Squirrel with horrible balance

[rattyvonratkins]

I've seen squirrels around here with bad balance but this is the worst case I've seen. I call him Scootch because he would scootch sideways to keep himself upright but his condition seems to have worsened. He can't eat unless he's leaning against something. Can he survive like this?? Poor guy.

Sorry for the poor quality of the videos, they were shot through my foggy sliding glass door.

http://youtu.be/t2mjbOgZEzE

http://youtu.be/-NGi-DX2Upw

http://youtu.be/DZXC2bcjpts

[Charley Chuckles]

Don't know if that is a sign of a seizure/or what? But I don't think he will be OK if he tries to climb a tree or if something is after him :eek I wonder if he suffered any head trauma or an inner ear thing like a human gets :dono poor guy :(

[Skul]

I'm guessing head injury, too.
Poor little thing.

[jbtartell]

can you catch him to get him to the vet.. may be inner ear but also probably head injury. can you get a rehabber in the area to come take him. he will surly die in this condition. preditors will pic him off or he will jump and miss a limb high up and well wont be good for him either way.. can some one here get a list in that location of some rehabbers?

[farrelli]

Don't have time to watch the videos right now, but if it's as bad as it sounds, he needs to be captured. If you can't take him, let us know where you are and we can see if someone can take him.

[rattyvonratkins]

I am happy to take him and I do have a have-a-heart trap, however I only see him in the morning when all the other squirrels are out and he is skittish, so I am not sure how I can be sure to trap specifically him since I never see him alone. Any suggestions?

[Duckman]

I have seen the exact same movements in 3 different squirrels and in all 3 cases, it was an inner ear infection (BAD ONE). Do you have access to antibiotics if needed?

[rattyvonratkins]

What kind of antibiotic would be best? I have Doxycycline, Zithromax, and Cipro. I don't know how I would administer it to him unless I can put it in with food. I've given ivermectin to a squirrel before by putting it in peanut butter.

[Duckman]

Baytril would be best, but I think Cipro is acceptable. I will let others confirm if it or any of the rest are ok (they can also get you the correct dosage, if you can estimate the weight of this little guy). As to how to get him the AB, many will hollow out a spot in a slice of avacado and put it into the cavity, then place another slice over it so you create an antibiotic avocado sandwich. You can also spread it into the ridges of a pecan and put peanut butter over that. This way you can ensure he 1. Gets the AB and 2. That he doesn't run off and bury it. Good luck on this guy and :thankyou for being a good wild squirrel mommy!!! :Love_Icon:Love_Icon

[TinyPaws]

Does he seem to lean on the bench leg every time he eats? If so, that would be a good place to put the trap. If it is an inner ear infection it will take a couple of days for antibiotics to work so I think, if you can, it's best to trap him and tend to him until his balance is back. If it's head trauma, the AB's won't do anything, in either case the best thing would be to trap him. If it's head trauma he will not be able to be released.

[rattyvonratkins]

Too many squirrels gather around that bench so I'm going to try setting the trap near the tree he always runs to and from in order to hopefully avoid trapping the wrong squirrel. Wish me luck!

[Duckman]

Good luck and let us know! :Love_Icon:thumbsup

[farrelli]

Cipro is great. If you can give us a weight, or at least a really good pic, we can dose the Cipro for you.

[kastillo]

They are in the northeast. Realistically we would want someone with an adult squirrel in that area to give us an average weight. I don't believe they will be able to weigh a trapped squirrel.
Also, you will need a plan for after the trapping before you actually do it. Will he stay in the trap? Are you able to transfer to a holding cage, etc... All you need to think about for further treatment.
Cipro is equivalent to Baytril. We can help you dose if you have an average weight on the squirrels in that area.

[farrelli]

Northeast is vague. NH, VT, MA, CT, ME, NY, PA, etc. If we knew where, we might have a member nearby who could help.

[rattyvonratkins]

I am in CT but don't worry about dosing the meds. I set the trap and contacted Chris the squirrel rehabber in Somers so if I catch him I will give him to Chris who has much more experience at this than I do! She has successfully treated and released other squirrels in my area. Thanks for your help guys!!! :)

[Charley Chuckles]

I am in CT but don't worry about dosing the meds. I set the trap and contacted Chris the squirrel rehabber in Somers so if I catch him I will give him to Chris who has much more experience at this than I do! She has successfully treated and released other squirrels in my area. Thanks for your help guys!!! :)

Wishing you good luck in catching him, and Thank you for helping him :grouphug

[Shewhosweptforest]

Hey Rattyvonratkins :wave123 oh my goodness when I first saw this thread I thought it was Wobbles:eek glad it's not :Love_Icon But oh the poor baby :shakehead he's just pitiful. But isn't it amazing how smart he is to go to the bench for support..I just love the intelligence and resilience of squirrels...they amaze me constantly :Love_Icon
I'm so glad he ended up on your doorstep :grouphug Hoping for a successful capture and positive diagnosis of a full recovery :thumbsup :Love_Icon ya Girl!!!!

[rattyvonratkins]

I'm so glad he ended up on your doorstep :grouphug Hoping for a successful capture and positive diagnosis of a full recovery :thumbsup :Love_Icon ya Girl!!!!

Thanks for the kind words!!! I haven't seen Scootch today but maybe that's because of the rain. It's supposed to be nicer tomorrow so I'm hoping to see him then. I hope he's okay...

[Shewhosweptforest]

:shakehead You and me both! (Hope he's ok :grin3) I'm really hoping it's something temporary ...poor guy...it's rainy here too...not much activity either:dono Hang in there Scootch:Love_Icon

[rattyvonratkins]

Still no sign of Scootch. Now I'm worried :(

[rattyvonratkins]

Yay! I saw him but he disappeared just as quickly as he appeared. Well at least I know he's okay for now. I will keep trying with the trap but he's so skittish that it's seeming more and more like a long shot.

[Duckman]

Keeping the fingers crossed and saying a prayer! If only he knew you were trying to help, but they never do. Thank you for keeping up the good work and don't get discouraged. You are doing the right thing. :thumbsup

[TubeDriver]

You will catch him!:thumbsup

[pappy1264]

Oh, those videos made me think of Angel (head trauma). Yes, he will need to be caught. Poor baby.

[rattyvonratkins]

Update: I haven't seen Scootch in the last week and a half but that could be due to the cold. Plus I work 10 hour days Mon - Thurs so I wouldn't have been at home to see him if he came out on those days. However I did see him the weekend after the last post was made on this thread and he seemed to be doing better. He would still lean on things when possible and was a bit wobbly but he was able to eat freestanding as you can see in this video. Yay for Scootch :)

http://youtu.be/NeSb5dg5LKA