Never in my life

[HRT4SQRLS]

Never in my life ... have I ever been so GROSSED OUT!!!

My Susie developed a bot fly warble several weeks ago. I wasn't too concerned about it. It was uneventful and dropped out after 3-4 weeks. I became concerned a week or so ago when I noticed that she had developed more ... a LOT more. As they got bigger it became obvious to me that she had 15 or more warbles. Now I was very concerned. When she came to eat, I became more and more horrified. Each warble was weeping fluid/waste. Her back was completely wet. Our temperatures have been in the 90's and I was concerned that this much fluid loss would cause dehydration. On Saturday morning I realized that she was very compromised. She was lethargic, wobbly and only ate a small piece of avocado. I knew in my heart that she would die if I didn't intervene.

On Saturday afternoon, I was looking for her and calling her name. I had just about given up when I saw her approaching me. She climbed up to my shoulder. The odor was horrible. She smelled like she died 2 days ago. I slowly walked into my house with her on my shoulder. I got some fruit and shelled nuts (her still on my shoulder) and walked to the bathroom. She ate some avocado, a blueberry and the nut.

Her baby cage was empty. I walked over to the cage and she jumped right in. I couldn't believe it. I tired to give her fluids but she wouldn't take it. She snuggled under the fleece and went to sleep. Today she didn't eat anything. I bought watermelon and she ate a little.

I knew what I had a do. Thanks to Rhapsody for the instructions on BotFly removal.
Tonight was BotFly showdown. I put a little Vaseline on the opening and the sucker started moving. I grabbed it with my needle nose pliers and pulled. I was fearful that I would pull it in half but they are very leathery. They fight like a dog. They pull against you but I wasn't letting go. I pulled the first one out. I could NOT believe how big they are. :eek

This was the grossest thing I have ever done in my life. I believe I am scarred for life. I removed 8 tonight. She has at least 6-8 more. We'll try again tomorrow. She did fantastic but I knew it was time to stop. She cried on the last two and was grinding her teeth. I was exhausted and so was she. I gave her antibiotics.

240210240209240208240207240206

I already took a shower ... I think I need another one. I need to be autoclaved. :tilt Even though I didn't touch them,
I don't think I can ever eat with these hands again. :yuck
My poor Susie ... this is just awful! :shakehead

[farrelli]

Oh, poor girl! I'm so glad she has you.

Good lord, you could never pay me enough to live in Florida!

[HRT4SQRLS]

I hear ya Farelli but I will say that I have NEVER seen the bot flys as bad as they are this year. :shakehead

[Shewhosweptforest]

OMG! That's horrendous :dono I've never seen anything like that...not even on the Internet. Poor you...but poor, poor Susie :shakehead Are the wilds going through this? Ugggh! I'm speechless! But you have my admiration and my pity...I feel for ya..:shakehead Poor Susie :shakehead well, actually "lucky" Susie :Love_Icon

[Sweet Simon's Mommy]

did you flush the holes out? poor thing ...and hooray for you for being able to pull them out!

[sid'smommy]

My squirrels would insist on grooming me non stop... trimming cuticles, removing splinters, etc... They know they don't belong there, so I really don't get why they just don't snatch em out themselves ??

[Rhapsody]

did you flush the holes out? poor thing ...and hooray for you for being able to pull them out!
Yes, by all means....... flush them out.
I use diluted Bedatine in a 5cc syringe and flush out a few at a time.


So glad your little girl Susie is doing better and will feel better in the days to come. :Love_Icon

[Rhapsody]

My squirrels would insist on grooming me non stop... trimming cuticles, removing splinters, etc...
They know they don't belong there, so I really don't get why they just don't snatch em out themselves ??
Once you pull one of these warbles out --you will see WHY!! ...they are hard to extract, a squirrel could never do it.

[sid'smommy]

Seriously?? I think we need some video on the next session ! :grin3

[Rhapsody]

Seriously?? I think we need some video on the next session ! :grin3
It is hard to extract and tape at the same time..... need a helping hand. But a video is needed of this issue.
...... some times you can even hear a POP when they come out, that is how hard they pull against you. :eek

[lennysmom]

Oh goodness, I know - they are awful!! When Lenny had about 5 of them, I finally brought him in as I just couldn't stand watching him suffer anymore! I wanted to remove them, but they were so close to coming out anyway and I was scared I might hurt him if one died inside him, so I let it be. But they were totally GROSS!!!! :yuck And I felt so sorry for him - he just seemed so washed out, just like Susie. They do extract a natural antibiotic while they are in the host, and that is the only thing that kept me sane waiting for them to exit.
Glad you were able to get all of those nasty things out of her successfully - I'm sure she will feel much better now. :thumbsup

[HRT4SQRLS]

Susie looks much better this morning. She is eating breakfast right now. Me, on the other hand ... I'm not sure I'll ever eat again. :rotfl
I would love to video the next session but that will be impossible. I am by myself and it takes 2 hands to do this and that is if they are cooperative. If they fight you, it would be a two person job. As Rhapsody said, they don't come out without a fight. They pull hard against you. I wanted to shout, PUSH, PUSH but oh ... that's something different. :rolleyes:

In regard to the question about flushing the hole, I have to say that I did not flush them. I had the diluted betadine solution prepared but was afraid to use it. I knew that I would be unable to remove them all and was fearful the the betadine might kill the others that were still in the warble. Does anyone know the answer to this question? Would the betadine kill them? My hopes are that the antibiotic will take care of the infection.

[TubeDriver]

Poor Susie! :(


I don't think infections are typically an issue with bots? I would probably remove all of them and then rinse out. I have never seen that many bots it one time.:eek

[island rehabber]

Good Lord, Patti -- you are my hero of the...millenium!!! :bow :bow :bow
Not sure I could ever do what you've done....city girl that I am, I would be screaming while driving 120mph on the FDR drive to Manhattan to Dr P -- regardless of time of night or day!

You are amazing for having helped her like this.....WOW.

Note to farrelli: we have bots in the northeast as well. Even in Mass. :eek

[ctmom]

Oh my, poor little Susie! I have never heard of bot flies. Are they only in the more southern states? They are gross!

[Anne]

I feel your pain and yes, those things will gross you out! Nasty things! Wish I was where I could help you and bless Rhapsody for being there for you and giving you instructions :grouphug:Love_Icon. I have a snake bite kit that I use to remove them, works like a charm. Just be ever so careful not to break one in half or leave a dead one behind. I have only been faced with that one time and it was awful and scary. Bless both you and Susie for having to go through this ordeal. And yes, you will shutter and your skin will crawl for days after this. Hate bot flys and what they do to our squirrels, some years are worse than others. Thank God many of our released babies know to come home to momma for help :grouphug:grouphug:thumbsup!

[CritterMom]

This sounds like a pretty effective weight loss method. Remove bots and never eat again...

[Chickenlegs]

Sainthood suspenders for you! Poor girl must have been sucked dry. I wonder if Revolution would keep bots away. I've had a couple of issues with warbles but only one bad enough to take action--and that was left to the vet--and THAT was for a squirrel who had scratched one raw and I was worried it would die and kill the squirrel. Vet found SIX and got rid of them all. Many of my releases will let me put a bit of Revolution on them. I'll do it if it keeps those nasty maggots off em!

URK! The warble diet :toung3

[Mommaluvy]

http://youtu.be/cfguv6V0p2A

Here is a video I ran into. Granted it's not our heroic Heart ..
But just a taste of what she went though. It talks about the flushing and stuff.

And Oh :eek those pictures.. That poor baby.. Poor You.
I am not surprised she came to her cage... She knows your a helper !

Good job Heart!

[HRT4SQRLS]

http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/yellow-hd/in-disbelief-smiley-emoticon.gif (http://www.sherv.net/) http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/housework/inside-a-washing-machine-smiley-emoticon.gif (http://www.sherv.net/)

Ok... I just removed three more. That makes 11 removed so far. There are 4 more to go. I am afraid to remove the one under her chin. I will leave it. I am afraid to put that much force on her jaw. It should leave on its own in a day or 2.

IR, I certainly considered taking her to a vet. I would have gladly paid whatever the cost to have NOT had to add this to my resume. :rotfl I will never feel clean again. :yuck I don't have a wildlife vet. The wildlife vet in my area is strictly 'by the book'. I could take my flyer 'pets' but I can't take wildlife because I am not licensed. Of course, in a pinch, I'm sure I could link up with other members vets or maybe it's time to meet Dr. L.

Under normal circumstances, I don't think I could have done this either but I really felt it was a matter of life or death. It was clear to me that she was failing and needed immediate intervention. That made all the difference in the world. It really is not that difficult but you really need a strong stomach. If the visual won't kill you the smell will.


Here is a little information about the distribution of Bot Flys in squirrels.
I think I'm moving WEST. :tilt


Distribution

The tree squirrel bot fly has been reported from some 20 states in the U.S. and two Canadian provinces throughout eastern North America (east of the Mississippi River).

Within Florida, it is found throughout the northern and central parts of the state (including the Panhandle) but is rare in or absent from more southern counties, despite the presence of tree squirrels in these areas.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Thanks Mommaluvy for the video link. It's a good one. The ones I removed were larger and black. They were more mature and would have probably exited in a few days but I wasn't sure she had a few days left.

Did you notice she didn't even use gloves. Yikes! :troll Yep, she's tougher than I am. :rolf

[Chickenlegs]

So is there somebody near you with that piece of paper. The only reason I got and keep my license is so I can get vet care. In many instances, The Board is the vet of choice cause there's places veterinary care just isn't available--license or not. I have a vet but there are clinics that won't see wildlife at all--and NO emergency vets.

[CritterMom]

:bowdown:bowdown:bowdown

Sometimes you just have to wade in and do it but OMG, you are likely going to end up permanently traumatized from this! I mean, they are just hideous to begin with, of course, but the whole parasitic thing gives me the absolute galloping icks.

You know, horses get them - any horse supply site sells "bot knives" to scrape them out. Horses are large enough that if the bots die it is not a big deal, I guess. I have never seen them - I have seen squirrels with them but never infestations like these poor babies. It doesn't kill everything, but those weeks of below zero nighttime temps we have up here does have a dampening effect on a lot of insects. Not mosquitoes though.

[anniedancer]

Omg, that is disgusting. You are incredibly brave, not to mention caring. I haven't seen this on my wilds (I am in Florida). I hope I don't. This state has far too many bugs! I love all animals. I detest most insects.
Annie

[SammysMom]

For heaven sake...damned right you must be traumatized! I am traumatized from seeing the pictures!!! :bowdown:Love_Icon:bowdown

[RamaMama]

So sorry you and your baby have to go through this, but how
Wonderful you are there for her. :Love_Icon

After Oscuro got the one Bot I started doing some reading and
viewing on bot fly infestation and removal.... terrible. Just a few, and the host 'shows' no
damage although the immune system can be compromised depending on the host.... more than
just a few and bots do kill. Here, they even kill the mono's {monkeys}...
I sent a video to Stosh showing a monkey { the monkey was given an anesthesia when the removal
was done} having many many bots removed and in some of the 'holes' there was more than just one larva.
So, you may want to check closely... I do not know if this would happen in squirrels but I can't see that when the
larva is laid it being all that concerned with where.

Wishing your baby girl well :Love_Icon It really is a serious situation but you have it well in hand.... :thumbsup :grouphug

[Rhapsody]

Poor Susie! :(


I don't think infections are typically an issue with bots?
Yeah, its not that an infection sets it --its that some of the holes may develop pus pockets and need
to be lanced in a few days to let the junk out for healing.... then the hole needs to be treated again.

[stepnstone]

It's remarkable the unknown strength one draws upon and the barriers that
become non-existent when it comes to the welfare of these babies.
You are amazing! :bowdown. :grouphug

[TubeDriver]

A single bot is nothing to worry about but an infestation like that is certainly dangerous.

I hope Susie feels much better soon!:grouphug

[Shewhosweptforest]

It's remarkable the unknown strength one draws upon and the barriers that
become non-existent when it comes to the welfare of these babies.
You are amazing! :bowdown. :grouphug

:goodpost :bowdown :Love_Icon

The botfly does not lay the larvae on the host (well, I'm sure it could :eek) the normal transmission is for the bot to lay it's larvae on the the foliage near the entrance of dreys...then when the squirrel passes through the larvae is picked up on the face or paws (anywhere on the body) the squirrel grooms itself, completely unaware it's ingesting the larvae....the larvae travel through the host and eventually choose a spot to attach and grow...it's all internal...except for the initial ingestion :yuck That video is the same video I found years ago when researching....the problem is ...first it's a young squirrel, so much easier to control. Secondly, it's in an ideal location ...Baby's was above her eye...you make a mistake extracting and damage her eye :eek

I'm so glad you have already seen improvement in Susie's behavior...you may want to remove the others before she's feeling feistier .....cuz if I remember correctly she turned out to be a feisty girl :Love_Icon Poor baby, I remember your thread leading up to her Spring release...little did you know what was in store for you both :eek

I did read, where some people sprayed insecticides on the ground and used ivermectin on the squirrels but there was no evidence it helped...so do you inundate them with chemicals, that might not work, and are harmful on their own....or let nature take its course.....and pray for light infestations. We need to train some voles...or moles to eat these like they eat grubs...who knows maybe they do :dono :thumbsup

[TubeDriver]

I read somewhere that mosquitoes can transmit the bot eggs? I will have to double check this.

[Rhapsody]

I read somewhere that mosquitoes can transmit the bot eggs? I will have to double check this.Yes, I have read that too.... the botfly has several insects out there they high jack to do their evil bidding.

[HRT4SQRLS]

I read somewhere that mosquitoes can transmit the bot eggs? I will have to double check this.
Yes TD, I read that they can be transmitted my mosquitos also AND as Sweeper said the eggs are laid on foliage and tree bark and can be acquired directly by the squirrel without the need for a vector. So I believe the answer is both.

Sweeper, I saw Baby's pic of the bot over her eye. I agree with you in that I would have never attempted to remove one in that location. That's the same reason I won't attempt to remove the one under Susie's chin. I feel it requires too much pressure to exert on a delicate area like the jaw. She can handle a few ... just not 15 or so.

The mosquito transmission seems reasonable this year due to our early rains. Our summer rains started in the middle of May. We are usually very dry until the end of June. The Mosquitos are really bad this year and the bots are just awful. Either way, I am on a mosquito spraying binge. I know most nature loving people hate pesticides but I hate Mosquitos, bots, pox, encephalitis, chichugunya, etc MORE. I bought a Black Flag propane fogger and I am blasting them. If I kill an actual bot fly along the way, I'm OK with it. :tilt

[TubeDriver]

Either way, I am on a mosquito spraying binge. I know most nature loving people hate pesticides but I hate Mosquitos, bots, pox, encephalitis, chichugunya, etc MORE. I bought a Black Flag propane fogger and I am blasting them. If I kill an actual bot fly along the way, I'm OK with it. :tilt

Hold ya breath when blasting them with that stuff! :poke

[Bravo]

Wowsers. That's truly disgusting. Kudos to you for taking them out, H. :thistopsucks

[Squirlgirl]

Stinkin' Bot Flies! GROSS! GREAT JOB Momma!:thumbsup I am sure that I will have a bad dream tonight, equilvalent to Bot Fly-nado or Big Ass Bot Fly Larvae!(Saw Big Ass Spider, last week!:shakehead).

[Nancy in New York]

I'm so happy that little Susie has you to watch over her.
I have only had two squirrels with one bot each, and I brought them
both to my vet for removal.
You are a far better woman than I. :bowdown

Can you start her on an immune booster before release?

[MsOakley]

Bots are very prevalent in my neck of the woods, (pun intended). With that many do a course of septra if you have it. Also the betadine flush is imperative. Honestly, at least half the time the ones I pull develop infection and I'm really careful. Hemostats are the perfect tool if you have them. Also, I was taught to hold a warm compress over the wound before pulling, softens the crusty skin/tissue/fur for ease and comfort. Don't want to sound like a braggart but I'm known in my rehab group as the botfly queen. They bring me their squirrels to work on. I don't seem to be grossed out by it :dono.Wish I was there to help you.

[CritterMom]

Don't want to sound like a braggart but I'm known in my rehab group as the botfly queen.

Might not want to mention that on your Match.com profile. Jus' sayin'. :grin3

[MsOakley]

Hey, I'm proud of it!

