What killed this squirrel?

[Mommaluvy]

Or has anyone seen anything like this ? It's a friend of mine who was trying to capture this male. She said he was thin.. And found his body . Just trying to help her solve a mystery. Sorry it's a big file but trying to find out what it is.

My first thought was pox but ... Why only in that one spot.


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[CritterMom]

It looks more like a horrible case of mange to me.

[Shewhosweptforest]

Poor, poor wild :boohoo

[czarina]

Could it have been a bad injury, to the back of his neck? That couldn't close, and kept weeping serous fluid, causing all that crusty stuff?

Then leading to a systemic infection? I don't know how long the poor little bub was dead in this picture, but his paw and the pads on it appear quite swollen, also.

Godspeed little one.:Love_Icon:grouphug:Love_Icon:grouphug:Love_Ic on:grouphug:Love_Icon

[sid'smommy]

That is a Horrible case ear mites... he was probably so off balance that he couldn't even hold his had up to eat properly, let alone get exercise or defend himself... poor baby :(

[Mommaluvy]

Ill pass the ideas on to her. Apparently it was not all in that one spot. So it could have been mange. She had never seen anything like it before.

Mites or an injury are possibilities too

[island rehabber]

I'm thinking a fungus infection of some type....from the ears and then spread elsewhere. I have seen feral cats with similar growths in their ears. If this squirrel was skinny, though, it may be that something else was ailing him and the opportunistic fungus had a chance to take over, since his immune system was shot. Poor sweetie.

[TubeDriver]

I'm thinking a fungus infection of some type....from the ears and then spread elsewhere. I have seen feral cats with similar growths in their ears. If this squirrel was skinny, though, it may be that something else was ailing him and the opportunistic fungus had a chance to take over, since his immune system was shot. Poor sweetie.

I second this. RIP poor little squirrel. :grouphug