel.

The mixing proportion is as follows:

3 parts milk + 1 part heavy/fresh cream + 1 part Greek yogurt.

Heat a cup of plain water in the microwave or the stove until it is piping hot and then place the cup/tumbler of the milk mixture in the hot water. Look up what double heating is. Don't directly heat the mixture. Then feed the squirrel.

You can make enough for that entire day. Throw it out and make fresh mixture for the next day as the mixture starts to thicken and become like dahi because of the lactobacillus from the yogurt.

I suggest hydrating between feedings when not pooping though it has never happened to me. So certified experts here will help you with that as I am talking only with my experience and from the experiences of people I know here in India.

[Rock Monkey]

Can you cut the needle of a 1 cc syringe with a sharp utility or a hack saw? Afterwards use a file to smooth out any burrs or sharp bits.