Bitten by 1 of my own

[jbillings]

My son was bitten by my Rocky!!! Should I be worried??:shakehead :dono

[Jackie in Tampa]

If he doesn't need stitches, no, nothing to worry about.
It can hurt for several days if deep puncture.
Clean, triple anti b, bandaid and a kiss...
OUCH!
:osnap naughty Rocky!

[jbillings]

Thanks, I feel better now:thumbsup

[4skwerlz]

I was bitten to the bone and it healed perfectly. I haven't heard of an infection yet from a squirrel bite, but I would hold it under warm running water and squeeze to let the blood run and cleanse the wound. Then ointment and a bandaid.

[JLM27]

I think any puncture wound can lead to tetanus, so if he does not have a tetanus shot he should get one. They only last for ten years and then you need a booster. It's not that Rocky has tetanus, it is that the tetanus bacteria are all around us, but they only thrive in an anaerobic environment (one that lacks oxygen) such as created within a puncture wound.

[jbillings]

He is current on his shots, so I think we should be good :thumbsup

[tatcat]

hey darlin, your son should be fine...my tweakerz got me several times including my head...LOL...

[Reddliz]

Both my husband and myself have been biten and it healed fine. If this is a pet squirrel you plan to raise....firmy correct him....never allow bitting. They are smart and will learn biting is NOT allowed.....but they are also a one person animal, meaning they will bond to only one human....normally, and everyone else will be chattered at, chased and biten.....at least that is how it is at my house. :D

[jbillings]

Rocky is a newly released teenager:D along with her brother Bullwinkle. But they both come and go as they please. We have a large cage outside with their favorite hammock that we keep open for them for whenever they want to go in. It's funny though, I keep hearing that squirrels are a 1 person critter, but mine seem to love us all, that's what confused me so much when she bit him. I guess she's starting to get some "wild" in her. Gotta look out for #1 out there:D . When my husband came home he had her on his shoulder and he came in the house and she went right to my son. I still keep asking him is he is SURE that it was Rocky that bit him... he said yes. You can really discipline them to not bite?? They will listen and not just get angry and bit you???:thinking :dono

[Reddliz]

You can really discipline them to not bite?? They will listen and not just get angry and bit you?

for a pet squirrel yes, for a wild squirrel I don't know....I would never trust that they won't bite, even if she was once my pet. Once she has babies she will be on alert and very protective so just be VERY careful.

:thumbsup

[jbillings]

We will be more careful now. I told him not to try and pick her up. I think that's what he did. No attempts to bite again so far.... I told him to just let her come to him when she wants to and to leave her alone if she doesn't. He still loves her just as much. We are crazy about our little furry friends :grouphug

[Alistair Nel]

Ouch. Those little critter almost bite everything in my experience.
Never been bitten really hard by one before but it's not nice being bitten when we care for them so much. Hope it heals fast. ;)

[4skwerlz]

I wouldn't try to discipline a wild squirrel--they need all their aggression to survive.

Most pet squirrels can learn not to bite with gentle discipline.

[jbillings]

I think you're right 4S. We just need to be more careful now that she is "wilding up" (is that a word:D ). I know she just feels like she has to be more on her guard now to protect herself. I just hope it doesn't go any further than that 1 bite. We love her so much and I would hate to have to limit contact, but if that's what we have to do for her well being.......we'll jump off that bridge when/if we get to it:D

[sherbear59]

Oh man,,,,,,,,,,I know that hurts ! All my bites have healed nicely just take time , My rule for my family is if she wants you ,,you will now it ,,,,,,,never reach in and take ,,,,although I can. Lucy usually yells when she don't want to be messed . I am her main person so genneraly I just take her , they will mellow with age . But you must have squirrels rules for everyone else !:grouphug :grouphug

[cheekyarentyou]

I am new to having squirrels in my house. I have 2 new buddies of an unknown age with an unknown history. -I think they are young though. One, Bob, is a little shy but pretty low key. I think he will come around. The other, Dixie, is more high strung. (Dixie is a boy who was sold as a girl and the name stuck).
Dixie names a crazy noise and goes crazy some times. It looked like he was attacking my husbands pillow and he has gotten very active with my skype headset but most of the time it's me. He's like a crazy little ninja but she hasn't really done any damage (there is a nic in the foam of the headset and after a few nibbles he drew a tiny bit of blood from my husband). He acts like he wants what's inside. He's very focused on my hair and while he's pulling at it he's making a odd weezing sound. If he were larger I would be afraid. What is he up to?? If this is something that I need to correct how do I do that?
again, I have only had them for a week now. They have a large cage and are out most of the time since I work nights from home. The spent the first day in the cage and go back home without me having to put them there. They both have a favorite place but Dixie looks over the entire house before going to her spot and she will make another run around the place 5 hours later. They are not left out over night (when I go to bed) and they are not left out when I am not home.

[4skwerlz]

I am new to having squirrels in my house. I have 2 new buddies of an unknown age with an unknown history. -I think they are young though. One, Bob, is a little shy but pretty low key. I think he will come around. The other, Dixie, is more high strung. (Dixie is a boy who was sold as a girl and the name stuck).
Dixie names a crazy noise and goes crazy some times. It looked like he was attacking my husbands pillow and he has gotten very active with my skype headset but most of the time it's me. He's like a crazy little ninja but she hasn't really done any damage (there is a nic in the foam of the headset and after a few nibbles he drew a tiny bit of blood from my husband). He acts like he wants what's inside. He's very focused on my hair and while he's pulling at it he's making a odd weezing sound. If he were larger I would be afraid. What is he up to?? If this is something that I need to correct how do I do that?
again, I have only had them for a week now. They have a large cage and are out most of the time since I work nights from home. The spent the first day in the cage and go back home without me having to put them there. They both have a favorite place but Dixie looks over the entire house before going to her spot and she will make another run around the place 5 hours later. They are not left out over night (when I go to bed) and they are not left out when I am not home.
:Welcome to TSB. Congratulations on your two little fuzzers. Make sure you check out our "Healthy Diet for Pet Squirrels." You'll find it at the top of the Nutrition Forum. Proper diet is crucial for pet squirrels!

