orphaned squirrel

Gotta love the neighborhood kids. Lol they know I'm the local animal guy so I was the first person they brought this little guy to.
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It was abandoned by its momma and they put it in an ice cream bucket and brought it to me. I'm currently searching wildlife sites to get info on how to care for it until I can get ahold of the local wildlife rescue answers their phone. Probably be Monday for that. Until then any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm guessing milk or some type of baby formula from a syringe, and a warm place to sleep...

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On it. He is in a bird cage with a heat rock on a thermostat. He's got a baby blanket and a water bottle also has already had a 6 cc syringe of baby formula. That's about all we have figured out so far.

I've raised just about everything on goats milk, mostly rats and rabbits. I'm sure it would work for squirrels. Go to a Petsmart and look in the small animal section, they have a kit with a little bottle and different nipples. You can get goats milk from most grocery stores. They have it in the refrigerated dairy sections and sometimes in cans on the shelf.

Keep him on a heating pad on low to keep warm.

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Puppy formula is what I raised mine on years as directed by a wildlife rehab Center.. Every couple hours. They usually sell tiny bottles or feeder syringes at the pet store. If not, I'm sure you can get some at the vet.

Be sure to rinse or wipe clean the anal area every day so it can go to the bathroom. Without a mother to clean and stimulate this area they can become constipated or blocked.

puppy milk replacer mixed with a little whipped cream is said to be good...first you need to make sure it is being hydrated or able to use the water feeder..

baby squirrel care--from a wildlife website

Orphans that have been without their mother will be suffering from chill and dehydration. They must be thoroughly warmed first, and then, although they are starving, they must be given warmed rehydration solution before any milk formula is offered. Their dehydrated little body is simply unable to digest food (i.e. the milk solids in formula) and if given formula or other food before they are rehydrated it can kill them, or cause debilitating diarrhea. Pedialyte is a rehydration solution made for human babies, and is available in drug stores – it often comes fruit flavoured, but if you can find the unflavoured kind that is best for wildlife babies. It should be heated to body temperature and offered frequently: every 30 minutes to babies that will take only a small amount, or every 2 hours to those that take a larger amount. Feed only Pedialyte for the first several feedings – as much as the baby wants until it is rehydrated and producing lots of light yellow urine when you stimulate it. Stimulate it at each feeding using light feathery strokes.



In an emergency, a homemade rehydration solution can be made by mixing: ½ teaspoon salt + ½ tablespoon of sugar + 2 cups of water – warm slightly to dissolve sugar and salt. Use this homemade solution only until you can get to a drug store. Pedialyte is a balanced electrolyte solution, much better for the baby. Once Pedialyte is open refrigerate between feedings, and discard any unused portion after 72 hours. It can be frozen in an ice cube tray and the cubes stored in the freezer for use within a couple of months.

Thanks! Almost the same info I read. I had him warming in a cage while I was looking up info. Got him to drink some water by dripping the water bottle on to his nose. Did the pinch skin test for dehydration. He seems good. Now he is sleeping in his blanket next to the heat rock. His body temp inside the blanket is 98.7 which from what I read is close enough that I'm not gonna try to adjust the temp on the thermostat.

This is why this forum is number 1 in my opinion! You people! Not a bp question but yet I got immediate feed back. You guys/gals are awesome! Thank you all very much! Now hopefully he makes it thru the weekend and our local wildlife preserve will have a home for him until he can be released.

Never raised a squirrel but we did raise three baby rabbits when i was younger. The info everyone's given seems to be all good so far!^

please keep us updated on this little guy/girl. Its so cute lol!

No problem I will certainly keep you all updated. He is for sure a boy no mistaking that lol.

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Feeding every 3 hours. 6 cc of baby formula and as much water as he wants after that. Can't get puppy formula until morning but I did grab a gallon of distilled water at the grocery store.

Aww, how cute! Good luck with him and don't forget to potty him after feeding! Most people loose them because they forget that step. Keep us posted!

Our vet rescues squirrels regularly. We had a baby red squirrel that fell out of a tree and was injured that we rescued and called him for advice.

Our vet was out of town but suggested we give it quiet, a nest of beach towels in a kitty carrier, dark and quiet. He also said he prefers kitten formula, so we kept our squirrel fed and warm for a few days until he was in town and could take over.

