Hello New/First Time Squirrel Parent Los Angeles

[KidSquirrel]

Thanks for the update, KidSquirrel! I'm glad that Cyrus is doing well and it is encouraging that the Vet may be able to arrange for someone to assume care for little Cyrus when you depart! Out of interest, what were the shots Cyrus was given?
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

They gave him Entro (the antibiotic) and Vito a vitamin B shot I think.

He said we needed to place more water around his enclosure too because his poops were too hard so we got some small reptile ceramic bowls to place on every level and we've seen him drink from them a few times today. So that's good news and we've already noticed his poops are softening up.

[supersquirrelgirl]

Antibiotic is Enrofloxacin (enro) used for animals and Ciprofloxacin (cipro) used for humans. This is a strong broad antibiotic commonly used for infections. (you might have some Cipro around the house in tablet form ??)

How is Cyrus doing today ?? (first time to see Vet/Rehabber and be given a shot is stressful)

Mr.SSG

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

They gave him Entro (the antibiotic) and Vito a vitamin B shot I think.

He said we needed to place more water around his enclosure too because his poops were too hard so we got some small reptile ceramic bowls to place on every level and we've seen him drink from them a few times today. So that's good news and we've already noticed his poops are softening up.

Thanks for the update, KidSquirrel! I'm glad that Cyrus is doing well. Please let us know how things are progressing with arranging an "adoption" for Cyrus and of course to let us know how the Little Guy is doing in general. As Mr SSG has surmised, most likely the antibiotic was Enrofloxacin ( this is a Veterinary medication in the fluoroquinolone family and a common brand name for this is Baytril). I'm not sure about the "vito" but it may have been as you say; an injection of one of B vitamins. Please tell Cyrus that I said Hello and I wish the very best for both of you!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[KidSquirrel]

Antibiotic is Enrofloxacin (enro) used for animals and Ciprofloxacin (cipro) used for humans. This is a strong broad antibiotic commonly used for infections. (you might have some Cipro around the house in tablet form ??)

How is Cyrus doing today ?? (first time to see Vet/Rehabber and be given a shot is stressful)

Mr.SSG

I don't keep antibiotics around, whenever I have had them they were limited doses for infections I was dealing with. So if he needs them again we'll just have to call the Vet back, but he said the Enro is good for up to two months to knock out anything he might be dealing with.

Cyrus is doing better, he was super tired after the visit and definitely upset. It was hard to handle him like that, we have been very gentle with him and he immediately wanted nothing to do with new people. So he was pretty scared and very vocal about it. We had never heard him make those distress noises before. The vet was good with him though and checked all his organs feeling for any inflammation, but couldn't feel anything and said we are doing a great job, which made us feel better. His heart and lungs are strong and we are feeding him all the right stuff. I think his thigh was pretty sore after the shots because he wasn't jumping much and every time we put him down he just splooted. Today and Yesterday he's been back to his active self, unfortunately, we did notice that since Wednesday he has been growling when we hold him and he doesn't want to do something, so it has definitely altered his behavior to feeling like he needs to be more forceful with us about his boundaries. It's happened 3 or 4 times, and before the vet visit he hadn't done that. So that has made us a little sad, but I don't regret having the vet look at him because if he did have a more serious infection and we didn't do anything about it I would not have forgiven myself. It was just heartbreaking watching him walk away after the vet let him go and he hid just watching us like "Wow! I can't believe you did that to me! " It didn't last long though he was back to interacting with us after about 10 minutes after they left.

[KidSquirrel]

Thanks for the update, KidSquirrel! I'm glad that Cyrus is doing well. Please let us know how things are progressing with arranging an "adoption" for Cyrus and of course to let us know how the Little Guy is doing in general. As Mr SSG has surmised, most likely the antibiotic was Enrofloxacin ( this is a Veterinary medication in the fluoroquinolone family and a common brand name for this is Baytril). I'm not sure about the "vito" but it may have been as you say; an injection of one of B vitamins. Please tell Cyrus that I said Hello and I wish the very best for both of you!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

Cyrus says, "Hello! Thanks for helping me get the best care possible!" It's tough being a sweetheart. :3


I haven't reached out to the contact the vet gave us yet, but I will this weekend. Hopefully, she will be the right fit.

