young red male with foam at mouth

[g.prior]

We have a 5 month old red who we are wintering over along with his 2 siblings. He was fine yesterday but this morning he was acting strangley. He is sitting and shaking, his right leg is twitching, and there are drops of foam on his mouth. His vision seems to be impaired and he will not lie down. He moves around a little but mostly stays in sitting position.

We gave him about 3 cc's of water with molasses but he does not want to open his mouth. I looked inside his mouth but did not see anything.

His diet is rodent block with some veggies, very little fruit. Very seldom nuts in shell. His 2 siblings are fine.

We are bringing him to the vet tomorrow and in the meantime will be giving him fluids including fox valley formula.

Any help is appreciated.

Gail Ann

[SammysMom]

Put a bit of straight molasses right on his gums. It is absorbed very well from their gums and mouth.

[SammysMom]

Has he eaten or chewed on anything new? Can you post a picture? If you are not sure how, you can also text or email one to me and I will post it. Just let me know and I will post the contact info.

[SammysMom]

You might want to offer him an area where he can access heat. Put the heating pad UNDER his container so he is unable to chew it.

[g.prior]

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Here are pictures of him.

It also now appears his left front leg is paralyzed or broken. He cannot use it.

[Fireweed]

To me he looks very dehydrated.
Maybe he broke his leg - got it caught in something? Fell? The closed mouth and foaming and spiky fur can be signs of pain.
Do you notice any white tears or seepage from his eyes? In the last pic it almost looks like there is a bit of white in the corner of his eye - also a sign of pain.

[SammysMom]

To me he looks very dehydrated.
Maybe he broke his leg - got it caught in something? Fell? The closed mouth and foaming and spiky fur can be signs of pain.
Do you notice any white tears or seepage from his eyes? In the last pic it almost looks like there is a bit of white in the corner of his eye - also a sign of pain.

I thought the same thing about a possible fall as well as tears. He looks very dehydrated. Can you put a picture of one of his siblings up also so that we can compare?

[Squirlgirl]

Sounds like a little Red Squirrel seizure. Check their water bottle, make sure its functioning well. Let him rest on heat, offer him some water with a Tum dissolved in it.

[island rehabber]

Do they get out-of-cage time at all, or is their cage placed outside for any time during the day?
Could he have gotten into any methyl alcohol product such as rubbing alcohol, wood grain alcohol, etc? (Symptoms include foaming and blindness.....)

[stepnstone]

My God, what is going on with these reds!! :shakehead
I would definitely get a weight and get him on Ib for pain.
Question: What is/type rodent block?

[Nancy in New York]

What kind of cage is he in?
Have you given them any new toys recently?
Is he chewing on ANYTHING differently lately?
He does look spikey.
Poor little peanut.
How are his teeth?
What color are his gums?

[island rehabber]

Check him for any sign of an insect bite somewhere.....spider bites can have bizzarre effects on their victims, especially a tiny squirrel. If the cage was outside at all, I am wondering about a bat or raccoon bite through the bars.....:(
I would keep him isolated from the others and use very good hygiene yourselves when handling him.

The sudden onset of this, however, makes me think of poison/toxins.

[SammysMom]

Do you have the infant ibuprofen? That seems like it is the first order of business AFTER hydration.

[SammysMom]

Going over his whole body with light pressure to see if there is any particular area that is tender would be helpful too. Maybe run your finger very gently down his spine and see if it feels straight and that he doesn't have any pain reaction when you do it. Just to see if there seems to be an injury anywhere including his spine. How tall is his cage?

[Nancy in New York]

Is his tail limp?
Do you think he can pick up his tail?
Can he stand at all?

[g.prior]

I do not believe he is dehydrated; we checked fur behind the neck, however he is getting fluids every 2 to 3 hours.

He has been on a heating pad in my husband's lap.

We think he might have taken a fall while playing with the others. On further observation his left rear leg does not seem to be moving properly.

They are in a large 2-story cage in our home office. We live in Maine and due to freezing temps in October, they have to be wintered over indoors.

He is trying to eat but cannot seem to open his mouth to chew. There have been no drops of foam in several hours. The picture shows white streaks by his eye but that is just a camera flaw.

Not sure what to give for pain, he is a red and weighs 130 grams which is normal.

[Nancy in New York]

I do not believe he is dehydrated; we checked fur behind the neck, however he is getting fluids every 2 to 3 hours.

