baby squirrels

[Cindiloohoo]

I raised one last year. They open their eyes around 4 weeks. Puppy replacement is better for them than kitten replacer due to nutritional needs. These look to be around 2-3 weeks...hard to tell from the small pic. You're gonna be in for a big suprise in about 3-4 more weeks when these little buggers get active! Good luck with controlling FOUR we had a time with just our ONE, and he still taunts me out in the yard

 

[Chickygirl55]

They are cute from what i can tell. Look kinda like baby bunnies. lol thats hilarious lol cindylouhou wish i could get the ones around her to come in our yard more, I keep forgetting to put out more ears of corn lol.

 

[Whiskey Bay]

I've worked as a squirrel rehabber since around 1998 for WRANPS in South MS. Squirrels should be fed puppy replacer(we use Esbilac).HOWEVER,if you have already started with a kitten replacer,DO NOT CHANGE!..Their eyes generally begin to open around 3-4 weeks of age.They should be kept at a good constant heat source(the bator is good.just be sure there is good ventilation.) Be sure not to over feed themThis can cause problems. Watch for any signs of milk aspirating from the nose.This is not a good sign.It shows that milk is going into the lungs and can cause aspiration pneumonia. Lots of times babies can seem to go rather 'catatonic' while nursing,stop the nursing until the baby has regained his senses. once the feeding is done be sure to help the baby eliminate himself.Simply wipe it with a warm cloth until it urinates/deficates. Watch for diarrhea always bad in any species.Do not use towels for bedding.Use old T shirts or something similar.Towels can cause the babies to get their toes caught and cut of circulation.Usually the babies begin to fluff out around 3 weeks the incisors start to protrude around 3-4 weeks and the tail becomes bushy around 4-5 weeks. Once the eyes open,you can begin to offer solids.try bread,cheerios,or rodent chow if you can find it soaked in the milk. You can also offer some fruits.Avoid things with lots of acid(such as grapes) as it will upset their stomachs and cause bowel issues.Around 5-6 weeks they will need a larger cage with branches and stuff to climb and gnaw on. You can start giving them a variety of nuts(not just peanuts) and be sure they are fresh,not cooked/salted.Be sure they have a good variety of natural foods.Rodent block,monkey chow,Zupreem biscuits,cheerios,fruits and nuts.( Flying squirrels in the wild have a diet mainly consisting of bugs and stuff.So for flyers you would also need to be sure to have thm some crickets,etc as they require extra protien) By 6-7 weeks they are usually fully weaned,by 8 weeks should definately be.Be sure they have good sources of calcium also,as squirrels tend to have issues with MBD (meatbolic bone disease) which is a calcium deficiency.Once they have good teeth start giving them whole nuts to crack themselves.It promotes their natural learning and provides the neccesary hard surfaces to keep their teeth filed down.Their incisors grow continuosly so their natural instinct is to gnaw to keep them filed down.

 

[rebel yell]

thanks whiskey bay that was very helpfull, did you ever keep one as a pet ?

 

[Whiskey Bay]

Quote:
I kept my very first one,Jewel.I could handle her,but no one else.She ate my hubby up one day when he was giving her her peanut.She used to do tricks for him for peanuts.Then one day she just out and attacked him.I never really wanted to keep another one.The just have so many nutritional needs that just aren't duplicated. I've raised probably near a thousand or so over the years,but haven't done but a few since Katrina.She wiped out the squirrel population in less than 8 hours. Along with many other animals. We still have only a single lonely fella out here.
If you need any help,just PM me or something.

 

[TigerLilly]

My mom has the uncanny ability to find baby squirrels in her yard...lots of nests in the trees & they have been know to fall out due to high winds. Not sure what she feeds them (I dont have a big interest in them, other than watching them in the yard), but I'm going to have to get this info to her. She has only been able to raise them up to the first spring after they are born and they go nuts--hormones? Doesnt help that most of them have been males. She has an area that she keeps them, raises them and then works with them to acclimate them into the wild. I think it's neat.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Quote:
I kept my very first one,Jewel.I could handle her,but no one else.She ate my hubby up one day when he was giving her her peanut.She used to do tricks for him for peanuts.Then one day she just out and attacked him.I never really wanted to keep another one.The just have so many nutritional needs that just aren't duplicated. I've raised probably near a thousand or so over the years,but haven't done but a few since Katrina.She wiped out the squirrel population in less than 8 hours. Along with many other animals. We still have only a single lonely fella out here.
If you need any help,just PM me or something.

I don't know if Katrina wiped them out or gave them free airfare to TN...seems like our population of the little tree rats has tripled in the last few years!

Let me know if you want me to ship you a half billion of the ones here so they gave aggravate you folks down there instead of me

 

[rebel yell]

Thanks everyone yall have been a great help, whiskey bay, thanks for all your know how, & sheering it with us, Ill get pictures as they get bigger.

 

[yotetrapper]

I raised one. And I lost it at a year and a half to MBD. MBD is caused from, as whiskey said, a lack of calcium, but also from a lack of vitamin D3. If you can get your squirrel used to being transported in a cage, or on a ferret harness, sunshine is good for them. Also, you should limit the amount of nuts they eat, considering them a treat, and not "food". Rodent blocks are best if your squirrel will eat them.....mine never would. So I substituted leafy greens (mine loved leaf lettuce) and fruits and veggies. I supplemented the water with vitamin D3 and calcium supplements. But, sometimes I would lapse my strict diet regimen, and I'm convinced too many nuts and not enough "good food" is what lead to the death of mine.

Also be aware in many states it is illegal to keep them, and in most others, you at least need a permit from the dnr. However, don't tell them you "found" a squirrel, just apply for the permit. If the CO shows up, tell them you bought your squirrel from a breeder.

Check out this site....

http://www.thesquirrelboard.com/forums/index.php

 

[chickenzoo]

I raised one, Rocky, that the cat brought me as a baby. i thought it was a hairless baby rat.... nope, it was a squirrel. I gave it an antibiotic as it had teeth scratches on it from where she carried it to me. I fed him puppy milk, and raised him up to one hairly , quick ball of fuzz. he liked sleeping in a fuzzy hanging snuggly thing for rodents etc... When older I fed him nuts, rat biscuits, veggies, seeds, pine cones, etc.... As he got older I gave him to a friend that has a huge out door avairy to keep him safe. He was not afraid of cats and I was scared he would fall victim to one if i turned him loose by himself around here. He had gotten out of his cage here twice and would be gone for a day, but then come running across the yard as soon as he saw me and climb on my shoulder.

Hubbys foot or the feather on his nose................. not sure which caused the face.....