We used leather gloves cuz the squirrel had a tendency to defend itself, and thus we dubbed him 'Chompy'.

Last I heard chompy was on his way to a full recovery and would be released back into the wild.

Oh man! HE IS FREAKIN ADORABLE!

I've rehabbed several squirrels as a sub-permittee. Stop the water immediately and follow the instructions of this web site, until you can get the baby to a licensed wildlife rehabber. This site does exactly what we do when baby squirrels come in. http://www.squirreltales.org/

Good luck!

That's the exact site I have been using and when I said we are giving it water it is the homemade rehydration mix on there but we are using distilled water to make it

Oh my gosh it's soo cute! Sorry I'm no help, I don't have a clue how to care for it!

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Originally Posted by H.o.F.R

That's the exact site I have been using and when I said we are giving it water it is the homemade rehydration mix on there but we are using distilled water to make it

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Oh good! That's perfect then. We've lost baby squirrels in the past from well meaning people giving them water and not re-hydrating them properly, so I was worried. Sounds like you're on the right track then!

Another suggestion is to keep a close watch on how it smells. If it starts smelling really funky, it may have an infection and need antibiotics. It's hard to explain the smell, but you'll know it when you smell it. It's a very sickly smell. That's helpful, isn't it? :rofl:

Hope all goes well! :)

That's so amazing !!! That's one great story to tell :)


M

Our wildlife rehab lady uses esbilac puppy formula, she's raised numerous squirrels and even has a special cage for bigger ones built onto a pine tree. She's also the only person I know that can raise wild rabbit babies back to strength and set them free. It's almost impossible to keep them alive.

So made a trip to the pet store and got him puppy formula this morning. He seems to prefer it over the baby formula. He is fully hydrated. And everything I've read says he is about 5 to 6 weeks old and should start on small amounts of various fruits. He loves his grapes! He is sooo cute the wife wants to keep him but tomorrow afternoon he is going to the proper home so he can be released back into the wild once he is able. Until then I will keep you all updated.
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Btw he only gets a quarter of a grape with each feeding once he pushes away from the feeding syring. And I was worried because I had only gotten him to pooh once since we took him in. No worries about that tho. 20 minutes after his last meal he left me a trail of droppings all over the wifes new sofa. Lol

He is soooo cute! Giving him up tomorrow is gonna be hard. He just had his 11 pm feeding and the wife is counting down how many more she has left with him. :(

Good job on saving the little guy. I know baby squirrels are cute, but they grow into some ferocious little beasts...

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Lmao I've been telling her that for the last 2 days. I told her we could keep it if I could eat it when it grew up because they are tasty. Thought I was gonna sleep on the porch for that one. Lol

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Originally Posted by Vypyrz

Good job on saving the little guy. I know baby squirrels are cute, but they grow into some ferocious little beasts...

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This is absolutely correct.. The baby I'd raised was pink and naked when I found it on the ground. It looked like a rat. Even raising it from so young it still could not have been a pet. They get crazy when they mature. They will tear up everything. Including you. They have to be released once they can forage for theirselves.

With mine I just made sure it had easy access to a tray of different things on my porch under a tree. Corn, seeds, fruits, nuts, etc.. After awhile they wont come around as much but will generally stay nearby and take food from your hand if you continue to feed it.

Trying to keep an adult in a cage though?? Not a good idea. Get her a sugar glider if she wants a pet squirrel. They bond strongly with their owner when gotten as babies and handled, and will cling to you all the time.

The ones the lady I work with brings in will always be nice to get when she goes to feed them, but when I'd get near the carrier they would scream and bike the metal door trying to attack me! Haha

My neighbors cat killed momma and 3 little babies got stranded on the ground when I was younger. I made them a nest in a tissue box and fed them cat formula out of a syringe, then began offering various fruits and seeds. My story was a success and it sounds like yours will be as well.

Congrats on a wonderfully fulfilling experience :)

Thanks to eveyone for the helpful info and the support! He is in a wildlife facility 20 minutes from use and the wife has permission to visit him. Also she made arrangements for him to be released back in our neighborhood when he is ready. So maybe ill revisit this thread in the spring and post an update and pics of him being released.
God Bless

How did I miss this? Looks like you have gotten all the info you need. Good job with the little guy!

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