He has been on a heating pad in my husband's lap.

We think he might have taken a fall while playing with the others. On further observation his left rear leg does not seem to be moving properly.

They are in a large 2-story cage in our home office. We live in Maine and due to freezing temps in October, they have to be wintered over indoors.

He is trying to eat but cannot seem to open his mouth to chew. There have been no drops of foam in several hours. The picture shows white streaks by his eye but that is just a camera flaw.

Not sure what to give for pain, he is a red and weighs 130 grams which is normal.

If you have infant ibuprophen we can dose that for you.
What is his diet like on a daily basis, and what kind of blocks does he EAT.

[island rehabber]

By any chance, have you brought in dirt or branches for them to play with recently?

[Nancy in New York]

Well the troops were out and ready to help, and someone went AWOL. :dono
Please come back, we have tons of questions, and are trying to help. :grouphug

[SammysMom]

I sent an email asking her to come on back.

[g.prior]

Here are pictures of his siblings.

They eat zupreem primate block and HHBs. They get a variety of vegetables daily. (all are on your good list) Also small bits of apple or pear. This time of year branches are rotted so they get wood blocks and sticks from pet store.

He cannot stand, only sit and does not raise his tail.

His fur appears spikey due to molassas on my fingers.

I do not have any ibuprofin, only baby aspirin

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[SammysMom]

NO ASPIRIN!!! Definitely NEVER aspirin. Can you get the INFANT ibuprofen?

[SammysMom]

They are adorable! Possibly my thought of dehydration is just a difference in their coats from a gray. Not as smooth. What is the baby doing now?

[SammysMom]

In the first picture of the sibs, it appears that the baby is missing a few patches of fur. Is that just a camera angle or is there a bit of fur missing?

[Fireweed]

They are adorable! Possibly my thought of dehydration is just a difference in their coats from a gray. Not as smooth. What is the baby doing now?
Their coats should be smooth. If they aren't dehydrated - and because of the missing patches of fur in the sibling - they could have parasites. That would make the fur dull and/or patchy and/or not as smooth. That's probably not related to this episode - but it's something to think about for all of them once you get your little one through this emergency.

Gosh, they are SO cute! Hoping the little one is going to be ok... :grouphug

[stepnstone]

:bump
NO ASPRIN!!! Definitely NEVER asprin. Can you get the INFANT ibuprofen?

:pokeor aspirin. :grin3

[Squirlgirl]

Looks like the just have their inside winter coats on and fur is separated. Do you have Metacam?

[Nancy in New York]

OMG adorable.
I am partial to the reds.
Do they have toys and stuffies in their cage?
Do they have fleece, a nest box or a cube?
If not, I have plenty that I can share if you send me
a pm with your address, I will gladly get some out to you.

How long have they been in this cage?
Was anything else housed in it before the reds?

[Nancy in New York]

Do you know of anyone that may have Prednisone?
Can you take a photo of the WHOLE cage? From top to bottom?

[g.prior]

Gail is taking a run to rite aide while I baby sit and keep little guy warm.

What would be proper dose of ibuprofin be, he weighs 136 grams.

No sign of parisites, they tend to sqauble over food at times that could explain missing fur.

No new food,branches or dirt have been given,they do not get put outside this time of year.

He is laying on my lap with a warm water bottle and covers,he seems as comfy as he can be considering all that appears wrong with him.

[Nancy in New York]

Gail is taking a run to rite aide while I baby sit and keep little guy warm.

What would be proper dose of ibuprofin be, he weighs 136 grams.

No sign of parisites, they tend to sqauble over food at times that could explain missing fur.

No new food,branches or dirt have been given,they do not get put outside this time of year.

He is laying on my lap with a warm water bottle and covers,he seems as comfy as he can be considering all that appears wrong with him.

Make sure it's the infant ibuprophen.
I will send you a pm with the amount he can get along with the chart.:thumbsup

[stepnstone]

How long have they been in this cage?
Was anything else housed in it before the reds?

This could be a very important question and needs an answer please...

[g.prior]

This could be a very important question and needs an answer please...

they have been cage since aug and cage was thouroghly cleaned before they were put in it.

[Duckman]

I know that you cleaned out the cage, but it is very important. What was in the cage before?

[g.prior]

I know that you cleaned out the cage, but it is very important. What was in the cage before?

other squirrles

[Duckman]

other squirrles

No possibility of Raccoon's? We are suspicious of roundworm, which could have survived any cleaning without sterilizing with UV light.

