Rescued baby squirrel

[lover of squirrels]

We rescued a baby squirrel about 2 months ago, whereas we believe either a cat or crow may have gotten to it. He has a hole on the top of his nose/pretty good puncture wound. Its causing complications of breathing...almost like he has a horrible cold. My daughter in law has been cleaning the wound with 3 parts water and 1/2 part hydrogen Peroxide and using neosporine. We are afraid that if we take him to the Humane Sociaty they may put him down and we know veterinarians will probably do the same, but for sure won't give him back. He/she has become a big part of our family. He/she is very active, eating very well, drinks water etc. Not sure what to do or what kind of medicine can we provide on the wound. I feel that it would possibly heal on its own, but not sure. Any suggestions????

[CritterMom]

Can you take a photo and put it up? Get the clearest shot you can so we can see what you are dealing with.

Please stop using Hydrogen peroxide on the wound. It damages healthy tissue. A 50/50 mix of Betadyne and sterile water would be much better. Has this hole been there since you got him?

[Nancy in New York]

We rescued a baby squirrel about 2 months ago, whereas we believe either a cat or crow may have gotten to it. He has a hole on the top of his nose/pretty good puncture wound. Its causing complications of breathing...almost like he has a horrible cold. My daughter in law has been cleaning the wound with 3 parts water and 1/2 part hydrogen Peroxide and using neosporine. We are afraid that if we take him to the Humane Sociaty they may put him down and we know veterinarians will probably do the same, but for sure won't give him back. He/she has become a big part of our family. He/she is very active, eating very well, drinks water etc. Not sure what to do or what kind of medicine can we provide on the wound. I feel that it would possibly heal on its own, but not sure. Any suggestions????

The problem with hydrogen peroxide is it damages the healthy cells trying to heal the wound. It can therefore slow down healing, making the wound stay open longer, which can lead to more infections.

This may be why the wound isn't healing after 2 months which is a very LONG time.

I will write more in a while, have to take care of ONE more squirrel. :)

Thank you for helping this little one, and NO don't take him anywhere. We will try to find someone
safe. How far are you willing to drive?

What is his diet like?
Can you post a picture?
How old is he now, and what formula was he raised on?

Sorry for so many questions.

[lover of squirrels]

Nancy thank you for replying to my post. I am a firm believer that animals know how to take care of themselves...I didn't think that we should be using the hydrogen peroxide should have been used. Maybe keeping clean but best to leave alone...can't fight with my daughter in law. He had a nice scab on his nose, therefore I believed he was healing...however needless to say, the cleaning of the wound went on.
I don't want to take him any where! Not unless medical attention is necessary. I live in the San Francisco, California.

DIET: I purchased a bag of small animal gerbil type food with peanuts, corn, squash seeds, sun flower and popcorn and the like. Also bought a bag of unsalted peanuts ( he loves those!!!) Again appetite is great!
I can try and post a picture altho getting dark now and I believe he has settled in his hut for the nite.
AGE: I am not sure....definately was not a baby baby...young though. Could be between 5 months or so...am not really sure. But I know he wasn't a baby baby.
Please ask away!!!! We love him dearly!
I just took a bunch of pictures current and when we first got him that I will try and post once I download onto my computer.
Again thank you Nancy, look forward to hearing back from you.

[Nancy in New York]

Can you smell any type of infection near the puncture wound?
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the diet is NOT good.
I know that most feel they eat this stuff in the wild, sunflower seeds,
peanuts from people who feed in the park, etc. BUT we have to watch the calcium to phosphorus ratios.
We strive to keep the ratio ~2:1.


Here's a link that will show you the charts.
After you click on this link, there are two other links to click on, and you
will see the charts.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?15397-Food-Data-Chart-Update-Calcium-to-Phosphorus-Ratios

Here's another link with a pyramid showing which foods can be freely given in groups 1 and 2 and in moderation in groups 3, etc.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

We typically like feeding our squirrels squirrel block which is made by a member here who has studied squirrel nutrition for years. I use the blocks for picky eaters, and my squirrels love them.
http://www.henryspets.com/

I'm sure others will chime in as well. Good luck with your little darling. :Love_Icon
I was just out in your gorgeous state about 10 days ago, we were in Santa Cruz visitng my daughter! :serene

[lover of squirrels]

Nancy thank you for replying to my post. I am a firm believer that animals know how to take care of themselves...I didn't think that we should be using the hydrogen peroxide should have been used. Maybe keeping clean but best to leave alone...can't fight with my daughter in law. He had a nice scab on his nose, therefore I believed he was healing...however needless to say, the cleaning of the wound went on.
I don't want to take him any where! Not unless medical attention is necessary. I live in the San Francisco, California.

DIET: I purchased a bag of small animal gerbil type food with peanuts, corn, squash seeds, sun flower and popcorn and the like. Also bought a bag of unsalted peanuts ( he loves those!!!) Again appetite is great!
I can try and post a picture altho getting dark now and I believe he has settled in his hut for the nite.
AGE: I am not sure....definately was not a baby baby...young though. Could be between 5 months or so...am not really sure. But I know he wasn't a baby baby.
Please ask away!!!! We love him dearly!
I just took a bunch of pictures current and when we first got him that I will try and post once I download onto my computer.
Again thank you Nancy, look forward to hearing back from you.
I hope that the pictures come out. Just above his nostrils on top is the puncture wound.

