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Mary Katz
07-29-2015, 06:57 PM
I've been rehabilitating Oliver for almost a year. I've kept in contact with an experienced rehabber who has said his progress is normal, but we've come up against something that has us both confused. Oliver has two lumps on his back. If he were a human, they'd be in the "love handle" area and that's kind of what they feel like. I thought maybe he's just a little chubby, but none of the other squirrels, even the ones with a few extra ounces, look that way. Could they be harmless fatty cysts?

I've also noticed he has a line in his fur. He looks like two different squirrels pieced together. I've been jokingly calling him Frankensquirrel. When he grooms himself toward the back or in his lower regions (not necessarily by the lumps), he has started squeaking. It sounds painful.. Could that have something to do with the lumps?

He had what I assume was a seizure today and then ran off. From what I've read, that's a possible calcium deficiency so I've put Tums and calcium rich foods outside in case he returns when I'm not here. I thought I'd mention that in case that could have anything to do with the lumps or potential pain.

SammysMom
07-29-2015, 07:01 PM
So he is a released squirrel? Can you post a picture of him showing the "lumps" you are concerned about? Tell us about what formula he was raised on and what he weaned to and how long he has been released.
Welcome to TSB!!!:grin3

Mary Katz
07-29-2015, 07:23 PM
Sorry if it's hard to tell from the attached photo, but it's the best one I've gotten so far.

He is a released squirrel. My sweet husband built him a nesting box that he stayed in for the first few months of his release, but he doesn't stay in it anymore. We're not sure why.

We found him the first week in October 2014. From what I read, he was about 5 weeks old at the time (eyes open, not curling his tail). We started him on Pedialyte to make sure he was hydrated and then gradually switched to Esbilac. We introduced solids gradually and he weaned himself, but I don't recall exactly when. If I had to ballpark it, maybe 10 weeks or so.

We tried giving him Henry's blocks when we introduced solids, but he would just shred them instead of actually eating them. I kept his diet varied as he grew: veggies, blueberries and grapes, avocado when it was cold out, and nuts (mostly almonds, pecans, walnuts. Now he seems to really like sunflower seeds. He has only recently started eating peanuts (I wish he didn't eat them at all, but my husband surprised me with large bag of them so we put them out..), but it looks like he buries more than he eats.

I've put some videos of him on YouTube. Maybe those will also give you a good idea of his size, habits, etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=supM8k8pCfE