Constipation but no bloating. Have tried EVERYTHING

[Spacebunny]

Hello there,
I found a baby fox squirrel a week ago who we estimate is about 8 weeks old currently. We started her on the esbilac puppy milk that was canned but after reading that the cans are not ok we switched to the goat milk formula for day until our fox valley 20/50 came in. She's been on that for two days now. She also eats small pieces of the henry's blocks. This is her third day of constipation/no pooping. After so long of not pooping I've been trying to hydrate her only today and give some apple juice but no luck. She's not bloated nor does she seem to be bothered or in pain. She just seems hungry since I've been sticking to water today. However after so long I'm getting really worried. I have searched thoroughly through her bedding to see if she was just going at night but no luck. We've given lots of warm baths, massaged, put oil around the butt, been giving her diluted apple juice, and even gave her a little enema with the guidance of my sister in law who is a vet (she's not in the same state or else I would've taken her in asap). I don't know what else to do! I've never had a baby have this stubborn of a case of constipation before but this is my first squirrel. Most of my experience is with rabbits and mice (and birds).

[Clare]

Long, but read till the end:

Constipation is a sign of dehydration. So your first priority now is to hydrate the squirrel. Warm up a mixture of water+sugar+salt and give it to her drop by drop.

She may not like to drink the water mixture. So I'll share what I did with my squirrels:

Morning would be the time when they are the most hungry. So I tried giving them the hydrating mixture the first thing in the morning. They drink up on some mornings, but don't drink often.
But you have to hydrate them cause only then, the milk that you give them will get absorbed. Otherwise, they will further become dehydrated because the water from the body will be used for digestion(and the hair will become more spikey).
So since I had no other option but to get them hydrated, I wrapped one in a towel in such a way that she can't wiggle out(the wrapping should NOT be tight, but the folds should be in such a manner that it goes over the forelimbs but below the lower jaw, and then around the head and body). Then, I put a tiny drop of warm water mixture on the tip of her mouth. After she has swallowed it, I place another drop. So drop by drop, I feed them.
Sometimes, they would be too weak to drink a lot of water continuously. During such times, I give them the water mixture EVERY HALF HOUR (quantity is as many drops as they will take).
Note: Make sure the water mixture is very warm(but not hot. Check the temperature with your finger or place a few drops on your inner wrist to make sure the temperature is not too hot). It encourages them to drink more.
Hope you work relentlessly to get her hydrated because hydration is KEY for squirrels. I learnt this the hard way and I don't want anyone else to be careless just cause of some water.

[Clare]

How long has it been since you stopped the goat milk and began hydrating?

Also, have a look at this thread. Similar to yours. Baby didn't poop for 4 days.

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...-last-two-days

[Clare]

Hello there,
I found a baby fox squirrel a week ago who we estimate is about 8 weeks old currently. We started her on the esbilac puppy milk that was canned but after reading that the cans are not ok we switched to the goat milk formula for day until our fox valley 20/50 came in. She's been on that for two days now. She also eats small pieces of the henry's blocks. This is her third day of constipation/no pooping. After so long of not pooping I've been trying to hydrate her only today and give some apple juice but no luck. She's not bloated nor does she seem to be bothered or in pain. She just seems hungry since I've been sticking to water today. However after so long I'm getting really worried. I have searched thoroughly through her bedding to see if she was just going at night but no luck. We've given lots of warm baths, massaged, put oil around the butt, been giving her diluted apple juice, and even gave her a little enema with the guidance of my sister in law who is a vet (she's not in the same state or else I would've taken her in asap). I don't know what else to do! I've never had a baby have this stubborn of a case of constipation before but this is my first squirrel. Most of my experience is with rabbits and mice (and birds).

You have mentioned that you have been giving the goat's milk for 2 days and the baby hasn't been popping for three days. Am I correct?

[Spacebunny]

Shes not dehydrated. She takes water and food pretty well and is peeing regularly. I've been giving her water regularly througout the day today. She was on the goats milk formula for a day and a morning and then the 20/50 came in. She's been on that for two days now. Today would've been the third day of FV but I've pretty much only been giving her water with a teeny bit of apple juice in it.

[Spacebunny]

Thank you guys for replying so quickly btw! I appreciate all the help and advice. She's the sweetest thing and I'm so worried even though she doesn't seem bothered in the slightest

[Clare]

Shes not dehydrated. She takes water and food pretty well and is peeing regularly. She's been hydrated mainly today. She was on the goats milk formula for a day and a morning and then the 20/50 came in. She's been on that for two days now. Today would've been the third day of FV but I've pretty much only been giving her water with a teeny bit of apple juice in it.

So the baby has had constipation since the day it took goat's milk, am I correct?

