Cut Foot - Lost ALOT of blood HELP!!!!!

[dsuguy2007]

My ChipChip has somehow cut his foot on his cage. I can't find where. He's lost quite a bit of blood. It seems to have stopped but there are no vets in this area that will see him since it is illegal to keep a squirrel as a pet in the State of TN.

Any advice? He is very weak, normally he won't sit still at all for me but all he does is lay down and close his eyes when I pet him. I haven't tried to look at the foot other than just when he moves it into sight out of fear of harming him further and that he might become aggressive....

He's approximately 2 years old. If anyone could offer some assistance I can call you if need be.

[island rehabber]

Keep him very warm. He may be in shock....magic words are Dark, Warm and Quiet. If the bleeding has stopped he may be ok, but give him a it of warm sugar water or even rub maple syrup or honey on his gums to ward off low blood sugar (comes with being in shock). For pain, you can use a tiny dose of Children's Liquid Motrim....I can help you if you have a weight on him, in grams.

[dsuguy2007]

Ok I got him to lick some maple syrup off my finger. The bleeding has stopped. His heart is beating really really fast. I've got him snuggled under a nice big towel in his cage.....and it's good and warm in his room.

I also changed out his water bottle and added a little sugar....

I can't find anywhere on his cage he could have done this. There was so much blood, i'm really worried he lost too much.

[Jackie in Tampa]

we have members in tenn that may know a vet...

if you are near louisville kentucky, i have sq friendly vet info..

check toes very carefully, ck penis..if teeth are broke or sharp, he may have hurt himself grooming..

please do not add anything to water bottle, just water...clean it well, it may stick with sugar in it...

[dsuguy2007]

I only did the sugar water for through the night. He's back to plain water now. He's up and moving around and he won't really let me look at the foot much very close but from what i can tell it looks like he ripped his toenail off on his "index finger". All other body parts are in tact and fine. Can find no places on the cage where he could have done this but am replacing the cage just for safety's sake. I can't go through another night like I did last night with him. He's my sweet baby.

I will say this, after he went through puberty he became less cuddly and more aggressive. Before puberty he never ever bit me and was cuddly and loved to play. After puberty he gets excited and will bite HARD. I limit how long I play with him (do alot of short play times) and how excited I get with him because of this. Since he hurt himself he has become much more interested in wanting to be petted and loved on. Just seems weird to me since most animals become much more withdrawn and aggressive when they are hurt.

I'm in the Memphis area. I have a possible vet I found out about today that might be willing to treat him. Going to check it out. He seems to be ok for now. I'm just watching him closely to make sure there's no infection from it.

Any suggestions on a decent cage that won't break my checking account?

[SammysMom]

What sort of budget? Henry's has this one:
http://www.henryspets.com/henrys-house-exotic-pet-cage/
There are lots out there I have a Critter Nation that I love! (So does Sammy...lol):jump

[CritterMom]

That is called "comfort-seeking" and on a really basic level, they want their mommy! Occasionally, even wild animals will do it - come to a human asking for help...I would handle and love on him as much as you can - it will make him feel better and it may even change your relationship again.

[m&bs mom]

You mentioned that he was cuddled with a towel...he could have caught his nail on the towel loops and ripped the nail that way. It may not have been the cage.

[dsuguy2007]

No I used the towel after the accident. It's a smooth towel not with the loops.

I typically use old white cotton undershirts for him to cuddle in.


budget, hmmm around 250 or so....might go a little higher if it was really want I was looking for.