released squirrel with yucky poop

[Wonkawillie]

OK, so my released squirrels still return home. I dont see much of the female, but the boy is looking for me all the time. I was just outside weeding and he came to me and was on my back. suddenly he stunk like a mix of cat poop and chicken poop! Sure enough he pooped on me and it was mushy and smeared into my shirt. It was so stinky. I wonder what is up with this? He was with me this am and while eating his morning boo ball, he was pooping regular squirrel nuggets. He seems fine.
Can we catch anything from squirrels? once they are out in the wild? I know rabies is rare in a squirrel, but what about this poop? worms, etc? I picked a few ticks off of him too. Funny squirrels have squirrel sized ticks. Almost cant tell they are tick they are so small. I often see them around the eyes wher the fur is thinner.
My boy seems lonely,like he is missing his sister.

[SammysMom]

I don't have the answers on the poop question, but the ticks sound like deer ticks. If squirrels have them then you can get them while out gardening too. They are what carries Lyme disease so just be very aware of any that you may get on you. Not so much from the squirrels as just from being outdoors. I am sure one of the experts will be along to address the poop question!

[Hannah]

I know rabies is rare in a squirrel, but what about this poop? worms, etc? I picked a few ticks off of him too. Funny squirrels have squirrel sized ticks. Almost cant tell they are tick they are so small.
Hi, Wonkawillie. I don't have much practical experience, but anyway. Worms are not uncommon in wild squirrels, but they are sorts that humans aren't susceptible to. Some zoonoses that squirrels can get are leptospirosis, tularemia, encephalitis, rabies, and plague. But transmission to humans is not common.

[astra]

i am no expert, but as far as I remember, some poop issues can be zoonotic. It's either giardia or coccidia (or both) that is zoonotic and one of the symptoms of either both or one of them (you see, don't remember in detail;-)) is some very stinky mushy poop.
Of course, irregular poop can be caused by many other things, but as far as zoonotic the above giardia and cocchidia are first that come to mind (i.e., if the cause is either g. or c., then there is a certain risk). As far as I remember, other symptoms characteristic of each will most likely be present (again - don't remember exactly which ones)
However, common hygiene should be sufficient.
I think, tapeworm is zoonotic, too...
If i find out anything else, I'll post.
But I am sure expert ppl will share lots of info about this.

[UDoWhat]

OK, so my released squirrels still return home. I dont see much of the female, but the boy is looking for me all the time. I was just outside weeding and he came to me and was on my back. suddenly he stunk like a mix of cat poop and chicken poop! Sure enough he pooped on me and it was mushy and smeared into my shirt. It was so stinky. I wonder what is up with this? He was with me this am and while eating his morning boo ball, he was pooping regular squirrel nuggets. He seems fine.
Can we catch anything from squirrels? once they are out in the wild? I know rabies is rare in a squirrel, but what about this poop? worms, etc? I picked a few ticks off of him too. Funny squirrels have squirrel sized ticks. Almost cant tell they are tick they are so small. I often see them around the eyes wher the fur is thinner.
My boy seems lonely,like he is missing his sister.
HI WW, Yes, for sure we can get "stuff" from the wilds. Not often, but with direct contact, it is possible. The ticks sound like deer ticks. The ticks are small because they have not engorged with blood yet. If your little one does not scratch them off they will get very big. Most squirrels are able to remove them by scratching. If the little one is having trouble with ticks, he may be having release "issues". With the poop issue I would also keep my eye one him. Maybe bring him in and do a fecal float test on him. You can do this yourself with a kit. I don't usually do my own fecal float other than to identify "if" I see something. Usually can't tell "what" I see, when I see it. I have taken several parasitology classes but ... I can't tell, really, what I am looking at from the little chart. :dono
Also I would treat him with Revolution. I treat my releases with Revolution before they go out and before I open the release door. I had Lyme Disease about 1 1/2 years ago from working outdoors and getting a tick bite. If you Google Lyme disease the symptoms are exactly as described. I know because I ignored the symptoms until it went neuro. I was on antibio. for 6 weeks. (I think) The normal course of antibio. is , I believe, 3 weeks, if you don't ignore the symptoms. Also just be sure you wash your hands well after dealing with rodent poop. Bacterial infections and or viral infections can be contracted from rodent poop. Again rarely, but I spent 10 days in the hospital with a virus called the "Norwalk Virus". There are several strains of this virus and it can be contracted, from among other things, rodent poop.:shakehead The year I had it, I had many babies with unexplained GI/ diarrhea problems. In 12 years those are really the only two suspicious origin diseases I have ever had. It was never traced to the squirrels or any other wildlife I had at the time.
As Peter has listed there are many zoonotic diseases but with simple hand washing and even reasonably safe handling, this is not worrisome. The ticks are the most troubling, i believe. I did just read that ticks have to be imbedded for 24 hours before transmitting Lyme disease and not all ticks carry the disease. :dono This is from a Johns Hopkins publication I get in the mail.
Hope this helps.

