I think my max might have Squirrel fibromatosis

[Maxy]

he has a lump on his face just above his nose that feels irregular and hard.. almost like there is a scab underneath his fur. I thought he just bumped his nose as it just appeared maybe two days ago.. but, after reading up on it, I am almost sure it is squirrel fibromatosis... how do you treat this?

[Apple Corps]

Maxy - some reading for you ASAP:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10163

[TexanSquirrel]

aww Good luck with the little guy!

[squirrelfriend]

Is it possible that it is from the bars of the cage? SOmetimes mine get a bump or bald spot there from chewing on bars. THey go away.

Does he go outside? How long have you had him? If he has been in captivity for a long time without going outside he probably doesn't have squirrel pox.

[Maxy]

he actually hasnt been outside in a really long time... i read a previous post on squirrel pox and freaked out because his little bump looks just like the beginnings of fibromatosis... but, he hasnt been exposed to anything.. so I dont know how he would have gotten it.

[Secret Squirrel]

Can you post a picture of Max. He has had several conditions lately and a picture would really help out. How is his eye doing ???

[Buddy'sMom]

A picture would be great .....

From your description here, though, it doesn't seem to be how pox starts ... and I think you would have noticed something earlier. The "scab stage" is quite late -- maybe a week or two after the "pox bumps" emerge. And on his nose it would have been pretty apparent, I think.

SS mentioned something with his eye (sorry for not having seen earlier threads) -- did he have swelling around his eyes (like puffiness)? Especially the eye near what you are feeling now?

:grouphug :grouphug

[Buddy'sMom]

OK -- I've looked back at the "eye thread" (fyi http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10281) and it appears the redness and swelling was related to something that got in his eye and was much improved after flushing his eye. Pox would NOT have responded like that.

What Jackie has noticed with her poxy squirrels is more of a general eye puffiness before the pox erupts -- both eyes, last several days, squirrel looks and acts "sick" and then there are large poxy bumps emerging in the eye area. Does this progression sound at all familiar? (from what I can read in your posts so far, it doesn't seem to match the pox progression -- seeming more like it could have been an injury or irritation, maybe at the time he got the stuff in his eye -- but let us know if you have more info to add).

I hope this info can help those who will be coming here to help you figure this out.

:grouphug :Love_Icon :grouphug

[Buddy'sMom]

FYI, for the sleuths among you --- I had wondered whether Max was near the pox outbreak that we know about, but it appears that Max is NOT in Florida where that one is. While pox certainly may emerge in other locations as well, at least we know that Max has not been exposed to the pox that is active in the Tampa area. :thumbsup [Maxy, we do not need to know where you are located, since we are not presently aware of any other outbreaks.]

[Buddy'sMom]

he actually hasnt been outside in a really long time... .
Just re-reading this for additional "clues" -----trying to rule out pox if we can, so Maxy can be less worried. :)

This is good news as it would limit his exposure even if there was pox in the area. Maxy, do you have outside squirrels that you watch in your yard? Any that seem poxy? If it is out there, the wild squirrels probably would be looking VERY poxy by now. It frequently is on their faces so it would be quite visible. If you don't notice anything outside, perhaps there is less worry for Max.

The other question is ... is you area far enough south for mosquitos to be out yet? No location details needed, but mosquitos would provide a possible means to get virus inside --- if no mosquitos yet, we could rule that out as well. (which is NOT to say that the reverse is true; even if there are mosquitos already, that does NOT mean you have a pox outbreak! :) )

:grouphug :Love_Icon :grouphug

[smoknbunny]

Has anyone heard from Maxy? Just wondering how he's doing.:dono