Today's the day! I got my first squirrels from the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley to raise at home until they're ready to be released back to the wild.
I had signed up for the squirrel home care program when I first began volunteering at the WCSV. But by the time I had completed my initial training and put in the required hours at the center, all the squirrels that had come in had already been assigned to other volunteers. But one of the things I've learned since working there is that squirrels have two breeding seasons during the year, so the center started getting new babies earlier this month.
Because I'm a first-timer in the program, I had to wait until the squirrels were at least a few weeks old, because the really tiny ones (called “pinkies” because they have no fur for a couple of weeks) are the most vulnerable, so being tended to by more experienced volunteers increases their chance of survival.
But my time has come! I'm planning to chronicle my adventures in squirreldom on a daily basis, so my readers can learn about this fascinating process while I'm doing the same. So here's what's been happening on Day 1.
I picked up two different groups today—one had 2 squirrels, the other had 3. They're all around 3-4 weeks old, based on their weight. They have a little bit of fur on them, and their ears are no longer stuck to their heads, but their eyes are still closed. They should open in the next week or two.
I'm very excited about my new charges, but pretty nervous as well. Everyone tells me that's normal. I got them all home around 2:30 this afternoon, and since then have done one feeding. They didn't take much, but I think it's a combination of stress and the heat. They seem pretty frisky, so it doesn't seem like they're suffering any ill health from undereating.
At this age, they get fed 6 times a day, every 3 hours. Because they're not eating much, I'm using Pedialyte with a little Gatorade mixed in for flavour. That keeps them hydrated and provides the necessary electrolytes, but it's easier on their systems than formula, which I'll try again for their last feeding of the day. We use 3cc syringes with a rubber nipple attached for them to latch onto. After I've fed them, while their eyes are still closed, I also have to stimulate their genitals to get them to eliminate waste. (In the wild, their mothers would lick them.) Once their eyes open, they'll be able to do it on their own.
Right now, because they're not very active, I have all five in a cat carrier lined with t-shirts that they can burrow inside. (We can't use towels, because their claws can get caught in the threads.) The carrier sits on a table, with half of it on top of a heating pad on low setting, so they can warm up or cool off when they want. When their eyes open, I'll be moving them to a cage, because they'll become more active and want to climb then.
8:15 p.m.: I just finished another feeding. All but one took some of the Pedialyte but, again, they're all very frisky, so they're clearly not lacking for energy. It's frustrating, though. I feel like those mothers that have trouble breastfeeding right after they give birth because their babies won't latch on. :) I had to mark a couple of their ears with different coloured highlighters so I can tell them apart. Unfortunately, I don't have a mama squirrel's keen sense of smell!
One more feeding to go today. Next time will be formula. I hope they all take at least some in; otherwise, I don't expect I'll be getting a lot of sleep tonight...
11:15 p.m.: Well, I just gave them their last feeding of the day and it was still pretty minimal, except for one of the guys who at least gave it the old college try. I think tomorrow morning will really tell the tale, since they'll have gone all night without anything. Hopefully they'll be more enthusiastic eaters then. Keep your fingers crossed.
7:30 a.m.: Okay, well, as expected I woke up in the middle of the night to check on the squirrels. Fortunately they were all fine (although I'm not sure how peeved they were at me for waking them up from a nice long snooze). And they all took a decent amount of formula this morning, so I'm feeling a lot better. Now for my own breakfast!
10:15 a.m.: Things definitely seem to be going smoother. It takes each of them a couple of minutes to calm down, but once they do, they seem to settle in and become more relaxed for their feeding. The most stressful part now is listening to one of my cats scratching on the door, wondering why she can't come in!
1:30 p.m.: Third feeding, no problems.
4:30 p.m.: The squirrels didn't take in quite as much during this feeding. I suspect it's because they've taken in a good amount already today combined with it being a hot day. I picked up a digital scale today to weigh them (I'm sure the good people at Sur La Table would have been surprised if I'd told them what I was using it for!). Most of them have gained a little weight since yesterday, so that's good. One lost a little, but since they ate almost nothing yesterday, I'm not going to worry about it for the moment.
