Step 1
Find a container, bedding, and a heating pad. You must slowly warm the baby before offering fluids or formula.You can begin warming the baby in your hands or against your body. Or you can make a “Rice Buddy.” Fill a sock with 1 cup of dry uncooked rice or beans and microwave for 30 seconds. Squish the sock to ensure there are no “hot spots.” Place next to baby and cover him; reheat every 2 hours. NOTE: This won’t keep the baby warm all night. You must use a no-auto-shutoff heating pad. Use the exact setup pictured below. Do not change anything! If you use a cardboard box it will dehydrate the baby. Towels or terrycloth will catch his nails and injure him. He will chill and die without a heating pad. If you place the heating pad under the whole container, or inside the container, it will cook him. Heat lamps will dehydrate him. Reptile warmers don’t get warm enough. Place baby on the bedding and cover him with one flap. Once the baby is warm, go to Step 2.
HOUSING SET UP IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS FILE
Step 2. Rehydrate the Baby
Most babies are dehydrated when you find them and must be rehydrated before feeding them. How to Check for Dehydration: Pinch the skin on the back of his neck. If it doesn’t spring back immediately, the baby is dehydrated. If the pinched skin stays up like a tent for more than a second, the baby is badly dehydrated. Other signs of dehydration: lack of appetite, lethargy, pale gums, spiky fur, dry skin, looks thin and wrinkly. NOTE: These tests are not reliable in very young babies; assume every baby is dehydrated when you first find them.
Homemade Rehydration Fluid
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar or apple juice
- 2 cups warm water
- Store in refrigerator. Discard after 24 hours.
Note: If the baby refuses fluids, try leaving out the salt.Syringes: Use a plastic 1 cc (1 ml) syringe, with or without a nipple. An eyedropper works in a pinch. Never use pet nursers, doll bottles, cheap disposable syringes, or syringes larger than 3 cc. Quality syringes cost less than 40 cents each and will save the baby’s life. How to Heat the Fluid: Fill a coffee mug with hot water. Fill the syringe with the fluid and place it in the mug for a couple of minutes. Squirt a drop on the inside of your wrist. It should feel very warm but not hot on your skin. You can also mix formula in a small glass container and place it inside a bowl of hot water. Proper Position: Hold the baby upright in your hand. A baby that can walk can also drink sitting up or lying on his stomach. Don’t let the baby get cold. Keep him wrapped up while he eats.Feeding Technique: Place the syringe tip on the baby’s lips (from the side) and squeeze out one drop for him to taste. Don’t squirt a steady stream. Let him swallow one drop before squeezing more. GO SLOW! It sometimes takes a feeding or two for them to catch on. Newborn babies are fed drop by drop. With older babies (once they catch on) you can squeeze slowly for one second, wait for him to swallow, then squeeze again. If fluids dribble out his mouth or nose, you’re going too fast. Stop and tilt the baby’s head down so the fluid drains out (support his head and neck). Then wipe his nose and mouth with a tissue. Start over, slower. The baby is now at risk for aspiration pneumonia, which is fatal. Contact a rehabber, vet, or The Squirrel Board for assistance. Step 3. Formula Feeding. If you don’t have the correct formula on hand and must wait for it to be shipped, you have two choices for a temporary formula for any age baby:
1. Homemade Goat Milk Formula (GMF)*:
3 parts goat milk, 1 part plain yogurt, 1 part heavy cream. Leave out the cream for the first few feedings and then add it in gradually. If diarrhea occurs, reduce or eliminate the cream for a few feedings.2. Esbilac puppy milk (powder not liquid). MUST say “with probiotics and prebiotics” on the label. Dilute 3 parts water to 1 part powder for the first few feedings and then slowly increase the powder until you’re mixing it full strength according to label directions. You can buy goats milk at health food stores, grocery stores, and some Walmarts. You can find Esbilac at pet stores and Walmart.*Do not use homemade GMF for more than 2 weeks, as it is not fortified with vitamins, minerals and protein. Formula Options Different rehabbers use different formulas and combinations with success. Generally, hairless babies do well on homemade GMF or Esbilac. Options for 2-5 weeks include Esbilac and Fox Valley 32/40. We recommend all babies be switched to Fox Valley 20/50 by 5 weeks old, as it provides optimal growth and nutrition for older babies. Babies younger than 4 weeks can have problems tolerating any formula. If the formula you are using is causing diarrhea, bloat, or severe constipation that is not due to overfeeding or dehydration (which can cause constipation), immediately switch to one of the other choices. Note: All formula transitions should be made gradually, over at least 4 feedings, except in the case of severe diarrhea/constipation. In that case, switch immediately to homemade GMF. Formula intolerance is a quick killer Be alert for bloating, diarrhea or constipation, and take immediate action. Then go to The Squirrel Board for help. The baby’s life depends on it.
5-7% Feeding Rule:
You can figure the amount to feed using the 5-7% feeding rule. Weigh the baby on a gram scale; multiply that number by 5%; and that will be the number of cc’s (or ml’s) to feed per feeding. You can go up to 7% (weight in grams x .07) for most babies after a few feedings. Do not overfeed! Babies will overeat if you let them and get diarrhea, which can be fatal. Weigh the baby every day at the same time to determine if they are gaining or losing weight.
Potty Time
Babies less than 5 weeks old will need to be stimulated to poop and pee. Use a warm, wet cotton ball, Q-tip, the corner of a Kleenex, or your finger, and flick lightly across the genital area. You are simulating the mother squirrel’s tongue. Some babies may need stimulation before and after feeding. A few may eat better if you potty them in the middle of a feeding. PROPER SET UP & FEEDING POSITION
NOTE: Call a wildlife rescue right away. It is illegal to house native wildlife for more than 24 hrs. HOUSING SET UP
HOW TO FEED BABY SQUIRREL
https://henryspets.com/3-how-to-feed-a-baby-squirrel/
PROPER FEEDING POSITION – SYRINGE POINTING UPWARDS !
BABY SQUIRREL FEEDING SCHEDULE
