00:00Anyone who finds a lone baby squirrel has the same first instinct.
00:04I need to give it milk.
00:05They buy regular cow's milk from the nearest store and feed it with good intentions to save it.
00:10But this decision, despite being well-meaning, is actually fatal in most cases.
00:15Cow's milk contains a high percentage of lactose sugar,
00:19while a mother squirrel's natural milk is very low in lactose and very high in fat and protein.
00:24A baby squirrel's digestive system doesn't have enough enzymes to break down that amount of lactose,
00:31resulting in severe diarrhea that leads to dehydration within just a few hours.
00:35And in many cases, it becomes the direct cause of death.
00:39The actual safe alternative is a milk formula made specifically for baby squirrels or kittens,
00:45containing fat and protein ratios close to a squirrel's natural milk.
00:50Even the amount matters.
00:51A baby under two weeks old only needs a few drops roughly every two hours,
00:56not a full feeding like most people imagine.
00:58So good intentions without accurate knowledge can turn into the direct cause of death for a creature
01:04that could have been saved if handled correctly.
01:07So, have you ever tried helping a small animal,
01:10only to later find out your method was actually wrong?
01:12Share your experience with me.
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