Marty

[Hannah]

Hi, astra. :wave123

I suppose I should have qualified. Of the information I've found for reports of fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) intestinal parasites, none of the species came up as occurring in humans as well. It's very possible I missed some that were found only in gray squirrels, or just missed some in general. :)

[SammysMom]

Not to argue with Hopkins, but I guess I will. I had Lyme years ago and believe me the tick was NOT embedded for 24 hours. The rash from the bite site was on my wrist and I never even saw the tick, just saw the resulting rash. Doc told me he had never seen a more textbook bulls eye type rash. Several weeks of ABs later I was okay. Just be vigilant about checking for the tiny little S.O.B.s on you. Lyme is not a simple problem!:soapbox

[astra]

Hi, astra. :wave123

I suppose I should have qualified. Of the information I've found for reports of fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) intestinal parasites, none of the species came up as occurring in humans as well. It's very possible I missed some that were found only in gray squirrels, or just missed some in general. :)
Don't be silly, Peter!:poke
I learned about coccidia from a very experienced vet, and read about giardia on a few occasions (a couple of which were here -ppl shared contracting giardia either themselves or their family).
Since healthy wild squirrels (although, I know of greys, I am sure in this respect foxers are not that different ;-)) carry a certain amount of coccidia anyway (don't know about giardia), that flares up only when a squirrel is weakened, I would not be surprised if it was not mentioned in some sources (if it is so common to squirrels, it might be mentioned as a specific parasite, you know:thinking ).
Some sources might miss certain things.
for the most part, it looks like squirrels' stuff stays with squirrels without crossing over to humans, but there are certainly a few things that might pose potential risk...
BUt, as I said, common thorough hygiene is enough in most cases, maybe that's why there are not a lot of cases when humans got something from squirrels.
Another thing can be - the difference b/w wild squirrels and those in rehab/pets, as the latter normally do not carry the same parasites as the wilds, and not to the same degree, that's for sure...

Just so wish there was more research on squirrels... :)
it's easier to find info on some exotic shark rather than a common squirrel:shakehead

[UDoWhat]

Not to argue with Hopkins, but I guess I will. I had Lyme years ago and believe me the tick was NOT embedded for 24 hours. The rash from the bite site was on my wrist and I never even saw the tick, just saw the resulting rash. Doc told me he had never seen a more textbook bulls eye type rash. Several weeks of ABs later I was okay. Just be vigilant about checking for the tiny little S.O.B.s on you. Lyme is not a simple problem!:soapbox
Funny, I didn,t want to argue with Hopkins Researchers either, but..... I don't think I had a tick embedded for 24 hours either. Trust me I would have noticed too. I hate the little blood sucking devils. :soapbox How do they come up with this stuff? I"m sure it is reasearched to the hilt but sorry , I'm with you.!! :thumbsup

Marty

[SammysMom]

I am afraid that they simply don't know what the heck they are talking about with this one. They just want so badly to have THE ANSWER. Sometimes it just isn't that easy! :sanp3

[UDoWhat]

Not to argue with Hopkins, but I guess I will. I had Lyme years ago and believe me the tick was NOT embedded for 24 hours. The rash from the bite site was on my wrist and I never even saw the tick, just saw the resulting rash. Doc told me he had never seen a more textbook bulls eye type rash. Several weeks of ABs later I was okay. Just be vigilant about checking for the tiny little S.O.B.s on you. Lyme is not a simple problem!:soapbox
It really can be bad, Lyme Disease, that is. I tried to ignore the totally obvious symptoms, and let it go futher than it had to. My doc. also said this was a textbook case and look. I was lucky I didn't have permanent problems. I know people who have, though. God was watching out for my stupidity.:shakehead

[equine623]

Guys, I don't mean to sound obnoxious, but if a tick the size of a pencil point is embedded in your hair, you won't see or feel it. If you have freckles, one can blend right in. Not all ticks are big enough to see, brown dog ticks are huge in comparison to deer ticks which are big in comparison to some of the other smaller ones.

