Head Injury Baby Grey Squirrel

[Boris]

Hello all!
I have recently had to adopt a baby Grey squirrel that had fallen from a tree almost 2 weeks ago. It cannot walk properly due to the injury and I fear it will never be able to be released. I started off by making sure she was hydrated enough and warm by keeping her in a box with a heat pad so she could move around as wanted. I feel she is around 6 weeks old (as she opened her eyes a week ago). I have been feeding her Royal Canin baby dog formula and mixing in heavy cream in order to raise the fat content. She has been eating fine the last couple of weeks but recently has been refusing to eat and all she wants to do is sleep in her cage. At first she was very friendly with me however in the last couple of days she has seemed a lot more afraid than usual. Always trying to get away etc. Her teeth also aren't alligned so they don't grind down on her top teeth so i am going to have to trim them.

I am really worried as I don't want to be doing anything that could be making her more afraid and i also want to make sure she eats. I was wondering if anyone with any more knowledge could help me with what is going on. If d any more information as to what I have been doing with her i am more than happy to give specifics!

I appreciate the help in advance.
Boris

[Spanky]

If she is 6 weeks old there is absolutely no reason to trim her teeth right now. Trimming can actually cause a type of tumor called an odontoma so trimming should only be done when absolutely necessary. Are you aware that squirrels' front teeth actually move? They can move them around like chopsticks, that may be making it seem there is an issue. If you can post pictures of her teeth it would be most helpful to get advice.

As far as the head injury, if there is any chance you can locate some prednisone, methylprednisone or prednisolone it may help her tremendously.

Dexamethosone can be tried if that is all you can find.

Gabapentin is also a medication that may help her in recovery.

The younger the squirrel, the better the odds of recovery (of course, the extent of injury also is a factor). The sooner she is treated, the better her chances.

If you find any of these medicaitosn, post what it is that you found along with the strength. We will also require the weight of the squirrel in order to dose the medications.

[Clare]

Spanky's post contained much information. Do get back here frequently and feel free to post any questions or info.

Some information required from you which might be useful for the experts here:

Could you post a photo of the baby.

How much does the baby weigh? Could you get a weighing machine and keep track of weight everyday.

Have you checked for hydration levels? Perform the turgor test.

Do you have access to goat milk?

Has she been given anything other than formula to eat?

[Boris]

Hello,
I didn't know that their teeth could move around like that, however they certainly don't allign. I will try and get a picture if she will let me. In the UK its very hard to find treatment however i found someone who has dexamethosone and I have already completed a 5 day course of it with her and have seen great improvement. I have been told this improves further as the squirrel gets older however she isn't feeding either now and seems almost scared of everything. Always trying to hide extra. However it is most likely down to the fact she has been through a lot of trauma and stress recently.
Do you think gabapentine would be a good follow up course if I can source it?

[Boris]

The last time I weiged her she was 130g up from 90g when she first arrived under my care. I have done the pinch test and it bounces back nicely. Also her poo and wee looks fine as well. I only have a couple of pictures of her but ill put the first and most recent pictures up to give you an idea. However I am not sure if i can attach on my phone so I will have to do it when I get home on my computer. I can get goat milk yes. Also she has had nothing but formula as I have read you shouldnt give them anything else this young yet :O

[Nancy in New York]

Spanky's post contained much information. Do get back here frequently and feel free to post any questions or info.

Some information required from you which might be useful for the experts here:

Could you post a photo of the baby.

How much does the baby weigh? Could you get a weighing machine and keep track of weight everyday.

Have you checked for hydration levels? Perform the turgor test.

Do you have access to goat milk?

Has she been given anything other than formula to eat?

Sorry for stepping in.
BUT please go to this site.
https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/
It's full of most of the information you are inquiring about.
We try to post this as often as we can, but I know Spanky is
up to his ears in babies, so most likely he is sleep deprived.

[Spanky]

I have been feeding her Royal Canin baby dog formula and mixing in heavy cream in order to raise the fat content. She has been eating fine the last couple of weeks but recently has been refusing to eat and all she wants to do is sleep in her cage. .

Can you clarify how recently she has been refusing the formula? It would also be helpful knowing how often she is being fed and how much.

The Royal Canin (puppy) formula is what we recommend to folks outside the States that cannot get the same things we use here.

PS What is this "sleep" I read people posting about? (KT should be back late this evening).

[Boris]

Can you clarify how recently she has been refusing the formula? It would also be helpful knowing how often she is being fed and how much.

The Royal Canin (puppy) formula is what we recommend to folks outside the States that cannot get the same things we use here.

PS What is this "sleep" I read people posting about? (KT should be back late this evening).

She has been refusing formula on and off for around 2 days now which is around when she started acting more skittish and what I perceive as scared. (I am no expert). I was feeding her every 4 hours 6-7ml which went up to 5 hours when she started to seem less and less interested in feeding. She would not seek out the syringe it would basically have to be placed in front of her head for her to sometimes latch on. You people in the states have so much more on offer I am considering getting some shipped over at great cost to just have the chance that it will help this little girl out

I too don't know anything about sleep, I have been up almost 24/7 worrying about her 😂 never knew i could get attached to something so quickly.