In a funny turn of events the contact my other friend had turned out to be the same person I last spoke with and did, in fact, also ask my friend for a donation. My friend said she only gave her $25, but that whole situation continues to rub me the wrong way. I also put together this was the same person that I had reached out to via social media and when I asked for advice instead of being helpful, like everyone in here, wrote back and told us not to touch him, not to give him fluids, and not to feed him because we would do it wrong. They took the time to write all that instead of being helpful like everyone in here and all the people that have taken their time to make YouTube videos to show people how to do it right, which is what we used to make sure we didn't do anything wrong to hurt him. Plus I already kind of knew that because my mom had rescued kittens and puppies when I was younger and always did it the way they would if they were nursing from their mothers. I didn't even realize it was the same person until I was double-checking that the contact we got from the vet wasn't any of the people I felt were being rude and gatekeepy about helping him survive. Turns out it was just one in the same person lol. There were some other things that I had flagged about looking at their social media that really do make me wonder what they are doing with the money because they seem very appearance-based. They also kept stressing to my friend that they "do it all by themselves without any help from the state" which is also what they said to me on the phone. To which I have to laugh because I assume EVERYONE that does this is doing it out of their own pocket without much or any help. I've noticed there are some people out here in LA who kind of use animal rescue as a way to schmooze with celebrities and that makes me uneasy. I didn't grow up here so my values are a bit different and I always side-eye organizations that are supposed to be altruistic that are very heavy on getting celebrities to be the face and focus of them. I get that it can help, but there are also lots of people doing this work that aren't famous.

Anyway, all that to say I am very grateful to all of you for being so welcoming, kind, and helpful about helping these little guys and girls. I think we also got really lucky he was pretty healthy to begin with which has made him a lot easier to care for. It must be really difficult and heartbreaking when they have injuries or more serious health complications.

[supersquirrelgirl]

Hi KidSquirrel,

Be aware there are ALL KINDS of people in the world so trust you gut. You will know when it feels right.

In California, the wildlife laws are quite strict. Keeping pet squirrel is illegal and having wildlife without a rehab license is bigger risk. Fox squirrels are not native here so even more issues. So what I'm saying is to be guarded for yourself and Cyrus as you search out. I don't want to scare you but you do need to be aware.

Mr.SSG

[Mel1959]

I’m going to send you a couple of possible resources in California in a private message.

Edit: pm sent

[Simmerpop]

Hi there!

i'm in silver lake with my own crew and been lucky enough to rehab a few babies. I think I know who they sent you to. I'll DM you some resources too. I also built a huge soft release cage and my babies are a bit older so if you have your own yard I can help get this to you for your baby when you're ready. Also my babies self weaned and I have an unopened bag of fox valley if you would want it!

Thanks for helping this little guy. I'm here as a local resource for whatever you need.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Cyrus says, "Hello! Thanks for helping me get the best care possible!" It's tough being a sweetheart. :3


I haven't reached out to the contact the vet gave us yet, but I will this weekend. Hopefully, she will be the right fit.

In a funny turn of events the contact my other friend had turned out to be the same person I last spoke with and did, in fact, also ask my friend for a donation. My friend said she only gave her $25, but that whole situation continues to rub me the wrong way. I also put together this was the same person that I had reached out to via social media and when I asked for advice instead of being helpful, like everyone in here, wrote back and told us not to touch him, not to give him fluids, and not to feed him because we would do it wrong. They took the time to write all that instead of being helpful like everyone in here and all the people that have taken their time to make YouTube videos to show people how to do it right, which is what we used to make sure we didn't do anything wrong to hurt him. Plus I already kind of knew that because my mom had rescued kittens and puppies when I was younger and always did it the way they would if they were nursing from their mothers. I didn't even realize it was the same person until I was double-checking that the contact we got from the vet wasn't any of the people I felt were being rude and gatekeepy about helping him survive. Turns out it was just one in the same person lol. There were some other things that I had flagged about looking at their social media that really do make me wonder what they are doing with the money because they seem very appearance-based. They also kept stressing to my friend that they "do it all by themselves without any help from the state" which is also what they said to me on the phone. To which I have to laugh because I assume EVERYONE that does this is doing it out of their own pocket without much or any help. I've noticed there are some people out here in LA who kind of use animal rescue as a way to schmooze with celebrities and that makes me uneasy. I didn't grow up here so my values are a bit different and I always side-eye organizations that are supposed to be altruistic that are very heavy on getting celebrities to be the face and focus of them. I get that it can help, but there are also lots of people doing this work that aren't famous.

