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Critter_Queen
09-27-2006, 01:51 PM
Ok, so I had a squirrel that I wintered last year that came to me with mange... I thought I got rid of it...even released him this spring...but now I'm worried that I may not have been able to eliminate it completely from my wildlife room...

I read on another thread that squirrels will shed...and I'm hoping that's all this turns out to be, since I haven't found any real fur loss in the trays of their cages...and Zeke doesn't seem to be losing ANY hair at all...

What do you make of these pics of Oakley? His nose/eye spot is what caught my attention...but it doesn't seem to have gotten any bigger the last few days... Crud...I don't know what to think!

Opinions? I am planning to call my vet tonight and see if I can get them all tested anyway, just to be sure, but wanted some other 'expert' opinions in the meantime.

thundersquirrel
09-27-2006, 06:30 PM
are they both male? is zeke more dominant? they could be fighting, considering the location of oakley's hair loss. squirrels tend to aim for the face of the opponent, and if they manage to flip the other one over, they'll aim at the belly too. boys tend to fight more than girls, and it would explain why zeke isn't losing hair.

so the main question is....do they fight?

squirrelfriend
09-27-2006, 08:09 PM
squirrels tend to shed in patches that does resemble mange. are you sure the first one had it? also any of mine that have gotten any bumps or scabs have always had a bald spot in that area for a while after till it grew back. I probably wouldn't worry about it unless it grows.

squirrelfriend
09-27-2006, 08:11 PM
It is also a shedding season. late winter or early spring is one and before winter is the other. to me it looks like shedding.

Critter_Queen
09-28-2006, 08:34 AM
Thanks for your replies. The squirrels are all housed separately but near each other in the same room (Zeke is way older than Oakley and won't accept him; Weezel is a suckler so I can't put him with anyone)...so fighting is out. I looked over his cage and can't find anything he could have snagged himself on...

Oh yeah, Scooter (last year's squirrel) DEFINITELY had mange. He was almost totally bald and had mites so thick you COULD see them with your naked eye...it was BAD. Gives me the creepy crawlies just thinkin' about it!

I did talk to my wildlife vet last night and she said that since they are itching more than usual and are losing hair we should treat them for mange. She said it's not likely to have come from Scooter's episode, but rather, she thinks that Oakley brought it in with him. He's the only one of the three (all non-related) that was truly "wild" before we got him. (he was six weeks at admission) And if I'm not mistaken, I think most mammals carry mange anyway, it's just that when their immune systems are compromised the mange mites can take over... Vet also said that since it's so early into the symptoms that even if we do a scraping it might not show us anything and they could still be infested... Scooter did very well with the Ivermectin injections we gave him last winter...hopefully these will do just as well or better since I'm treating so much sooner. Scooter was already released when he lost all his fur and got scabby, dark, SUPER itchy and wrinkley.

I'm going to treat Weezel and Oakley...but I think I'm giong to wait on Zeke...he's not showing any signs of it...not even a stray itch, so I don't want to treat him yet. But the other two I'm pretty sure have it.

Thanks again for your suggestions!

GhosTS
09-28-2006, 11:04 AM
I think its mange too.And you are right CQ..Some animals, like dogs have mange mites on their skin.It will only become an infection when the immune system is down.But I dont think squirrels carry them normally.He must have got it from the wild.

Critter_Queen
09-28-2006, 11:35 AM
Thanks for the affirmation, GhosTS...I'm pretty sure it's mange, too... And I'm willing to make a preemptive attack on it even if that's not what it is. I watched poor little Scooter suffer badly from having such a terrible case. And he actually lost all his fur within one week...I don't want to chance that with these guys...

Critter_Queen
10-02-2006, 10:21 AM
Soooo...I took a good look at Oakley again on Saturday and guess what?? His bald spot (the one in the pic on his nose) is growing LOTS of fur back...

Huh.

So, I haven't treated anyone for mange....Yet....but I have the meds if I need them... Sheesh!

I hope it was just some shedding or him getting to aggressive when he's scratchin' where it itches! LOL!

GhosTS
10-02-2006, 11:05 AM
Good to hear that its getting better.It can be mange and his body can be fighting against the parasites himself.Of it can be just a scratch.

Critter_Queen
10-02-2006, 11:12 AM
I was wondering if his body was fighting it off or something.

I'm just going to wait this one out, I think. I've got an email into my mentor to ask what she would do, too.

It's always something! (or not! LOL!)