[Boris]

Sorry for stepping in.
BUT please go to this site.
https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/
It's full of most of the information you are inquiring about.
We try to post this as often as we can, but I know Spanky is
up to his ears in babies, so most likely he is sleep deprived.

I have also seen this page which has given me some of the knowledge I have got so far but sadly I have come into things that I feel i need some more expert help. This page however was very helpful when i first got her! Henrys pets seem like they really know their stuff

[Spanky]

Also she has had nothing but formula as I have read you shouldnt give them anything else this young yet :O

She is at the age where you can place rodent block in with her... she'll not eat it for a while.. a week or more.. and may ignore it, play with it and maybe chewing up but not eat it. Eventually she will start eating it and after a week or so of her eating the block is when to start introducing veggies. But always block first before veggies.

... i found someone who has dexamethosone and I have already completed a 5 day course of it with her and have seen great improvement.
Do you think gabapentine would be a good follow up course if I can source it?

The 5 days course of dexamethasone seems short, especially if she was improving. Of course, I don't know the dosing protocol used but it seems on the limited info she may have had more benefit if it were a longer treatment period.

There has been some very good results reported by treating with gabapentin... I personally have had success with gabapentin, but I have not doubt that it has helped at least some of these injured babies.

[Rock Monkey]

She has been refusing formula on and off for around 2 days now which is around when she started acting more skittish and what I perceive as scared. (

How is her breathing? If you put your ear near her mouth, do you hear a clicking sound as she breathes? Is she breathing through her mouth or her nose?

She may have inhalation pneumonia which can cause the lungs to fill with fluid, making it difficult for the squirrel to get enough oxygen.

Keep her upright and warm. Snuggling will help.

If she has inhalation pneumonia she will need some sort of antibiotics, a pill or two will do.

Has the squirrel regurgitated formula? Has formula come out the squirrel's nose?

The squirrel will back away from the syringe if they gag or choke.

Loss of appetite is one symptom.

A squirrel with pneumonia has difficulty keeping warm. Their fur may become spiky as they try to hold in more heat.

Sometimes they may run a fever.

Respiration rate can be slower than normal or faster than normal.

[mel_la_fee]

Your baby is old enough that solid foods should be introduced (starting with block, otherwise it can be hard getting them to take to it later). As previously noted, she might not eat it right away, but it's important for it to be available so they can try it out and start weaning themselves. Without seeing her or having a vet assess her, it's hard to know why she's reacting the way she is. In my experience, babies that are 5 wks or less upon intake typically take well to their handler once their basic needs (comfy space, nutrition, etc) are met, so this could be a sign there's something going on that you can't see. If she's pooping and peeing well though, then it might just be as simple as evaluating how much you're feeding her. If she's only refusing at some times then she may be getting fed too much or too often. The rule is 5-7% of their gram weight (6.5-9 cc/mL for a 130g squirrel) but every baby is different and she might prefer to be on the lower end. Adding probiotics is a good idea as well since she may just have trouble processing the formula and no one wants to eat when they have a bellyache.

I wouldn't rule out aspirational pneumonia either. They tend to show fewer obvious signs if they're already at an eye-open stage but if you ever see her breathing through her mouth, wheezing, or her chest is heaving, it's a possible issue- even if you don't remember ever seeing milk in her nose or she isn't making a clicking sound yet. If she was initially strong her impulse may be to hide the problem and still eat occasionally because she's trying to survive without letting you know that she's ill (prey animal instincts at work). Teeth grinding can be a way to show contentment, agitation, or pain, so it's not a great indicator of anything, but if you notice she specifically does it after or during certain activities (such as eating) that may be a clue.

As a side note, I have a non-releasable neuro who also fell as a baby and mine never completely recovered. She is the light of my life though, so I'm not complaining . but do keep an eye on what your baby eats. It took about 9 months to get mine eating any solid food, so be sure to offer the appropriate amount of formula if she still isn't eating solids in the next couple of weeks.

[Boris]

Hello,
Just a quick update! Over the last day she has been doing better and better, almost 200g now which is amazing! Still likes to sleep a lot however with all she's been through i have been very impressed! Its made all of my sleepless nights 100% worth it. she has been playing in her own special ways and chewing thing however still hasn't taken to any solid food.... i hope this comes soon but I am in it for the long run 😊 thank you everyone for your help. Next thing to tackle is those darn teeth haha.
Thank you all again.

[Rock Monkey]

Next thing to tackle is those darn teeth haha.

Please post a picture of the teeth so that the experienced rehabbers who have seen hundreds of sets of teeth can assess the situation. Trimming teeth should only be a matter of last resort.

Glad to hear that she is doing better.

[Rock Monkey]

however still hasn't taken to any solid food....

Try various items on this list and see what she fancies.

Also it is very important to avoid the food types on the Items to Avoid list.

https://www.henryspets.com/healthy-d...pet-squirrels/

[Rock Monkey]

You may also find the following video about feeding technique helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLjR...relsandmorellc