8:00 p.m.: The 6:30 feeding went well. One of the females had looked a little dehydrated earlier, so I gave her some Pedialyte between feedings, and it definitely seems to have done the trick.
This next section is not for the squeamish (no blood involved), so feel free to skip ahead. Occasionally, some squirrels decide to suck on each other when there's no mother around. So one poor little guy's penis was a little raw and had a scab at the tip, which meant he couldn't pee. And I could see the urine had built up like a little balloon ready to burst. But I checked my manual and called my squirrel coordinator to reconfirm and, fortunately, was able to solve the problem. It involved warm compresses to remove the scab, which allowed him to urinate, and a little Neosporin to prevent infection. And I've put a couple of pieces of apple in their carrier, which hopefully they'll choose to suck on instead.
But other than that, the day is going well. One more feeding to go, and then I think I'll sleep much more soundly tonight.
8:00 a.m.: I'm starting to have a lot more appreciation for new mothers! If I'm this tired after only two days with my charges... Of course, (most) mothers don't have 5 babies under their care at the same time. Today's first feeding was a bit mixed. A couple of the squirrels seem a bit dehydrated (skin is wrinkling on one, another one hasn't eliminated anything in over a day), so I'll be giving them Pedialyte for the next couple of feedings. Most of them ate a little less than yesterday at this time, but not enough to worry about.
One of the biggest risks for these guys is that they take in too much formula at once and aspirate it (get it into their lungs). This can lead to pneumonia, so it is very serious. The sign that they've done this is that it comes bubbling out through their nose. This happened to one of my guys this morning, but I immediately cleaned out his nose and mouth, so he should be fine. Although we do our best to avoid the situation by controlling how much they take in, it's not that uncommon for it to happen, so that's why I'm not panicking (yet). I'll be keeping a close eye on him though for the rest of the day.
1:45 p.m.: I had to go to the wildlife center today to pick up some extra supplies. I got some new syringes, because one of mine broke this morning and it's a good idea to have some extras on hand. Boy, am I'm glad I did. The ones I'd been using were quite sticky, making it harder to push the formula through them (to the point I was getting close to developing blisters from it!). Having to push that hard also increases the risk you'll push too much out and cause the squirrel to aspirate. Anyway, one of the syringes I got today is so much easier to push. In fact, the squirrels' sucking is almost enough to draw the plunger down. This makes the intake much smoother and also speeds up the process, which reduces stress on the animal. So the last feeding went so much easier. I also reduced the formula concentration because the squirrels haven't eliminated much waste in the last few feedings, so they may be having a little trouble digesting the more concentrated mix. But overall, they seem happy and comfortable.
8:15 p.m.: Whew! Finally have a chance to catch my breath. Big development—one of my guys opened his left eye today. They all ate a lot more than they had been during the last few feedings as well—double in some cases. And it turns out that even though some of them hadn't peed or pooped for several feedings while I was stimulating them, it turns out they were actually going after all. I discovered this when I changed their bedding this afternoon. :)
I also added a 6th squirrel to the set this afternoon. It's probably just temporary. He came in to the center as a single, and they don't do very well on their own. It's also best to put them with others around the same size, so I was the best candidate. But August will probably be very busy (6 more pinkies came in today), so when some more arrive over the next few days, they'll probably put this guy with them to create a new set for another volunteer.
And in case you're wondering what my little family looks like, I was finally able to take a few photos today, so here's a first look:
7:20 a.m.: Not a good start to the day today. The little guy I took in last night didn't make it through the night. I had checked in on him again just before I went to bed last night and he seemed fine, so I'm not sure what happened. He had some scratch marks on his stomach and one on his back, so maybe he developed an infection. Or maybe he just wasn't quite strong enough to make it.
If I seem a little cold in reporting this sad news, unfortunately it's a defense mechanism you need to develop if you're going to get involved in wildlife rehabilitation. I think the time I've spent at the center itself has helped in that way. So many of the tiny birds die, and other animals do too of course, that the only thing you can do is focus on the ones that you can help. I remind myself that the ones that don't t make it wouldn't have survived in the wild either and we at least gave them their best shot, and hopefully a little comfort before they go. Unfortunately, sometimes it's not enough. It's definitely harder when it happens with one you've brought into your own home but, again, I have to devote my energies to the five that are still thriving and do my best to keep them that way. (Don't think that means I haven't shed a few tears this morning, though.)