[HRT4SQRLS]

Might not want to mention that on your Match.com profile. Jus' sayin'. :grin3

:rofl4 :rofl4 :rofl4
I just laughed till I cried over that one.
Wow, MsOakley ... what a title ... congratulations, I guess. :innocent
I tell ya what MsOakley ... You can have that title. I won't fight you for it. I don't even want to be in the competition.
I ain't got what it take to claim the crown. :tilt My 'gross out' meter was seriously pinging in the red, so I have to step back on this one.

Ms Oakley aka BotFly Queen :bowdown :bowdown :bowdown Your title is safe! :rofl4

Brag on, sister!

[SugarBugFerret]

:eek OMG! That poor girl! I'm so glad you are able to help her. I remember back when I was in Ag in high school, and I had a steer my senior year, it was common for them to get bot flies. We would use a glass soda bottle to remove them...place the mouth over the hole, and smack the bottom of the bottle, which would usually cause them to just pop right out. Not such a big deal (but still gross) in a 1200 lb steer. But for a tiny squirrel... Thank heavens Susie has you to, and is willing to let you, help her!

[MsOakley]

I knew I was in for a ribbing with that post.

[Uno's Mom]

Patti,

I am so glad you were able to get Susie back inside and help her.
Hmmm...thought patient care wasn't your forte:poke

My little wild that had the mange this spring is covered in bot fly "holes" but they do not seem
to be getting any bigger. I saw them under his chin and on his chest over ten days ago and they
have not changed. If anything they look better.

Is that even possible, or is there a sudden "bloom" yet to appear?
He worried me terribly the first three days, he was so lethargic and didn't want any food I offered.
He has over 12 bots that I have been able to count and I do not know how I would catch him.

I have never seen bots here in 20 years, but May and June it seemed to rain every day.
The mosquitoes are absolutely horrible as well. I have seen several other males with single bots.
They are predominantly on the underside of the neck or the front leg.
I think I'll make a run to Home Depot tomorrow and pick up some mosquito termination supplies as well
since they seemto be aiding and abetting the bots!

Give Susie some extra scritches while you can!:grin3

[HRT4SQRLS]

Patti,

I am so glad you were able to get Susie back inside and help her.
Hmmm...thought patient care wasn't your forte:poke

My little wild that had the mange this spring is covered in bot fly "holes" but they do not seem
to be getting any bigger. I saw them under his chin and on his chest over ten days ago and they
have not changed. If anything they look better.

Is that even possible, or is there a sudden "bloom" yet to appear?
He worried me terribly the first three days, he was so lethargic and didn't want any food I offered.
He has over 12 bots that I have been able to count and I do not know how I would catch him.

I have never seen bots here in 20 years, but May and June it seemed to rain every day.
The mosquitoes are absolutely horrible as well. I have seen several other males with single bots.
They are predominantly on the underside of the neck or the front leg.
I think I'll make a run to Home Depot tomorrow and pick up some mosquito termination supplies as well
since they seemto be aiding and abetting the bots!

Give Susie some extra scritches while you can!:grin3

Hi Gayle, I agree with you about the bots and mosquitos. They are horrible this year. I have never seen this many bots before. It is very odd but the two squirrels that are the worst are my rehab babies. The other one affected is my release Paul (I think :tilt ... he is somewhat friendly.) He had many also but he is larger and stronger so he did fine. Susie is another story. Several of the wilds have single bot warbles but nothing like these two. What is it with the chin? Both of mine had a chin warble? Susie's should exit in a day or two. I'm afraid to pull it.

Gayle, if you see bot holes I would be very surprised if they don't develop. Susie had one on her back and the next thing I knew she was covered in warbles ... big ones.
I would watch him closely if they develop. It sure would be hard to remove bots from a wild one. My biggest concern with Susie was dehydration due to our extreme heat and the fluid loss from the warbles. If I can help you let me know.

I have declared war on mosquitos and bots. :bang

[Uno's Mom]

Has there been anyone who has used food grade DE powder outside around their trees?

I was researching it a while back for carpenter ants as a safe treatment that would not harm wildlife.
It is available in large quantities (which I will need with over 80 trees on my property alone :eek )
and you can get applicators that put it down fairly quickly.
The wilds here love to roll around at the base of the trees in the dirt and take their morning and evening "baths".

My guys have had a lot of mange and tail fur issues this year as well.
They are a very sad sight:boohoo
It ain't been good in Florida folks!!!

Anyway, I was wondering if there was any school of thought out there on DE for possible prevention
of mites, bots, fleas etc.

And yes I know I will have to continually reapply after rain.:shakehead :hissyfit

:thankyou:thankyou

[anniedancer]

Im in Florida too. For several months, several of my wilds had these awful looking coats, especially around the shoulders. First I thought it was molt. Then I read about mange and wondered. I wasn't able to post photos. But all of them are looking much better now.
This has been a very buggy year! I hate bugs with a passion! Mosquitos, ants, flies, fleas....yuck and double yuck.
Annie in Vero Beach

[stepnstone]

Has there been anyone who has used food grade DE powder outside around their trees?

I was researching it a while back for carpenter ants as a safe treatment that would not harm wildlife.
It is available in large quantities (which I will need with over 80 trees on my property alone :eek )
and you can get applicators that put it down fairly quickly.
The wilds here love to roll around at the base of the trees in the dirt and take their morning and evening "baths".

My guys have had a lot of mange and tail fur issues this year as well.
They are a very sad sight:boohoo
It ain't been good in Florida folks!!!

Anyway, I was wondering if there was any school of thought out there on DE for possible prevention
of mites, bots, fleas etc.

And yes I know I will have to continually reapply after rain.:shakehead :hissyfit

:thankyou:thankyou

Considering it's use outside DE may not be a total preventive but it could
definitely help to keep down the masses, every little bit helps.
Squirrels that do come in contact with it would also carry it back to their dreys.
It's perfectly harmless to them and they could only benefit from it. IMO

[stosh2010]

O.M.G.-- Amazing LOVE and Inner Strength to go thru that procedure.
My wild boy-Oscuro...had only one Bot, and it was so gross, just looking at it grow...day by day. It fell out on it's own, and in 12-14 days totally healed up, and furred over.
Every Bot you pulled out and destroyed--was a fly didn't fall to the ground, hatch and grow, and that will never infect another critter again...Thank You.

[stosh2010]

I Hope that you can remove them all (SAFELY)-a daunting task !!!!!!!!!

[Uno's Mom]

How is Susie doing today?

Did the bot on her chin fall out?

Is she reacquainting herself with her old stomping grounds or cagebound?

[Fireweed]

Been wondering about Susie, too. :)

[HRT4SQRLS]

Susie is doing well. The darn bot under her chin is taunting me. It is 1/4 of the way out. :tap If it doesn't come out today I might have to take action. You know I will! :eek It can taunt all it wants I WILL win this 'stare down'.

She is feeling much better now and is much more difficult to 'hogtie'. :grin2
She hasn't tried to bite me, not one time and she always WAS a biter. :thumbsup

She is in my bathroom with her Henry's cage. The door on the cage is open so she can come and go as she pleases. She has a lot of fleece on top of the cage so she mostly hangs out on top of the cage. When I go in there she jumps on my shoulder and does her 'business' ... without fail. :shakehead

I hope to get her outside soon. She is eating her HHB but she is also eating a lot of snack food like, fresh corn, watermelon, grapes, avocado and yes, NUTS. I would hate for her to get MBD while convalescing. That would be ridiculous. :peace

[TubeDriver]

Susie is doing well. The darn bot under her chin is taunting me. It is 1/4 of the way out. :tap If it doesn't come out today I might have to take action. You know I will! :eek It can taunt all it wants I WILL win this 'stare down'.

She is feeling much better now and is much more difficult to 'hogtie'. :grin2
She hasn't tried to bite me, not one time and she always WAS a biter. :thumbsup

She is in my bathroom with her Henry's cage. The door on the cage is open so she can come and go as she pleases. She has a lot of fleece on top of the cage so she mostly hangs out on top of the cage. When I go in there she jumps on my shoulder and does her 'business' ... without fail. :shakehead

I hope to get her outside soon. She is eating her HHB but she is also eating a lot of snack food like, fresh corn, watermelon, grapes, avocado and yes, NUTS. I would hate for her to get MBD while convalescing. That would be ridiculous. :peace

Glad to hear she is doing better. Susie deserves plenty of nut treats after dealing with all those bots. :thumbsup You deserve a lot of tasty, cold beers for dealing with those bots!:thumbsup

[Rhapsody]

Glad to hear she is doing better. Susie deserves plenty of nut treats after dealing with all those bots. :thumbsup
You deserve a lot of tasty, cold beers for dealing with those bots!:thumbsup

AMEN!! -- :Drink :Drink :Drink :Drink :beerchug

:easter1:easter1:easter1:easter1:easter1:easter1:e aster1

[Shewhosweptforest]

:dono All it's going to take is one good jump down to the floor...and pop goes the weasel :eek :grin3 Sorry....we have to find the humor in this or go mad:eek That is what happened to Baby, she jumped down from her window perch to the floor and "pop".... it came out :yuck And you're right ....:poke they do taunt..at the end Baby's would move in and out....:eek we'd think it was coming and it'd slide back in....it was so disgusting to watch and wait :tap Love ya Susie girl...I thought she had become your feisty girl...and look she being a good patient :grouphug maybe a little passive aggressive with the shoulder issues :eek :rofl4 :get_em and I sooo know you'll get that sucker if it doesn't pop out soon :thumbsup :beerchug :Love_Icon

[Uno's Mom]

Any chance you could post a picture of Suzie and her chin warble?:hidechair

My little wild still has sores but they look much better and I have seen no
lumps growing under the skin. The "mouthlike" (I know it is the other end :eek)
openings seem to be disappearing.

I'm not sure if this is the calm before the storm or what.

I did order 50lbs of food grade DE powder and a mechanical mister to apply it around the trees.:dono

[HRT4SQRLS]

Any chance you could post a picture of Suzie and her chin warble?:hidechair

My little wild still has sores but they look much better and I have seen no
lumps growing under the skin. The "mouthlike" (I know it is the other end :eek)
openings seem to be disappearing.

Gayle, if your squirrels aren't getting the lumps I doubt it's bot flys. I really didn't notice anything until the the swelling just 'appeared' seemingly, overnight. Here are the pics of Susie now. She still has the chin warble and two on her shoulder, maybe a small one but not sure. The spots where the bots were pulled look good. They are healing nicely. Sweeper is right about the bot pulling back in. :get_em :pissed
240497240498240499240500240501

[Nancy in New York]

That thing looks huge. I sure hope it comes out soon.
She does look SO much better.
Bless you for helping Susi and all
the other little fuzzers.
She sure looks right at home, almost like
she never left. :grin2

[island rehabber]

I cannot believe how disgusting those things are. Wonder why there were so many just on poor Susie, or why so many this season? Is it weather-related? GAH! :yuck

[CritterMom]

I cannot believe how disgusting those things are. Wonder why there were so many just on poor Susie, or why so many this season? Is it weather-related? GAH! :yuck

IR, when I was doing a little investigation regarding Oscaro, I googled "bot flies in costa rica" and brought up a lovely little story of a man who brought several of them back to the US (unknowingly of course) in his SCROTUM. Ah yes - I saw all of you, our male TSB members, collectively double over at that. I guess CR is home to a bot fly that actually targets and uses human hosts. So Stosh, watch your bits and pieces! :eek :grin3

[HRT4SQRLS]

I have wondered some of these same questions. I have to believe that the weather is part of the reason. We had early rains this year. The summer rains started in mid May. The rains usually start in late June. In normal years, we have virtual drought before the rains start. The lawns turn crispy, people water their lawn like fury, the water table drops and watering restrictions are placed to conserve water. Not this year. The mosquitos are horrendous this year. Simply miserable. One of the methods of transmission does involve mosquitos so I think that has to be involved. The other method is eggs laid on tree bark and leaves so direct contact is also possible.

The issue that is really puzzling to me is WHY my babies were so affected. Susie and one other (Paul) were both covered in bots. Paul did OK ... Susie did not. The wilds have a few (maybe one) but nothing like what my babies had. This is very perplexing to me. Is there some way that the wilds protect themselves from mosquitos in the way they build a drey. I don't know but it really does bother me.

Susie is MUCH better. Other than the 3 remaining bots and the healing wounds she is back to normal. I can't look at those bots much longer. I will have to remove them soon. I want her to be able to return to the trees. Our relationship has really changed. It's like she knows that I helped her. She is as sweet as she can be. She used to be a real biter. She would get on my shoulder but that wasn't an invitation to stroke her. NO IT WAS NOT. She would try to bite me. Not anymore!!! :grin2

[TubeDriver]

Perhaps it is based on the height of the nests? There are probably less Mosquitos up the higher you go? I wonder if released squirrels build dreys that are not as high up as wilds?

Glad to hear she has responded to your help with affection. Squirrels are smarter than we give them credit for.:thumbsup




I have wondered some of these same questions. I have to believe that the weather is part of the reason. We had early rains this year. The summer rains started in mid May. The rains usually start in late June. In normal years, we have virtual drought before the rains start. The lawns turn crispy, people water their lawn like fury, the water table drops and watering restrictions are placed to conserve water. Not this year. The mosquitos are horrendous this year. Simply miserable. One of the methods of transmission does involve mosquitos so I think that has to be involved. The other method is eggs laid on tree bark and leaves so direct contact is also possible.

The issue that is really puzzling to me is WHY my babies were so affected. Susie and one other (Paul) were both covered in bots. Paul did OK ... Susie did not. The wilds have a few (maybe one) but nothing like what my babies had. This is very perplexing to me. Is there some way that the wilds protect themselves from mosquitos in the way they build a drey. I don't know but it really does bother me.

Susie is MUCH better. Other than the 3 remaining bots and the healing wounds she is back to normal. I can't look at those bots much longer. I will have to remove them soon. I want her to be able to return to the trees. Our relationship has really changed. It's like she knows that I helped her. She is as sweet as she can be. She used to be a real biter. She would get on my shoulder but that wasn't an invitation to stroke her. NO IT WAS NOT. She would try to bite me. Not anymore!!! :grin2

[anniedancer]

Poor Susie! I hope you get this last one.

Im going to admit it - I don't like Florida. I would rather deal with snow than insects and heat and humidity! There! I said it!

But here I am, in Florida. If I could, I would move back up North, maybe back to Boston, or maybe Maryland.
Annie

[Uno's Mom]

This year has been worse for all of my wild squirrels since early spring even before the onset of rain.
I have always had healthy, furry wild squirrels for the past twenty years.
The only injuries I saw were on my releases as they tried to assimilate into the harsh realities of
squirrel life after being doted on by me their early months. :sanp3


This year almost every wild has some type of fur or tail issue.
The problem is more severe with the male population probably because
of their travel to variouslocations during mating times.
A few long standing females that have claimed the front oaks as their
domain continue to have beautiful glossy, healthy coats.
My neighbors pastures on three sides of me have been allowed to revert
to primarily natural vegetation.
This includes young saplings, grasses and vines.
I did not trim the understory of my numerous trees this winter in an attempt
to provide the squirrels protection from the ever present hawk population.
This have proved successful but perhaps provided a haven for other smaller vermin.

By the end of June I had standing water in ditches.
I should probably contact the county and tell them they don't
need any sentinel encephalitis chickens for my area when they
can use me as the real thing.:surrender:surrender
No amount of spray will keep me safe.
I go out twice a day for 45 minutes at a time in search of Hopper (sick wild)
and I now cover myself from head to toe in clothing.
The heat index is usually between 100-110.
We won't even mention the humidity.:toung3

Hopper has always been a timid wild.
Always been chased off by others and afraid of everything.
Hence the name Hopper as he hates to walk on anything but
hops as fast as possible when on the ground to the next tree base.
He was attacked by another squirrel about two weeks before
his massive bot infestation and I believe they accessed him
through the neck wound.
I had just dosed him with Ivermectin for mange the day before
the bot sores appeared so maybe that is why they did not develop.
I was lucky and got them by accident in the first instar stage.

Maybe since our releases are low man in the hierarchy and under the most stress,
they are more susceptible to the bot fly infestation?

Just a thought.

[Uno's Mom]

Poor Susie! I hope you get this last one.

Im going to admit it - I don't like Florida. I would rather deal with snow than insects and heat and humidity! There! I said it!

