MoMo's Po' Toe

[justplainnutz]

Yesterday I noticed MoMo was limping badly & curling up his R rear foot when sitting, not putting any weight on it. I then noticed some blood on the bottom of his cage. I can't see any wound on the foot except a little blood around the base of one nail. What concerns me, however is that his testes have gotten much bigger in the last few days. At first I just thought this was part of his development, since before him I had never been close enough to a male squirrel to notice how big their testes are, so I have no idea what's normal for what age. But after seeing the injured foot, it made me think that the swollen testes might be a sign of infection. He's shown almost no interest in food since yesterday, and he's usually a very eager and voracious eater.

I don't know whether he may have caught his claw on something and just have a really really bad hangnail, or if his sister may have bitten his toe. He won't hold still long enough for me to get a really good look at it.

Should I be giving him antibiotics or something to prevent tetanus or just put some alcohol or peroxide or something on his foot? Can I use something like Neosporin, or will he just lick that off?

He's such an affectionate little fella and I love him dearly and was up all night worrying about him. (Which is how I discovered this amazing site!)

[CritterMom]

Poor MoMo!

You can put a little bit of neosporin on his toe (read the label and make sure it doesn't have zinc - some brands do) and I am sure it will be fine - just keep an eye out for swelling or inflammation.

Ah, the boy bits - he's becoming a man. The get big, they get small, they get big again - I have an adult male and I can't keep track. I thought a few weeks ago that he had, um, "stored his nuts for the winter" and now they are back again!

[justplainnutz]

Thanks, I talked to a vet today and he basically told me the same thing...except he didn't mention the zinc. And I used the name-brand Neosporin and I just checked and it does have zinc, but I already used it. What does the zinc do?

I was also concerned because he wasn't eating, but today I was finally able to coax him with his favorite delicacy, mashed potatoes. I got a better look at his foot and I think he just broke off a claw, well, not completely off, but nearly severed at the quick. But the toe itself seems intact. He's acting much better now that he's eaten and he's not so mopey.

Thanks for your help. :thankyou