[lover of squirrels]

:thumbsup
Can you smell any type of infection near the puncture wound?
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the diet is NOT good.
I know that most feel they eat this stuff in the wild, sunflower seeds,
peanuts from people who feed in the park, etc. BUT we have to watch the calcium to phosphorus ratios.
We strive to keep the ratio ~2:1.


Here's a link that will show you the charts.
After you click on this link, there are two other links to click on, and you
will see the charts.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?15397-Food-Data-Chart-Update-Calcium-to-Phosphorus-Ratios

Here's another link with a pyramid showing which foods can be freely given in groups 1 and 2 and in moderation in groups 3, etc.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

We typically like feeding our squirrels squirrel block which is made by a member here who has studied squirrel nutrition for years. I use the blocks for picky eaters, and my squirrels love them.
http://www.henryspets.com/

I'm sure others will chime in as well. Good luck with your little darling. :Love_Icon
I was just out in your gorgeous state about 10 days ago, we were in Santa Cruz visitng my daughter! :serene

Yes California, esp. Santa Cruz very nice (great weather!!!). Thank you so much, I will check out those links now and change that baby's diet!!!!

[Nancy in New York]

Yes California, esp. Santa Cruz very nice (great weather!!!). Thank you so much, I will check out those links now and change that baby's diet!!!!

Akkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk is he a little "dirty faced" squirrel?
He is totally adorable! :klunk

[lover of squirrels]

absolutely adorable!!!! Geez I don't know if I would call him a "dirty" face. He looks dirty because of the scab that WAS ON HIS FACE... we didn't realize how bad the puncture was until the scab came off. It literally looks like he has a runny nose on top of his nose. I feel so bad...but daughter in law thought she knew what she was doing and trying to do the right thing. I told her most wild animals will heal themselves with their own saliva...if given the wound is not that bad. WHAT DO WE DO NOW??? He/she is still acting perky...active, eating etc. Just worry about this wound. Should we leave it alone totally or just keep clean with fresh water???? Please help and advice would be so appreciated!!!!:grin3

[HRT4SQRLS]

Your baby needs antibiotics if this wound has been weeping and re-scabbing for 2 months. Do you have any antibiotics? It only takes one pill. The best antibiotics for a wound like this would be Clindamycin or Clavamox (Augmentin).

I would not clean the wound with 'fresh' water. Water is not sterile and has bacteria that will make this wound worse. The 50/50 betadine that CritterMom suggested can be made with boiled and cooled water.

Just how deep is the wound? There isn't a lot of tissue on top of the nose.

[lover of squirrels]

Can you take a photo and put it up? Get the clearest shot you can so we can see what you are dealing with.

Please stop using Hydrogen peroxide on the wound. It damages healthy tissue. A 50/50 mix of Betadyne and sterile water would be much better. Has this hole been there since you got him?
Yes, the hole has been there. I believe that is why he came up to us originally. He was in shock. humane society came out and by that time (an hour later) he was eating, drinking water and active. Now that the scab has fallen off, you can see mucus on top of his nose where the hole is. I am most certain that a cat must of done this. I want to leave it alone so it might heal itself...but I trust in what you say with the 50/50 mix of Betadyne and sterile water. Is this something you can buy at a drug store persay Walgreens????:thankyou

[lover of squirrels]

Your baby needs antibiotics if this wound has been weeping and re-scabbing for 2 months. Do you have any antibiotics? It only takes one pill. The best antibiotics for a wound like this would be Clindamycin or Clavamox (Augmentin).

I would not clean the wound with 'fresh' water. Water is not sterile and has bacteria that will make this wound worse. The 50/50 betadine that CritterMom suggested can be made with boiled and cooled water.

Just how deep is the wound? There isn't a lot of tissue on top of the nose.

I am not sure how deep, but it is deep enough that the mucus you can see when he breathes comes through that puncture wound. Are these antibiotics over the counter??? If not, how do I get??? :thankyou

[HRT4SQRLS]

Yes, the hole has been there. I believe that is why he came up to us originally. He was in shock. humane society came out and by that time (an hour later) he was eating, drinking water and active. Now that the scab has fallen off, you can see mucus on top of his nose where the hole is. I am most certain that a cat must of done this. I want to leave it alone so it might heal itself...but I trust in what you say with the 50/50 mix of Betadyne and sterile water. Is this something you can buy at a drug store persay Walgreens????:thankyou
Yes, you can buy Betadine at any drug store. Betadine is a trade name. The generic name is Providone Iodine. It is usually a couple dollars cheaper.

When you say mucous, do you mean pus? If you are seeing pus, this absolutely needs to be treated with antibiotics.

[HRT4SQRLS]

I am not sure how deep, but it is deep enough that the mucus you can see when he breathes comes through that puncture wound. Are these antibiotics over the counter??? If not, how do I get??? :thankyou


:eek If you can see his breaths through this wound on the nose, this is very serious. This will not heal without antibiotics. The mouth is loaded with bacteria. These organisms will continue to seed this wound and no amount of cleaning will heal this.

Antibiotics are not sold over the counter. Sending you a Private message.

[lover of squirrels]

Can you take a photo and put it up? Get the clearest shot you can so we can see what you are dealing with.

Please stop using Hydrogen peroxide on the wound. It damages healthy tissue. A 50/50 mix of Betadyne and sterile water would be much better. Has this hole been there since you got him?

CritterMom, yes hole there. hope pictures come through...

[Nancy in New York]

When I said "Dirty" faced I mean they are very dark in the face.
I had two from the same litter last year that had that gorgeous dark face. :grin2
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