But here I am, in Florida. If I could, I would move back up North, maybe back to Boston, or maybe Maryland.
Annie

Hi Annie,

You can say it. I was born and raised here, moved and came back. There are many days I too want to leave.
If I could just find another state where squirrels are legal:shakehead

Maybe I can live on the state line:grin2

Unfortunately, I'll still have bot flies!!

[stosh2010]

. The other method is eggs laid on tree bark and leaves so direct contact is also possible.

The issue that is really puzzling to me is WHY my babies were so affected. Susie and one other (Paul) were both covered in bots. Paul did OK ... Susie did not. The wilds have a few (maybe one) but nothing like what my babies had. This is very perplexing to me. Is there some way that the wilds protect themselves from mosquitos in the way they build a drey. I don't know but it really does bother me.

2

Due to the fact that the babies remain--surrounded by bark and leaves (in the nest) for weeks...
If the leaves have Bot eggs (?) --the babies just roll around and ingest & get covered with eggs.

[anniedancer]

Just what IS the legal status of squirrel in our "lovely" state????

I do like FL during the cool months. This past winter was quite lovely. But....come May, it starts to heat up. Then it gets so humid its like walking into a hot, wet towel the second you step outside. Even the wilds here look miserable, plus theres been so many fleas and other insects. Most of my wilds pancake a lot during the middle of the day....high up, where there might be a tiny breeze.
Annie

[HRT4SQRLS]

Just what IS the legal status of squirrel in our "lovely" state????

I do like FL during the cool months. This past winter was quite lovely. But....come May, it starts to heat up. Then it gets so humid its like walking into a hot, wet towel the second you step outside. Even the wilds here look miserable, plus theres been so many fleas and other insects. Most of my wilds pancake a lot during the middle of the day....high up, where there might be a tiny breeze.
Annie

Annie, regarding the 'laws' in FL about squirrels, you can own a pet squirrel legally in the state. Personally, other than flyers, I don't know why anyone would want to OWN a pet squirrel that isn't a non-release. They are very destructive and are NOT like a dog or cat AT ALL. My personal feeling is that all healthy squirrels should be free in the trees. Non-releases are a different story. I did read somewhere about having 'permits' for squirrels but I'm not sure what that's all about. Maybe Anne can give us more info on that. You can take your pet squirrel to a vet IF that vet treats squirrels. Most do NOT.


Rehabbing squirrels in the state of Florida is a COMPLETELY different story. You are NOT allowed to rehab squirrels without a Wildlife Rehabbers license issued by the state. This means that you can NOT take your rehab squirrel to a vet. They are subject to confiscation. That happened to me when I found my first squirrel. Some vets are strictly by the book because they put their license in jeopardy by treating wildlife brought in by the public. Some vets are not so 'by the books' and will help you out. So that's the laws as I understand them. Of course, we have a lot of renegade 'squirrel peeps' in the state. :poke :tilt

[anniedancer]

Thank you for the answer. I agree with you about pet squirrels. When I found TSB, I was a little shocked that pet owners are allowed. Now I understand why this is so.
Its one of my dreams to be a rehabber. I don't have the ways or means to do it right now...its just a dream. Squirrels or raccoons, those are my two favorites.
I was just curious "which way" Florida was on the subject.
Annie (still sweating in FL)

[HRT4SQRLS]

OK ... for the 'gross' update for the day, the chin warble is GONE!! :woot

Here's a little tidbit of info that I'm sure you all needed to know. I believe the warbles leave in the morning. It seemed every morning the darned thing was going to leave at any moment (it was protruding). In the evening it would retreat back into the cavity so I couldn't pull it. They must sleep at night. :sleep :rotfl

When I went in to see Susie this morning, the nasty thing was half way out. Of course, I ran to get my camera. :shakehead This whole experience has begun to ' twist' me a little. :tilt I was gone just seconds and when I returned it was gone. I think she shook her head and 'pop goes the bot'. He's gone now :flush
I bet her head is a lot lighter. That must have felt like a bowling ball on her head.
I might just need to steam pressure wash my bathroom after is is all over. :tilt

:wash

I knew you would need pics. :eek
240530240531240532240533

[Uno's Mom]

Need pics? Who me? Lol

Thank you for the fantastic documentation job for those of us in need.
Your thoroughness is always greatly appreciated.

So now you know just what it took for Susie to finally appreciate
Her hoomin. Or at least show her appreciation. AKA no longer biting!

[Shewhosweptforest]

Yay! Susie! :grin3 Thank goodness....I really hate them...but I really hate them around their sweet faces...now, I saw where someone was questioning why they're so bad...and you said heavy rains...well, water makes sense...I have a creek surrounding my property :tap also, you asked about natural resistance for wilds....well in my research I did find where they were believing that the tannin in Black Oak acorns may cause a natural resistance ....they're the acorns that have orange meat inside them...and I do have a lot of Black Oaks, sooo may be that's why I don't have an unusual amount of bots...because weirdly...Baby got a bot during her brief stay in the wild (2 1/2 mos.) and Sweet P had a bot after 2 or 3 mos. of being out :dono I've only seen one or two other squirrels (may have been the same squirrel) with bot flies in the 25 years I've lived here :thinking :dono

[HRT4SQRLS]

Today was the big day. Susie is back in the trees. :woot
When I brought her breakfast this morning, her next to last bot was emerging. It was half way out. (See, I told you they emerge in the morning.) I grabbed my needle nose pliers and next thing I knew she shook herself and the nasty thing popped out. Of course, it hit me in the chest. :yuck :shakehead

She has only one warble left but it isn't ready to emerge or pull. She is doing very well and has been getting restless in the bathroom. I didn't want to hold her for just one bot so I decided today was the day for her to go home to the trees. She was very excited. I just love to see them when they go outside (where they belong). She was flipping, running and having a ball. She even ate some dirt. :dono

I'll be interested to see what she does this afternoon. If she wants to come back in to sleep, well, of course she can. I am going to spent the day cleaning out the nest boxes. I will take a hose up with me and wash them out. I know they do clean them themselves. They pull the nest material out but I want to do a thorough cleaning. I'll be careful but I don't think any are occupied with moms and babies. I'll knock softly before I open the nest boxes because I don't want an angry mom flying out in my face while I'm on a ladder. :tilt Maybe I'll have a helper up there ... Susie.:grin2

[Nancy in New York]

I just love this update.....except for the part about the bot landing on your chest.240574
I'm SO happy that Susie is back out in the trees, and she KNOWS that she has a safe place to land,
and you will still give her freedom back when she recoups.
Great job there mama!

[Mommaluvy]

Yeah for Susie !
Good Job !


About Florida. That is so weird. Make up your mind state LOL..
Did I read you correct that you can legally own a pet squirrel and take it to a vet if the vet sees exotics ( or squirrels)

But if you find a pinky and a few weeks later you think its got pneumonia you could not take it to the vet because your rehabbing it??

But if you said the pinky was a pet you could?

Granted.. wilds belong in the wild. But that law is a bit confusing. Anyhow... I am not going to challenge that.. LOL.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Believe it or not it is sorta like that. A pinky would probably raise the red flag because they would know it's an orphan and therefore a rehab.

When I first got into the squirrel thing, my mom took our 6 week old to the vet because it had 2 bots. We had NO idea about the laws. We didn't even know there were 'squirrel laws'. This was a vet that sees wildlife. We were referred there by our cat vet. The FIRST question they asked was , What are you going to do with the squirrel? Having NO idea that this was a loaded question, her answer was, we will release it when it's grown. WRONG answer. :eek If you plan to release it, it is a rehab and you need a license. We were hardened law breakers and we didn't even know. They gave the impression that if her answer had been, it's our pet, we're keeping it ...they would have treated with no questions asked. They confiscated the baby because she didn't want to deny it treatment. I won't go into details but we got it back the next day ... insider tract. :tilt
So yes, FL squirrel laws are weird. I will never go to a vet in FL again unless I know they are safe. There are safe vets in FL. :tilt

[stepnstone]

Another great news for the day!
Happy for you both the disgusting ordeal is over.
Be very proud of yourself, you did beyond good,
you did great!! :grouphug

[TubeDriver]

Great update!

Run free and healthy Susie!:thumbsup

[stosh2010]

BYE---------------BYE------------------ BOTS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[stosh2010]

IR, when I was doing a little investigation regarding Oscaro, I googled "bot flies in costa rica" and brought up a lovely little story of a man who brought several of them back to the US (unknowingly of course) in his SCROTUM. Ah yes - I saw all of you, our male TSB members, collectively double over at that. I guess CR is home to a bot fly that actually targets and uses human hosts. So Stosh, watch your bits and pieces! :eek :grin3

I just ordered KEVLAR Undies --from Tractor Supply...( in 5 designer colors)

[pixiepoo]

Oh my god, that is absolutely foul!!!!! Like I don't think I could sleep leaving anything like that stuck on anything. I feel like I would want to bathe in bleach! Like gallons and gallons of it! Where do you love in FL. I have loved in Ocala, Gville and a few other places and have NEVER even seen a botfly! Foul disgusting things. EWWWWWW *gag!*

[ctmom]

Great news and great job!

[HRT4SQRLS]

Oh my god, that is absolutely foul!!!!! Like I don't think I could sleep leaving anything like that stuck on anything. I feel like I would want to bathe in bleach! Like gallons and gallons of it! Where do you love in FL. I have loved in Ocala, Gville and a few other places and have NEVER even seen a botfly! Foul disgusting things. EWWWWWW *gag!*

I live in SE Hillsborough county (near Tampa)
Pixiepoo, with the exception of the extreme southern part of the state, the entire state has bot flys. Never seen one, you will!!
Yes, it is totally disgusting. :eek I did want to bathe in bleach but I resisted the urge. :shakehead

Oh by the way, you probably never will see a bot fly. I have never seen one. You will see the warble (larva) on squirrels.

[HRT4SQRLS]

I just ordered KEVLAR Undies --from Tractor Supply...( in 5 designer colors)
Stosh, that totally cracked me up. :jump:jump

[pixiepoo]

I live in SE Hillsborough county (near Tampa)
Pixiepoo, with the exception of the extreme southern part of the state, the entire state has bot flys. Never seen one, you will!!
Yes, it is totally disgusting. :eek I did want to bathe in bleach but I resisted the urge. :shakehead

Oh by the way, you probably never will see a bot fly. I have never seen one. You will see the warble (larva) on squirrels.

OMG GROSS!!! I have never even seen the larvae! That is what I meant by never seen any. Maybe I just have been lucky but all of my releasables have been bot-free even after release. That is just so gross I'm surprised I haven't seen any. I have seen maggots and all but never those! It reminds me of a time when my ex's dog had legit 80+ ticks on just his feet. I spent a solid hour just getting them off. Except this is worse. Props for pulling those suckers out. Do you flush the wound after?

[HRT4SQRLS]

OMG GROSS!!! Do you flush the wound after?
Yes, you flush the hole with diluted betadine solution. The first session (pulled 8), I did not flush because I was fearful of killing the others that were not coming out that day. I gave a short course of antibiotics (1 day SMZ/TMP then 2 days of Clavamox). I know weird, but I changed my mind. :tilt Apparently it worked great because none of them got infected.

I hope to never have to do it again BUT if needed I certainly will. I got this! :thumbsup

[stepnstone]

I hope to never have to do it again BUT if needed I certainly will. I got this! :thumbsup

You certinally do! :o Love the attitude! :grouphug

[Monipenny]

Yes, you flush the hole with diluted betadine solution. The first session (pulled 8), I did not flush because I was fearful of killing the others that were not coming out that day. I gave a short course of antibiotics (1 day SMZ/TMP then 2 days of Clavamox). I know weird, but I changed my mind. :tilt Apparently it worked great because none of them got infected.

I hope to never have to do it again BUT if needed I certainly will. I got this! :thumbsup

You are amazing what you did, wow, I hope I never have to face anything like this. That poor baby, thank goodness you were there and took decisive action. Great job. :bowdown

[HRT4SQRLS]

I wanted to sum up Susie's awful experience by posting a picture of her from today.
At around 6:30 I went outside and called her. From seemingly nowhere, she appeared half way down my driveway. She paused ... I called, Susie ... and she came running toward me full stride and didn't stop until she was on my shoulder.
I walked in the house with her on my shoulder and got her some treats.
My Susie is back!!! :Love_Icon Her shoulders are bare but soon she'll be sporting a brand new squirrel fur coat. :tilt
240811

[Nancy in New York]

I wanted to sum up Susie's awful experience by posting a picture of her from today.
At around 6:30 I went outside and called her. From seemingly nowhere, she appeared half way down my driveway. She paused ... I called, Susie ... and she came running toward me full stride and didn't stop until she was on my shoulder.
I walked in the house with her on my shoulder and got her some treats.
My Susie is back!!! :Love_Icon Her shoulders are bare but soon she'll be sporting a brand new squirrel fur coat. :tilt
240811

She looks fantastic!
What a special little girl you have there! :Love_Icon

[Rhapsody]

Awwwwwwwwwe - :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :tilt

She looks like she is doing wonderful and is as beautiful as ever....... :thumbsup :bowdown:bowdown

[SugarBugFerret]

You can't even tell that she was ever covered with those evil nasties. She looks fantastic! I'm so glad to see this story have such a happy ending. She just looks so happy now, doing just what she should be doing...being a squirrel! Beautiful :Love_IconSusie:Love_Icon!

[island rehabber]

I can't believe how fantastic she looks! Patti, you are truly one who gives 150% for your squirrels...wow! :bowdown

[lennysmom]

Wow, she does look great! :thumbsup And how wonderful to have her running to you like that, so excited to see you and coming inside for treats. :grin3
I'm sure she's grateful to you for helping with those awful bot flies. :)

[czarina]

Thats a great picture! She looks healthy and very happy,
Is that cheese on her plate?
Can we feed cheese?

[HRT4SQRLS]

Thats a great picture! She looks healthy and very happy,
Is that cheese on her plate?
Can we feed cheese?
No, it's not cheese on her plate. It was butternut squash, carrot, avocado, grapes, probably sweet potato and walnuts. She is somewhat thin so she does need to pick up some weight.
I have been giving my flyers a little mild cheddar cheese and they love it. I figured it's a good source of calcium. I hope it's OK. :tilt It should probably be limited because it's high in fat. I'm not sure about 'other' squirrels eating cheese though. I have never offered a grey squirrel cheese. Does anyone know the answer to that?

Thanks everyone ... I though Susie looked beautiful in that pic also, especially considering all that she has been through. I will say that her front view is much nicer than her side view because she is missing a lot of hair on her shoulders and side. :Love_Icon

[stosh2010]

No, it's not cheese on her plate. It was butternut squash, carrot, avocado, grapes, probably sweet potato and walnuts. She is somewhat thin so she does need to pick up some weight.


The seeds from the butternut squash are the same as "SQUIRREL-CRACK". My crew adores those seeds and I find i can't eat the rest of the squashes fast enough... I buy 2 or 3 squashes/ week...for the seeds.
RamaMama makes a great Squash Soup!!!

The seeds are slippery--so I put a few seeds in a paper towel as I walk around to all the cages and hand them out....

[Chickenlegs]

No, it's not cheese on her plate. It was butternut squash, carrot, avocado, grapes, probably sweet potato and walnuts. She is somewhat thin so she does need to pick up some weight.
I have been giving my flyers a little mild cheddar cheese and they love it. I figured it's a good source of calcium. I hope it's OK. :tilt It should probably be limited because it's high in fat. I'm not sure about 'other' squirrels eating cheese though. I have never offered a grey squirrel cheese. Does anyone know the answer to that?

Thanks everyone ... I though Susie looked beautiful in that pic also, especially considering all that she has been through. I will say that her front view is much nicer than her side view because she is missing a lot of hair on her shoulders and side. :Love_Icon

First of all--Susie looks wonderful. She's a beautiful girl and thanks to you, she's a healthy girl. Secondly--my little Kensington LOVES cheese! It's his favorite food. He'll eat anything with cheese on it. I was eating some and he about had a fit so of course I gave him some expecting he'd turn up his nose. Nope! Yummed it down and went after MINE!

[stepnstone]

She's beautiful and you so deserve her recognition. :grouphug
This is definitely a feel good thread!

[Saverywood]

:alright.gif Way to go Patti! Susie looks great now. Wow!
I must admit that when I read your first post I felt a little sickish
and skimmed through the gross stuff...
but wow what an awesome outcome.
Way to go Patti !

