Squirrel Formula
Squirrel Formula is a very simple and inexpensive recipe. Baby squirrels require a formula very rich in milk fat. Many people get confused about what to feed a baby squirrel when they hear that only certain types of commercial formulas are safe for a baby squirrel to eat. Commercial formulas are very expensive and do contain things that squirrels should not eat. The fact that companies that manufacture formula for baby animals, donate millions of dollars each year to State Animal Rehabilitation Organizations, should tell you all you need to know about why most animal rehabilitators will tell you to only feed Commercial formulas to baby squirrels. I'm not out to pick a fight with anyone over what to feed a squirrel, but it has been my experience that the squirrel formula I make and feed my baby squirrels, works far superior to any store bought formula.
How To Make Squirrel Formula
A Recipe For Formula To Feed A Baby Squirrel:
Take one cup of Whole Cow's Milk
Add 3 Tablespoons of Heavy Whipping Cream.
Place it in a sauce pan and heat it until it starts to foam up and boil.
Stir it constantly during the heating!
Remove it from the heat immediately when it starts to boil.
Allow it to cool to luke warm.
Add 200 mg of Vitamin E. It's best to use liquid drops, available at most Drug Stores.
Place it in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake it vigorously.
Keep it in the refrigerator and shake it before each use.
How Much to Feed A Baby Squirrel
Between the ages of birth to 5 weeks of age, ( when baby squirrels open their eyes,) a good "rule of thumb" is to feed 1 to 2cc for every week old. When squirrels are this young, it's easy to tell when their stomach is full because their abdomen is so translucent, you can see the milk in their stomach through their skin.
To help determine age of your baby squirrel click
HERE
After 5 weeks old and their eyes are open, and they start to move around and become more active, I feed my squirrels until they refuse to take any more. The reason I do this is because from 5 weeks on is when they enter the phase of rapid growth and fur development. All this growing, development and increasing activity takes a tremendous amount of energy. The more milk fat and protein they have, the better quality of tissue and hair they produce! An adult squirrel can eat it's own weight in food every week and not gain a ounce! That is one heck of a metabolism!
How To Feed A Baby Squirrel
Feeding a baby squirrel requires the development of a "feel' for doing it. Every baby squirrel has its own personality and little quirks about feeding. Some take it faster than others. If you have a new, loose syringe it is easy to push the formula too fast and cause the baby squirrel to choke. Go too slow, and some babies will pull off thinking there is no more milk coming and they will seek a new source. As I said before, you just have to develope a "feel" for doing it!
Position for Feeding A Baby Squirrel.
Hold the baby in an upright position and give the formula through an eye dropper or a child's medication syringe. Only use an eye dropper for newborns! Use of a nipple is optional. Some people feel more comfortable using a nipple, but you're going to have to eventually get used to feeding without because once the teeth start to emerge, that nipple is going to be history. Squirrels are rodents and have an inborn nature to gnaw. A nipple is their first teething object and they'll rip it to shreds. Even the plastic syringe tips fall victim to a teething squirrel, but at least it is a little harder and you'll feel it when they start doing it and you can back it out of their mouth.
How Often Do You Feed A Baby Squirrel? We feed our baby squirrels every 3 hours while we are awake. We usually begin around 8 AM, so feedings are at 8, 11, 2, 5, 8, and 11 PM. After the 11 PM feeding, we bed them down in a big warm rice bag nest with soft fleece under and over them. They sleep well through the night, (as do my wife and I,) and they are hungry and ready for their 8 AM feeding. There is no need to get up throught the night for feedings, the babys do just fine with the six feedings throught the day!
What To Do If A Baby Squirrel Chokes
The first sign of choking is milk coming our of a baby squirrel's nose, followed by repeated sneezing. All you can do at this point is support the clearing of it's airway.
Remove the syringe immediately and place the baby squirrel's head lower than it's body. I usually keep a soft piece of cloth around the baby squirrel while feeding to keep it warm. I'll also use this cloth to gently wipe the formula off their nose as they sneeze it out. When the sneezing stops, you can resume feeding.
If the plastic syringes become very stiff and hard to push get some liquid glycerine at the drug store to use as a lubricant to make the plunger operate smoothly.
Many times a baby squirrel will start doing, what I call, "Wha-Whaaing." This is a behavior that is trance-like, where they sit there and keep opening their mouth in a big "O" shape and are not really sucking. I've heard some describe it as them becoming hypnotized by the repetition of sucking. Some squirrels do it more than others because they all have their own unique personalities. Sometimes blowing in their face will get them to stop, but it is just one of those quirks of feeding squirrels. Do not push formula while they are doing this because they are not effectively swallowing!
As they get older, they get better at sucking and swallowing. Just be very cautious and you'll soon get the hang of it!
The Job Is Not Done Until You Stimulate The Infant
Up until the age of 6 to 8 weeks, a baby Squirrel is not able to urinate or move it's bowels on its own. The mother squirrel will lick their genitals after nursing to stimulate a bowel movement and the emptying of the bladder. If you do not help the baby do this, you will have one miserable screeching baby within a few days!
To accomplish this, I use a small cotton ball dipped in warm water to stimulate the anal area of female squirrels until they have a bowel movement and pass urine. On male squirrels, the anus is separated from the penis by about 3/4 of an inch. Both areas must be stimulated separately to accomplish the same goal.
Once this is done, they are ready to be bedded down to sleep until the next feeding.
If you have any specific questions regarding feeding, you can always reach me at SquirrelNutrition@Yahoo.com