What About disease

[AdamLhot]

i was worried about my little hammy having diseases. not that harm him. the ones that harm ME. like rabies. i heard that squirrels carry rabies. this concerns me. what do you guys think... or know... about my hammy having ANY diseases that he could bite me and harm me with.

thanks
-A.

[squirrel princess]

You can rule out rabies a squirrel would not live through an attack that would give them rabies:shakehead

[Mars]

First I would not fear Rabies from your baby. Squirrels have a very low profile for rabies. True it is not imposible as all mammals can contract rabies but squirrels just don't survive the attack of a rabid animal long enough to pass the diease on. So erase Rabies from your list.

Now if your baby is healthy there is very little you need worry about. The fleas they carry should be elimanated ASAP if your baby has them. Many babies don't even have fleas.

However, if your baby is sickly with an internal parasite I would strongly suggest washing your hands after handling and distinfecting laundry and caging. They can carry a few nasties you don't want. But can be safely handled with a little common sense and care. :)

[AdamLhot]

First I would not fear Rabies from your baby. Squirrels have a very low profile for rabies. True it is not imposible as all mammals can contract rabies but squirrels just don't survive the attack of a rabid animal long enough to pass the diease on. So erase Rabies from your list.

Now if your baby is healthy there is very little you need worry about. The fleas they carry should be elimanated ASAP if your baby has them. Many babies don't even have fleas.

However, if your baby is sickly with an internal parasite I would strongly suggest washing your hands after handling and distinfecting laundry and caging. They can carry a few nasties you don't want. But can be safely handled with a little common sense and care. :)

How can i tell if my hammy has parasites? i mean hes not sick. hes great. he active he eats hes pooping and peeing on his own. hes always warm. and always loves to see me. he is growing fine. tales getting bushier. hes getting fatter. I, myself, think hes going to make it.
Thanks again
-A.

P.S. is there any kinda shots i should know about that i would have to give him if i plan on keeping him?

[Mars]

There are no shots for squirrels. :) If your baby has nice well formed solid pellets for stool the I don't think you need worry about parasites.

[blindninja]

What about Leptospirosis? I know rats can carry this and pass it through their urine. It can be fatal to people.

[4skwerlz]

Squirrels--as well as cats, dogs, cattle, and other animals--can get leptospirosis. However, it appears to be relatively rare in squirrels, and the animal would likely be very ill. Transmission from squirrels to humans is almost unknown. There was one case where some Japanese importers developed leptospirosis from handling a shipment of flying squirrels. This is the only documented case I can find. All of the workers recovered fully with treatment with antibiotics.

Rehabbers handle hundreds of squirrels a year with no problems. You will be exposed to many more dangerous viruses and bacteria from a trip to Walmart than from handling a baby squirrel.