[g.prior]

no just squirrles

[SammysMom]

How is he holding up?:grouphug

[Nancy in New York]

Can you post a photo of the whole cage, just as it is now.
Sometimes there could be issues that you may not even notice
that perhaps will give us more of a clue.
Thank you!

[g.prior]

He just had his dose of infant ibuprofin and 3 cc's of hydrating fluid. He is still the same.

Thank you all for the concern and advice.

[SammysMom]

Rest and hydration. Molasses on his gums won't hurt and will keep his blood sugar up. Is he still having seizures or just resting now?

[Nancy in New York]

You can give him tums in with his hydration fluid.
Just take 1 tums and grind it into a fine powder and mix it in with about 3 ounces of hydration
fluid.
They prefer the fruit flavored.
Are you hydrating with Pedialyte?

[g.prior]

we put a little molassas on his gums about 2 hours ago. He is not twitching as badly as he was and he looks like he is finally resting, but not sleeping.

[SammysMom]

After looking at all of the possibilities, it appears that a fall is likely the cause of the symptoms. Do you have access to a vet for an x-ray tomorrow? That leg as well as his spine should probably be x-rayed to see if there is any obvious fracture or damage. For the moment, ibuprofen and hydration are probably the best that you can do for him.
Do you have a full-on picture of his cage by chance?

[g.prior]

Vet tomorrow.

it is a 2 story ferrett cage with 3/4 bar spacing on sides ,1/4 spacing on floor. sorry camera not working .

[Nancy in New York]

Vet tomorrow.

it is a 2 story ferrett cage with 3/4 bar spacing on sides ,1/4 spacing on floor. sorry camera not working .


OK does it have any shelves or floors in it or does it just drop right to the bottom?
So if he fell, it would be a two foot drop, or is there a floor before the bottom floor?:tilt

[SammysMom]

Ferret Nation? I have the Critter Nation and so do many others. If that is whay you have we are familiar with them.:thumbsup

[g.prior]

There are 2 floors and he could have fallen 12 to 14 inches if he was on the top floor. There is a soft thick sleep sack which covers most of the floor

[Nancy in New York]

Please be very careful with a vet that you go to.
Many will confiscate and euthanize.
Squirrels are illegal to keep unless you are licensed, and
it can be difficult to find an exotics vet that actually knows much
of anything about squirrels.
Please do NOT leave him at the vets, make an appointment with one that
you KNOW, but do not go to a stranger, please.

[Shewhosweptforest]

Baby's new cage is a Ferret Nation ...here is a pic of hers...just remember that her cage is three combined...so a typical Ferret Nation will be just the section I'm showing with the four doors, it would be closed off on the left....and it has a shelf with a small ..maybe 6in x 4in opening to go down ...and they typically have half shelves in the top section and bottom section with ramps....Baby's does not :thumbsup Hope this helps...praying for the little guy:Love_Icon

[Shewhosweptforest]

Half shelves like this...

[g.prior]

we have ferret nation and critter nation cages. I am licensed and get most of my squirrels from local vets and wardens.

Our vet is knowledgeble in wildlife care. I have had many neuro squirrels and also ones with injured limbs. This is the first healthy one that has developed these various symptoms suddenly at the same time along with the foam at the mouth. (so far no foam for the past several hours)

Presently, he is in a white t-shirt on a heating pad in husband's lap. I use a white t-shirt as it is easier to monitor urine and stool and easier to see blood if present.

He does not appear to be dehydrated, but if anything changes I can give him ringers.

All help is appreciated

[SammysMom]

Having vet access is fantastic! Out of curiosity, what part of Maine are you in? I lived in the Bethel area and have family in several parts of Maine still.

[Nancy in New York]

Half shelves like this...

This is very helpful SWSF.
Thank you for posting these.
OMG my reds would get through these bars in a heart beat. :grin2

[g.prior]

my cage is like the first picture.

We live near Bangor.

update: he is trying to eat and is chewing a little on block.

up until now had no interest in eating and we were more concerned with fluids and keeping him warm

[island rehabber]

g.prior I think you've got people on pins & needles here across three continents, at least. :grin We are all concerned for your little guy. I am cautiously happy to hear that he is hungry and chewing. The fact that he would not open his mouth before had me worried about tetanus.

[SammysMom]

I bet the ibuprofen is working so he can relax a bit. Maybe even a crushed block with some veggie puree made into boo balls? Might be easier on his jaws.