"Snuffling" in your hair is typical. They will do it in your ear too. I love the little "whiffling" noise they make when they do that. They love hair and will sometimes try to pull it out to use for their nest. ouch.

Anyhow, welcome, and please feel free to start a new thread to introduce your two.

[CritterMom]

I am new to having squirrels in my house. I have 2 new buddies of an unknown age with an unknown history. -I think they are young though. One, Bob, is a little shy but pretty low key. I think he will come around. The other, Dixie, is more high strung. (Dixie is a boy who was sold as a girl and the name stuck).
Dixie names a crazy noise and goes crazy some times. It looked like he was attacking my husbands pillow and he has gotten very active with my skype headset but most of the time it's me. He's like a crazy little ninja but she hasn't really done any damage (there is a nic in the foam of the headset and after a few nibbles he drew a tiny bit of blood from my husband). He acts like he wants what's inside. He's very focused on my hair and while he's pulling at it he's making a odd weezing sound. If he were larger I would be afraid. What is he up to?? If this is something that I need to correct how do I do that?
again, I have only had them for a week now. They have a large cage and are out most of the time since I work nights from home. The spent the first day in the cage and go back home without me having to put them there. They both have a favorite place but Dixie looks over the entire house before going to her spot and she will make another run around the place 5 hours later. They are not left out over night (when I go to bed) and they are not left out when I am not home.


Hello! I see you live in China. What kind of squirrels are they? Can you put up pics? You shoudl start their own thread - we just LOVE meeting new kinds of squirrels!

[JLM27]

I have never been bitten in anger or fear by my wild buddies. I find that most squirrels are very formal and polite if you are that way with them and treat them with respect for their person. My guys even duck behind a tree sometimes to groom themselves before coming to see me.

[Adoresquirrels]

I think any puncture wound can lead to tetanus, so if he does not have a tetanus shot he should get one. They only last for ten years and then you need a booster. It's not that Rocky has tetanus, it is that the tetanus bacteria are all around us, but they only thrive in an anaerobic environment (one that lacks oxygen) such as created within a puncture wound.


:goodpost

[virgo062]

I have been bitten HARD by one of my boys that I just released but I learned the hard way no grabby grabby on teenage squirrels. It went to the bone and swelled 3 times the size but I didn't worry and it healed just fine. Now Knothead bites me on a daily basis brings blood most of the time but never had a problem health wise except my mental stability

[cheekyarentyou]

I don't think I can start a new thread yet because I just joined but I will. China is a trips. There is a social/economic factor then it comes to pets and China is not at an American level. But that's a whole other story. There are no "real" pet stores, the pet market was just torn down and the vendors have moved (I tried to find out what happened to the critters since it was -30C that week and many kittens were sick. I have taken several VERY ILL kittens (they leave them on the street to die so when I am in the area I scan around looking for sick critters) and nursed them back to health then found them homes (expensive and time consuming but rewarding). This is beause they sell them at 4weeks.
The squirrels looked very healthy though. There is a bird guy who had a few of each (his birds were all healthy too). They had red ones with mohawks , black ones with mohawks, chipmunks and gliders that I can remember. I wonder where these gliders came from. China imports a lot of stuff from the US. Could these be wild caught? Are wild squirrels this tame? Will they ever cuddle with me or will we just be room mates.
I read about them before I got them but the info found in a google search is lacking....everything. It's too generic!
Is there a thread on sounds/behavior? When I put my hand in the next box Dixie makes a creepy sound. Is he telling me to get out? The same sound that he makes when he's scratching at my head and his scratching is so energetic! had anyone ever had a squirrel bite their scalp? I don't know what he's doing. It's not the being bitten part that scares me it's just the not knowing part. Like at any moment he's going to bite my ear or face (I may sound like an idiot to most of you) I kind of view them like tiny strange dogs -I have never had a dog so big strange dogs, unleashed, (mainly in foreign countries) freak me out.
Any ideas on how to tame an older squirrel? And for anyone wondering we are here, in china, for an indefinite period of time and my husband's business partner, who is the designated squirrel keeper when we are gone on vacation, is also the care taker if we have to leave the country. There are too many people who don't think of the lifetime of the critter.

I will take some pics of the new beijing pet market. It's much different than the one that was just torn down though. Lots of fighting crickets, baby turtles, fish, birds, a cat/kitten stall a couple of squirrel stalls and a bag/box of puppies here and there (tiny dogs because dogs over 12" were banned). Please send me any info that you think would be helpful! About 1/2 of their diet is "hamster crispy", the other half is a mix of raw nuts, fruit, veggies and some egg every so often. They have a cuttle bone in there too for Calcium

[DaleJrmom2]

Was bitten by Ellisa for the first time the other day. She has never bitten me before but i know she is n heat or whatever.....but it surprised me case she has never done that before. didnt bite me to the bone but enough to piss me off and she knew it. i love my girl.....but she is brutal right now. God bless me!