Another hair loss question

[b-complex]

Hi,

My #1 of 3 rescued red squirrels that I'm over-wintering has lost most of the hair around the base of her tail. They were found at 5.5 weeks and are now about 16.5 weeks. Her brother roommates do not show any signs of hair loss. They were on esbilac for a month then converted to FV, along with zupreem, veggies and the occasional nuts, pine cones and branches. Thanks to the fantastic info on this site, hopefully I've done all the right things for them.

My question is, is it safe to treat prophylactically with the food based mite treatment someone posted about recently (a paste from a farm feed store?).

There is zero chance I can get close enough to her to use anything that requires drops between the shoulders. They're super fast and pretty wild.

There are not many vets in my area who would treat a squirrel and, I'm only wintering them because local rehabbers were at capacity and couldn't take them.

Here's the only picture I could snap in a rare quiet moment. The bald spot extends all the way around her tail. The rest of her tail is very sparse, while her two brothers have nice bushy tails. Any ideas? thanks in advance!

[b-complex]

Ah, just found some posts on ivermectin and revolution...I'll research this further. In the meantime, it would still be good to hear from other experts on assessing the bald spots.

[astra]

Hi and Welcome,


I guess, you are talking about the ivermectin paste for mange?...
Ivermectin is suggested only as the last resort when Revolution is unavailable or cannot be administered, and when there is no way to try and remedy it by boosting the squirrel's immune system with good nutrition and removing stressors. It's because mange is, most of the time, is the result of the weakened immune system. Once their immune system is strengthened they recover from mange on their own.
That's general info about mange.

Your little guy does not look like he is having mange.
Although, there are atypical cases, the majority of usual mange starts around the eyes, shoulders, back, forehead - the upper body.

Usually, tail hairloss is a nutritional deficiency (although, mites cannot be ruled out, of course, too).

Sometimes, reds (and squirrels generally) go through molting.

It's hard for me to tell from the photo, so, maybe, the experienced rehabbers will be able to see what I do not see.

Just for now - do not give him any paste yet, because he might not need it.
Ivermectin is very dangerous and can be easily overdosed, so as I said before, it is used as the last resort when all else fails or when it's a wild squirrel and therefore handling is out of the question.
Since reds are so tiny, the risk of overdosing might be even higher...

Since you are overwintering him, it's worth trying to fix it by improving his diet and looking for other possible causes.

So, please keep checking - experienced rehabbers will be able to make suggestions.

In the meantime, could you describe his daily diet in detail?...
I know you mentioned it and it looks like he's getting a rodent block.
But could you please describe it in more detail? how many blocks and what kind exactly he gets per day, what veggies etc?... would like to make sure that he actually eats all of what you give him and does not stash it.
If he is eating a commercial rodent block, it should constitute about 80% of his diet.
If you have other pics of his tail from different angles, could you please post them, too?

Just hold off on the paste thing just yet.:grouphug

[astra]

i just re-read your post: looks like they were on Esbilac for a month?... that's pretty long.
How long have they been on FV?>.. are they still taking FV?...

If they stopped taking FV and were on Esbilac for a month, that could contribute: babies on Esbilac often exhibit some problems. So if that's one of the causes it's not surprising that the other two look fine and he doesn't because it can be very individual (he might be more sensitive).

If you share some more of his history (how you found them, what's their enclosure like, toys etc etc) that, too, might help experienced rehabbers to suggest possible causes and solutions.

[pappy1264]

My four that I wintered over last year, three of them got tails like that. They did not have mites. Although they ate a good diet, I believe it was from not enough vitamin D (they would not touch mushrooms, and they were in the basement, and although I did have a parrot light on them, I believe it was not enough.) In the spring, when I moved them outside, their tails all grew right in. I know reds have different food requirements then greys, but it could be a combination of diet/lack of sun (through the windows doesn't do anything, the glass blocks the useable rays, even a screen does to some degree.) As long as you are not seeing redness/scaliness, I would not be overly concerned. Maybe see if tweecking the diet a bit could help. Do you feed them rodent block or HHB's? (I know you said Zupreem, I believe that is monkey chow biscuits, correct?) They are not a block with all the correct things he would need. Fine as a treat, but he should be getting some type of block or maybe make the boo balls?