If you're wondering why I keep referring to each animal as "a female" or "one of the guys," rather than giving them names to identify them, this is one of the reasons why—I'm sure it would be that much more difficult if I had to say, "Charlie passed away last night." But the more important reason is that it's very important that we always remember that our goal is to successfully transition the animals back into the wild. So we do everything possible to ensure that they don't bond with us by making sure we don't treat them as pets in any way. So no names, no cuddling (in fact, no handling at all except when necessary, e.g. for feeding), absolutely NO talking to them, and no “Awww, isn't he cute?” comments.
1:00 p.m.: Remember that poor little guy that was being sucked on? Well, earlier this morning it looked like the problem was finally solved—his penis was back down to a normal size and there was no backup of urine that I could see. So I was happy about that. But... during this last feeding I discovered that his penis now has a dark red tip, like dried blood. That doesn't look good. So I called the vet tech that we have on call and she said it doesn't seem like he needs antibiotics at this point, since he's eating and seems to have plenty of energy. Along with the warm compresses and Neosporin, the next plan of attack was to put a little Tabasco sauce (!), NOT on the wound, but near it. That way, whoever's sucking on him will take one taste and hopefully give up on that. So that's something else I'll be keeping track of today. I'll also try to see if I can figure out who's doing the damage, although it's difficult when there's so many of them and they're usually burrowed under the t-shirts.
In the good news department, the biggest guy's other eye opened this morning, sometime between the first and second feeding. So now he's really full of beans (the new sensory experience is a little overwhelming for them). And they're all eating well today, so that's another good sign.
9:45 p.m.: I think I've figured out who the squirrel molester is. After feeding my biggest guy (the one with both eyes open), I was wiping his face to clean off any formula. The cotton ball had reddish stains on it. I freaked a little bit, thinking he was bleeding from his mouth. But I opened it and looked around and couldn't see any kind of wound. Then I realized what the stains were—Tabasco sauce! And there's only one place he could have come into contact with that... So tomorrow, about a half hour before feeding, I'll separate him from the group, 'cause that's when they're more likely to start sucking.
Well, even though I'm feeling more comfortable with my duties, I'm definitely feeling a little wiped right now. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with this morning's sad event.
But one thing I want to mention before I sign off tonight is that I've been a volunteer for a variety of organizations over the years, but I have never found one where all the people are as helpful and supportive as at the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley. At the center they let you do as much as you feel comfortable with, but they're always willing to assist you with a procedure no matter how often you've tried to do it before. And the people involved with the squirrel home care program are just so sweet and kind. When I called the coordinator this morning to tell her about the deceased squirrel, the absolute first thing she asked was how I was doing. And the next thing was to assure me that it was in no way due to anything I had done or not done. She was so sympathetic. And then I sent an e-mail to another volunteer, one of the more experienced ones who has been really helping me all week, and she called me right away to make sure I was okay.
I'm so happy I found this organization. I feel like I'm making a real difference and it's such a bonus to work with so many terrific people. I found the center through VolunteerMatch and I must say they really made a great match this time!
Now that we've got the feeding routine pretty much down, I don't think it's necessary for me to try to report in after each one (not that I was always successful at that anyway!). Instead, I'll just start reporting things that (I hope) are more noteworthy. :)
But first, here are a couple of pics of me feeding my charges. The first one is the largest and oldest male, who has both his eyes fully open:
They're not always such neat little eaters—table manners are not so big in the squirrel world, I'm guessing:
I was a little worried yesterday about the guy who had been sucked on. He didn't eat much and he seemed just a tiny bit lethargic. So of course I got up in the middle of the night to check on him, only to discover him doing quite fine (but only after waking all the others up at the same time...Sigh.)
