mange photos

[squirrelfriend]

here is what mange looks like. The mites are not visible to the naked eye. they burrow in the skin.

[TexanSquirrel]

:(

[thundersquirrel]

here is another type of mange found in red squirrels. it acts in a different way completely. the squirrels do not itch, they simply go bald, mostly on their main body.

[squirrelfriend]

oh, the poor little guy. did he make it?

[Gabe]

Thundersquirrel, are you sure that's mange? I had a number of red squirrels like that this year. I think it is balding syndrome, much like Noel had. They test negative for mange mites, and do not respond to mange treatments.

[thundersquirrel]

yes he made it. his fur grew back and he's with three or four others who had the same problem and are all recovering.

i was told that this was a strain of mange. however, i wouldn't be surprised if in fact it wasn't. i touched this little guy and looked him over closely sometimes, and he was just bald. plain and simple. no itch, no crustiness, just smooth furless skin.

i think when people first started noticing it and it began to spread, they called it mange for lack of a better understanding. i suppose now, though, the proper name is balding disease. but it STILL doesn't make sense to me- why is this happening?

luckily all they need is time for fur to grow back, really. i'm just wondering what would cause this if not some kind of germ or bug. if it's a genetic mutation it would have been quickly eradicated by natural selection.

maybe we should make a thread for this one that's separate.....

[squirrelfriend]

I think this is not mange too. I mean I look at this guy over here and it is quite different. Your little guy looks so cleanly bald. My guy has dry skin and scratch marks all over along with a little crustiness thrown in. I hope they do diagnos that problem. did they do a skin scraping to see if there was any mites under there?

[thundersquirrel]

ummm so i went to a squirrel rehabber's gathering today and we discussed the "balding disease".

the latest we've heard is that it may be a fungus. it attatches to the base of hair follicles and causes them to fall off.

that's just a theory. what's really weird is the number of deaths we've had with recovered baldies. i think the one we had is still alive, but a good number of them were cared for, started to recover, would be very near release, and then suddenly they'd all die. :(

we've decided as a group that all baldies this year will be closely monitored to gain more information.

[TexanSquirrel]

:( :( :(

[ilovetwiggy]

ummm so i went to a squirrel rehabber's gathering today and we discussed the "balding disease".

the latest we've heard is that it may be a fungus. it attatches to the base of hair follicles and causes them to fall off.

that's just a theory. what's really weird is the number of deaths we've had with recovered baldies. i think the one we had is still alive, but a good number of them were cared for, started to recover, would be very near release, and then suddenly they'd all die. :(

we've decided as a group that all baldies this year will be closely monitored to gain more information.

Another persons squirrel has it and she thinks that it is ok but you should check. It is in non life threatening help needed under bald squirrel picks.mjs

[island rehabber]

ilovetwiggy, this is a very old thread (check the dates in the upper left hand corner), so you may never get an answer.

[kackoff]

Actually, the pics that ilovetwiggy are referring to are recent -- to within about 3 or 4 weeks at least.

I posted the pictures.

Gulliver is recovering nicely and is covered with fur at the moment, even his tail is filling out. He is just weaned and has been moved to a larger cage with toys and climbing branches.

A vet-friend thinks this condition is caused by a virus -- something close to "paramyxo". A squirrel version. Other possibilities are a fungus caused by dampness, a problem that has been written about in my area of the Midwest. And no, I do not think it was mange. Problem is my little guy is not really able to be handled (he was rescued with eyes wide open). He will let me pet him, but only if he's securely in his nest. So was unable to do skin scrapings, let alone find a local vet who would do it.

My vet-friend says the virus is often something the squirrels cannot fully recover from, and while they do get fur, it sometimes comes in patchy and if this is the case, they cannot be released.

I cannot find any further info on this particular virus, and I hope my Gulliver makes it and doesn't die before release. But all I can do is my very best.

[kackoff]

Oh, oops -- I see you mean the date of the thread, not of my posted pics.


ilovetwiggy, this is a very old thread (check the dates in the upper left hand corner), so you may never get an answer.

[genie40291]

could some email me i have a question genie40291@yahoomail . my mom has a squirrel that is loosing its hair and we need some kind of answers . please help

[Pointy Tale]

Today I noticed what I is mange, in my unprofessional opinion. I’m going to make a nut dosed with ivermectin for tomorrow morning. I assume the same dosing will be like what I gave to Snowflake, only this poor guy has it so much worse. I pray I am not too late.

1. Can someone confirm this is mange and not something more serious?
2. Should I remove the bird (Squirrel) feeder?
3. Should I disinfect the feeder using the standard directions on the bleach bottle?
4. Should I hose the tree and that particular feeding area? I’m Not going to use bleach or soap there, I think it would be too hard to rinse it out.
5. Water is available to those who want it, I guess I will now disinfect using the standard directions on the bleach bottle, I guess.

I have purposefully added to this thread, because I do not want to start another one. If by looking at the photos it is determined it is not mange, then administration, please just delete my post.

[Jackie in Tampa]

that is not mange
going to go back to read

[Jackie in Tampa]

i see two wounds, about an inch apart, cat, dog or hawk...looks like he is doing good, on the upside of healing...but could use a better pic for sure!
just my guess!

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

I agree with Jackie that is wounds, not mange. Is this a wild that you can touch, as in get antibiotics to?

[Jackie in Tampa]

I agree with Jackie that is wounds, not mange. Is this a wild that you can touch, as in get antibiotics to?
If you can fed it peanuts in the shell, you can empty shell and reload with medicated peanut butter or avacodo, two sq favorites....
but do you know when he got this injury? and if alot of sqs come, you would have to make sure HE got the loaded nut~

[Pointy Tale]

Hi, thank you for writing me back. I appreciate your responses. I do not live in a squirrel friend state, and so the local vets will Not help, our rehabber is animal control and they have one solution, which I do not agree with. Therefore, I have no access to medication unless you think I could buy it from Chris’ store? Yes, I am able give medication by putting onto food or into water, but not topically.

Respectfully requesting the Administrators, when time permits to be so kind as to remove "my manage post and responses”, it was not my intention to clog up the wrong thread and I have the answer to my question, it is Not Mange and I purposefully did not want to start my own new thread. Administrators, I am sorry to extra work and thank you.

[tinajane]

it attatches to the base of hair follicles and causes them to fall off.

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