Feeding
and caring for baby mammals
General
Guidelines for helping a new orphan or casualty
Here you can find info or links to sections on
feeding the
following mammals:
Badger
Bat
Deer
Dormouse
Fox
Hare (leveret)
Hedgehog
Rabbit
Squirrel
Shrew
Wood mouse
Vole
Very young mammals need stimulating to produce urine and faeces before feeding.
It may have lost its mother hours before and
have a very
full bladder!
To toilet small mammals, dampen a small piece of soft facial tissue or
pure
cotton wool and gently stroke
the urino-genital area with a downwards motion.
For photos and
guidance on toileting see the section in rearing squirrels
It may take a minute or so to get a result but be fairly persistent and
make
sure the orphan expels a reasonable amount of urine and/or faeces.
Place large mammals in a
warm incubator or cage with a warm heat pad fitted inside.
Tiny mammals such as mice or shrews can escape so need to be in a
secure box or vivarium tank inside an incubator or on a heat pad.
Use a small piece of wool blanket on top of soft towels for bedding.
If the eyes are shut use a plastic front to the incubator to make sure
it
retains the heat.
Cover the opening of a cage with a heavy towel or cloth to retain the
heat.
A soft toy can be added as a surrogate mother.
Do not attempt to feed until the animal feels warm.
The first
feed
First feed should consist of warm Lectade or similar tissue fluid
replacement
drink.
This is given diluted as per directions on the packet and fed via a 1ml
syringe
with a teat or micropipette or very fine artist's paintbrush to very
small
mammals.
If you have nothing else, use a small piece of link-free cotton cloth
that has been sterilised in boiling water then cooled before use.
Always use boiled water that has been left to cool down and sterilized
teats and syringes.
Subsequent feeds should consist of the appropriate milk feed for the
type of
animal, warmed to blood heat. Feed very slowly and carefully.
Make a record of the times of feeds and amounts taken,
remembering to
record “Lectade given for first feed” rather than the appropriate milk
feed.
If very young they should be fed 2 hourly, if furry but still blind
2½ -3
hourly.
Mammals with eyes shut will have to be fed up until midnight and then
from 6am
the following morning.
When caring and feeding for these little creatures throughout the day
and into
the evening, special attention should be paid to;-
Feed and toilet at regular intervals: 2 hourly initially, moving to
longer
intervals as dictated by the patients.
When they are unwilling to wake up and feed, extend the gap
between feeds
by ½ hour.
Always use a previously sterilised 1ml syringe and teat, (squirrels,
rabbits,
hogs) or
baby bottle and large teat (fox cubs, badgers and fawns) or
1ml syringe and cannula/ micro pastette/ fine paintbrush (mice, dormice
and
other tiny babies)
When an orphan is given a milk formula it may react badly and become bloated. Infuse about 1 tablespoon of fresh fennel or a fennel tea bag in half a pint of
almost boiling water. Allow to cool and store in a screw top
bottle in the fridge. Give a small
amount just before each milk feed for at least 24 hours.
The infusion will keep for 48 hrs if refrigerated.
Toileting
Always use a soft piece of facial tissue dampened with saliva.
The urinogenital area should be very lightly stroked or tickled and the
movement continued until all urination and defecation has ceased.
They do not always defecate but they should pass water every time they
are
toileted.
Do remember to close the incubator’s front panel when feeding; the
temperature
inside soon drops and babies get cold quickly.
Do be patient when feeding these helpless babies.
Concentrate on the job in hand, watch their mouths carefully and stop
feeding
immediately if they stop sucking.
If they choke, milk will go into their lungs and they may become sick
and die.
Use clean woollen gloves when feeding bald babies, their temperature
drops quickly
if your hands are cold. Ideally, they should be fed just
above a warm heatpad or hot water bottle, to maintain their body
temperature.
Concentrate on holding them safely, e.g. Baby rabbits or mice can jump
out of
your hands in an instant.
If the milk is already made up, give the container a good shake before
every
feed as it can settle and the last feed is a thick sludgy mix.
Before you remove a baby from an incubator for a feed, make sure you
have got
everything you need for that feed ready prepared and within easy reach;
i.e.. Feed chart, feeding utensils, woolly glove, facial tissues
and
warmed milk feed.
Sterilizing
equipment
To sterilise feeding utensils successfully they should be kept in pots
filled
with sterilising solution to cover the contents.
There should be one clean feeding utensil in the pot for each baby.
After use they must be taken apart and thoroughly washed in hot soapy
water,
rinsed and placed back into the sterilising pot.
Do not put the small teats or cannulas loose in the sink, they
disappear down
the plug hole.
Do remember to fill in a feeding chart for every feed; you need to know
how
much they eat and if they produced urine and faeces.
If they do not urinate before or after each feed this is serious, and
can cause
their death
Which
milk feed for which baby?
Baby badgers
These are fed
Esbilac milk, mixed 1 part Esbilac powder to 2 parts warm boiled water.
Use a sterilised syringe and tiny teat for newborns, a human baby
bottle and teat for older cubs.
They can be weaned on mashed puppy food with a splash of Esbilac milk,
mashed banana, unsweetened apple puree, finely shredded chicks and
earthworms.
Later they can have chopped chicks with beaks and legs removed, worms,
mealworms, beetles and crickets and
whole native soft fruits.
For a full description go to : Feeding Badgers
Dormice
The
Hazel
Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) is easily identified by its
sandy/ginger
coat, long furry tail and prominent black eyes.
It lives in trees and is
nocturnal
so is rarely found by cats although individual nest are sometimes
disturbed by
gardeners.