And like anything else, I do think it depends on the person. I had a deer tick embedded for over 48 hours (don't ask...was in a really bad spot) but I didn't get Lyme, despite living in a very Lyme endemic area. Others may get Lyme in 12 hours. The research we had to study for school states that typically it requires a 12-36 hour time of the tick being embedded for disease transmission to occur. I think mainly the idea is to reassure people that just having a tick crawling on you isn't enough to give you any disease and they have to be firmly attached for a while before that can happen.

And just to qualify (can you guys tell I like parasites :rotfl ) coccidia is usually species specific, but that only means it cannot reproduce in another species. So squirrel coccidia could be found in say a bobcat or fox, because it ate the squirrel, but the coccidia would have no real effect on the carnivore and would not be able to survive. Coccidia is really common in every species, honestly.

Giardia is horrendous and very zoonotic. Roundworms can be passed species to species, won't kill you but will make you feel like...ok I guess I won't go there :sanp3

And if you were to take random samples from different wild animals, squirrels included, you would absolutely find all these parasites and more. In an otherwise healthy animal, there is expected to see a minimal parasite load. It is just part of their lives. Its only when something happens to shift the balance, or weaken the immune system overall, then the parasites become a more dangerous problem. (Note I'm talking about wild animals, not domestic.) And of course, a neonate is much more susceptible to any parasite.

Back to the original question. Sure it could be worms. Or it could be he gorged himself on something that didn't agree with his belly and you got to enjoy the after effects. :thumbsup

Jill, CVT

[pappy1264]

ticks....something I have more experience with than I care to think about (we live in the 'tick capital' of the whole united states.....Cape Ann). Anyway, I have been treated for lyme, my daughter has, all three of my dogs have and one of my dogs even got a second tick born disease (can't remember the name, began with the letter 'A'). For my experience, I had chased my dog into the woods (we had just gotten him, he was chasing a deer). I got lost.....course, he was sitting on the stairs when I finally found my way out! Anyway, did several checks that night....never found any. Next day, went to take shower....hubby is like, 'what is that on your back?' Sure enough, tick #1 (already had the bullseye and it was still attached). A full body check found another attached in my armpit (ouch!) No rash there. Four weeks of doxycycline, 3 times a day.....I've been good since (but have routine 'checks' to be sure because it is so easy to have a tick on you and never know it! Yes dog ticks are much bigger, but there are different stages of deer ticks, and they vary greatly in size. They nymph size looks like a black dot, you really have to look to know it is a tick and until engorged, you wouldn't know it was on it, most likely. (they are most likely to be the carriers of lyme, I have been told). My daughter had on on the back of her head. Not only did she get the bulleyes rash on her scalp, lymphnodes in her neck blew up, too. Treated for 4 weeks with amoxy (too young to use doxy). She has been fine. Dogs, all treated and have all been fine, thankfully. But it is something we deal with every day...ticks. But the price we paying for wanting to live here, I guess! So to threadjack.

[Wonkawillie]

Getting off topic, but good info. I had a tick that was imbedded for only about 12 hours. I know, as I had gone hiking and knew when I got it. The tick was tin y and not full of blood, but still attached. I live way in the country so ticks are always on me and I think nothing of it. The very next day, I was never so sick in my life!!!!!! I never get sick. I am very healthy, eat right and never even get a cold. Well, I was Soooooooo sick from this tic. Dr wanted to say it was impossible, as the tic was not on long enough, but my sysmptoms were so severe, and so textbook that they gave me the Doxi, as a diagnostic tool. If I felt better in a few days of Doxi, then this is what it was. My blood pressure dropped to 80 / 40 and I was passing out. I was projectile vomiting, and all my nerves were kind of freaking out. It was summer and hot out and I felt like somone was plattering cold water at me. This was my nerve endings sparking uncontrollably. I am no wimp. I will sew myself up if I cut myself. Kind of a tough girl ( with a soft heart for animals). Well, I had to call my husband to come home from work to get me to the Dr. I could not drive I was so sick. My whole body hurt too.
Anyway, just to let you know that that 24-48 hour theory about ticks being imbeded....not always true.

[lilidukes]

Just to be safe I would give a round of ab's (metro) I dose my releases by putting it on a pecan and they chomp it right down washing the rest off of their hands when done.

My boys keep coming home with one injury or another this year:shakehead I've had a mangled toe which was saved, one who lost a chunk of his hip from a hawk I believe, a broken tail a scrapped up raw peeper. The girls seem to stay out of trouble but not my boys:sanp3