I need help. very aggressive female.

[dugz69]

My 4 yr old female Henrietta had a UTI about a month ago, took her to the vet and he put her on antibiotics she took it for 10 days and she got over the uti but ever since then she is attacking me every day and biting me down to the bone and yesterday she cut a artery in my hand and I ended up in the emergency room getting stitches. She acts like she has never seen me before and up till the UTI she would love me everyday and lick my face and play. But now she just chatters her teeth and jumps at me even thru her cage and tries to attack me. I don't know what to do for now i'm scared to even let her out. I can't even give her her calcium and i know she is going to get bad off again if I don;t. someone on here told me was to old for release but im at a loss. I love her so much but i'm afraid im going to have to find someone to take her or just let her go. PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME !!!!!!!

[magna]

I went through this with two males in the last six months. One I took in to do a soft release and as he wilded up he became agressive. Never bit me but you would have thought he was going to rip your arm off. With Pickles, through the process of weeding out all variables, I have come to the conclusion he does not like me to smell like another animal or be clean. If I shower/bathe and go out to see him he will draw blood, PERIOD!!! When he was a couple months old he climbed up and fell in the shower enclosure and we couldn't find him for an hour or so. I think he associates the smell of soap/clean with terror. He was bezerk when we found him in the shower. Has anything at all changed? Soap, laundry soap, deodorant, toothpaste, perfume, candles of a different scent? any one of these can do it. Also once he or the one that was released stashed a couple of snacks in the cage it was no-mans land. They both defended it terribly!! Check all this and think about anything else that may have changed. Hope this helps

[farrelli]

She could be in heat. It can last a day or two months. Don't get mad at her. Sit by her cage and talk gently whenever you can. She'll probably get over it. They usually do. But yes, find out if there's some smell, sound, etc, that's bothering her.

[dugz69]

no nothing has changed. I know about the being clean part. she does not like me after I shower. I just cant figure it out. she has never been like this toward me. I did take a stash of nuts she had in her pocket book out but she should be over that by now that was when she got home from vet with UTI and she has been friendly since then. It was only after the antibiotics that she got aggressive.when I walk in the room she starts barking and choppin teeth. I can't even clean out her cage or change her food and water without being attacked. I just don't know what to do. after yesterday im scared, maybe she can sense that. I don't know.

[Scott_FL]

Until she stops the attacks, I would not go near her or try to clean her cage without some leather gloves on. They can't bite through them and they are much less expensive than another ER visit.

I hope her issue can be solved and she goes back to being the nice squirrel that she was. It is such a downer when they turn mean all of the sudden. Hopefully it is temporary.

[dugz69]

yeah I hope its just temporary, but its been 3 weeks now. I'm still hoping I dont have to give her up. She has been my life for 4 yrs now.

[Jackie in Tampa]

what is her diet?

[farrelli]

Give it time, try everything. We've seen lots of this before and it usually works out. This is a bad time of the year for this to happen as you'll have a difficult time getting all the advice that we usually give, so don't rush to give her up. Who would you give her to anyway?

[SammysMom]

Jackie's question about diet is important. Also,if you give her nuts, check VERY carefully for a stash. Sammy became a huge jerk for a while and once I removed all of his stashed snacks his attitude improved dramatically. Please tell us specifically what she eats on a daily basis. She may be ill and you don't realize it.