Tinkled on myself

[blueyed squirl]

I was wondering if anyone has this problem. Forever Niki would tinkle on himself. When he would go to the bathroom his belly area around his genitals would be soaked with urine & I would have to bath him about 2 times a week. It got so bad that he started loosing the hair around the area. Then all of a sudden he stopped. He was doing great for about 6 months, now for some reason, he's resumed getting it all over his belly. Any ideas on why he's doing this or why he started up again. Bathing him is no big deal it's just not his favorite part time. I try to keep his belly clean by taking a wipe & cleaning the area but that's just as big a deal as bathing him. I get all kinds of nasty squirrel cussing:madd :censored

[Mars]

Remind me - how old is Nikki? Can you tell me how it is "getting all over him"? Is he leaking urine in a dribble? Is he just squatting in a puddle? Is the urine discolored? Does anything else change such as appitite or sleeping habits change when this is happening? Is he active?

Sorry - full of questions. :D I need your eyes to see for me.

[TexanSquirrel]

Oh no! Poor little guy!

[Mars]

How is Nikki Today?

[island rehabber]

blueyed squirrel, we've moved this thread to Non-Life-Threatening help needed, in order for you to get advice more quickly as to why Niki might be doing this. One of mine did the same thing for awhile last year, until he was about 15 wks old. Another rehabber thought he might be lying down on his urine because it was warm and he was cold. So I put a heating pad under one small area of the cage so he could sleep there -- even though he was well beyond heating pad age. I'm not certain that the heat did the trick, but the piddling on himself did stop, eventually. Is Niki in a chilly area of the house?

[blueyed squirl]

Remind me - how old is Nikki? Can you tell me how it is "getting all over him"? Is he leaking urine in a dribble? Is he just squatting in a puddle? Is the urine discolored? Does anything else change such as appitite or sleeping habits change when this is happening? Is he active?

Sorry - full of questions. :D I need your eyes to see for me.



Well, Niki is about 9 months. It's not a dribble it's a full release & no it's not discolored. The only thing that's changed is I gave his enclosure a really good cleaning. You think he's just trying remark his territory. His diet has changed, I've put him back on fruits & veggies. For the past few months he wouldn't touch & only ate his nuts. Now he only gets nuts as a treat, 2 or 3 a day. He's also getting more calcium, vitamins & minerals than he has in the past few months. Could the change in diet be it? I'm not sure why this would matter. When he goes he's on all fours & it's like his belly just gets wet from it, like it's laying in it. But here's the thing, when he was on nuts he got very fat & since I've changed his diet he lost his exces weight so I wouldn't think it's because his belly is too big.

[Critter_Queen]

What kind of cage is he in? If there is no bottom grate and he has/had a fat belly, it would be easy to urinate on himself.

As far as cleaning his cage, you should do that (like the whole nine yards-type cleaning) at least once a week. Squirrels get stinky QUICK.

I'm glad to hear he's back on a normal diet...that is VERY good for him. :thumbsup

[SquirrelyGuy]

Animals do what animals do.

You say that it only happens every six months, right ... well late January to February and late July to August are when most Squirrels are in season. Urine to animals is a type of musk and or calling card. Males will urinate on them selfs to display dominance and personal health to the female. They also use it to make territory. Females will dribble urine to indicate that " I am in or going into heat" This behavior is natural to most animals.

Male's and female's internal clocks tells them that matting season is close at hand so they will fatten up and be more active during this time. This intern increases their health and tells each other that they are healthy and prime to mate. Sometimes if a male is neutered he will still preform this natural instinct. After all neutering doesn't stop sexual behavior. They can smell this scent in the air even in your house. If for some reason a squirrel doesn't they maybe sterile, or over stressed.

Bathing a male will only entice him to reapply or may even cause him to get stressed :squirrel1 and to lose hair or become violent.

Just Remember. Squirrels are still rodents and wild animals, no matter how tame they are.:thumbsup

[DubShack]

You know that makes sense, I swear the last male I saw in the yard was all yellow in that area... I was thinking somehow he'd peed on himself.

[blueyed squirl]

I hear you on the bathing issue. I've been bathing since he was about 5 months old. He seems to enjoy sitting under the warm water. I know that sounds crazy for a squirrel, but then again having a wild/domesticated rodent isn't normal either. I do feel that it may be from the "spring cleaning" I gave his cage. Usually I just wash his toys & change his litter (wich is under a grate), & I take out all the soiled paper & rags I give him & replace them with new ones. He doesn't seem to urinate on anything in the house when he's out but me. I giess he's marking me as his territory...:wiggle

[susanw]

My squirrel (who is 2 years old) has never had this problem, but I have seen it happen at my rehabbers place. It is usually due to a bladder infection, I don't know if it applies in your case since it disappeared for 6 months.

[Gabe]

I tend to agree with Susanw. I see many wilds at my feeders and I have never seen one with a wet, yellow belly. I suppose a bladder infection could resolve itself without treatment, and perhaps your squirrel is prone to them. Thinking outloud - if he is lying down to relieve himself, could he be expressing his own bladder for some reason?

[rygel1hardt]

You could try giving him a litterbox with plain clay cat litter. If he were to start using it the litter would absorb his urine and he might stay cleaner. Just be sure to use plain clay litter that is dust free. Stacey



I hear you on the bathing issue. I've been bathing since he was about 5 months old. He seems to enjoy sitting under the warm water. I know that sounds crazy for a squirrel, but then again having a wild/domesticated rodent isn't normal either. I do feel that it may be from the "spring cleaning" I gave his cage. Usually I just wash his toys & change his litter (wich is under a grate), & I take out all the soiled paper & rags I give him & replace them with new ones. He doesn't seem to urinate on anything in the house when he's out but me. I giess he's marking me as his territory...:wiggle

[blueyed squirl]

Are there any other signs of a bladder infection I should keep an eye out for?

If he does have one how should I treat it?

[Mars]

Retention of urine, incontenence (sp?) difficulty or slow urination, discolored urine ( red or rusty or brown) blood in urine, foul or strong smelling urine, pain when urinating - these are signs of something wrong. The best way to determine is to have a vet examine and treat.

Cranberries or cranberry juice may help at home. It's very difficult to judge from a distance just what is going on. Has the problem continued? Gotten worse? Are there any other changes in behavior?

[blueyed squirl]

No changes in behavior & none of the symptoms you listed. He is just how he was 6 months ago. The only logical thing I can think of is he's marking his territory or spreading the pheramones.:toung3

[island rehabber]

No changes in behavior & none of the symptoms you listed. He is just how he was 6 months ago. The only logical thing I can think of is he's marking his territory or spreading the pheramones.:toung3

blueyed squirl I'm thinking that we're onto something here. As mentioned I had a squirrel who did this last fall, and he was absolutely the alpha male of the bunch who terrorized everyone, especially his one cagemate. It is entirely possible he was marking everything in the cage. Little demon. :D