Anyway, all that to say I am very grateful to all of you for being so welcoming, kind, and helpful about helping these little guys and girls. I think we also got really lucky he was pretty healthy to begin with which has made him a lot easier to care for. It must be really difficult and heartbreaking when they have injuries or more serious health complications.

Thank you for your kind comments about TSB and for your accurate commentary on Rehabbing. No State permits "professional" rehabbing and as you recognize, ALL legitimate Rehabbers "do it all by themselves without any help from the state." That being said, a Licensed Rehabber is permitted to have people help them with their rehabbing tasks and in fact, to become licensed, documented experience is a requirement in most States and working with a Licensed Rehabber is the type of experience that Licensing Authorities desire! Rehabbers are NOT paid for their services but as I mentioned, donations can be accepted and are greatly appreciated because while Rehabbing is truly an act of love and requires a considerable personal dedication of time and direct involvement in animal care; it is also quite costly as all supplies, foods, medicines and even Veterinary care for any animals requiring Vet care are the Rehabber's responsibility. Donations of these items and others along with financial donations are usually greatly appreciated. You original "rehabber" crossed the line by requiring a direct fee for service and I am glad that she did because it raised Red Flags of concern about this individual and the operation she is running!

As far as your comments about TSB itself; on behalf of everyone here; thanks! There are truly some wonderful, knowledgeable and experienced folk on TSB, all who are quite willing to help others with their Squirrel issues (and often other things as well)! All of us, even the most experienced of us, also continue to learn from the threads and posts made here on this Forum! Many of us, I am included are not licensed Rehabbers and while TSB is obviously NOT a secret society, it accepts us and values our input and protects us as best it can as we unlicensed individuals are operating under the "radar" and certainly want to continue to do so! I was interested in Rehabbing long before I ever directly cared for a Squirrel and I was one of the many anonymous users of TSB for a number of years before joining as a member.

Thank you again for your love and caring for Cyrus and for keeping us updated on how he (and you too!) is doing!

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[KidSquirrel]

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to drop by and say hello and I've read through your messages and thank you!
Haven't had much time this week to reply since I've been monitoring Cyrus more and he is up to 3-5 hours of playtime a day in between all my other day-to-day stuff. If I haven't responded it's because time flies by the end of the day, I'm passed out. Trying to relish as much time with him as I can right now, because I know we have to say goodbye soon and it's breaking my heart. Every day he proves to be even more sweet and affectionate with us and it feels so special. I had a few questions about as they grow is it normal that his skin seems a little loose in the chest area? We are trying to get him to drink water after play and feedings and just periodically throughout the day and sometimes he takes it and sometimes he shakes his head and runs away. I am making sure I change out his dishes of water every few hours so it's not stale and free from any debris. We noticed he's looking leaner than a week ago, but I don't know if that's because he's being a lot more active. Also, do any of your babies grab your hands and pull them close to their chest and head and just stay there? Cyrus has been doing that a lot to me lately. He will nestle his chin between my knuckles and just hold my hand tightly.

[supersquirrelgirl]

Hi KidSquirrel,

Glad things are going well with you and Cyrus. I wanted to make a comment on you saying "saying goodbye soon and its breaking my heart." I'm concerned for Cyrus as he gets more attached to you but the plan is to re-home him in less than a month. In my opinion and the fairness to Cyrus, I would like to suggest you expedite the re-home transfer so he doesn't feel a significant separation loss when you are not there. Cyrus will soon be a teenager with crazy hormones that might complicate his life. For his success, he needs ample time to bond to the new person as much as he did with you. I know this is not a popular thought and probably hurts to hear it, but consider it for the good of Cyrus. You and Hubby have done a great job for his rescue and his day-to-day loving care. Thank you! Not many people would take this on.

Mr.SSG