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slee
10-12-2012, 11:44 PM
Does anyone have experience with squirrels with cloudy eye(s)? Does this mean the squirrel is blind in the cloudy eye? The squirrel acts as though he can not see with that eye. What are your thoughts on whether this squirrel would be able to live in the wild with one eye.:thankyou

CrazySquirrelLady
10-12-2012, 11:52 PM
Yes I do have experience with this.

Unfortunately, it is most likely that the eye is blind.

I have read that one may release a squirrel with only one eye, but you would have to evaluate your squirrel and make the decision to release or not release.

I might not release a half blind squirrel myself, not knowing if the vision in the other eye might go sometime in the future as well.

It would be hard for me personally.

I had a squirrel with the same symptoms as yours, and my VET confirmed that he was blind in both eyes.

At first it was a cloudy look to them, and it eventually progressed to more typical blind eye "appearance" and was obviously blind at that point.

I have heard that proper NUTRITION can sometimes reverse these symptoms and prevent future problems.

Can you tell me what you are feeding your squirrel? :D

Thanks for helping this little squee!

Blind squirrels are the best snugglers!

slee
10-13-2012, 01:06 AM
I raised this squirrel and two other siblings from about 34 grams on fox valley 32/40 then 20/50. Unfortunately, the two siblings passed when they were put in outside cages to prepare for release. The larger male seem to have gotten some kind of respiratory infection and it was not caught in time, he was fine when placed in outside cages. The other sibling, a female was slow to grow and gain but finally did. I personally think she was too small to be put out in outside cages, I do not think she was ready. This male with cloudy eye was also very slow to gain and was weak and smaller, would only gain a gram or two from day to day, and sometimes would lose or just maintain. Diarrhea most of the time, it cleared up when got off formula. Feces has a terrible smell, rank, not at all normal (from other squirrels I have had). I was told by someone else that the smell could be from the clavamox, but even when off the clavamox the smell is still there. This same person also said it could be allergic to the other food that is mixed in with the blocks. Would not accept solid food and would not get passed two feedings a day without loosing a lot of weight. He finally weaned himself and has been fed mazuri rodent block/chow, apples, zucchini, mushrooms, almond or walnut, spring mix, avocado once in awhile and he loves corn cob. He would look for the corn when not given any (he doesn't know its only once in awhile food). He is very, very, very picky. He is finally at 240 grams. Finally playing and jumping around and will run into things when playing. He will listen by tilting his head if he can not see you on that side. He has been a slow developer and unsteady for an age when he should be sitting up to eat without having trouble. He will soon be place in outside cages to prepare for release but I am wondering if he will be able to survive and perhaps we should winter him over so he can grow more and become more fit. I sometimes wonder when we raise them from so small if they are nutritional fit as they would have been with their mother. He has had a time thriving and I have thought on many occasions this squirrel won't make it. So I am just wondering if he would be able to be in the wild?

CrazySquirrelLady
10-13-2012, 01:14 AM
After carefully reading your post, in my opinion NO.

I would keep through the winter, continue on the good diet he seems to be on.

Head tilting makes me think vision in other eye not too hot either... definitely a blind squirrel sign for me.

You can re evaluate in the spring if you want, but my gut reaction is to love this squee in the house. :D

Someone may come along and disagree with me at any minute.. lol.

that is what I would do if mine.

