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.