Baby squirrel won't eat

[Mini]

Hello everyone, I could really use some help with a baby squirrel I found yesterday. I think he is about 3-4 weeks old. He had fallen from a tree so there is a small amount of blood that comes from his nose. The main problem is I can't get him to drink pedialyte or formula. I always make sure they are warm and I've been keeping the baby warm on a heat pack wrapped in a t-shirt. He chirps when I hold him upright but won't take any sustenance (he just spits it out and let's it run down his face).

[Spanky]

Hello everyone, I could really use some help with a baby squirrel I found yesterday. I think he is about 3-4 weeks old. He had fallen from a tree so there is a small amount of blood that comes from his nose. The main problem is I can't get him to drink pedialyte or formula. I always make sure they are warm and I've been keeping the baby warm on a heat pack wrapped in a t-shirt. He chirps when I hold him upright but won't take any sustenance (he just spits it out and let's it run down his face).

Never give anything by mouth to a cold (or cool) squirrel, they must be thoroughly warmed first (just re-emphasizing this for anyone reading).

Some pics of the little one might be useful.

Are you using a syringe to feed (preferably with a nipple)? They like the formula very warm... much warmer (hotter) than you might think. I warm using my hottest tap water with the water set set on 130 F. So the formula is usually about 120F when I fed it.

Sometimes we need to hydrate drop by drop.

Which formula are you feeding?

[Mini]

I am using Fox Valley 32/40, he seems like he's shivering a little but I don't know how to get him even warmer. He weighs about 60g.

[Spanky]

A heating pad is best. You can use a sock filled with rice or dried beans, heat in the microwave and then squish it around to distribute the heat making sure it is not too warm. Put on a sweatshirt and tuck him in between your body and the shirt...

That syringe in the upper right corner of the picture is way way too large. A local pharmacy may give you smaller (1ml or 3ml) syringes... tell them you are feeding a neonate kitten or guinea pg... just makes it simpler than explaining a squirrel and they are often more sympathetic to kittens.

The FV 32/40 is for newborns (though I advise never using the 32/40) and for one his age he should be on Fox Valley 20/50.

[Mini]

A heating pad is best. You can use a sock filled with rice or dried beans, heat in the microwave and then squish it around to distribute the heat making sure it is not too warm. Put on a sweatshirt and tuck him in between your body and the shirt...

That syringe in the upper right corner of the picture is way way too large. A local pharmacy may give you smaller (1ml or 3ml) syringes... tell them you are feeding a neonate kitten or guinea pg... just makes it simpler than explaining a squirrel and they are often more sympathetic to kittens.

The FV 32/40 is for newborns (though I advise never using the 32/40) and for one his age he should be on Fox Valley 20/50.

The syringe I'm using is a curved wisdom tooth syringe so it is very small at the end but I will be going to get a small syringe with a nipple. I read somewhere that I can feed him vanilla Ensure, would that be a suitable replacement to the FV 32/40?

[Spanky]

The syringe I'm using is a curved wisdom tooth syringe so it is very small at the end but I will be going to get a small syringe with a nipple. I read somewhere that I can feed him vanilla Ensure, would that be a suitable replacement to the FV 32/40?

It is common misconception that the size of the opening of the syringe is what matters, however what makes the difference is how big around the "barrel" of the syringe. So a large 20ml syringe that is "plunged" a tiny 1mm dispenses about 15 times the amount of liquid that a 1ml syringe when plunged 1mm. It is this large volume that can easily result in aspiration leading to AP and death.

You can use Esbilac (the powdered version) which is available at many large brick and mortar pet stores as well as Tractor Supply. The good thing about Esbilac is that it can be mixed half and half with Fox Valley 20/50... this "mix" is my personal preference for formula from 3 weeks through weaning.