For a full description
of
how to help go to: Dormouse
Bats
Bats
and the Law
Only licensed experts are allowed to move bat
colonies or
keep bats in captivity. Wildlife carers are allowed to keep bats
only
while they are providing treatment and have the aim of eventually
returning
them to the wild.
Housing
Bats, even when babies, are very adept at
escaping through small
gaps so a
secure, tightly lidded container is essential.
They also need a rough surface to hang from (e.g. a piece of towelling)
warmth
and humidity.
Small pieces of towel taped inside a plastic tank with a well fitting,
ventilated lid make a secure container and
a heat pad underneath will provide extra warmth.
Line the base with folded newspaper and provide a low, heavy container
full of
very wet, crumpled kitchen paper.
This will provide a safe source of drinking water for the bat and
humidity for
the container. Make sure water is always provided.
Examining
a casualty
Note the weight and find out which species of
bat it is.
Gently extend the wing membranes and check for broken bones and tears
or holes
in the wings.
Is the bat inert and cold?
Put in a secure container, place on a heat pad or a hot water
bottle
covered by a thick towel, to warm up gradually.
Check every 10 minutes and when warm and becoming more lively, give
rehydration
fluid on a tiny artist's paintbrush , micropipette
or cotton wool bud. Touch it to the mouth and the bat should
eagerly lick
up the fluid.
If not eager to drink, leave to warm up for a little longer and try
again.
Range of weights for some species
Pipistrelle
Young 1-2g Adult 2-4g
Long Eared
Young 2-4g Adult 5-12g
Daubenton's
Young 3-5g Adult 5-15g
Noctule
Young 10 - 23g Adult 25-35g
Serotine
Young 10 - 15g Adult 18-35g
Greater Horseshoe
Young 10 - 25g Adult 25-35g
For rearing details go to: Rearing young
bats
Fawns
These are fed
Lam lac by baby's bottle. After a few days, the milk can be
offered in a
bowl and the fawn encouraged to lap.
They should also have access from the beginning to fresh growing turf
with soil, new grass
and
leaves, yellow flowers, rose and young briar leaves.
For a detailed description of feeding orphaned deer go to Fawn rearing
Fox cubs
If they are
really tiny and still have dark fur, give Liquid Esbilac or mix 1 part
Esbilac
powder to 2 parts warm, boiled water.
When they start to get their brown fur change to Cimicat milk
replacement
formula.
Mix 1 part cimicat powder to 3 parts warm boiled water and feed with a
sterilised baby bottle and large teat.
Fox cubs are weaned on mashed puppy food with cimicat milk poured
over
it, plus chopped chicks without beaks and legs.
For a full description go to: Feeding
fox cubs
Hares / Leverets
For full
details go to Rearing leverets
Hedgehogs
For full
details go to Rearing hoglets
For
information on late babies go to Autumn
hedgehogs
A really
excellent site is the Welsh Hedgehog Hospital. Have a look at their
rearing
advice, complete with photos. I can't give you
a link, unfortunately, as it doesn't always work but if you type the
whole name
into your browser it should find it.
Rabbits
For full
details go to Rearing Rabbits
Squirrels
These are
given “squirrel mix” which has to be measured and mixed daily, to feed
them use
a 1ml sterilised syringe and small teat.
They are weaned on brown bread, rabbit mix, native nuts (hazel,
chestnut, walnut) and chopped apple. NO peanuts!
For full
details on rearing go to Rearing
Squirrels
Shrews & voles
Find out which
species you actually have as their diets are very different.
If their eyes are shut they need feeding 2 hourly with esbilac milk;
Mix 1 part Esbilac powder to 2 parts boiled water. Feed using a clean
micro
pipette or fine artist’s brush.
Toilet well after every feed
Once they become more active, offer the appropriate solid foods.
For insectivores, try chopped maggots/mealworms, small earthworms and
sluis or other
insectivorous food.
Later they can have live maggots and mealworms.
Vegetarian species
can be offered freshly picked grass stems, fruit and a variety of small
seeds.
Wood mice
If their eyes are shut they need feeding 2
hourly with
esbilac milk.
Mix 1 part esbilac powder to 2 parts boiled water. Feed with a
clean
micro pipette or fine artist’s brush.
Babies are very wriggly and you may have to
resort to letting them lick milk from your hand a drop at a time.
They do get rather sticky and will need wiping over with warm damp
tissue and gently patting dry.
They are weaned on brown bread, apple, various small grains and seeds.
All animals in the process of being weaned need a small shallow bowl of
water
in their cage.
Mice need a small shallow lid holding a crumpled tissue soaked in
water; it
prevents them getting too wet or drowning.
Baby
wood mouse
Recipes
for milk feeds
1 x measure
Esbilac powder
2 x measure hot water (previously boiled and allowed to cool slightly)
Put powder into a clean sterilised jug, gradually add hot water,
whisking
continuously.
Strain through a sieve into another clean and sterilised jug.
Store in a clean, previously sterilised container with a label giving
the
contents and the date made.
Place in the fridge
1 x measure
cimicat powder
3 x measures hot water (previously boiled and allowed to cool slightly)
Mix powder and water together and store exactly as for esbilac.
1 x 15ml
measure dried goats milk
1 x tsp Esbilac
2 x tsp baby rice
¼ pt x warm water (previously boiled)
Whisk this altogether in a clean sterilised jug and mix until all lumps
have
gone.
Store in a sterilised container, labeled with contents and date made,
in the
fridge.
1 x 15ml measure dried goats milk powder
¼ pt warm water (previously boiled and cooled)
Mix thoroughly in a clean sterilised jug, continue whisking until all
the lumps
have disappeared.
Store in the fridge in a clean sterilised container, labeled with
contents and
date made.