Speedy is hurt

[Nana3]

I was on the patio this afternoon and Speedy came up not being able to put pressure on his right front foot. Of course I burst out crying because I don't even know what to do. I think his little foot is broke right above the wrist. He was still able to eat sunflower seeds, but as he came and went, he held it up and would not put any pressure on it... What should I do?

[island rehabber]

Nana when you say he was 'still able to eat sunflower seeds', did you see him use that foot to hold the seed, and was he moving it?

[squirrelfriend]

is it possible that he cut it or have splinter?

[TexanSquirrel]

Poor little guy!

[atlantasquirrelgirl]

If it looks like Speedy is going to have a hard time avoiding predators or other aggressive squirrels, you probably want to try to catch him. You can get a Havahart trap at Home Depot or Lowes, and if he likes sunflower seed, it should be pretty easy to bait and catch him. He can then have some time to recooperate in a safe environment, or you can get him some help if needed.

[Nana3]

He was able to hold the sunflower seeds with the hurt paw on the side. His fingers were not mobile. When he was coming up to the patio, he limped not using that paw. I could see a dark spot on the upper part of his wrist(that is what I would call the joint that is above his paw) that I could not tell if it was dried blood or what. I know that the little guy has been hurt, but do not know how to help him.

[island rehabber]

Nana3, since you are in FL it would be easier for you than for most people to help this squirrel. If you can catch him in a Hav-a-Heart trap we can help you find a wildlife vet in your area who might be able to treat him. The danger is if the foot is broken and is numb, he may begin to chew at it and we sure don't want that. :nono

[Nana3]

Okay, where do I get one of the traps. I sure don't want him to get any worse. Once I (if I can)trap him who do I call?

[Nana3]

oops, finished reading your reply, you can help me find some one local to help.

[drakkonia]

Poor Speedy. I know it's saddening to see our little buddies come by with injuries, but wild squirrels are amazingly resilient. Two of my wild squirrels have shown up, on separate occasions, not using one of their back legs at all. They did both chew the fur away at the ankle, but in a few days were putting weight on their legs again. Now they are both just fine. I don't know if a front leg injury is worse for a squirrel, though. :dono

[Nana3]

I can see that it hurts him to use that paw. He is in pain, but still hungry. If I could draw you a picture of how he uses it I would. I do not like to see any animal hurt. I want to help this little guy any way I can. Just don't know how. I will go to HD tomorrow and get a trap. Only hope I don't stress him out more, I have never done this before and do not beleive in trapping wild animals. Oh please let me do the right thing for this little guy.

[Buddy'sMom]

:thumbsup for wanting to help your little friend! If you get a trap, put something soft inside for him to nest in, like tshirts, fleece, small blanket, something like that. And after he is trapped, if you put a towel or something over it, that would help keep him calmer.

Best of luck to you and Speedy! :grouphug

[Nana3]

Thanks Buddys Mom, that makes sence. I will give it my best shot for the little guy. I know that I will be praying for him and hope that I do what is right. I worry so much because I know that bird can die of a sudden heart attack from fear. I don't know that much about our little furry friends.

[LynninIN]

Thank you Nana3 for trying to help this squirrel. Please keep us posted on how things go tomorrow.

[Buddy'sMom]

Nana3, from reading the stories here, it seems that many of the hurt or sick squirrels that are trapped to help them seem to somehow understand that they are getting helped. Not to say that he won't be very scared and stressed, but he likely will take it better than you fear. All you can do is try -- your heart's in the right place for wanting to help him.

[atlantasquirrelgirl]

Hi Nana. He is not going to be happy about being caught, so you need to monitor if he's having a hard time getting up a tree, if swelling it getting worse, etc, and it really warrants catching him.

If you do catch him, you can throw a towel over the cage to keep him calm. You'll need to find a local rehabber to assist with medical help. There are resources here on the board, or you can tell us what city you are near and we can look it up for you. We all have been in your shoes.

[Critter_Queen]

Also, there's a chance it's not broken at all, especially if he can use it to eat, even without the use of his fingers.

We got in a 4 weeker this spring who wouldn't put ANY weight on her right hind leg when we got her. She hobbled around like that for nearly a week. We had the vet look at her within 48 hours of admission and she said it didn't seem like anything was broken or dislocated, but that if she didn't improve at all over the next four days that I should bring her back for an x-ray. Didn't need to do that, though. She got better on her own. Took about three weeks all together before you couldn't notice it had hurt her in the past, but it healed on it's own.

So, just cuz it's not useful doesn't mean it's broken. :) BUT, I would still try to help her if you can. Doesn't hurt to have a wildlife vet check her out, for sure!

Good luck!

[acorniv]

Hi Nana. He is not going to be happy about being caught, so you need to monitor if he's having a hard time getting up a tree, if swelling it getting worse, etc, and it really warrants catching him.

If you do catch him, you can throw a towel over the cage to keep him calm. You'll need to find a local rehabber to assist with medical help. There are resources here on the board, or you can tell us what city you are near and we can look it up for you. We all have been in your shoes.

Can she put the towel over the trap to begin with? Mine loves going in little cae like palces and would be more drawn to it covered than not.

[susanw]

Nana, where are you at in Florida? Anywhere near Orlando?

[TexanSquirrel]

Keep us posted!

[Nana3]

Went out this morning before work to feed the gang, no Speedy. Went to Home Depot and Lowes to find a catcher (I hate the word "Trap") and of course they had NO CLUE what I was talking about. Thank God for feed stores. Went to my local feed store, he was out but is getting on sent to him and I can pick it up tomorrow. Got the rest of the seeds that I needed, went to KNK to get bird seed and roasted non- salted peanuts, sweet potato, apple (okay,beer too) then to Big Lots for cracked corn w/bird seed and sunflower seeds. Got home, cleaned all feeder, bird baths and patio. Put out everything fresh, got a beer, sat and waited. EVERYBODY came to eat but Speedy. No sign of him. I went down the back side of the fence for 4 blocks looking for him. Finally came in the house at dark. Will try again tomorrow. I will be up at the crack of dawn, I just want to make sure he is okay. Wish I could put markings on them all to make sure who is who, but after you have watched them long enough, you can tell.

Thanks again for listening.....

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

Nana do you have a rental store near you? I had to rent one ..one time it was 5$ for 2 weeks.
My neighbors cat was on the lose (he ran out of the house) and they werent bothering to look for him, so I rented one and gave them back their cat...........I didnt want him chasing my squirrels. Well good luck and keep us updated on what happens.

[Nana3]

Well heck, I never thought of that. Good thinking, but because I already asked him to get it for me in such a screaming hurry (panic you know) I will just go ahead and buy it. Who knows, I may have to use it more than one time. I could think of a few cats I could trap around here. I never left my kitties to run out side. To much can happen and there are a few here that love to get to the wild life. I don't like that. I know it's nature, but hey, I love my little lizards that run around here. Now I do have a problem with the Hawks. They just need to go feed somewhere else other than my neighborhood......