rescued squirrel with injured tail

[jeepgrl75]

I rescued a young squirrel two weeks ago. His tail was knotted up with his 3 siblings (who were already dead when I spotted them). I was able to untangle his tail from theirs and nourish him back to what appears to be completely healthy, except for his tail. He is very active, alert and full of energy. I researched alot on the internet and it seems that tail injuries are common and usually not life threatening, but I'd still like the opinions of people with experience with this. I think he will probably lose all but about 1-2 inches of his tail. I've been putting neosporin on it daily but I noticed today it is starting to look a little worse at the junction where the live part of the tail connects with the dead. It doesn't seem to bother him at all. He never chews at it or acts like it hurts at all when I touch it to put the antibiotic cream on it. My questions are: Is this just the natural process when a tail is injured and will be lost? Will the "dead" part of his tail eventually fall off on its own? Or should I try to find a veterinarian in my area that will treat him and possibly amputate it? I have pictures, but it doesn't look like I'm able to post them yet....maybe because I'm new to the site?
Thanks in advance for the help!
Jill

[pappy1264]

Tail injuries in squirrels are very common. What you are doing is right, watch for any sign of infection or him messing with it (both unlikely). It will fall off on its own, and he will be fine with a shorter tail. Thank you for saving him!

[SunnyCox]

I have two with tail issues, and both are healing nicely.

One had a freshly degloved tail when I found him. It took several days for the dead portion of the tail to dry up and turn hard. Roo was chewing on it for a while, and I eventually cut the remaining portion of the tail when I was sure it was dead. Roo continued to chew on the tail for a while, and it seemed like a piece of bone was sticking through the end of the tail. I turned here for advice, but I was told to wait it out a few months before seeking help from a vet because they usually heal on their own. Roo eventually stopped chewing it. The end of his tail turned into a hard knob, and his hair grew back on the tip. When I started noticing the hair growth, I stopped the neosporin.

The other baby belonged to Pat, and he got her after she was clipped by a chainsaw. He doctored her up, and she has a 2" tail now. She also has a knob on the end, but I believe she is still chewing it a little because she doesn't have much hair at the end. I am still using neosporin on her just in case.

It may not seem as though your baby is chewing his tail, but it took me a long time before I caught Roo chewing his tail.