[Fireweed]

Amazing job, Patti! :bowdown
Susie looks really good and so healthy.
How's her Susietude now? Is she nicer to you? :tilt

[HRT4SQRLS]

Amazing job, Patti! :bowdown
Susie looks really good and so healthy.
How's her Susietude now? Is she nicer to you? :tilt
Fireweed, the Susietude is intact. She was on my shoulder when she realized I had shelled nuts in my hand. I darn near lost a finger. :eek :rotfl

My sweet girl is now 100% Bot Free. I sure would love to give her a bath so she would smell sweet BUT I think I'll let that idea go. :grin2

Other than that, yeah she pretty sweet. :Love_Icon

[Chickenlegs]

The baby squirrel kit at Henry's should come with a large box of band aids for when they get "tude" Susie is beautiful (even if she is smelly). You got another pair of sainthood suspenders darlin!

[Bravo]

Not sure if you've done this yet, H, but your pm's have maxed out, and people are trying to reach you. Or were, yesterday... disregard if you've already made some room :)

Also, it appears your personal (home) email is over quota, I've been seeing a few bouncebacks to the admin addy. :poke ;)

[HRT4SQRLS]

That's OK Bravo, my work email is over quota also. :shakehead:rotfl
I'm not sure what that's about but I received notification of about 14 bounced back PM's from TSB
and I'm 100% certain that I'm not THAT important. :dono :peace :tilt

[Bravo]

:rolf Maybe you won the FuzzyForLife Lotto... Susie sure did. :wahoo

[California Squirrel Lover]

I wanted to sum up Susie's awful experience by posting a picture of her from today.
At around 6:30 I went outside and called her. From seemingly nowhere, she appeared half way down my driveway. She paused ... I called, Susie ... and she came running toward me full stride and didn't stop until she was on my shoulder.
I walked in the house with her on my shoulder and got her some treats.
My Susie is back!!! :Love_Icon Her shoulders are bare but soon she'll be sporting a brand new squirrel fur coat. :tilt
240811

Oh wow, she looks wonderful!!! :thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup:grouphug:grouphug:grou phug

[ConkerChild]

I have to ask, how did you dispose of the little suckers? I'm not sure if I would have set them on fire, or let them drown, or smash them with a hammer... That's my darker side coming out, critters like bots do that to me. ;P

[ALittleNutty]

I have to ask, how did you dispose of the little suckers? I'm not sure if I would have set them on fire, or let them drown, or smash them with a hammer... That's my darker side coming out, critters like bots do that to me. ;P

A flamethrower would be my choice!

[HRT4SQRLS]

:flush:flush:flush:flush:flush:flush:flush:flush :highfive :peace

[Anne]

Just nothing quite like a burial at sea!:grin3

[stepnstone]

Just nothing quite like a burial at sea!:grin3
:smiley_pirate:flush :gigg

[HRT4SQRLS]

I have been very concerned about my releases over the last month. Susie, Sunny and Cheri all left abruptly. I didn't see any of them for 3 weeks. Nearing the third week Sunny stopped in to visit. :) Then, one day, I called Susie and I saw movement at the base of her tree. It was SUSIE. She came running to me and got on my shoulder. Of course, I loaded her up with treats. She was once again covered in bot fly warbles and open holes where they had recently exited. She was a mess but looked strong so I didn't take her in. At that point most of the bots were gone. She probably had 4-6 left.

I have been very concerned about Cheri because she was the friendliest release out there. She was very obese so I thought possibly she had babies. To put my mind to rest, I wanted to check her nest box today. On top of the release cage I found Susie this morning in very bad shape. She was rail thin, dehydrated and circling. She looks like she is blind. Her eyes are not cloudy but they do look glassy, blank and she couldn't really find things. I was devastated but I knew what I had to do. I caught her and brought her in. She has about 4 more large warbles and many holes.
I offered hydration fluid and she drank and drank like she was parched for water. I offered several types of food. I didn't care if it was healthy or not today. She ate an HHB, almonds, a walnut, avocado and fresh corn. She is resting now in a small cage in my house. I'm hopeful that hydration and nutrition and a few days of rest will bring my girl back. The combination of the heat, the bots and the mosquitoes is just more than she can bare.

WHY ...WHY ... WHY do some squirrels get bots MORE than others??? I just hate those things. My poor Susie. :(

[Spanky]

Poor Susie, I am so glad you decided to check on her! :grouphug Susie.

[island rehabber]

gah! i live in mortal dread of dealing with those things! if only there was an internal med like Capstar that would make them back out!

[CritterMom]

So...Susie lets you touch her, doesn't she? I wonder if it might not be a good idea to keep her on regular Revolution application, at least during the summer fly season? It only has to be applied once a month, and while I don't know this, I would think it would provide for a fairly hostile environment that the larvae might not be able to survive in...

[HRT4SQRLS]

CritterMom, that is definitely my plan for NEXT year. In the mean time I will research until my eyes fail for a remedy for those awful things. Abby tried Skin So Soft on Wiggles and that didn't work. A rehabber suggested a drop of Revolution for 3 babies that had tiny warbles. The thought was to kill the larvae while they are small and the body would absorb them. No, that didn't work either. The bots were flourishing despite the treatment. I'm hopeful that the Revolution will kill them when they first enter the body after the egg hatches. I'll keep trying until I find the answer if there is one.

I did have a little good news today. Cheri was NOT in her nest box. I was so worried that something happened and she was up there passed. The 2 boxes were very dirty and buggy so I cleaned them. She had to leave the box because of the bugs so I'm hopeful that she is away with a new family. :tilt

[Spanky]

The thought was to kill the larvae while they are small and the body would absorb them. No, that didn't work either. The bots were flourishing despite the treatment. I'm hopeful that the Revolution will kill them when they first enter the body after the egg hatches.

I was wondering about exactly this... I have a release (Sammy) that has the very first hint of a bot (bare spot with a pin hole, not even lumpy yet). I could get a drop of revolution on him but I don't know if its too late already? Maybe it would help prevent any more since he is one of the ones that seem to get a lot. I also wonder about using revolution on a nursing mommy? :dono

[HRT4SQRLS]

You could try it Spanky. It certainly couldn't hurt. :thumbsup

[CritterMom]

If I am not mistaken, bot warbles don't actually consume the flesh of their host - it is just a place for them to pupate, right? That means that once entrenched, there really wouldn't be a reason for the Revolution to affect them, whereas if the Revolution was actually present on the animal BEFORE it came in contact with the bot, it might simply drop off rather than burrow in.

It seems logical. Of course I am just pulling this out of you know where...

[TubeDriver]

Poor little Susie! :(

She is lucky to have you by her side! I am sending prayers to you both.

I wonder if a monthly dose of Revolution might be the way to go? I have read that a bit of Ivermection applied directly to the warble will kill it but the typical oral dose is NOT strong enough to be effective. Here is some info I found:

http://parasitipedia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2449&Itemid=2716

[Spanky]

You could try it Spanky. It certainly couldn't hurt. :thumbsup

Makes sense to try and even if no help with bots it would still provide relief from fleas and the like? Next time I see Sammy...

[Sara in NW MS]

I just found this thread and I am speechless. Not something I wanted to read (or see) after eating lunch. Those bots are NASTY!!! I went to the start of this thread and the pics were enough to make me feel a little green in the face. I cannot believe you pulled those things out of Susie!!! I have to hand it to you, you are a stronger person than I am. I'm not really sure what I would've done. I'm the type of person that runs and ducks when bugs are flying around me and God forbid a bug touches me!

I pray Susie heals just as fast this time as she did last year. You are an awesome mommy and Susie is one lucky girl to have you!!!

Praying you see Cheri soon!

[HRT4SQRLS]

gah! i live in mortal dread of dealing with those things! if only there was an internal med like Capstar that would make them back out!

I totally understand! :tilt It definitely IS one of the grossest things I have ever done. I'm searching for the 'manic bullet' now.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Poor little Susie! :(

She is lucky to have you by her side! I am sending prayers to you both.

I wonder if a monthly dose of Revolution might be the way to go? I have read that a bit of Ivermection applied directly to the warble will kill it but the typical oral dose is NOT strong enough to be effective. Here is some info I found:

http://parasitipedia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2449&Itemid=2716
TD, it does look like ivermectin is a commonly used Boticide in horses. The problem is that a horse can handle a dead bot larva. The same dead bot larva in a squirrel might kill the squirrel or at least cause a very bad infection. It does seem that dosing with ivermectin at the proper time frame could prevent them by killing them before they move under the skin.

The only problem with that is that I'm a little scared of ivermectin.

[HRT4SQRLS]

If I am not mistaken, bot warbles don't actually consume the flesh of their host - it is just a place for them to pupate, right? That means that once entrenched, there really wouldn't be a reason for the Revolution to affect them, whereas if the Revolution was actually present on the animal BEFORE it came in contact with the bot, it might simply drop off rather than burrow in.

It seems logical. Of course I am just pulling this out of you know where...

You're right CM. The larva does not consume the flesh but they do consume the serous/lymph fluid of the host so exposure to the Revolution does seem possible. It seems that timing would be critical. Next year I will start dosing Susie in April and see if it makes a difference.

[HRT4SQRLS]

I just found this thread and I am speechless. Not something I wanted to read (or see) after eating lunch. Those bots are NASTY!!! I went to the start of this thread and the pics were enough to make me feel a little green in the face. I cannot believe you pulled those things out of Susie!!! I have to hand it to you, you are a stronger person than I am. I'm not really sure what I would've done. I'm the type of person that runs and ducks when bugs are flying around me and God forbid a bug touches me!

I pray Susie heals just as fast this time as she did last year. You are an awesome mommy and Susie is one lucky girl to have you!!!

Praying you see Cheri soon!
:jump :jump Yeah, it's gross isn't it Sara. I bet that's something you really didn't want to know about. :peace

[CritterMom]

I don't know if ivermectin would do it. It doesn't kill eggs - that is why you have to re-dose after a week. If it doesn't kill eggs, I wonder if it would prevent them in the first place?

[Busysqrl]

OH MY WORD!! I just saw this thread. I started reading at page 1 and thought this was all occurring this year. I see it was last year but then AGAIN this year! Your poor little Susie. I'm so glad you got her. I wonder why her vision seems so affected? Do you think she was just dehydrated and debilitated causing her to act that way?

We here in the Pacific Northwest have bot flies occasionally, but I've never seen them on any of my wilds but I do know some local rehabbers who have seen them and removed them.

Patti, you are a superwoman! I agree though, when you think your baby is in mortal danger, you will try just about anything to help them. Gross as it was, you did it! That HUGE hole underneath her chin last year was so awful! I can see why they get a secondary infection from a hole so big. I hope your precious little Susie makes a full recovery like last year!!

:grouphug:Love_Icon:Love_Icon:grouphug

[HRT4SQRLS]

I know Busy. It is the most disgusting thing. :eek

I'm hopeful that her vision problem was related to her bad dehydration and overall poor condition. The circling and seeming lack of vision really got to me. :sadness She ate really well today and has slept very soundly in a fleece cube. As a matter a fact, she was sleeping SO soundly I felt it necessary to wake her to check on her. She came up from the bottom with a sleepy face. :tilt I gave her an HHB and she pulled it back in the cube and is eating it now.
I'll fatten her up. She is a very cooperative patient. :)

[Busysqrl]

Awwe, such a sweet little girl letting you take care of her. What a special relationship you have with her that she can run outside wild and then come to you for care :Love_Icon:Love_Icon:Love_Icon

Glad to hear she is eating well. Some rest, good food and love may be all she needs to recover sweet little precious pea :glomp

[CritterMom]

Lord, I have seen this SO MANY times! The released babies come home for whatever reason, and they spend the next couple days sleeping, broken only to eat and potty...and sleep soundly! I think that they know it is the one place on earth they are completely safe, and they can let go and really, really sleep.

[HRT4SQRLS]

I'm feeling a little discouraged about Susie tonight. She's definitely going to survive but my concern is her future. She seems to have caught up on some much needed rest and she is eating GREAT but she just doesn't act normal. Maybe it's too soon.
Maybe she needs more time. She acts neuro and I'm still not convinced that she can see. :boohoo

Of course, I will care for her forever but it will break my heart if she can't return to her home.... the mighty oaks in my yard. :sadness

[CritterMom]

Aw. I wonder if she took a fall? I am hoping this is nutritional and that she just got in really bad shape out there and that some rest and good food and air conditioning and ridding herself of those cursed bots will help.

Given where you live, I would think that once she is a little more robust, a good, gentle wormer like panacur might not be a bad idea.

[TubeDriver]

Aw. I wonder if she took a fall? I am hoping this is nutritional and that she just got in really bad shape out there and that some rest and good food and air conditioning and ridding herself of those cursed bots will help.

Given where you live, I would think that once she is a little more robust, a good, gentle wormer like panacur might not be a bad idea.

:goodpost

[Shewhosweptforest]

:hug Oh HRT...I'm so sad to read all this....I'm just glad Susie is home safe for now. If I remember right, she was quite a feisty girl right before release :facepalm I'm glad she's a cooperative patient, but it only makes it more obvious that she's in trouble :sadness If anyone can ferret out a way to deal with the bots, it's you:) I will tell you that I read and read about bots when Baby had her's. Everything I found said the larvae are deposited by adult flies, usually on limbs and entrances around nests. It figures that the flies know squirrels are their hosts so they hang around their nests to leave their disgusting larvae. Then the larvae attach to the fur as the squirrels enter and exit...and are later ingested through licking...or enter through an opening...eyes, etc. I wonder if there is a deterrent that could be sprayed around heavily traveled squirrel areas that could keep the flies away...while not harming the squirrels :dono

[HRT4SQRLS]

Aw. I wonder if she took a fall? I am hoping this is nutritional and that she just got in really bad shape out there and that some rest and good food and air conditioning and ridding herself of those cursed bots will help.

Given where you live, I would think that once she is a little more robust, a good, gentle wormer like panacur might not be a bad idea.

I wondered the same thing. The bots shouldn't have caused this. The wormer is a good idea.

You're right Sweeper. She is not her feisty self. She didn't even try to bite me. She was only comfortable on my back tonight. She wouldn't leave me. I almost never got her back in the cage with her on my back.

In the WMB book on page 163 it says that the bot fly larva can sometimes travel to the CNS, eye, nose, throat, and lungs. It says one of the symptoms of CNS involvement is circling and the symptom of eye involvement is blindness. Now I'm really sad. :Cry

[TubeDriver]

:grouphug:grouphug:grouphug

Take a deep breath and also worry abouth this one day at a time. It could be lots of things and may well be something that is 100% recoverable!

:grouphug




I wondered the same thing. The bots shouldn't have caused this. The wormer is a good idea.

You're right Sweeper. She is not her feisty self. She didn't even try to bite me. She was only comfortable on my back tonight. She wouldn't leave me. I almost never got her back in the cage with her on my back.

In the WMB book on page 163 it says that the bot fly larva can sometimes travel to the CNS, eye, nose, throat, and lungs. It says one of the symptoms of CNS involvement is circling and the symptom of eye involvement is blindness. Now I'm really sad. :Cry

[stepnstone]

I think that they know it is the one place on earth they are completely safe, and they can let go and really, really sleep.

http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/yes/yes-i-fully-agree-smiley-emoticon.gif totally! :grouphug

[Shewhosweptforest]

I am sad, too :shakehead I've always thought "at least they don't do any real damage to the host" trying to keep their "incubators" healthy :dono but, now this....it's like they've gone ballistic. If you know where Susie's nest is...I'd treat it with something...I wonder if vinegar would get rid of them....it must be infested, tho...and while she's not using it, and really no one should, you could kill the lil monsters :great

[HRT4SQRLS]

Susie seems a little better tonight. I think it will take time to determine how this will work out.

She continues to have a huge appetite. She is also pretty content in the small cage for now. She sleeps a lot but this afternoon she seemed stronger. She crawled all over me.

Her arms seem to be bothering her because they have huge bots on them. One arm had two large bots that seems to be putting a lot of pressure on her arm. After all, they are larger than her arm. :shakehead They were bothering her and they were bothering me MORE. I decided to pull as many as I could. I finally got her subdued and she basically went limp. She closed her eyes and didn't move a muscle or cry or try to get away. I have to believe that she knew I was trying to help her. The bot under her chin is a problem. It is dead. That's a problem and might require a vet visit. These were much harder to pull than the ones I removed last year because the pore was small and they were not ready to leave on their own. I removed 3. I recently read about a squirrel that had a disabled arm due to bots so I was determined to remove them. I think she probably has 3-4 more not counting the dead one. I will start her on antibiotics tonight.