[b-complex]

Astra,

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll hold off on the mange treatment, and try to answer your questions. Sorry it's going to be a little long.

First, their diet. They get 3-5 pieces of Zupreem monkey feed in the morning with approximately 1/4 cup of fresh veggies or fruit if they have eaten everything the day before. This varies among turnip greens, swiss chard, green beans, broccoli stems, spinach, occasional blueberries or oranges. They once liked apple and zucchini but no longer. Once a day I still feed them about a tablespoon or so of FV (whatever 1 scoop makes). It's hit or miss whether they eat it or not. Once a week they get 3-5 nuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, acorns or a few pine cones. Three times a week they get some pine branches, with or without greenery. In the evening I check their supplies: if no Zupreem is left I top them off for the morning, and sometimes they get another helping of vegs. I like to wait till all the dry food is gone before giving them more of anything because they just cache it otherwise.

I first found them outside my door, running toward my feet. No mama in sight for two days and I was sure they'd not survive the cold weather, so I took them in. Judging from photos and sources online, they were 5-5.5 weeks. Eyes open, tail curled, and gnawing solid foods. I fed them Esbilac 1:1.5 ratio with cream for about a month because that's what was available locally. They were just about 8-9 weeks when I switched to FV 20/50, and coincidentally they started weaning off it in favor of almost entirely solids. Some of them still eat it so I still offer it, at a 1:1.5 ratio with water only.

The all seem to have good appetites. #1, with the bald tail, is the boldest and always gets first dibs on the best food. I often see her take the Zupreem in favor of the vegs. If it is nutritional deficiency, then would not the others suffer it more? Maybe it is molting.

They actually have two cages to roam. The first is 30"w x30"h x 48" cage with a wood nest box and fleece hanging hammock, a bunch of stationary branches and water bottles. The other cage is 3' x 4' x 6', with several shelves, branches and nylon rope for playing. The two cages are connected by flexible dryer vent tubing to a plastic bin that's probably 14" x 12" x 18" high, which is where they first lived when I got them and now I put the food.

I noticed the balding about 3 weeks ago, and it seems to have gotten worse. Here's another photo. Unfortunately the flash spooked #2 and #3 so much I hesitate to try again.

Just saw someone post that Zupreem isn't enough...that's new to me. I tried giving them Harlan 4018 rodent blocks early on but they hated it so much they chewed a hole in their cage to get the tastier food in the room.

[b-complex]

Mary,

Would you suggest in the short term Vitamin D supplements while they transition to the HHB's? They aren't getting any sunlight to speak of and mine won't eat mushrooms either. Harlan/Native Earth rodent blocks are out of the question, too it seems. In fact, I have a 20 lb bag for cheap sale ;-)

[Jackie in Tampa]

is there alot of scabbling?
is she rubbing her tail on anything? nestbox, dryer tube?
I do agree with Astar and Pappy, Zupreem should be a treat.
I have never seen a red so I have no species help if they are prone to this..
I also agree, probably not mange since no one else is presenting the same hair loss.
I am pro HHBs:thumbsup
I have never had any fur issues since I started feeding them a few years ago, or any issue.
I have 13 NRs here. Babysitting a few more and am over wintering a boat load of babies/juvies....:sanp3
annnnddddddddd enough flyers to fill the QE2!:rotfl
all on HHBs...
vary their diet, that's the biggest and best advise!
Hoping one of the rehabbers can help more!:)

[b-complex]

Thanks everyone for the guidance. It's a relief to hear the hair loss is probably not serious. I'll adjust their diets to include 80% rodent block, even if I have to make them the boo balls. Sigh. They have me very well trained.