[Duckman]

I bet the ibuprofen is working so he can relax a bit. Maybe even a crushed block with some veggie puree made into boo balls? Might be easier on his jaws.

:goodpost If he has a head injury, eating soft food will help get food into him, but won't hurt his head to eat. Can you see any type of trauma around the head, or around his hip/legs?

[stepnstone]

Early on you stated they eat their block and a variety of vegetables.
Interested in the veggies, do you know what it was he ate or/ had eaten
prior to this onset?

[SugarBugFerret]

Tetanus has crossed my mind... Praying for this sweet baby!


g.prior I think you've got people on pins & needles here across three continents, at least. :grin We are all concerned for your little guy. I am cautiously happy to hear that he is hungry and chewing. The fact that he would not open his mouth before had me worried about tetanus.

[g.prior]

He only had block last evening and we usually sit with them and watch them when they eat. He was fine. He had a morning meal of block and chopped vegetables; broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage, and mushrooms.

I think the ibuprofin has helped him to relax a bit, but he is still twitching and has not slept at all, which also has me worried.

I may try some block softened in formula as I agree hard foods might hurt to eat.

Again, I appreciate all the help and concern.

[SammysMom]

I put the block into a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them. Then add dry formula powder and baby food to just moisten it enough to stick together. If you just use the blocks crushed and a tiny bit of liquid formula you could even crush up some Tums if that is needed or add some almond butter or a little peanut butter to encourage him if he balks at eating. I even used a little Nutella added to tempt Sammy when he wouldn't eat. You can then make it into balls that he can eat rather than has to drink. Sammy hates stuff that is sticky or messy... I guess that is just him so might not be needed for your baby.

[Nancy in New York]

Remember with a suspected/possible head injury, additional heat is not advised.
Maintain body temp at normal or slightly less than normal.

[stepnstone]

He only had block last evening and we usually sit with them and watch them when they eat. He was fine. He had a morning meal of block and chopped vegetables; broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage, and mushrooms.
I think the ibuprofin has helped him to relax a bit, but he is still twitching and has not slept at all, which also has me worried.
I may try some block softened in formula as I agree hard foods might hurt to eat.
Again, I appreciate all the help and concern.

Thanks, no red flags there.
Too often even when we get them through "episodes" like this
we still have no clue as to what caused it with a definitive answer.
I really wish that wasn't true... :(

[g.prior]

Late last night he seemed to be getting worse; breathing uneven, dehydrating. We gave him lactated ringers which perked him up and fed him diluted Fox Valley formula during the night.

This morning he was much improved. His balance was still off, but he was walking around the cage and was hungry. He also urinated quite a bit and his stool was normal. :tilt
He also ate some HHB.


We went to the veterinarian's today and he determined that he has a head injury and concussion. He is blind, (temporarily I hope), but his paralysis is gone. we assume he took a fall while wrestling with his siblings.

We want to thank all of you for your concern and help.
You guys are the best!
Gail and David

[SammysMom]

Wonderful news Gail & David!!! Thank God!!! Stay here with us so we get to see this baby and his sibs grow up...:grouphug:Love_Icon:grouphug
Would you mind sharing your vet's name in a PM to me? I am trying to compile a list of vets all across the country. I am also making notes that say things like "Do not contact without contacting Gail & David" along with the vet's name. It is not a public list and I promise I will keep it as private as you'd like. It is just a way of knowing where there is a vet who might know something about squirrels.:Love_Icon

[g.prior]

I will send you his name, but unless the person is a licensed rehabber, he will keep the animal. He will not euthanize unless necessary, but he will turn it over to a rehabber.

In Maine, it is illegal to keep a squirrel or any wild animal for a pet unless you have a permit or license.

As soon as I figure out what is wrong with my camera I will send pictures of all of them!

[Nancy in New York]

Glad the little one is doing better.
My friend had a cage like yours and the same thing happened
with 4 greys that she was overwintering.
They were fooling around and one dropped right to the bottom, and
is paralyzed permanently. :(

I too hope the sight improves, perhaps there is some temporary swelling involved.
Did he give any prednisone?

Glad that he is perking up, and seems to be on the road to recovery.
:grouphug:grouphug:grouphug

[TubeDriver]

I hope he continues to recover. :grouphug

[SammysMom]

:Love_Icon:Love_Icon:Love_Icon