The good thing is that she is alert and has a good appetite. I'll hold onto the positive signs for now and try not to think about the 'what ifs'. For tonight, she has to feel better with 3 less bots. They are the the MOST vile, disgusting creatures on the planet.

[California Squirrel Lover]

OMG, not again! Poor Susie. :( I'm so sorry. How nasty! The fact that she's been able to sleep and eat well with you is HUGE, so you'll see in time what's what. I feel so bad for her, poor love, but how fortunate is she to have you to help her?! :thumbsup :grouphug:grouphug I'm adding her to my prayer list. :grouphug:grouphug

[HRT4SQRLS]

:thankyou CSL, Tube, Sweeper and step

I'm feeling relieved right now because I was able to remove the dead bot under her chin. I used warm compresses to soften the flesh up as the dead alien was welded to her flesh. When the flesh was softened I was able to extract it intact. OMG, this is vile. :yuck With that success at hand, I decided to remove one more for good measure. That makes a total of 5 bots removed today. It was hard to tell with all of the holes but I think there might be one or two more BUT we are winning this Battle of the Bots.
The Bots are loosing. :dance

Has anyone seen the new TV program? Battle of the Bots
Of course, it's robots but I still love it. I'm sure you know what I thought when I saw it.

[Spanky]

The Bots are loosing. :dance

:bliss:dance:bliss:dance:grin3

[TubeDriver]

:grouphugSusie and Patti:grouphug

[Shewhosweptforest]

:highfive Way to go! I love, and it still amazes me....when these lil wild souls come home and let the person who raised and nurtured them "have at it" :shakehead after watching two bots, the first on Baby (up close and personal) and the second on Sweet P... I know how gross and difficult they can be....I also remember the gaping hole they left :facepalm thinking of poor Susie with multiple holes all over her is just heart wrenching :sadness Bots are one of those few "things" on Earth that I see absolutely "NO" need for their existence :( I'm so relieved you were able to remove the dead one...and that once again Susie allowed you complete access :hug What a courageous, trusting soul she is :Love_Icon You raised her well Patti :grin3 Even if she suffered from a little "teenage angst" at release time :eek I really hope she continues to improve :bowdown I'm so thankful she has you :Love_Icon

[HRT4SQRLS]

Just a quick update on Susie. She is doing much better. The circling has stopped. I'm still a little concerned about her vision but I think that's getting better also. For now, she is showing no signs of wanting to go outside. That's very good because I wouldn't even consider it at this point. She is pretty content in her cube. The cage door is now open so that she can come out if she desires. She does come out when I'm in there with her. She is in the bathroom with the door closed. Her appetite continues to be good.

Only time will tell what the future holds for Susie. If she chooses to stay with me or if she is unable to return to the trees, she is certainly welcome to stay. I have to say that she has a much sweeter personality than she has had in the past. Susie always was a biter and didn't mind 'biting the hand that feeds her' one little bit. :tilt

Here are a couple pics from this morning. She still has a few bots but most of them are gone.
261982
261983

Oh well, I guess they're upside down.

Not anymore... your:Welcome

[Sara in NW MS]

susie is just precious, she looks very content to be where she is. You did an amazing job with those bots!!! I have never seen something like that and knowing those things get in our squirrels is disgusting. That is what nightmares are made of!!!

I hope she got lots of treats for being such a good girl for her mommy.

[stepnstone]

Just look at that precious smile it that 2nd picture. :Love_Icon
Good job! :grouphug

[TubeDriver]

What a little sweetheart of a ......biter!:grin2


Perhaps the neuro looking behavior was just a manifestation of her being sick, in pain and anxious? In any case, I hope she continues to get better!

:grouphug

[Shewhosweptforest]

She looks great....her holes are closing up nicely :grin3 It's amazing how quickly they heal up:highfive I guess that's why they've survived even thrived in this ever changing hostile environment :(

I'm really glad she's keeping her sweeter side face up :thumbsup I meant to comment earlier on how touching it was that she was hanging so close to you...staying on your person...momma tree :Love_Icon

[HRT4SQRLS]

Thanks guys, she really does look so much better. I think my fears of her having a CNS bot were probably an overreaction. :eek :peace With her having 2 of the symptoms (circling and possible blindness) it certainly scared me. At this point, if that was the case, I'm sure her condition would be declining instead of getting better.

Thanks for fixing the pics step. :grin2

If Susie gets to return to the trees ... I promise you things will be different next year. :peace
I was just informed that ivermectin continues to be active in the system for 30-40 days after dosing. In about April of next year she will be receiving a nut laced with ivermectin every month until the bot season is over. I wonder if I should use Revolution also? Maybe that's overkill.

Of course, I have been doing more research about bots. I have found an interesting thing. Maybe others can confirm this. Bots do not seem to be a problem for those that live in coastal areas. I have read that south FL does not have bots. Isn't that odd. :thinking I have also found out that they don't have bots in St.Petersburg, FL. A rehabber friend that lives 5 miles from the coast confirms this. I live 25 miles from the coast and we are loaded with them. I find this intriguing. WHY? Is it the salt in the air or soil? Is it the different vegetation and trees? Why are they not in some areas? I just have to know! :tilt

[kcassidy]

Wow she looks really good CM and her eyes look clear, do you think her sight is getting better?

We have Bots, but I've only ever seen one squirrel with one in her. One year I found a lot of the Bot Fly eggs on the horses legs, but I was able to remove them with warm water/cloth and after just that one time I didn't see them ever again. I do give my horses Ivermection a couple of times a year and starting last year I've been puting Advantix on them, they seem really healthy and they have had way less Ticks than they normally do.

I can ask around with some of my horse/vet friends and see what they say. Ivermectin is a househould item for horse folk.

[island rehabber]

Of course, I have been doing more research about bots. I have found an interesting thing. Maybe others can confirm this. Bots do not seem to be a problem for those that live in coastal areas. I have read that south FL does not have bots. Isn't that odd. :thinking I have also found out that they don't have bots in St.Petersburg, FL. A rehabber friend that lives 5 miles from the coast confirms this. I live 25 miles from the coast and we are loaded with them. I find this intriguing. WHY? Is it the salt in the air or soil? Is it the different vegetation and trees? Why are they not in some areas? I just have to know! :tilt

That explains a lot about why I have never seen a bot on a squirrel around here. I live on an island, and the salt water is close enough that I can throw bread to the swans from my bedroom window. The squirrels I get in for rehab are usually from coastal towns....never seen a bot so far.

[Uno's Mom]

Thanks guys, she really does look so much better. I think my fears of her having a CNS bot were probably an overreaction. :eek :peace With her having 2 of the symptoms (circling and possible blindness) it certainly scared me. At this point, if that was the case, I'm sure her condition would be declining instead of getting better.

Thanks for fixing the pics step. :grin2

If Susie gets to return to the trees ... I promise you things will be different next year. :peace
I was just informed that ivermectin continues to be active in the system for 30-40 days after dosing. In about April of next year she will be receiving a nut laced with ivermectin every month until the bot season is over. I wonder if I should use Revolution also? Maybe that's overkill.

Of course, I have been doing more research about bots. I have found an interesting thing. Maybe others can confirm this. Bots do not seem to be a problem for those that live in coastal areas. I have read that south FL does not have bots. Isn't that odd. :thinking I have also found out that they don't have bots in St.Petersburg, FL. A rehabber friend that lives 5 miles from the coast confirms this. I live 25 miles from the coast and we are loaded with them. I find this intriguing. WHY? Is it the salt in the air or soil? Is it the different vegetation and trees? Why are they not in some areas? I just have to know! :tilt

Hi Patti, I just saw this thread active again...I am so sorry for you and poor Susie. One round with bots is enough to last a lifetime. I hope she continues to improve.

Last summer when I was treating squirrels with mange I accidentally dosed one with an early stage bot fly. The next morning the bump was gone. Since then any squirrel that is in the early stages of bot fly infestation I have given the pin head size dose of Ivermection via nut. I scratch out some of the nut meat, apply the ivermectin, and then put the meat back on top. It is such a miniscule amount that they never bat an eye. It has always worked.

Buster still comes at least once a week to visit me. He wants his nuts and his water bottle held for him. Yes he is spoiled rotten. He just turned one year old this month and while he will sit on me and climb all over he does not usually let me pet him any more. Two weeks ago he wanted to be rubbed all over which was unusual. I noticed several "bites" on him that I thought were from mosquitoes or fleas but by the next morning he was covered in early bots and scratching himself raw. I dosed him and the next day most of the bumps were gone. When he came Monday this week he looked almost normal except for two sores he made by scratching. I am eagerly awaiting another visit to see how he is progressing and whether he will need any abs.

He is the ONLY squirrel I have seen with bots this year although last year there were many. I wonder if being raised in all the clean fleece and climate control makes them any more susceptible. My trees are full of mammas with babies and mature males are not tolerated. I have seen Buster go into the marsh behind my fence line on numerous occasions when he goes MIA for several days.

I can't help but think the bot flies are triggered by rain. Until mid July I saw no squirrels with bots. Last year they started in May. Both years it has coincided with standing water from day after day of rain. I am on a lake, but like you there is a lot of undeveloped land around with a lot of vegetation and growth that keeps the ground very moist. Having lived on the coast growing up, I know we always had sea breezes that helped dry everything out.

Give Susie some extra goodies for me and some scritches too.:Love_Icon

[Shewhosweptforest]

Hmmm...that's interesting Patti....do I see massive quantities of sea salt in your future?:grin3 Uno's mom....that's an interesting point, too. I don't see bots on my squirrels here...maybe one I can ever remember...yet, Baby, who was in the wild for only 2 1/2 mos. came home with one...and Sweet P had one shortly after release :thinking that is interesting.

Kcassidy everything I found on bots stated they were a different type than the type that infect horses....species specific.... the reason why we are not infected :dono I would think that treatment could still be the same tho....since they are probably very similar :thumbsup

[HRT4SQRLS]

Thanks Gayle, your information is HUGE to me. I have determined that next year WILL be different. I will be dosing with ivermectin early so as to avoid this problem. The Revolution does not have the effect that you describe with the early bots and ivermectin. A week or so ago a local member dosed 3 babies with Revolution that each had an early bot. It had NO EFFECT whatsoever on the developing bots. They had to be pulled.

You might be right about the early rains and the standing water. We have had record setting rains this year. The ground has been saturated for over 6 weeks. The mosquitos are horrible. Last year was very wet also. The previous 5-10 years were very dry because I remember lawn watering restrictions every spring and summer for many years.

Unfortunately, what I do in the future might not help Susie. It still seems like her vision is not right. It seems she is responding to smell and sound more than sight. All I can do is watch and wait now. She still has a few bots that need to come out but I found the small ones are very hard to pull. Her personality is completely different. She shows no signs of wanting to go out. She is not biting anymore which is a good thing.

I also wonder why our releases seem to get more bots than the wilds. That is just crazy!!

I've missed you Gayle. We need to get together. :thumbsup

[HRT4SQRLS]

Documenting Susie's progress.
She looks horrible but she is doing so much better. This will take a while but I believe she will make a full recovery. I'm not sure about her release status because she seems pretty content in her fleece cube without mosquitos, without bot flies, without the rain, without the heat and humidity, without predators ... with plenty of food, water and snacks, air conditioning, clean sheets and room service. What's not to like! :w00t I guess if she decides to stay, I'll have to buy a new cage because all cages are occupied. :shakehead
Please tell me ... how did this happen? :dono :crazy1
262086262087262088
262085

[Sara in NW MS]

Susie might look horrible but she looks GREAT compared to what she looked like before. You've done a wonderful job removing those nasty bots!!!

If she decides the indoors is for her, she couldn't have a better mommy to take care of her.

[TubeDriver]

I am glad to hear that Susie is doing well! :w00t

Don't worry yet about what will be best for her in the future, she will let you know what she wants and you have some time to figure out what she is saying!

[Chickenlegs]

[QUOTE=HRT4SQRLS;1113480]Documenting Susie's progress.

She looks horrible but she is doing so much better. This will take a while but I believe she will make a full recovery. I'm not sure about her release status because she seems pretty content in her fleece cube without mosquitos, without bot flies, without the rain, without the heat and humidity, without predators ... with plenty of food, water and snacks, air conditioning, clean sheets and room service. What's not to like! :w00t /QUOTE]

Sounds like a plan to me. I haven't seen any bots around here so far. Actually, there's only one regular little squirrel. I have Ivermectin. Might make sure she stays bot free. Hi Susie :wave123. You stay inside with mama. No bots!

[Cesta]

H4S-- so sorry to hear you're going through this AGAIN with Susie. I need to go back and read the whole thread, but, wow, and yuck. But how cool that she came right back to you when she needed help? Obviously I hadn't seen this when I pm' you earlier!

I was so disappointed when Dex and Scotty left before I could figure out how to dose them for bots. I didn't know you could give anything orally. Now I would have no way of knowing I wasn't treating the same squirrel twice, because all my guys come back when I put out nuts.

I assume the 3 bott babies are mine? And you're right, topically applied Revolution did nothing but give them dry skin. Thankfully I wasn't there when the Botts were removed (PeeWees Mom, CoralReefer, and a local rehabber handled them because I was on vacation).... I've dealt w/ the aftermath of just one bott on each baby and it's gross. Deep, weepy, pussy holes that have to heal from the inside out. Poor Susie. But she is in the best of hands, and I know you'd be thrilled if she chooses a life of luxury with you.

Now, can anyone explain or point to where I can find how to treat preventatively for Botts on already released squirrels?

[HRT4SQRLS]

Yes, the 3 bot babies I referred to were yours. :tilt
Normally, bots don't cause infection. They produce a natural antibiotic that prevents them from rotting out a hole in the host. Of the 11 I pulled last year, none got infected. They were very large and advanced. When you pull them you can actually see them secrete a white fluid. I don't know this for a fact but I wonder if pulling the young ones is more likely to cause infection. :thinking :dono


Cesta, I didn't think it was possible but Susie's bot infestation is worse this year than last. When she came in she very much appeared to be neurologically impaired. She is much better in that respect but she is definitely not her normal self. I pulled 5 large bots and thought that was the bulk of them. I thought she had 3 or 4 more. Was I ever wrong! More and more bots are emerging. My guess right now is that she has at least 10 more in various stages of development. :eek
Her shoulder, arm area has so many it looks like a honeycomb. She has several that are bigger now and I will attempt to pull a few more tonight. I really tried to pull the small ones but I was unsuccessful. They are very soft and I was so fearful that I would pull them in two. Even trying to grab them with the forceps was a problem because I was afraid I would puncture them. This is absolutely horrific. If I have to watch these develop over the next two weeks so that I can pull them, I will probably need therapy to 'fix' my head. :crazy1:panic

It has crossed my mind to take her to Dr.E to have ALL of them removed at one time and be done with this. My problem is that I don't have any time off work in the next few weeks. By the time I do, this will probably be done ... hopefully.

If you read UnosMom's post you will see that she used ivermectin to treat mange. In doing so she accidentally dose some squirrels with young bots. It did kill the bots and didn't cause a problem. I would NOT dose a squirrel with large bots because the dead bot will cause a bad infection and could potentially kill the squirrel. I have decided that next year I will start dosing ivermectin in the spring and continue monthly until about Sept. Ivermectin stays active in the body for 30-40 days. Ivermectin is toxic and can be fatal if overdosed so it's not something to use casually. You must know which squirrels take the IV laced nuts. You can't just put out IV laced nuts because the same squirrel will eat many doses and die from toxicity.

[Cesta]

Can you just pick up Ivervectim at the pet store or feed store? Would it be dangerous to dose Stella, who I believe is nursing a litter?

H4S, if you'd like me to take Susie to the vet I'd be honored to do so. I know you'd much rather be with her, but maybe it would be better to just have all the Botts removed, like you said? Please, just let me know. It wouldn't be any trouble. :Love_Icon

[HRT4SQRLS]

Can you just pick up Ivervectim at the pet store or feed store? Would it be dangerous to dose Stella, who I believe is nursing a litter?

H4S, if you'd like me to take Susie to the vet I'd be honored to do so. I know you'd much rather be with her, but maybe it would be better to just have all the Botts removed, like you said? Please, just let me know. It wouldn't be any trouble. :Love_Icon

Yes, you can get ivermectin at feed stores or Tractor Supply.