skippy
10-13-2012, 01:47 AM
I had a squirrel that was malnourished and very ill when I got him in. He smelled awful, cat caught but a fighter. Over the few weeks after I got him he developed a white cloudy area in his eye and I got him into see a veterinarian that specialized in diseases of the eye. He had inflammation in the interior chamber of the eye which he could have developed from his bad nutritional start before I got him. Anyway, she prescribed eye drops that he got 2x a day for a few weeks. Told me to watch it over the next few weeks. I didn't see much change in him except that he was able to compensate using one eye.
The vet said that he was able to see around it and it may heal over time with proper nutrition. He was paired up with another squirrel his age but was healthier and larger, this male squirrel was very affectionate and allowed him to piggy back ride with him often around the cage and tolerated a lot of crazy playing. He definitely was okay in his indoor cage where I kept them over the winter to fatten him up and continue his meds. In May I put him into the release cage for 4 weeks continuing to observe his ability to jump, climb and do what was needed in the wild. He had no issues with any of it. He was very territorial with the wilds that would get near the cage and was not timid at all. I did release him with the other one that was much larger and he went his own way but came back every other day to check on his "differently abled" buddy. The piggy back rides would carry on when they got together. It was so adorable. The little one stayed close to the release cage, using it for a month or so. I put up a nest box near the cage. He would take nesting material from the release cage and carry it up into the trees so that it looked like mischief night with hanging fleece blankets. :) He'd be dragging fabric out of an old unused doghouse, through the fencing and up the trees too.
Anyway, I was concerned about him being handicapped but he was so fast and able to find his way around. I didn't see him for a while so I put out an outdoor wildlife camera on the cage and saw that he was coming back to the cage for food around 5:30 in the morning and the same in the evening. Along with flying squirrels. I was relieved. A few more weeks went by and I was outside when he came to visit. I was up close chatting with him and could see that his eye had healed. I knew it was him as he was much smaller than the other one. The white had disappeared and he was happy as a pig in mud. Free and living in the wild where he belonged.
I would suggest that you take him to be observed by a vet in case it is a scratch that has ulcerated his cornea and can be treated with proper eye medication. There are so many medicines available for different optical issues that I wouldn't suggest using anything without knowing what your dealing with, they will cause more problems if the medicine isn't correctly dispensed for his issue. There is a good chance his eye can be saved and if not, at least you didn't guess and miss the opportunity to heal him completely.
Also, keeping him over for the winter, giving him plenty of enrichment items in his cage that he can practice on would be beneficial for you to watch his abilities. You'll know after observing him if he is releasable. I would definitely recommend a vet visit initially as soon as possible and go from there.
Good Luck:)

skippy
10-13-2012, 01:50 AM
" I have thought on many occasions this squirrel won't make it. "

Don't push him out if this is your gut instinct. Mine was very small too and that's why I wintered him over for a few months indoors until my outdoor cage was free and then 4 months in the release cage until the weather got nice.

pappy1264
10-13-2012, 07:18 AM
My Peanut is blind in one eye. He did not want to leave, so stayed, and suddenly at almost a year old, he developed the cloudy eye. He cannot see out of it, but has adjusted. I think it would be a disadvantage for them, but I wouldn't say they could not survive. The biggest concern is what caused the blindness and will there be any other issues? Peanut had what is believed to be a granmal seizure shortly after the eye developed. It was only once, but was so scary and I was sure he would die. Thank God he did not, and has been fine ever since. He is my baby and has no desire to be outside (he won't even let you bring him near the window. Sleeps on the bottom of his cage, will not sleep inside of anything, covers himself with his stuffies!) He fell over 30 ft. when he was a baby, as a crow was trying to eat him alive and did have pretty bad injuries, although at the did not show any evidence of head trauma, amazingly. But Peanut is happy and othewise healthy and I love him with all my heart!

Here are a couple pics of Peanuts eye. This is not from the flash of a camera. It is pure white.

djarenspace9
10-13-2012, 07:44 AM
I took in a squirrel last year that was blind in one eye and it was cloudy.
I was told it had that appearance from the time she opened it and noone thought to have it evaluated.
I took her to my vet and although it was confirmed the blindness was permanent,
the cloudiness was a sign of infection and was treated with eye drops and went away.
Her eye is clear and you can't hardly tell which is the good one.

I say get her to a vet to have the eye checked because blindness does NOT have to be permanent,
it just depends on the cause and condition of the eye.
In her case she had trauma to the eye that made it impossible to heal, but the infection was secondary and uncomfortable.