Fortunately, that continued throughout the day today. He ate a lot and did his fair share of pooping (a good sign). One of his eyes has also started to open slightly, which is actually unusual for someone his size (about 65g). Normally that doesn't happen until they're closer to 100g. But that isn't the only thing that he seems to be ahead of schedule for—let's just say that lethargy is not really a concern anymore. To wit:
My coordinator, June, tells me it's really unusual for them to be climbing before their eyes are open. But, surprisingly, his sister did the same thing a little later. Maybe they just really want to get away from me. After all, it sure looks like he's smelling freedom here:
Of course, as soon I stopped worrying about the one, another got me a bit concerned. It's one of the girls this time. Actually, I didn't really think there was a problem. What happened was, in my second-to-last feeding with her, she started making some different noises than their typical grunts. Now, one of the signs of pneumonia is that they start making a clicking noise from their lungs, but I've never actually heard what it sounds like. So of course I worried that that was what I was hearing. But I called June and she was kind enough to actually make the noise herself over the phone, and I was pretty sure that was not what I heard. But I checked on her again about an hour later just to be sure and all seems well. New mother jitters I guess. :)
11:10 p.m.: Well, things certainly come up quickly. During the last feeding, I was excited because the one guy's eye is now fully open. But then when I finished feeding the girl that I had been worried might have pneumonia, I was was wiping her mouth only to discover blood on the cotton ball. I couldn't see any kind of obvious wound, so I called June again to find out what I should do. After talking it through, we think the most likely cause was a small nick somewhere, probably caused by one of the other guys' claws, which are getting a lot sharper as they get bigger. And if that's the case, all we can do is watch her and see what happens. I did that after we finished the call, and there were no more signs of blood, so I'm hoping that was the case. The other—less likely—scenario is internal bleeding from the original fall and if that was the case, there would be absolutely nothing we could do. But she's not showing any other signs of distress and the blood wasn't that much, so hopefully it really is a long shot.
Oh, and after all that? That's when my computer decided to crash and I've just spent the last hour trying to get it to work again. Sigh.
Today was pretty uneventful (squirrel-wise; don't get me started on my computer woes!). Thank goodness, because the last couple of days have had me a bit tense.
The female who had the blood in her mouth last night is fine. She had a little more this morning, but then I noticed a small cut on the inside of her lower lip. So I think that the sucking probably caused it to bleed. It only happened on the first feeding and not again during the rest of the day, so I think we're fine there. However, I did catch her in the act of sucking on her little brother! She'd already eaten plenty, so I just dipped the nipple on the syringe into the formula to give her a taste and let her suck on that as long as she wanted. Hopefully that will remove the urge to use the poor lilttle guy as her pacifier. Tomorrow I'll check on the situation again and, if it looks like it's any worse, I'll try some of the other possible remedies.
My biggest one gained 6 grams since yesterday—that's a good healthy amount. But I think he ate a little too enthusiastically earlier in the day, because his belly was still full by the time the last feeding came around. I didn't give him any more so that he can work on digesting what's already in there during the night. It's much worse to overfeed a squirrel than underfeed it.
Since I'm a big believer in jinx theory, I'm not going to express any glowing opinions on how they're doing. As June was saying to me last night, we think of these guys as fully formed animals, but they're still really tiny. At this morning's weigh-in, they ranged from 71-104 grams, which means they're all less than a quarter of a pound. That's the size of some hamburgers, fer cryin' out loud!
This is going to be a short post because a) I'm pooped, and b) nothing especially notable happened today.
They hadn't gained much weight since yesterday, so I've increased the concentration of their formula from 3-1 (3 parts water to 1 part powder) to 2-1. That means they'll be getting more protein/fat/nutrients, etc. with each cc they drink.
I thought one of my girls might be getting a mild case of diarrhea (lots of stools, but still solid), but by the next feeding everything was fine. And my big guy whom I caught with the Tabasco around his mouth, indicating he had been sucking on one of his companions? He's now become a suckee himself! But, thankfully, it seems to have slowed down/stopped during the course of the day. I'll continue to keep an eye out, though, to make sure it doesn't start up again.
Oh, and did I mention that I now know where the expression “squirrely” comes from? :)
Well, this is my one week-iversary with my little guys and gals. I've definitely become a lot more comfortable with the routine. And I've gotten much better at controlling their intake when I'm feeding them, which means they're aspirating a lot less. That's not only better for their health, but it actually speeds up the process quite a bit as well. Because each time they do inhale formula the wrong way, I have to stop, clean out their noses and mouths with a Q-tip, and blow into their nostrils to activate the little hairs inside to cause them to sneeze.
