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Body Temperature Very important to keep the baby warm. This means an outside source of heat. Putting the baby in a cardboard box with just a towel is a sure way to kill the baby. If the body temperature drops and is low for any period of time, the organs start to shut down, then death. Ideal temperature for source of heat is 98.5 degrees. Allow for the baby to cuddle up to heat source, giving room to back off if he/she gets too hot. |
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Dehydration- Use a 1c.c. syringe (without the needle) by mouth. To rehydrate, use Pedialyte® or if nothing else Gatorade®. Warm a small amount to luke-warm temperature. The amount per feeding will vary according to age of baby. A good starting point is 1/10th of a 1c.c. per week of age every hour for 12 hours. 12 hours is usually long enough to rehydrate the baby squirrel. This also allows the baby to get used to the syringe and if he/she aspirates anything into the lungs, it will be absorbed with less chance of developing pnumonia. Go very slowly until he/she gets used to the taste and the syringe. If you have stuff bubble out the nose or he/she snorts through the nose, you are going too fast or the baby is having problems swallowing. Take your time. |
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Broken Bones and Severe Cuts- These things should be looked at by a veterinarian ( one preferrably familar with wildlife). Bones will heal very quickly ( 1 week or so ). |
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Cat Caught or Involved- Any time a cat is involved, even so much as breathing on the baby, you need to put the baby on antibiotics. The reason is cats carry a bacteria that kills squirrels very fast. The antibiotic that usually works best is Septra®. Septra® will work on almost any infection with baby squirrels. The recommended dose is .02 of 1c.c. per ounce of body weight twice a day for 7 days. |
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Bloody Nose- Gently swab the nose with warm damp wash cloth until you soften and clean the blood out of the nasal passage. This is necessary because sometimes the blood clogs the nasal passage and the baby can not breathe properly. |
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