Please don't assume anything about the condition like happened in my Sylvia's case.
Her eye should have been evaluated regardless and she spend two months with an eye infection she did not need to have.

slee
10-13-2012, 03:40 PM
Thank you everyone for your thoughts. A vet has looked at him and since it has been cloudy since he opened his eyes, the vet said it was from trauma most likely and since all three of them fell from a tree, that is how it happened and there was nothing that could be done. The whole eye is cloudy not the area in the middle like the pic that was attached. Is that how the eye is in the pic that the area in the middle is cloudy? When he first opened his eyes it was really cloudy now it is just somewhat cloudy. I look back at how difficult it was to raise him and his struggling to thrive that maybe something else happened when he fell or perhaps he is just slow to develop and he has a handicap. I do believe that all creatures develop at different rates just like us humans do. Although, in the wild you have to be strong or you won't survive. So I am just weighing the options and trying to do what is right for the squirrel for him to be happy. He is a sweetie that is for sure.

slee
10-13-2012, 05:25 PM
http://s1279.photobucket.com/Sorry this did not work. I do not remember how I did this before. Sorry.

skippy
10-14-2012, 01:27 AM
My Peanut is blind in one eye. He did not want to leave, so stayed, and suddenly at almost a year old, he developed the cloudy eye. He cannot see out of it, but has adjusted. I think it would be a disadvantage for them, but I wouldn't say they could not survive. The biggest concern is what caused the blindness and will there be any other issues? Peanut had what is believed to be a granmal seizure shortly after the eye developed. It was only once, but was so scary and I was sure he would die. Thank God he did not, and has been fine ever since. He is my baby and has no desire to be outside (he won't even let you bring him near the window. Sleeps on the bottom of his cage, will not sleep inside of anything, covers himself with his stuffies!) He fell over 30 ft. when he was a baby, as a crow was trying to eat him alive and did have pretty bad injuries, although at the did not show any evidence of head trauma, amazingly. But Peanut is happy and othewise healthy and I love him with all my heart!

Here are a couple pics of Peanuts eye. This is not from the flash of a camera. It is pure white.

How sweet is he!
How do you house him? Do you have a large cage? Do you have special adjustments made in the cage for him to get around? I have one now that I'm rehabilitating. Head trauma and some neuro issues but he is improving everyday. Optic nerve is intact along with the retina so it's a wait and see case which can take months. Ideas from others on what they have done to make adjustments for them is helpful.

skippy
10-14-2012, 01:29 AM
I took in a squirrel last year that was blind in one eye and it was cloudy.
I was told it had that appearance from the time she opened it and noone thought to have it evaluated.
I took her to my vet and although it was confirmed the blindness was permanent,
the cloudiness was a sign of infection and was treated with eye drops and went away.
Her eye is clear and you can't hardly tell which is the good one.

I say get her to a vet to have the eye checked because blindness does NOT have to be permanent,
it just depends on the cause and condition of the eye.
In her case she had trauma to the eye that made it impossible to heal, but the infection was secondary and uncomfortable.

Please don't assume anything about the condition like happened in my Sylvia's case.
Her eye should have been evaluated regardless and she spend two months with an eye infection she did not need to have.
:goodpost

pappy1264
10-14-2012, 09:34 AM
Because Peanut has full use of both eyes for almost a year, I did not have to make any special adjustments, as he knew his surroundings quite well. But I know others who have blind quirrels have done special cage set ups, using lots of fleece hammocks in case of accidental falls. Peanut cannot jump as far as he used to (he misjudges distance now), but he usually jumps off me to something, and I can tell when he wants to jump to something, so I just move closer so he will not miss! But that is about it. He is VERY SWEET! Even with a nut in his mouth, he is never aggressive....biggest love ever! And I also have a neuro female in the same room (my bedroom), and he could care less....just loves mom! (Course, Angel does not like him, either, so thats fine with her! lol)

skippy
10-15-2012, 02:20 AM
I'm hoping for a good outcome from this little guy. He's overcome so much since he came in hit by a car I would hate for him to not have a total recovery and be released.
It's nice to know who has blind ones in their care and any ideas for keeping them stimulated in their environment, not depressed with a healthy quality of life is what I would love to hear about.
:)

jbtartell
10-24-2012, 09:00 PM
here is my popeye.. lol I released him and he hung around for 2 years but then I moved..lol is tis what yours looks like?

