Scaly dry skin and patchy fur

[zoeetal]

My dwarf squirrel has developed very dry, scaly skin. She's always had patchy fur and the patches have moved around on her body. Some will fill in and others will appear. Her tail used to be completely bald and now it's full and gorgeous. The fur on her body though is quite pitiful and unhealthy looking. It doesn't seem like mange since neither I, nor my dog, have gotten anything and the condition seems very irregular and unworsening. I've also been applying diluted apple cider vinegar to her skin in case there is a bacteria or fungus with no results. I'm wondering if it's nutritional. I've ordered her some of HHB and will see what that does. She mostly eats nuts and fruits and veggies.

I've tried attaching a picture but it's not showing up in my post.

Anyone have any ideas?

[Jackie in Tampa]

HI and welcome to TSB!:Welcome
Can you give us more history...
btw, I also have a genetic dwarf!:D
:Love_Icon Scout!:Love_Icon

Please share diet, age, cage etc...anything and everything!:thumbsup
You can add some yogurt to her diet, maybe the fat will help her skin???:dono

Someone will come along and help with pics...I am not pc savy:shakehead

[zoeetal]

Hi Jackie,

Thanks for the warm welcome and reply. I appreciate it.

To give you more details about her situation:
She's never in a cage. She lives freely in my apartment. She has a treehouse and some natural elements available to her; like logs and rocks and pine cones, etc. She always has a dish of water available as well as a dish of seeds and nuts in the shell. Most mornings I put out a plate with a variety of fruits and veggies on it, all of which are listed on the Henry's Pets website (http://www.henryspets.com/pages/Healthy-Diet.html). For about a week or so I've been giving her some esbilac in the morning since she's not interested in rodent block and never has been.

She was born Spring 2010 so she's about 1 year old now. She sleeps about 15-18 hours a day. Her fur began getting sparse and strange around October and has come and gone in various patters since. Her baldest spot has been her head, which now seems to be growing in a little bit with some fuzz. Generally, her hair is dull and wirey, although I do notice a little improvement since she's been eating the esbilac. This is why I suspect it might be a nutrition issue.

She's a good eater, has normal squirrel behaviour, and has good poops, etc. Aside from her funky hair (and dwarfism of course) she's otherwise a normal, healthy squirrel. I was looking into the MBD but I don't notice any signs of this. She's very active and agile and loves to zip around when she's playful. I've also seen her fall a few times and haven't noticed any particular reaction of pain.

Let me know if you have any other questions about her. I've tried attaching some photos again. Maybe it'll work this time.

Thanks a bunch!!

[mugzeezma]

Have you tried making BooBalls for her?

[zoeetal]

I'm going to try that this week. Maybe the coconut oil will really help with the dry dullness.

Thanks!