So, until the certified experts here on this board view this thread, I'll just start off this thread.

Did you do the skin turgor test to check for dehydration?

I would seriously suggest giving the baby very warm water-sugar-salt mixture frequently (say every half an hour). Wouldn't hurt and has worked for many babies with constipation.

And P.S: Constipation can also occur if the formula is cold or not warm enough. How do you give her the formula?

[Spacebunny]

Correct. I have checked the skin and based on that she is hydrated. She's been taking water every hour or so. She so often refuses regular water that I often have to mix a little drop or two of the homemade pedialyte mix in (even before the constipation). I did the homemade pedialyte mix to get her hydrated when I first found her and now just use it to get her to drink. So today she's either had water with the apple juice in it or with a tiny drop of the sugar salt water mix. Ill keep giving it to her though and add a little more of the mix into her water. Thank you

[Spacebunny]

I mix the formula the night before. When feeding I fill up how many syringes she needs based off her weight. I leave them in a cup of hot water until they are very very warm but not too hot. Test on my wrist. Then feed her in the right position so as to avoid aspiration. Keeping the other syringes warm until I get to them.

[Clare]

I mix the formula the night before. When feeding I fill up how many syringes she needs based off her weight. I leave them in a cup of hot water until they are very very warm but not too hot. Test on my wrist. Then feed her in the right position so as to avoid aspiration. Keeping the other syringes warm until I get to them.

Wow. That is good and educated.��������
Glad to hear that.

About the baby, when was the last time she had FV? Like how many hours ago?

And how much ml of water has she had until now?

[Spacebunny]

Wow. That is good and educated.������
Glad to hear that.

About the baby, when was the last time she had FV? Like how many hours ago?

Thank you��. My mom used to rehabilitate so I grew up rehabilitating babies but it's been a little while. This board is a big help!

This morning I gave her a little bit of the FV with mostly water at around 730 or 8am.its 3pm here now. Maybe a 20% formula to 80% water. Since then it's been just water (with either the apple juice or pedialyte). She's mad at me about it haha. Yesterday I was feeding her normally until the evening when I cut it down with water a bit.

[Spanky]

When she was pooping, what color were the poops? Were they well formed?

They key here I think will be hydration, hydration, hydration.

You could try baby food banana (ripe banana (unripe causes constipation) or canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix, plain canned pumpkin).

[Spacebunny]

When she was pooping, what color were the poops? Were they well formed?

They key here I think will be hydration, hydration, hydration.

You could try baby food banana (ripe banana (unripe causes constipation) or canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix, plain canned pumpkin).

They were well formed at first then got a little too soft then just stopped . When it was well formed it wasn't much poop but it was regular enough. I will just keep hydrating her and will go get some pumpkin or banana and try that. Thank you so much for your time today. Fingers crossed for the bb

[Clare]

Hello. I know you've had prior experience with squirrels.
This is day 4 of the baby not pooping. So could you try the good old water sugar salt mixture and not pedialyte or apple juice. Give it vey warm. It encourages the baby to poop.
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...-last-two-days

[Spacebunny]

Baby finally pooped! My sister in law called one of her other vet friends who is a wildlife specialist. He walked us through giving a teeny bit of laxative and a few hours later finally a bit of poop. Thank you so much for your help!

[Clare]

Baby finally pooped! My sister in law called one of her other vet friends who is a wildlife specialist. He walked us through giving a teeny bit of laxative and a few hours later finally a bit of poop. Thank you so much for your help!

Woohoo. Nicee. Glad to hear that the baby pooped a bit. I'm sorry for not giving better aid as I also came to this board asking for help and saw your thread and I'm no expert. I just spoke from my experience. There are better certified experts here though. Please feel free to ask any other questions here whenever you want to or send a private message to the admins here as well (though better to start a thread).

P.S.: Continue hydrating in-between feedings. Say 2 hours after a feed and 1 hour before the next feed.

[Squirrel Please]

Baby finally pooped! My sister in law called one of her other vet friends who is a wildlife specialist. He walked us through giving a teeny bit of laxative and a few hours later finally a bit of poop. Thank you so much for your help!

Which laxative worked? How much? A squirrel here is experiencing similar problem. Thank you for posting all of this.

[Mel1959]

I’m not sure what was used as a laxative. Hopefully the folks that posted that thread will respond.

What is your baby’s background? How long has it been since there was a bowel movement? What are you feeding? Did you rehydrate prior to offering formula? Do you suspect that the baby has been away from mom for a long time?

All of these questions will help folks understand your baby’s situation. Sometimes if a baby has been away from mom for awhile it takes several days of formula for there to be enough in their system to produce poop.