skippy
10-25-2012, 01:10 AM
I've not had a squirrel with that much damage.
A little dougie I released came back again today and his eye has cleared up.
No white anymore and he's fast a lightning even with the hawk sitting in the trees above him which freaks me out.
But I've heard they miss 95% of their targets so that eases my worries a bit.

jbtartell
10-26-2012, 12:45 PM
yes it was blue when I got him And treated him for a cat attack it cleared up and after I released him a month after it cleared up it cameback soo I trapped him and retreated but for longer it cleared up again and so I waited and released again when I thought it was clear to and a few weeks later it was blue again.. but he did just fine with it,, he was totaly blind in that eye and one of my special babies I could pet after release.. and he always new where mom was and never went to strangers or even come to me if some one was there..lol and he was sooo beautiful.. just hope me moving did not hurt him.. or nemo

slee
02-26-2013, 02:04 PM
Hello Everyone, I've been gone for some time from the squirrel board. I have some serious concerns. The squirrel I have with the cloudy eye has another issue to the list of things he already has. He got an abscess in the tissue of his right cheek, this is on the blind eye side. Not sure if that had anything to do with it. Xrays were taken of his teeth and they are fracture, but this may have happened when he fell from the tree. The vet said the teeth are discolored but she feels the abscess is not from the teeth, but we will keep an eye on that. Anyway we have been working to get this abscess healed the whole month of Feb. The pus just keeps coming even with two antibiotics. I had a culture done and the correct ones were started. The vet said with his sickly past that perhaps his immune system is not up to par. My question is; is the anything I can give him to improve his immune system? I feel him from the squirrel nutrition list from the sq. board. Plus I give him the Henry's blocks and the mazuri blocks. The vet also said for me not to release him due to his eye, she said that he would past that trait down to his children. He really doesn't have jumping confidence still to this day, he takes the easy way down and up most of the time. The vet and I talked about neutering him because I also have a female with malocclusion and they could very well end up with babies. He is separated from her while he is healing. I go back this saturday for a recheck and I want to talk with her, I have decided not to neutered him because he may not heal well from that. So I have to think of what to do. I didn't want to spay her and mess with hormones and such. Is there such a thing as birth control that could be used? I know of a university that is doing that because they are over run with squirrels. Is spaying a squirrel safe? Has anyone done that? Any help from you would be greatly appreciated. I felt many times when he was a baby that he may pass away and I still worry even now. He is really a sweetie and has had a rough life and he is only 9 months old. Thank you :Love_Icon

Garden71
02-26-2013, 06:35 PM
You can try http://www.caoh.org/liqimbarecbe.html.
rippie-n-lilgirlsmom uses this for squirrel pox it's a immune booster.
Also I use what the Skuls told me, Echinacea from GNC. My wilds love it and are healthy. :thumbsup
Hope this helps you little ones.:squirrel1

slee
02-27-2013, 06:40 PM
Thank you for your help. when I got home today I went to Henry's Website and they sell Healthy Vita-Mins for squirrels. Has anyone tried that, it says will help build immune and heal faster. :thankyou

CrazySquirrelLady
02-27-2013, 08:21 PM
Thank you for your help. when I got home today I went to Henry's Website and they sell Healthy Vita-Mins for squirrels. Has anyone tried that, it says will help build immune and heal faster. :thankyou
If you are feeding the Henry's Blocks, they already have the vitamins in them.....