That's not to say that there aren't still challenges. So much of this is based on using your judgment and, of course, as a newbie squirrel mom, I'm still in learning mode. For example, since they hadn't gained much weight as of yesterday morning, despite having been feeding a lot, I moved them up to a more concentrated formula. That seemed to work well and they all had gained a fair bit this morning.
And based on these new weights, they were actually ready to move up to a different formula (at a lower concentration while they get used to it), and a different schedule. Instead of 6 feedings 3 hours apart, they should now be at 5 feedings 4 hours apart, according to the guidelines. So that's what I did. And I do have to say that the increased time between feedings has made a lot of difference for me in terms of feeling a little less frantic.
However, a couple of them started experiencing diarrhea today, which is more than likely due to the new formula. So now I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't have changed two things at the same time. But they seem like mild cases (lots of poop, but it's not runny at all), so I'm moving them back to the earlier formula mix, and hopefully that will do the trick.
None of them really ate very much today either. I would have thought they'd be really hungry at each session, because they were further apart, but that's definitely not the case. Again, it could just be that they're adjusting to the new formula. They're all still being very energetic while I'm feeding them, and they don't look too thin, so I'll just keep observing them and hope that everything will settle down shortly. (I've also got a call in to my coordinator just to run things by her.)
Another thing is that three of them are ready to move to a cage now, instead of the cat carrier (one of the girls opened her eyes today!). But the other two aren't there yet, so it's a question of do I hold the more advanced ones back a little, or move the other ones up a little sooner than they should? (They shouldn't be separated if it can be avoided, and you would never, ever leave one all alone.) Yet another question I have for June. My main concern is that the oldest one is quite a bit larger now than the others, and his eyes have been open for several days, so I really want to make sure he's getting everything he needs to keep developing.
Like I said earlier, doing this job requires you to use your best judgment, mixed together with the guidelines provided, the advice and support of others with more experience, and a fair bit of common sense. I guess that's a lot like how it works for new parents as well!
10:40 p.m.: Quick update. They just had their last feeding of the day and they all did really well. They took in lots of formula and the diarrhea seems to be gone in one case and much diminished in the other.
We're movin' on up...
To the East Side...
To a de-luxe apartment
In the sky-y-y
Okay, so it's not in the sky. And I guess “deluxe” is in the eye of the beholder. But the gang moved into some snazzy new digs today:
Now that they have a home with wire mesh all around them, they'll really be able to go mental... :) The shoebox gives them a little privacy and they still have the t-shirts to burrow into. It will probably be a little while before any of them are able to climb into the hammock.
I've also put a few “natural” items in with them—grass, leaves, a stick, etc. This will help them get comfortable with the environment they'll eventually go back to. And I've added a few small greens so the guys (or girls) who are ready to give solid food a try will have something easily digestible to get started on.
The smallest two still haven't opened their eyes, but given their current weights, I won't be surprised if it happens by the end of the week. Then I'll have five climbing maniacs on my hands!
Oh, and nobody had any signs of diarrhea today. Yay!
Another job I do for the center is to transport animals and birds from the Humane Society. People often take wildlife there either because they don't know about us or because it's after hours (the Humane Society is open 24 hours a day for emergencies). But they don't have the resources to treat and care for the animals, so it's important that we get them to the center as soon as possible.
So today I was asked if I could pick up an opposum and bring it to the center. It was good timing because I needed to get a little more formula powder anyway, and I wanted to see if I could find a couple more of the good syringes. Carmel, the Animal Care Coordinator, suggested that I be careful driving home and not do anything that might cause an officer to pull me over. As she pointed out, discovering a baggie full of white powder and a bunch of syringes might cause a bit of a problem... :)
It figures. I was all excited about being able to post that everything went smoothly today, when Bam! One of my girls had diarrhea at the last feeding. It was a creamy consistency, which could mean she's dehydrated. So I immediately stopped the formula and got her some Pedialyte. Hopefully that will help calm her insides overnight. Of course, I probably won't be able to sleep well worrying about her.
And my jinx theory gets proven yet again...
Latest Comment On...
> by Erika Simons
> by Mike
> by Jennifer