No, I wouldn't dose Stella with babies. Also, we are at the end of the bot fly season now so it's not really needed now.

That's an interesting thought about you getting Susie to the vet. I tried to pull a few more last night but was unsuccessful. She is stronger now and is putting up a fight now so it's not so easy now. I think she would need to be gas'd.

I'll get with you.

[Cesta]

I'll be home today, just give me a call when you have a chance. :Love_Icon

[Mommaluvy]

Oh my ! I wondered why this thread revived..

What the heck! Poor Susie ! Etc etc!

[Uno's Mom]

I am so sorry Susie (and you) are having such a terrible time. I didn't believe anything could be worse than last year's infestation.....The only good news is she is with you so you don't have to wonder where she is or how she is doing.

How is her vision now?

:Love_Icon:Love_Icon Susie and Patti :Love_Icon:Love_Icon

[TubeDriver]

:grouphug

[HRT4SQRLS]

GROSS ALERT

I'm giving a warning for the benefit of the that might be 'sensitive' to something that is totally gross. I have a pretty high threshold for dealing with 'gross and nasty' but I have to admit this is pinging my gross meter in the red. :yuck Now that the pictures are small to view them you have to click on them so don't say I didn't warn you if you click. The pics show the magnitude of the problem. On the left side behind her arm, there are probably 6-8 bots in that one spot. They extend under her arm. One on her face, two on top of her head and another mass on the right side. She could easily have a dozen or more bots. This isn't including the 5 that I already pulled. I have decided to stop at a vet tomorrow after work. This is a vet that sees wildlife. Cesta has used the vet before and didn't receive 'the lecture' about wildlife. I will take these pics and see if they can help her. This isn't about the cost, as that is not a factor here. I just need this to be OVER now. I realize I could wait this out but frankly I don't want to. If they were distributed in different spots I could handle it better but those 2 masses of bots disturb me greatly. It feels like marbles under the skin. It's so massive that it's actually difficult to see which direction to pull some of them. She is no longer cooperative either. Tomorrow we shall see if this will work out.

Gayle, I'm still unsure about her vision. Someone did mention to me that they thought squirrels vision in general was not that good and that is probably true because they sure can't take a nut from your fingers without taking some finger also. Maybe she has a point. :grin2
















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[Shewhosweptforest]

What the hell? It's like she's a bot magnet :shakehead I'm glad you're going to the vet....I read repeatedly that squirrels can handle a few....even up to six...but, she's got that many or more in one area....then multiply that :shakehead that poor, poor girl...and you:hug It's very difficult watching suffering like that...I know you may have been kidding earlier, about needing a "head fix" :dono seriously, you may need it after this :hug my Baby rubbed her head bald when she had her "one" and Sweet P did the same on her back...so it has to be annoying at the very least. Susie has to be uncomfortable ....who knows her neuro symptoms may have been her going bananas over all the stimuli she was getting :( I really think this girl should stay in regardless....she appears to be a super high risk for these little "bas#*#*s :get_em I hope you get some good news tomorrow from the vet :bowdown :please :Love_Icon

Susie....relief may be close at hand :grin3 :Love_Icon

[Uno's Mom]

Oh my goodness, that is terrible..

The cluster under her arm is very concerning. In my research on these monsters I read that the swelling from multiple bots in the same area can compromise blood flow, cause nerve damage, and even inhibit respiration if they are impinging on a lung.

Her arm seems to be a OK at this point, however. She has no problem holding on to that pecan !! :grin3

Yeah, the vision may be 360, but sometimes they bite the hand that feeds them. Just ask my orthopaedic surgeon, lol.

Good luck tomorrow :grouphug

[stepnstone]

That is disgusting, poor baby, poor you. :grouphug
Good luck with the vet, I hope you both can get some relief.

[TubeDriver]

Poor Susie!:(

I hope you can get her some immediate help and get some of those bots removed!

:grouphug

[HRT4SQRLS]

Susie has an appointment on Wednesday at 4PM to get this taken care of. They said they will use ISO to gas her. They are a practice that treats wildlife and also rehabs wildlife. I am anxious to get this behind use. :boot :peace

[CritterMom]

Poor Susie - and poor YOU. Hopefully this will go very smoothly for everyone but the bots.

[Sara in NW MS]

Thinking about little Susie. Praying her vet visit goes well this afternoon and those bots will be gone!

It would be interesting if they would allow you to document this while they are removing them. So many of those things all in the same spot... just insane.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Well, it's over. Susie is still not fully awake but she will respond slightly to touch. I covered her to keep her warm and I'll let her sleep it off. I keep checking on her.

After seeing the magnitude of the problem, I'm very glad I decided to take her to the vet. Last years horrible bot episode was bad but it wasn't nearly as bad as this one. Keep in mind that I had pulled 5 myself.
http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/shocked/shocked-smiley-emoticon.gif (http://www.sherv.net/) The vet removed 18 bots!!! :eek

The infestation around her arm was massive. The vet said she had a large amount of inflammation in that area. After cleaning and flushing the area, she infused Meloxacam under the skin to help reduce the inflammation. She will be on antibiotics for 14 days. (SMX-TMP) The vet agreed that had these bots remained until they reached maturity, they could have disabled her arm due to the blood flow being restricted or nerve damage. I know that I can pull bots BUT I knew this was beyond my abilities. As of yesterday, I noticed that her appetite was decreasing. She didn't eat a thing today.

I'm just glad it's over. There was one disappointing thing that happened but I guess we'll just deal with it. When I first took her out of the travel cage she was OK but suddenly she bolted. In an attempt to catch her, I don't know how it happened unless the vet tech grabbed her tail :shakehead but about an inch of her tail was degloved. :sadness I had the vet snip the bone off while she was under anesthesia. That made me sad but it's just one of those things.

This wouldn't be complete without a gory pic. :yuck

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The vet said this was a record for her. She has never removed this many! The most she has removed was 10. Susie crushed the old record. :)

[TessiesMom]

Bless both your hearts! I'm so glad this is over and that it went well. My husband and I were looking at the last pictures of poor little Susie last night and we agreed that if something like that happened to Tess I would lose my mind. I know exactly what you mean about being glad that you went to the vet - I've always said that I'd rather go and have it be nothing serious than to NOT go and wish later that I had...

[Uno's Mom]

I am so glad those terrible things are gone. What a relief for you and Susie. I was so afraid she was going to lose that arm.

I know the tail loss is sad, but you will always be able to recognize her from a distance. She had the benefit of anesthesia and did not lose it in a fight like so many releases.

Both of you try and get some rest now :dance

[CritterMom]

Lord, poor Susie! Those things are just ghastly and there is no reason for them to even exist. I hope Susie feels MUCH better tomorrow!

[stepnstone]

Glad to hear they were all successfully removed! :thumbsup
What an ordeal for you both... :grouphug

[TubeDriver]

:eek. 18 Bots! You definitely made the right call to have your vet pull them.

Heal fast Susie!:grouphug

[HRT4SQRLS]

Thanks for visiting Susie. I was getting a little worried about her because she still wasn't ready to wake up. I got her out of the travel cage and put her on a heating pad. She was shaking a little. I gave her hydration fluid and a warm cozy spot. She slept some more. She just got up and jumped on my back. I brought all her favorite (unhealthy) foods ... fresh corn, pecans, avocado and a block. She was ready to eat. She ate the corn and a couple pecans. :grin2 I think she feels pretty rough right now but I'm hopeful that tomorrow will start the road to recovery.

TessiesMom, I really am so glad I took her to the vet. I'm fearful that this would have ended badly if I didn't, and yes you're right, I would have never forgiven myself.
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[Shewhosweptforest]

:facepalm :yuck Poor baby :Love_Icon Poor you :Love_Icon This is so unbelievable ....it's like a horror movie :eek she looks so much better to me...I mean I can see the relief on her face...of course, it may be transference....cuz I feel relieved :tilt I wonder if she's just exhausted and wiped out between the stress of the bots to the stress of the surgery :dono she's been through the ringer...you both have :hug I'm glad our prayers were answered :bowdown

[MollyBear361]

That poor girl! And you win for one of the grossest threads ever.

[HRT4SQRLS]

And you win for one of the grossest threads ever.

http://www.picgifs.com/smileys/smileys-and-emoticons/winner/smileys-winner-365238.gifhttp://www.sherv.net/cm/emo/happy/clicking-your-heels-smiley-emoticon.gif (http://www.sherv.net/) :grin3 We'll accept that award! :rotfl :peace


Yesterday, Susie's condition turned around. :grin2 On Thursday, the day after the procedure, she was pretty sad and pitiful. She wouldn't come out of her cube and was afraid of me. :(

Last night (9PM) I went in to check on her and she was standing on the cage door eating wilted food. By that time, she usually would be in bed. I was preparing the plates for the flyer at the time. Assuming she needed a bedtime snack, I brought her a few pinches of fresh food. The girl was starved. I had to bring her a full meal. She ate until 10PM. She was eating broccoli slaw like crazy. She ate broccoli, red cabbage and carrots like they were candy. GO SUSIE! :grin2 I couldn't fill the girl up. She also ate a block. I figured with an appetite like that she needed dessert, so she got a couple pecans and a walnut.

I noticed how thin she is so I have to fatten this girl up. When she is fully recovered I'll be worming her and also applying Revolution. At this point, I have made no decision about her returning to the trees. When she tells me she's ready, I'll let her go but for right now she is very content and showing no signs of 'needing' to go to the trees. I'm feeling very relieved about her health and am SO glad we got this taken care of. Her overall health was not adequate to let this nightmare run it's course. When my sweet girl is looking beautiful I'll post some follow up pics. I love her so much. :Love_Icon

[lennysmom]

So glad to hear little Susie is feeling better and eating well! :dance I have been lurking and keeping up with her progress - 18 bots is awful! I know she's got to feel so much better!! When my little Lenny had 5 of them, it wiped him out and he slept for days... I can't even imagine 18!! :eek
Sounds like she is well on the mend now though and I know you have to be very relieved. :thumbsup :hug

[Shewhosweptforest]

Oh I'm so glad she turned the corner....appetite back is always the exclamation point :thumbsup I feel your love and relief...you can almost touch it, it's so real...and strong :Love_Icon

My Nougie and Poppy live the life of flyers....up late :grin3

[lennysmom]

My Nougie and Poppy live the life of flyers....up late :grin3

Yep, so does Angel. :tilt

[TubeDriver]

Yea Susie! :)

[HRT4SQRLS]

Susie continues to improve but the vet warned me ... AND IT'S TRUE. :hissyfit:hissyfit She has more bots! :frustratedx

The vet told me that she removed all that she could find but could not guarantee that more wouldn't develop. I can feel at least 3 or 4 more. :shakehead When they are larger I will remove them myself. Her condition is stable now and these should be manageable. I think Susie is going for a record here as she has already had 23 removed and I know that some had already emerged before she came inside. I'm not sure it's an enviable record. :shakehead

I purchased the Revolution and will treat her in a few days. I also want to give her some Panacur. She has a HUGE appetite and I hope to fatten her up as she is still very thin. Up until today she has seemed very content but I saw a little of the 'Susie' spirit return as she left the bathroom and roamed around the house. I think her eyesight is OK and I have a feeling that she might get anxious to go back to the trees. We'll see. I won't hold her against her will but we are several weeks from even considering that. Before that happens she will be bot free, worm free and fat and sassy.
I would so love to see her live inside and go outside to visit but I realize that would not be the norm.

The vet wants me to try the Revolution next year and let her know if it works. The problem is that I am not willing to use something that might NOT work. I know the ivermectin will work so I am more inclined to use it. Susie can't go through this again and I KNOW that I can't.

[Shewhosweptforest]

Amen to that :shakehead this is just too horrible for words.....no one should have to go through such a horrible ordeal :facepalm I really hope she decides to stay in too :please Susie just seems more susceptible to these monsters :sadness

[Sara in NW MS]

How is Susie doing? How many more bots have popped up now?? I just hate this for both of you. That poor baby can't catch a break, can she?

[stepnstone]

That's horrible that she has more bots.:shakehead
Wonderful she has you to care for her. :grouphug

[MyLittleMercy]

Just curious....

I just learned that you can treat a squirrel with ivermectin for bots. We just started first treatment/dose this evening in Baby Two (one of our releases). The little girl he's been hanging with has a severe case of Mange, but we have not been able to get to her yet to dose her.

How does the ivermectin work for Bot Flies? Does it make the bots exit the squirrel before they die?

[Spanky]

Just curious....

I just learned that you can treat a squirrel with ivermectin for bots. We just started first treatment/dose this evening in Baby Two (one of our releases). The little girl he's been hanging with has a severe case of Mange, but we have not been able to get to her yet to dose her.

How does the ivermectin work for Bot Flies? Does it make the bots exit the squirrel before they die?

If she already has bots emerging, my understanding is you DO NOT want to use the ivermectin. The warbles may die under the skin and rot, causing infection. You have to treat before they emerge.

If she has warbles already, how many does she have? They typically do okay as long as there is not more than half dozen or so.

[HRT4SQRLS]

MLM, Spanky is 100% correct. You do not want to use ivermectin once you see warbles. Ivermectin is a boticide. It will kill them at any stage. When the larvae are large the dead bot can cause an infection. Multiply warbles with dead bots can kill the squirrel. Ivermectin can be found in horse/livestock stores. It even says boticide on the label. A dead bot in a horse is no big dead. A dead bot in a squirrel is a huge deal.

MY plans are for next year. In the spring, before warble development I will start dosing Susie monthly with ivermectin until September. From my research ivermectin stays active in the system for 30-40 days. I believe it will kill them as soon as they penetrate the skin and TRY to setup their development location.

I just have to so something. This is the second year in a row that Susie has nearly died from a bot infestation. It is clear to me that this will continue yearly if I don't intervene. It has been life threatening for her, very costly for me and just a nightmare for both of us.

I would like to make a disclaimer on this thread for others that might read this. I AM IN NO WAY RECOMMENDING THAT OTHERS USE IVERMECTIN FOR BOTS! Ivermectin is VERY toxic if used improperly and can kill squirrels if overdosed. When I use it next year I will be very cautious because I love Susie and certain don't want to harm her. I feel the alternative, which is to do nothing is not an option for her.

The vet wants me to use Revolution next year and let her know if it works. That is an option BUT if it doesn't work we will be in the same place next year. I will say that the last 2 years have been the worst for bots that I have ever seen. I don't remember them ever being this bad before. We have also had the wettest 2 years also. The rains began early this year and last so maybe this is a climate driven issue BUT whatever, I will be treating her next year as a preventative measure.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Susie is OK but this battle is certainly not over. What I had thought was NEW emerging bots is NOT new warble development.
There are no 'waste pores' or breathing holes as some refer to them, that are so characteristics of warbles. I believe they are small abscesses where the bot was pulled from. I'm not as concerned about these but there does appear to be a larger abscess on her chest. I am very concerned about that.

I have to admit I was not compliant in getting the antibiotics in her because she is a handful to deal with. She is a biter and she has been pitching a fit about it when I try to treat her.
I will try my best to address this but if I can't we will be going back to the vet to have it lanced. Let's just say, Susie is getting to be an expensive little squirrel. :peace

[MyLittleMercy]

Poor Susie! Gosh, bots have to be extremely miserable for them. Painful too?! I can't even imagine. Hopefully you can treat/prevent her from getting more and soon she will begin to heal. You both will be in my thoughts and prayers and please keep us updated!

I'm treating our release (Baby Two) with ivermectin for Mange Mites, not Bot Flies. (The Bots have even taken over this thread!) Lol Baby Two has been hanging around a little wild girl squirrel and she has a severe case of mange. So far, I have not been able to treat the little girl with mange, but we will keep trying. The 1st dose of ivermectin for Baby Two was given yesterday afternoon. He has small patches of fur on his back above the base of his tail and the inside of his legs. The little girl has lost almost all her fur on her back and her skin is scabby & irritated.

Back to bots...I did treat our 2 boy squirrels prior to release with revolution. I was hoping that the revolution would help with prevention of Bots. After reading your experience, it looks as though it does not help prevent them. :( So far, our releases have not gotten any bots but a couple of our wild squirrels had them this year. (Not bad enough to intervene and they fell out and healed up good).

