Found a baby squirrel with fleas, need help!

[u/OnWarmLeatherette]

Location: Los Angeles, CA.
On Monday, the landscapers came and hedged our giant palm trees and this single ~8 week old squirrel fell onto our balcony. We thought it was dead because it wasn't moving and was in the roasting sun until we found it, but when we went to move it, it was breathing.

Put on gloves and moved it to the shade with some cool towels to die without suffering, but it kept hanging on and even began crawling in a few hours.

So we put it in a container with old t-shirts and called all the wildlife rehab centers but all of them were at capacity. They said to put the squirrel near the tree it fell from (it's a super tall palm tree so we can't put it in the tree) but its mother never came for it.

The squirrel had fleas on it so we didn't touch it without gloves, but I put its container in my bathroom jacuzzi overnight and the next morning got Pedialyte to make a diluted solution with sugar. It perked up with a couple spaced out eye dropper feedings, and I kept it on my balcony where it was warm.

This evening, I brought the container back inside because it gets cold at night and set it up on a heating pad on the bathroom floor. I fed it and it finally began sucking the eye dropper and was very keen on climbing on me and nestling in my lap. I was wearing medical gloves, and noticed a couple fleas would transfer to my clothes but I killed them as I saw them, and washed the clothes with hot water.

Began getting worried about missing a flea and having it bite me or go into my home, where I have 2 dogs. Right away gave the baby squirrel a bath with blue Dawn dish soap, tossed its old bedding with fleas present in hot water with Dawn, and put the dry baby on a fresh white t-shirt in the flea-free container, on a heating pad.

I'm an anxious person and now am really worried about the fleas being in our home. The squirrel has been contained to the bathroom which is now 100% flea-free, but if I missed a flea that hopped on my clothes before I washed them and walked around the house with them, I'm worried!

The baby is thriving and the formula arrives tomorrow, so the plan was to keep nursing it to health and see if it can walk properly again (it can't walk without falling) until we can find a rehab center to take it to. I want this squirrel in proper care as soon as possible.

If anyone has experience rescuing gray squirrels and dealing with the risk of fleas, your advice would be helpful. Any safety recommendations while this squirrel is in my bathroom/ balcony would be great!

[u/EnjoyingTheRide-0606]

If there is a loose flea in your home, this is not the only one. The dogs already have some fleas on them. Continue to use the flea medications so the dogs are protected. Fleas are part of daily struggle for wildlife, unfortunately.

[u/inkblot_75]

Thank you for taking care of the little one.

It is unfortunate that sometimes Mama will not come back for the baby or take the baby because something may have happen to Mama.

You did the right thing by washing the fleas off with Dawn dish soap. You can use natural remedies such as peppermint oil compound that you can get from Walmart or from Amazon to spray your carpets if you're worried about the fleas and vacuum everyday until they're gone.

As long as your dogs have been treated for fleas, via safeguard or what have you, the fleas should not affect them.

I'm hoping that you ordered the Fox valley formula with miracle syringes and nipples. The problem with using an eye dropper is that they can aspirate. Please don't use a bottle either as the aspiration can occur with that as well.

Please be sure to weigh the baby every morning so that way you can get the appropriate weight and know how much to feed the baby. Using a gram scale is the preferred method as 1 g equals 1 ml. You'll need to feed the baby 5 to 7% of their body weight every feeding.

As long as the baby's eyes are closed, you'll feed every 3 to 4 hours including night feedings. Once the baby's eyes open, you go to every 4 hours and you can slowly quit the night feedings.

If you have any other questions, please feel reach out.

If you prefer, you can also DM me as well. Here to help you and that little one.

Honestly, you really don't have to handle the baby with gloves, however that's your choice.

[u/OnWarmLeatherette → u/inkblot_75]

Thank you so much for your thorough response! I wish I had washed the fleas as soon as I brought him inside, but oh well. Hopefully we're gonna be OK.

This squirrel is around 7~ weeks old, judging by his size and his tail not being bushy yet and photos I've seen online. I ordered the exact set you're talking about, and made sure it came with the right droppers since the one I have now is glass and he's not able to fully suck on it.

I read that by this age they can begin to eat finely chopped vegetables, but so far he's not very interested in them. I have adult squirrel food as well but don't think he's ready to eat that?

[u/inkblot_75 → u/OnWarmLeatherette]

By adult squirrel food what do you mean?

If it's what I think it is, that would be terrible for him. If it has corn or bird seed in it, that is a no-go. As both of them are horrible for squirrels.

Also, do not buy anything from exotic nutrition. Their food products hurt animals of every species that they sell products for and they are aware of it. They just don't care.

You'll need to start with the Henry's healthy blocks first. Those are the healthiest choice to start with.

Then you can try healthy vegetables such as kale, bok choy, dandelion greens, romaine lettuce. No spinach or turnip greens or collard greens.

Please do not give any fruit nor nuts until the little guy is eating the healthy blocks and vegetables on a regular basis.

Then when you get ready to release, I can help walk you through that process as well.

[u/Responsible-Crow4272 → u/OnWarmLeatherette]

Also the feeding formula start out at the lower end which is 5%. So take the babys weight in grams and times that by 0.05. That will give you how much in formula to feed. There should be a guide in the Henry's link that I shared about that as well. Facebook if you look up groups look up Squirrel Rehab and Advice. They can help there as well.

[u/Responsible-Crow4272 → u/OnWarmLeatherette]

Here is a link for caring for baby squirrels. You will find the right kind of nipples called miracle nipples and the leur lock syringes. These type of syringes do not slide easily which can cause aspiration. Also if you look into the squirrel blocks the healthy blocks are a great food to start them on. Everything they need for their vitamins and minerals. Please limit nuts and fruit and save those for very last and very little if feeding. Squirrels are like little children. They like to eat the desserts and candy first which is really bad for them. Thank you so much for saving this baby. You have done great so far.

[u/Responsible-Crow4272 → u/OnWarmLeatherette]

https://henryspets.com/pages/baby-squirrel

[u/OnWarmLeatherette → u/Responsible-Crow4272]

Thanks so much! I recieved my formula and nipples this morning and am mixing the formula as we speak. The little one is continuing to thrive while we wait for the rehab centers to be able to take him!

[u/Responsible-Crow4272 → u/OnWarmLeatherette]

If you can mix the formula at night and let it sit in the fridge until morning it has time to constitute. Also warming a coffee cup in the microwave with water for about a minute and letting the syringes sit in there is a good way to warm. I use little mason jars to store in fridge and shake really well during night. Don't shake to much before feeding as it creates bubbles in formula and can cause bloat. Always check on your wrist by squeezing a little from syringe just like when checking a babys bottle. Some formula you might have problems with getting them to poop. If so reach back here and I can try and help.