I found a Baby Squirrel?? It has a nose bleed?

t was knocked out of its tree by Hurricane Ike. Luckily it survived. My parents gave it fat free milk earlier, but after our power came back on we discovered that was the wrong thing to do according to the internet. He seemed fine though, he became more active after having been fed. I then made him an inncubator of sorts by placing a heating pad on low, under a towel in side of a box. His body temp. raised and I became optimistic. I then tried to re-hydrate him with a reccomended salt-sugar-water solution he took some and when his nose bubbled I held him upside down for ten seconds (as reccomended). I am scared now because he is not taking liquids, not moving much and his little nose is bleeding. Any help???I found a Baby Squirrel?? It has a nose bleed?
Hi,





I am a licensed rehabilitator in NC. First, it is illegal in all states to hold wildlife without proper rehabilitation permits. I would suggest you find a licensed rehabber that is trained to treat squirrels. The ';salt-sugar'; thing is old school from a time when little was known about wildlife....really quite barbaric with the info we now have....unfortunately some of that misinformation is still out there. The proper way to rehydrate any animal is either sub-q or IV. If that isn't possible, unflavored Pedialyte is an excellent choice for oral hydration. You will need a small nipple with a catheter in most cases. I do not use bottles when feeding neonates. The best formula you can use that is easily purchased is Esbilac Puppy Powder....it is much closer to mom's milk than Goat's Milk or Kitten Milk Replacer (the pupply powder contains approx. 33% fat and 40% protein if I remember correctly). Start out with a diluted formula and take several days to get to full mix...hydration before nutrition. Depending on the age/weight, it might require feedings as often as every 2 hours. Should be fed approx. 5% of it's body weight per feeding. Formula should be warm to the touch. Feed slowly in an upright position. It is critical that squirrels (and opossums too) receive proper nutrition prior to weaning to prevent a potentially fatal bone condition known as Metabolic Bone Disease. I feed the formula mentioned above until just after their eyes open....then gradually switch to a different formula of fat/protein content. First solids are basic Cheerios followed by rodent block. And then hard shelled nuts that I have cracked for them. The commercially available ';Squirrel Food'; is just junk and will cause them to have major health issues.





A word of caution....a squirrel with a nose bleed has many times suffered a life threatening injury. That bloody nose often means a fractured jaw. A squirrel has ';open rooted'; teeth which means they will always be growing. They have to ';line up'; properly, called occlusion. in order to wear down properly. If the teeth become misaligned due to injury to the jaw (malocclusion)...the teeth will overgrow and the animal will not be able to eat. It is possible to trim the teeth while they are small but is quite a challenge as they age. It's unfortunate, but the best thing that can be done in many cases is humanely euthanize (and I hate doing this) the animal as it can never be released if it's teeth are maloccluded. It will starve. The only option is to extract the incisors....which is risky and expensive. Then you still have an animal that it's illegal to possess.





Props to you for helping this little fellow....keep up the good work by getting him to a licensed and trained wildlife rehabilitator.I found a Baby Squirrel?? It has a nose bleed?
that's so kind of you. is there any vet that you can take it to? try looking up more stuff online. It can also be hurt bad, so you yeah.
http://www.squirrelworld.com/firstassess鈥?/a>





read this website, it will take you through step by step





The bubbling in the nose means you are feeding it too fast.


I wouldnt feed it a salt sugar mix, I would get some pedialyte or some puppy formula: Just Born庐 for Puppies and ZooLogic Milk Matrix 33/40( PetAg庐 )
unfortunately with these guys, since they are at the bottom of the food chain (aka prey) they mask any serious injuries to avoid predation. if he's only now showing signs of possible internal injuries, its already too late for him. I would contact your local wildlife rehabber as most vets wouldn't touch a wild caught squirrel, injured, baby or otherwise. They are host for a plethora of parasites and viruses, so be sure to either throw away or disinfect anything that has come in contact with the little guy.
i would take it to the vet if you can!
Oh, this is right up my alley. I've raised tons of squirrels. Ok, here's what you need to know/do.





1. You're doing good by keeping him warm. I suggest getting an old sock and filling it with rice, then heating it up in the microwave oven. Cold kills little skirs quicker than anything else. Always keep him warm.





2. How old is it? How developed is he? Does he have a lot of fur? Is it a thin or thick coat? Are his eyes/ears open? How fluffed is his tail?





3. When trying to hydrate I would NOT use salt in the mixture. Salt water = bad, even if you're trying to get nutrients into him. It'll just dry him out more.





4. You say he's not taking any liquids now? Well, here's the thing. He might have to go to the bathroom. Young squirrels can't go on their own, and they depend on their mothers to lick them along there backs and in ....that.... general area. This induces bowel movement. Run some warm water in the sink and hold his hind legs under the stream for a little bit. You might want to rub his belly with your thumb. After that, immediately wrap him in a towel and dry him. Put him back on that rice sack. Now get something to feed him with. Sometimes bottles just don't work, so you might need to just pull out the syringe. For now, just give him some warm water. Give it to him slowly, because if he takes it in too fast, it'll bubble out the nose, and you know how that goes...





Next chance you get, go to a vet or co-op or freaking wal-mart and get some kitten formula. Yes, kitten formula. The liquid form is the best. Powder is too hard to mix properly...





Anyways. After that, you'll want to get a coffee cup. Fill the cup halfway with water and heat it in the mic. Then set the bottle/syringe in the water and let it warm up. DON'T mic the milk itself. Test the heat on your wrist and feed that sucker every two hours. Don't forget bathroom detail.





Just a fair warning. Squirrels are tough little buggers, but if they take a hard hit, sometimes nothing you do can help. Internal injuries are always a possibility, so be prepared.





Good luck.