[Chickenlegs]

Isn't the first ingredient in Revolution Ivermectin? I don't have any Revolution here but last time our cat was Revolutioned I think I read that. Thank heavens Susie has you in her corner. :bowdown:bowdown. Makes me sad for all the squirrels that don't have a guardian angel.

[California Squirrel Lover]

Oh man, I'm so sorry this ordeal is not over!! Poor Susie, and you too! I can't wait to read that it's all over with, and she's all healed up. :Love_Icon:Love_Icon

I'll keep her in my squirrel prayers. Yes, I do pray for all the squirrels. :grin3 :grouphug:grouphug:grouphug

[SugarBugFerret]

Isn't the first ingredient in Revolution Ivermectin? I don't have any Revolution here but last time our cat was Revolutioned I think I read that. Thank heavens Susie has you in her corner. :bowdown:bowdown. Makes me sad for all the squirrels that don't have a guardian angel.

My Revolution box says Selamectin on it.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Isn't the first ingredient in Revolution Ivermectin?

Pat, your post made me start researching ivermectin and Revolution. You're right SBF, :) Revolution is Selamectin which is an analog or derivative of Ivermectin. Ivermectin is an old drug and therefore is no longer covered by patents. That, of course drives the price way down. It is a common practice in the pharmaceutical industry to alter older drugs so that they are 'different' and are therefore patentable. The motivation is, of course, money. With little research and development they can produce a better mousetrap so to speak. By altering the molecule by adding side groups or even twisting the molecule they are able to make a different drug ... sometimes better.. sometimes not. It might be less toxic and/or more effective. Sometimes just the opposite occurs. The fluoroquinolone drugs have the same core structure but different companies produced different FQ antibiotics that have different antibiotic spectrums. They even produced a few that were quickly pulled off the market because of fatal side effects like liver failure. OOPS!

Pfizer Animal Health developed selamectin (Revolution) from ivermectin. The altered molecule made a topical form of ivermectin than is supposedly less toxic. Both pesticides are neurotoxic and can be lethal if overdosed or in 'breed sensitive' animals. For those interested there is interesting research about the genetic defect of a protein that causes selamectin OR ivermectin to be lethal in certain breeds of dogs (Collies and similar breeds) that carry this gene. This defective genes allows for accumulation of the neurotoxin in the brain. I wonder about the safety of Revolution on neurologically compromised squirrels that might have some sort defect in the normal blood-brain barrier. I don't know the answer to that but I don't think I would use it on a neuro squirrel.

In my research, there are many references to ivermectin as a boticide. I found no such references for selamectin (Revolution). Of course, that sounds reasonable because NO ONE would use an expensive product like Revolution for treating Bots on a horse for example and NO ONE is recommending much of anything for squirrels bots. Of course, it goes without saying that WE would because we would only be using a drop. I did find a reference for both products as a microfilaricide. The microfilariae is the stage in the life cycle of a parasite (nematodes) that migrates through the host. Nowhere did I find a microfilarial stage in the life cycle of the bot fly BUT there is a stage (instar) that does migrate through the host as it seeks to find a subcutaneous location. Unfortunately it sometimes migrates to the brain, spinal cord, eyes and lungs and causes death of the host. I think it is almost miraculous that Susie didn't succumb to this type of scenario with the number of bots that she had.

If you read TOO much about ivermectin and selamectin you would almost be afraid to use either product. :eek Based on my study, I guess I will use Revolution next year on Susie. I know it does NOT work on a bot that is visible under the skin but I think it might kill the migrating larva in it's earliest stage. I guess Susie will be the 'test case'. :) Before she returns to the trees I plan to give her a drop of Revolution on her shoulders. I know the bot season is winding down for this year but I do want her to be protected from other insects and parasites.

I'm hopeful that Susie can return to the trees in about a week or two. She is not going to be happy in the house :( but I am hopeful that she will feel comfortable enough to come in and possibly sleep at night. That would make me so happy. It will be very difficult to let her go this time. Her personality has changed so much. She isn't a biter now. :tilt I sure do love her. :Love_Icon

[HRT4SQRLS]

Susie has been living in the bathroom until she recovers. She scooted out the door behind me and ran in the living room. That's when I figured out she really could see. :peace A few minutes later I went to find her and she was on the WHITE couch! :eek
NO, she is not allowed on the white furniture. She is looking much better. :grin2

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[Sara in NW MS]

She looks fantastic! What a beautiful girl, you know she just had to get on that white sofa cuz it looked like the best seat in the house. Lol. I am so glad she can see!

[Shewhosweptforest]

Susie looks like a completely different squirrel :highfive :Love_Icon

[SugarBugFerret]

Pat, your post made me start researching ivermectin and Revolution. You're right SBF, :) Revolution is Selamectin which is an analog or derivative of Ivermectin. Ivermectin is an old drug and therefore is no longer covered by patents. That, of course drives the price way down. It is a common practice in the pharmaceutical industry to alter older drugs so that they are 'different' and are therefore patentable. The motivation is, of course, money. With little research and development they can produce a better mousetrap so to speak. By altering the molecule by adding side groups or even twisting the molecule they are able to make a different drug ... sometimes better.. sometimes not. It might be less toxic and/or more effective. Sometimes just the opposite occurs. The fluoroquinolone drugs have the same core structure but different companies produced different FQ antibiotics that have different antibiotic spectrums. They even produced a few that were quickly pulled off the market because of fatal side effects like liver failure. OOPS!

Pfizer Animal Health developed selamectin (Revolution) from ivermectin. The altered molecule made a topical form of ivermectin than is supposedly less toxic. Both pesticides are neurotoxic and can be lethal if overdosed or in 'breed sensitive' animals. For those interested there is interesting research about the genetic defect of a protein that causes selamectin OR ivermectin to be lethal in certain breeds of dogs (Collies and similar breeds) that carry this gene. This defective genes allows for accumulation of the neurotoxin in the brain. I wonder about the safety of Revolution on neurologically compromised squirrels that might have some sort defect in the normal blood-brain barrier. I don't know the answer to that but I don't think I would use it on a neuro squirrel.

In my research, there are many references to ivermectin as a boticide. I found no such references for selamectin (Revolution). Of course, that sounds reasonable because NO ONE would use an expensive product like Revolution for treating Bots on a horse for example and NO ONE is recommending much of anything for squirrels bots. Of course, it goes without saying that WE would because we would only be using a drop. I did find a reference for both products as a microfilaricide. The microfilariae is the stage in the life cycle of a parasite (nematodes) that migrates through the host. Nowhere did I find a microfilarial stage in the life cycle of the bot fly BUT there is a stage (instar) that does migrate through the host as it seeks to find a subcutaneous location. Unfortunately it sometimes migrates to the brain, spinal cord, eyes and lungs and causes death of the host. I think it is almost miraculous that Susie didn't succumb to this type of scenario with the number of bots that she had.

If you read TOO much about ivermectin and selamectin you would almost be afraid to use either product. :eek Based on my study, I guess I will use Revolution next year on Susie. I know it does NOT work on a bot that is visible under the skin but I think it might kill the migrating larva in it's earliest stage. I guess Susie will be the 'test case'. :) Before she returns to the trees I plan to give her a drop of Revolution on her shoulders. I know the bot season is winding down for this year but I do want her to be protected from other insects and parasites.

I'm hopeful that Susie can return to the trees in about a week or two. She is not going to be happy in the house :( but I am hopeful that she will feel comfortable enough to come in and possibly sleep at night. That would make me so happy. It will be very difficult to let her go this time. Her personality has changed so much. She isn't a biter now. :tilt I sure do love her. :Love_Icon
Wow! I think that made my brain hurt a little :crazy1 but that is really interesting info. :thankyou for sharing that! I sure would like for the price of Revolution to go down. Holy Cannolis it is expensive! And I haven't had very good luck trying to buy the UK version...lost my money on that one. I was able to get the Australian version once, but it was only a few dollars cheaper, so not really worth the trouble. I now have a cat that is so allergic to fleas, that one bite will make her start licking/biting/scratching all of her hair out. So all 3 of my cats now have to have Revolution every month, all year round. Booooo! I remember back in high school when I had a steer, we would pop those :madd bots out with a coke bottle. Now I am wondering why we didn't use Ivermectin...? It definitely would have been less gross! I also could have used something better than whatever it was that I had at the time to treat the infection on his head, because he wasn't polled correctly. He ended up with a hole in his head that was full of maggots...it seemed like forever that I had to squirt the maggots out with a water hose, then put some pink medicine in the hole. :yuck Oh how I really hate maggots!!!!!!

So how is our sweet little Susie doing?

[HRT4SQRLS]

Wow! I think that made my brain hurt a little :crazy1 but that is really interesting info. :thankyou for sharing that! I sure would like for the price of Revolution to go down. Holy Cannolis it is expensive! And I haven't had very good luck trying to buy the UK version...lost my money on that one. I was able to get the Australian version once, but it was only a few dollars cheaper, so not really worth the trouble.

So how is our sweet little Susie doing?

I bought mine from Joes Pet Meds in Australia. Unfortunately I bought the wrong one but it will work. The one I bought, (don't remember if it was UK or AUS) they had both... came as Stronghold which is the same active ingredients just a lower concentration(15mg). I will use it.

Thanks for asking about Susie. Unfortunately, this is not over yet. She has a large abscess on her chest from the bot infestation. It's the size of a small pecan. I was so hopeful that it would rupture on it's own. She also has a pea sized abscess under her arm. If it was just this one small one I would 'hog tie' her and lance it myself BUT the large one concerns me. I think there is a dead bot in that one because the shape is like a huge bot but has a scab instead of an opening. I'm on vacation this week and will need to get her back to the vet possibly tomorrow. The first procedure cost $250 and I expect this one to be the same :eek
Let's just say that Susie is getting to be an expensive squirrel and if I haven't said it recently, I HATE BOTS!!


SBF my brother and his kids were involved in steer shows growing up. My niece is even an agriculture teacher. They just love doing that but I never got into that because the 'end result' wasn't something I could deal with. It's actually part of the reason I'm a vegetarian today. EAT an animal that I saw raised ... I think NOT!!! :tilt

[Carol Lynn]

Hi HRT4SQRLS,

I have been away from the Board for a while, but I just spent the past couple of hours reading all of Susie's thread. OMG!!! What a horrific ongoing ordeal you and your poor little Susie have been going through!! I am fortunate in that I have no personal experience with bots and until reading all of this, I knew next to nothing about them. What an education this thread has been!! And what horrible little creatures those bots are!! Straight out of one's nightmares!! I am so very sorry that your poor little Susie has had to fight this battle of the bots, but she certainly is lucky to have you on her side! God bless you, pulling out all of those nasty little things!! You deserve a medal, and so does poor Susie for bearing it all! I will keep you both in my prayers - hope she gets well and all of your research will pay off in keeping another bot attack at bay!!

[HRT4SQRLS]

Carol Lynn, thanks for your thoughts and prayers for Susie. I am so ready for this to be over.
I'm pretty sure the only way to move on is to have the abscesses lanced at the vets. :wallet

It truly IS the stuff nightmares are made of. :panic

[HRT4SQRLS]

Tomorrow at 8AM Susie has an appointment to have the abscess lanced at the vets. I am very happy as this should end this nightmare for Susie.

Unfortunately, I was outside this evening around 5 PM and I ABSOLUTELY CAN'T BELIEVE IT. Another squirrel approached me that is WORSE THAN SUSIE!!!! I am just sick about it. This is clearly one of my releases but I'm not sure who it is. It is a male. I don't know if I can save this one or not. The bots are massive and the flesh is a mess. Many have already exited and many more are still intact. Just like Susie this squirrel has so many around the arm that the arm is already compromised. He can barely use the arm. The part that is the most troubling is that the squirrel can't open his mouth. I tossed almond and pecans but I observed that he was not able to open his mouth although he did try. I brought out everything in the house that was soft. I tossed avocado and fresh corn. He tried very hard and was able to nibble a little avocado. He did get on top of the release cage and looked in the bowl but there was nothing that he could eat. I gave him an HHB cut in half. He did nibble it a little. Tomorrow I will try my best to catch him but it will be difficult. There is no way that he will survive without intervention. Even with intervention I'm not sure of his fate. The only thing I can think of regarding the mouth is that he has been compromised so long that his teeth have grown into his palate or toward the throat. I just don't know, I am sick about it.
If I can catch him, I will take him to the vet because this is massive and the most disturbing thing I have ever seen. :hissyfit:Cry

[stepnstone]

Poor baby, I hope you can catch him....
whatever the outcome it will be better then what he's facing. :shakehead

[Spanky]

I sure hope you can capture this poor guy and get him fixed up. I hate bots... I thought we were almost over "bot season" here but unfortunately I am too seeing more yard squirrels that are just beginning to develop the tell-tale lumps. DAMN BOTS!

[Shewhosweptforest]

Oh my God.....this just isn't fair! I know that sounds silly....but really! Why should these nasty disgusting monsters get away with it.....it's like they've gone ballistic....I'm so glad I'm farther North...they don't seem to be as bad....I'm even afraid to mention it, for fear of jinxing my babies, but I have not seen one this year....of course, this is right about the time Baby developed hers...and I'd have to check...but close to the time Sweet P got hers :shakehead oh Patti..my heart is breaking for you and this sweet little fellow...it's just not fair :sadness I hope there's something that can be done....if not ...at least he can be released from this Hell :boohoo poor, poor lil Manie :Cry

[lennysmom]

Oh no, poor guy! :sadness My heart just broke at your description of him with all of those awful bots tormenting him.:sniff I will be praying that you are able to capture him tomorrow and help him. I know it must be tearing at your heart.:grouphug

I am happy to see Susie doing so much better though. :) Hubby and I have been discussing possibly attempting to construct a bot fly trap - they are way too expensive online, but he thinks we may be able to make our own for significantly less. If we are able to make something work, I sure will pass that info along to you.... sounds like you could really use something like that.

Also, Lovesmice posted an article for me in Lenny's thread about fly prevention for farm animals - a few interesting ideas in it. Not sure if it would work in squirrels, but one thing I found thought-provoking was that if farm animals of different varieties, including birds, were given water to drink with apple cider vinegar added to it, it was effective in stopping the flies from biting them... does make me wonder if something along those lines would be safe and/or effective for squirrels in dealing with bot flies. :thinking

I will also be interested to see if the Revolution will help prevent future bot fly infestations in squirrels. I do hope it proves effective. I have a release at a friends house that has several right now and he seems a little "off" in her description. She told me a couple of days ago, he stumbled several times and appeared somewhat off balance. It worries me because he has one on the side of his face, not real far from his eye. :( I really HATE these AWFUL parasites!! :pissed There has to be some way to help our little squee plagued with them!

[HRT4SQRLS]

Step, Spanky, Sweeper and lennysmom, today broke my heart to see this poor boy. Just when I thought I could breath again. :shakehead I am so hopeful that I can catch him tomorrow. While I'm at the vets I'll ask if she's up for one like this. It would certainly be 'water cooler' talk in the office. Years from now they would remember and say... " Do you remember back in 2015 that crazy lady that brought that squirrel in? OMG!!!" :tilt

Here are current pics of Susie. You will see the large mass on her chest and the small pea-sized abscess under her arm. On the third pic she's saying "See my BooBoo!" :) Other than these two issues she look fabulous. I am hopeful to get her back outside soon if she wants to go. I'm pretty sure she does.

263553263554263555263556

Sweeper, I have a question for you. You mentioned that you don't have bots this year. Just curious, did your area have a dry or wet spring? For the last two years we have had very wet springs and both years the bots have been awful. I had never noticed bots to this degree EVER. In FL, our dry season is usually from Jan to Jun and then the summer rains come daily every afternoon. I can always remember the grass dying and water restrictions in the spring due to drought. There has been NO drought for the last two years. I was wondering if this has anything to do with the bot fly population.

Lennysmom, I saw the $300 fly trap on the horse site. It did look like it could be made easily. There certainly isn't $300 worth of material there. To be honest with you, at this point $300 is looking pretty cheap if it would work. :peace :rotfl

Lennysmom, your release does sound compromised. I hate those on the face. Actually, I HATE them all. I would watch him while he has that. Sometimes they get dehydrated because so much fluid is leaking out of the pores.

