Baby Squirrel Food – Caring & Feeding | Animalfunkey

If you have found an orphan baby squirrel near your house, you take it to your home to take care of it, and it is not understood how to take care of it and what to do with the baby squirrel; you don’t need to worry. We will discuss a baby squirrel and its food. 

By the way, it is good that you spared his life because wild animals would have eaten it if it had remained helpless. One of the most important things that every small child needs is his diet, and since it is a small one, it is very important to take care of its food.

How Mother Squirrel Raises her Babies?

It is very important to know how mother squirrels raise their babies. Before raising a baby squirrel, you need to know how a mother squirrel raises her babies. As you know, the baby squirrel’s mother is not with it, so first of all, you need to know how all about the feeding habits of the mother squirrel. In this way, you will know how to take care of them. You also have to raise them like their mother used to do because they are very fragile; there should be no neglect in their upbringing.

What to Feed a Baby Squirrel Initially?

In the beginning, the mother squirrel feed her babies with milk. Mother squirrel feeds their babies on milk until they cannot fully eat solid food. At about 6-8 months mother squirrel feed her babies on milk. And avoid hard food altogether as it can be harmful to them. So as a beginner, you should feed baby squirrels with milk. 

The best formula to feed them is Esbalic or Milk Matrix Zoologic 33/40, and you can also use Fox Valley 32/40 for them. The Esbalic is also available in pet shops. So you should use these milk formulas for the baby squirrels as they are much healthier and rich in nutrients so they will nourish the baby quickly. You can feed them milk with a doctor’s syringe but feed the baby carefully and take special care that the syringe does not reach their neck. Do not ever feed them with cow milk, juices, or other human self-made formulas because their digestive system is very sensitive, and they can’t digest cow milk as it could result in death.

Warming Baby Squirrel

If you find the baby squirrel is so cold, immediately warm it. A condition called hypothermia is a condition in which the animal’s internal temperature decreases below normal. It mostly happens when an animal is injured or sometimes in winter, but if the baby squirrel is not injured, you don’t have to worry about it. But you have to keep their body temperature normal.

The average body temperature for gray squirrels is from 99° to 101° F, so it is better to warm the baby at 99° F. Their diet plays an important role in maintaining body temperature, so ensure that feed them with recommended milk formula. If they are fed cow milk or any other non-recommended formula, their body temperature becomes colder, and they cannot digest the milk. 

One thing you must keep in mind is to constantly note the temperature measuring sensor while warming the baby squirrel. If the baby is overheated, then immediately turn off the warming system. Because if, by mistake, the temperature reaches an extreme level, it can burn their bodies. So be careful while warming the baby squirrel.

How Should Long Keep the Baby Squirrel Warm?

Must give heat to baby squirrels for at least five weeks. Should properly heat the box or whatever the baby is kept. Constantly heat must be provided until the baby’s body is not fully covered with fur. Keeping a baby warm can also prevent hypothermia. Must keep the furless baby squirrel at a temperature of 100° F. On the contrary, furred squirrels will be fine at temperatures between 96° to 98° because now they can keep their bodies warm with their fur, so it is fine for them. 

How to Keep a Baby Squirrel Warm?

There are many ways to keep baby squirrels warm. Here are some of them:

1. You can provide baby squirrel heat by heating fans. Also, the hair dryer can be helpful. 
2. Wash a towel or soft cloth with hot water and place it in the baby squirrels’ box.
3. Fill a bottle with hot water, properly wrap it with a towel, and place it in the box.
4. Give baby squirrel’s a bath with warm water, not too hot, and wash the whole body of the baby except its head and ensure its head is above the water.
5. You can also provide heat to the baby by holding it in your hands or warming it, but keep in mind that it does not suffocate.

So these are some best ways to provide heat to baby squirrels. And do not adopt any method of heating it that will cause it pain. All those ways we have discussed are safe, and whichever method you choose will be successful. But still, caution is necessary because it is still a baby.

Weaning Diet of a Baby Squirrel

When you see that the baby squirrel is growing and its health is also quite good, try to get it into solid food. A six weeks old baby squirrel can eat solid food, so you must shift it to solid food. The food includes apples, broccoli, grapes, kale, sweet potatoes, and other nutritional diets. They will eat this diet until ten months so that the baby will grow faster.

If you are having trouble weaning them, try feeding them solid food little by little every day. When you feed them solid food every day, they will get used to it because there are many proteins and nutrients in this food. And when it is eating such food every day, its own heart will also want to eat it, and this is how its best growth will be.

FAQs

Conclusion

Finding a baby squirrel near your house is natural because so many predators destroy squirrels’ nests, and the babies then fall to the ground. Then some become victims of wild animals, and some are separated from their mothers. Before raising a baby squirrel, there are some important things that you must know, especially absolutely with their food. As their digestive system is so sensitive, that’s why you have to take care of their diet and don’t feed them an improper diet. 

The ways that we discussed warming the baby squirrel are also helpful. Maintaining their internal body temperature is very important; if they are not provided with the proper temperature, they will die. So those were some best ways to provide baby squirrels heat. A proper diet means better and healthy growth, so give diet priority. 

Related Posts:

• Baby squirrels age
• Do squirrels eat bugs?
• Do squirrels eat meat?
• Do squirrels eat birds?
• Do squirrels eat apples?
• Does a squirrel eat grass?
• What do wild squirrels eat?
• Can squirrels eat bananas?
• Can squirrels eat chocolate?
• What do ground squirrels eat?
• How many babies do squirrels have?