[Shewhosweptforest]

:shakehead HRT I do believe we had a relatively dry spring...not a drought....but I do remember people saying...we needed that rain....I think May was really dry :dono but of course...that's just my recollections :crazy1 :grin3 This little guy would definitely be one for the record books....if his teeth are misaligned due to this....they can, with time align back up...we have a girl Momma Squirrel that came to us with teeth that were terribly misaligned....due to an abscess on her face (that we had removed, it was returning) it took a while, but we kept trimming and next month it will be a year since we had to trim them :highfive I really, really hope that everything comes together and this poor lil fellow gets the help he needs....I know you'll do anything you can to get him the help :bowdown you definitely have an accurate board name :grin3 HRT :Love_Icon

[Shewhosweptforest]

Oh and Susie looks amazing....I know it'd be hard...but I hope she stays in....I worry that when we put them out....they manage...because that's what squirrels do....not necessary because they want to :sadness Are you just going to see if she shows interest in getting out....say by having a window open....if she sits in the window and leaves the screen alone...she's happy:thumbsup If she starts trying to tear the screen out :eek she's ready to go :dono I hope she's as smart as we think she is and stays :Love_Icon

[HRT4SQRLS]

We're home. :tilt Susie is fine. She still needs to sleep off the anesthesia. She's a little loopy. I was going to get a pic of my sleeping princess but when I opened the carrier she scooted off to her silk plant drey and disappeared. I'll leave her alone for now.

As I suspected the large pecan sized lump on her chest was a large dead bot. The small lump under her arm was an abscess. They are gone now, flushed and packed with antibiotic ointment. I would guess that Susie will be good as new in 3-4 days. This makes me very happy. Battle #1 conquered. Susie's grand total of bots removed this year... 24 . :eek

Battle #2 just begins. :Cry:sad

[Nancy in New York]

We're home. :tilt Susie is fine. She still needs to sleep off the anesthesia. She's a little loopy. I was going to get a pic of my sleeping princess but when I opened the carrier she scooted off to her silk plant drey and disappeared. I'll leave her alone for now.

As I suspected the large pecan sized lump on her chest was a large dead bot. The small lump under her arm was an abscess. They are gone now, flushed and packed with antibiotic ointment. I would guess that Susie will be good as new in 3-4 days. This makes me very happy. Battle #1 conquered. Susie's grand total of bots removed this year... 24 . :eek

Battle #2 just begins. :Cry:sad

So glad that Susie is home and doing well.
A DEAD bot in her! :eek
Thank God she has you, because who knows what would have
happened to this little angel if not for you.
:Love_Icon Susie

[Carol Lynn]

So glad to hear that all went well with Susie. :Love_Icon:Love_Icon That is wonderful news!! :grin3

Any sign of the other little guy? And did you have a chance to talk to the vet about him?? Sure hope you can catch him, and hope the vet can save him!! I will continue sending good thoughts your way.

Once you get these two current patients out of the woods, maybe you should pack them all up in the car and head for the hills!!

[TubeDriver]

I am glad that Susie is recovering and will soon be better! Great job, she is lucky to have you as a friend!

I hope you can save the poor squirrel you saw yesterday, I am keeping my fingers crossed that you can catch him!







We're home. :tilt Susie is fine. She still needs to sleep off the anesthesia. She's a little loopy. I was going to get a pic of my sleeping princess but when I opened the carrier she scooted off to her silk plant drey and disappeared. I'll leave her alone for now.

As I suspected the large pecan sized lump on her chest was a large dead bot. The small lump under her arm was an abscess. They are gone now, flushed and packed with antibiotic ointment. I would guess that Susie will be good as new in 3-4 days. This makes me very happy. Battle #1 conquered. Susie's grand total of bots removed this year... 24 . :eek

Battle #2 just begins. :Cry:sad

[HRT4SQRLS]

:Cry:Cry:Cry:Cry:Cry:Cry

This morning I saw the little bot guy on my drive way as I was leaving to go to the vet. He ran up the tree. Under my breath I said, hang on little guy, when I get home....

When I got home from the vet I received a frantic call from my 83yo mother. "The contractor is here to pour the concrete and I have to leave. Can you come over here?" I was at her house for several hours. I told them I needed to leave for a little while to feed babies.

When I got home of course I was looking for the sick boy. I took food to the release cage top and when I was heading back inside... to my horror... I saw a hawk on the ground in my neighbors yard. I ran towards it and as I was approaching it flew away with the little guy in it's talon. I am going to be sick. :boohoo :boohoo

For the record, hawks will NEVER hunt in my yard again.

I am so sorry I failed you little friend. :boohoo :sad

[TubeDriver]

OMG Patti, how horrible! :( :grouphug:grouphug:grouphug

Nature is hard.

I know how you feel, I too will do what I can to protect my little squirrel buddies.

God's Speed poor little squirrel.:(




:Cry:Cry:Cry:Cry:Cry:Cry

This morning I saw the little bot guy on my drive way as I was leaving to go to the vet. He ran up the tree. Under my breath I said, hang on little guy, when I get home....

When I got home from the vet I received a frantic call from my 83yo mother. "The contractor is here to pour the concrete and I have to leave. Can you come over here?" I was at her house for several hours. I told them I needed to leave for a little while to feed babies.

When I got home of course I was looking for the sick boy. I took food to the release cage top and when I was heading back inside... to my horror... I saw a hawk on the ground in my neighbors yard. I ran towards it and as I was approaching it flew away with the little guy in it's talon. I am going to be sick. :boohoo :boohoo

For the record, hawks will NEVER hunt in my yard again.

I am so sorry I failed you little friend. :boohoo :sad

[lennysmom]

So sorry Patti. :boohoo I'm sure that was just awful to see. I know you do all you can to help your wild friends and stuff like this is so heartbreaking to experience.:grouphug Rest in peace little guy.:sad

[Shewhosweptforest]

Agggggrrrh! This is sooooo wrong!! I feel sick, too! OMG :shakehead it's just devastating....and worse yet...you had to witness it :boohoo that poor, poor little guy...I'm hoping he was already gone :please :shakehead HRT I wish I was there to hug you.....pour you a glass of wine.....cry and scream with you:hug :sadness :shakehead :sniff

I hate that hawk, too!!! :madd I know this is unforgivable :boohoo but, as cruel as Nature is...this hawk would have ended his suffering in another place...where there was no one to intervene....this sometimes just becomes unbearable :headbang :facepalm

:Love_Icon HRT :Love_Icon :Love_Icon Sweet lil Boy :Love_Icon

[lovesmice]

What a horrible sight to be witness to. I am praying that blasted Hawk lost his grip (low to the ground of course).

[Carol Lynn]

Awww, HRT4SQRLS, I'm so, so sorry!! :( I can't even imagine how you must have felt witnessing that. That is just so sad!!:Cry Poor little guy... and poor you!! :grouphug

Well, maybe the best thing at this point is to just focus on little Susie and the progress she's making. You did your best for both of them, so please don't beat yourself up. You certainly didn't fail that little guy. It was just one of those things. Life can sure be sad sometimes...

Hugs to you. Try to be strong - Susie needs you!!:Love_Icon:Love_Icon

[Sara in NW MS]

There are no words that can be said to bring you comfort over this. What a terrible thing to happen and even more terrible that you witnessed it. I would be a basket case if I witnessed something like that. Ugh, I am SO sorry!!! This just makes my stomach turn. God bless that sweet little squirrel. :sadness

[California Squirrel Lover]

My mouth just dropped open as I read this! I'm just so sorry, I cannot even imagine seeing such a horrible sight as that. :sad

:grouphug:grouphug:grouphug

[TubeDriver]

:grouphug

[HRT4SQRLS]

Today was the day! In good conscience I couldn't keep Susie inside if she wanted to be free in the trees. Today, I gave her that choice. It is a beautiful day. Humidity is low, breezy and temps in the low 80's. By FL standards that's just about perfect.

I wanted her to know that I was giving her this choice so I let her jump on my shoulder and walked slowly outside with her. You could see her eyes light up as she scanned back and forward. She immediately went to the ground and ran about 20 feet. I walked to the side of the house where the RC is and she returned to me and crawled back up on my shoulder. :grin2 I walked over to the release cage and she jumped on top. In a flash, she ran up the tree and disappeared in the foliage. I haven't seen her since but I do expect to see her later today. You know that I'll be out there. If she wants to come inside... WELL... :tilt

I have a feeling that Susie is back where she wants to be. She is home. I'll do everything I can to prevent this from happening next year.

Be safe Susie. I sure do love you. :squirrel2:squirrel3

[California Squirrel Lover]

Oh, this is so emotional!! :grouphug:grouphug This is such a beautiful story of love and dedication to this sweet girl. I hope and pray she stays safe and well. Hey, she knows she has you if she needs to come back inside, which is great!! :thumbsup :Love_Icon:Love_Icon:Love_Icon

[SquirrelMamma]

Thank you for sharing. I had heard of them but never seen any. I am in central florida and was not aware this was even an issue around my area. Your little one is super blessed to have you... not sure most of us could do this, let alone all by our selves. Thanks again for sharing. :serene

[HRT4SQRLS]

Thanks CSL and SM. I'm very happy that we were able to reach this day. At the beginning it was questionable whether she would live and even more questionable whether she would be releasable. I do believe after experiencing this nightmare for two years in a row that she does know that I will help her and give her back her freedom when the time is right.

SM, bots are a big problem in FL. I have learned that proximity to the coast is a factor. If you are near the coast you are less likely to see them. A friend in St. Pete doesn't have them. I am about 25 miles inland and of course, we have a LOT of them. I don't know if it's related to the actual coast OR the massive development along the coast, as in less woodsy, brush areas. My area was once very rural but is unfortunately developing. There is still a good amount of forests and woods near me. If you're inland it's very likely that you will see them. They are seasonal and the season is pretty much over for this year.



I'm sorry little guy that I couldn't help you too. :boohoo

[stepnstone]

Patti:grouphug:grouphug:grouphug:grouphug
Be safe Susie and visit often... :blowkiss

[HRT4SQRLS]

:sleep Nite Nite Susie. :squirrel2

[Carol Lynn]

Hi HRT4SQRLS,

So glad to hear that Susie's bout with bots all worked out so well and that she is now back outside. Without your help, she probably wouldn't have survived such an intense attack on her little body. She sure is one lucky little squirrel to have you looking out for her all the time. You certainly do have a :Love_Icon for :squirrel1:sqrrl8:sqrrl9 !!!

[HRT4SQRLS]

Thanks Carol Lynn... You are so sweet to say that. :grouphug

In about 30 minutes it will be daylight and I'll be out there to greet her with breakfast. You know I will. :tilt

[Carol Lynn]

Thanks Carol Lynn... You are so sweet to say that. :grouphug

In about 30 minutes it will be daylight and I'll be out there to greet her with breakfast. You know I will. :tilt

Did you see her?? Did she come for her morning meal?? What did she eat?? Does she seem okay?? I wish I could have seen that happy reunion!! :serene

[Anne]

Bots have no regard for age. This is a little guy that I got during the
summer. He was cat caught too. Got it out and he made a beautiful recovery from all.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=264262&stc=1

[HRT4SQRLS]

I know Anne, aren't they horrible. I saw a litter of three babies earlier in the season that each had a single bot. :shakehead

Well, Susie didn't come home today. I was outside very early. I heard squirrels chasing each other in my nieces trees. I went over there. One was being chased at break neck speed through the top of 50-60feet oak trees. I hate watching that. I started clapping my hands loudly to get their attention but they continued. Then it happened, a squirrel plunged to the earth from 50-60ft...PLOP... belly flop. I resisted the urge to run over because I figure it was a wild. It laid there for a minute. It slowly got up and walked to the tree. It clung to the tree about a foot from the ground for another minute. It then climbed the tree and moved on. I hope it was OK. I don't know how they survive that but I guess they do or the ground would be littered with squirrel carcasses and it clearly is not. It wasn't Susie. I hope she wasn't the one doing the chasing. Shortly after this it started to rain lightly and has done so on and off today. I hope she's dry tonight and hunkered down in her drey.

Susie was released healthy and whole. I dosed her with Revolution and I wormed her before release. Her hair has grown back in and she is the picture of health. She knows where I live if she needs me. I release her to the hands of the Creator of heaven and earth.

Be careful out there Susie. I sure do love you. :Love_Icon By the way, it's OK to visit. :peace

[Carol Lynn]

OMG, I was holding my breath reading this thinking, "Don't let it be Susie! Don't let it be Susie!!" Thank God it wasn't!! Between all of the bots you have had to deal with and that other poor little guy, you've had way more than your share of squirrel disasters recently. I'm glad to hear that the little guy that fell was only stunned - I can only imagine how you must've felt when you saw it fall!! Ugh!! I hate when they run around like that way up at the top of those tall oak trees, too. It always feels like a disaster waiting to happen. You're right, though - we don't see them littering the ground, so I guess they know what they're doing. If only we could teach them to stay away from roads!!!

[HRT4SQRLS]

Susie has been a NO show until TODAY!!:grin2

Just before dark I went outside to call her. I heard and saw leaves rustling in the trees. The next thing I know a squirrel is coming rapidly toward me. It was SUSIE. Here's the crazy part. THEN, another squirrel was on the same tree approaching me. It was GINGER. I released Ginger and Nutmeg (both boys) for a member a couple months ago. They were 1 year old pets. Mom and Dad decided they needed to be given a chance to be free in the trees. They have done great.

For most of the time they have been free, Susie has been in my house convalescing so she really had not met them. Both Susie and Ginger were on the same limb and were following each other and not at all bothered that the other squirrel was there. Susie jumped on my shoulder and THEN Ginger jumped on my shoulder. They met on my back. I almost died. I was so afraid they would have a brawl on MY back. :eek They didn't fight at all. I went in and got nuts and Susie's beloved yogurt. Susie ate an HHB. I am SO happy. Susie has a boyfriend. :serene

[Carol Lynn]

Susie has been a NO show until TODAY!!:grin2

Just before dark I went outside to call her. I heard and saw leaves rustling in the trees. The next thing I know a squirrel is coming rapidly toward me. It was SUSIE. Here's the crazy part. THEN, another squirrel was on the same tree approaching me. It was GINGER. I released Ginger and Nutmeg (both boys) for a member a couple months ago. They were 1 year old pets. Mom and Dad decided they needed to be given a chance to be free in the trees. They have done great.

For most of the time they have been free, Susie has been in my house convalescing so she really had not met them. Both Susie and Ginger were on the same limb and were following each other and not at all bothered that the other squirrel was there. Susie jumped on my shoulder and THEN Ginger jumped on my shoulder. They met on my back. I almost died. I was so afraid they would have a brawl on MY back. :eek They didn't fight at all. I went in and got nuts and Susie's beloved yogurt. Susie ate an HHB. I am SO happy. Susie has a boyfriend. :serene

Wow!! Wonderful news!! Not only is Susie back, but she's back with a boyfriend!! :fireworks:fireworks

Maybe we will soon be reading about BABY Susies!! :grin3

I can imagine how shocked you must have been when Ginger jumped onto your shoulder!! Just what you would have needed - a squirrel fight on your back!! (not!!) :laugh2

[Spanky]

WHat wonderful news about Susie... and her new friend!!! :jump :bliss

[SammysMom]

What an adventure filled life your squirrels have! You have given them such a wonderful life...:Love_Icon I just love to read that Susie has returned along with a friend.:grouphug

[Nancy in New York]

Susie has been a NO show until TODAY!!:grin2

Just before dark I went outside to call her. I heard and saw leaves rustling in the trees. The next thing I know a squirrel is coming rapidly toward me. It was SUSIE. Here's the crazy part. THEN, another squirrel was on the same tree approaching me. It was GINGER. I released Ginger and Nutmeg (both boys) for a member a couple months ago. They were 1 year old pets. Mom and Dad decided they needed to be given a chance to be free in the trees. They have done great.

For most of the time they have been free, Susie has been in my house convalescing so she really had not met them. Both Susie and Ginger were on the same limb and were following each other and not at all bothered that the other squirrel was there. Susie jumped on my shoulder and THEN Ginger jumped on my shoulder. They met on my back. I almost died. I was so afraid they would have a brawl on MY back. :eek They didn't fight at all. I went in and got nuts and Susie's beloved yogurt. Susie ate an HHB. I am SO happy. Susie has a boyfriend. :serene

Well this just has me sitting here with a HUGE grin on my face. :grin2
I hope you played the lottery today, because this IS YOUR LUCKY DAY!
Thank you Susie for showing Mom that you are doing well and that you're
happy, healthy and made friends.
After all, isn't this what we want for our littles?
Now Mom can sleep well tonight.