Found adult squirrel. .need help...

[roscos.crazygirl]

Hello, we were on a walk tonight and noticed a cat, and what we thought was a stuffed animal, but to find out its a grown squirrel. I chased it around, and it was smacking into things almost like she couldnt see. This cat was stalking her and it took a while to chase it away while i tried to grab the squirrel. I noticed she was kind of listing to the side, like her head. I finally got her, carried her home. She is in a cat carrier in an extra bedroom because i have 2 indoor foxers was could catch something. I checked her over well before i put her in cat carrier, and she did not act like nothing hurt, no bleeding from nose or anything. I gave her some hhb, grape, watermelon. She has not ate any of it. I left her alonenwith rice buddy, for an hour. .and just tried to get her out to try to give pedilyte and she did not want me to pick her up and started bouncing side to side of the carrier, and we shined a flash light into back of carrier, and it looks wet around her mouth now......anyone have any ideas what we should do for her?? Does anyone know of a rehabber around central indiana that could help her, or shpuld we try on our own??

I dont know how to get picturws as i do not want to stress her right now, but i am worried about her, or her having something my other babies could catch.

Thanks

[roscos.crazygirl]

Sorry about typos...i am on tabletvand its hard to type..i checked her over also and do not see any punture wounds or anything on her from the cat, heck, i did not even see any fleas on her either

[lennysmom]

Cat saliva is very deadly to squirrels. If the cat was shaking the squirrel, chances are there are some puncture wounds somewhere. She really needs to be on an antibiotic IMHO. Would you happen to have any on hand? Poor little thing sounds like she may have some type of head trauma. :( Dark and quiet are very important for her at this point. Did you leave her a dish of water in her carrier? She is probably way too scared and stressed out to eat right now. I do hope she won't chew through that cat carrier if it's plastic... I've had a bad experience with that.
From what I am reading, it doesn't sound too much like she has anything that your other squirrels could catch, but it never hurts to be careful. I'm sure some more experienced members will chime in soon to help. :grouphug

[Rocky1]

Adult squirrels tend to panic in captivity so it is very important that she is in quiet calming place. It may help for her to have some extra fleece to burrow into and places where she can hide in a cage to feel safe. Not long ago, there was a thread about Brutus, a wild squirrel, who's cage faced an outside window in the daytime. If you do that, I would recommend a window that faces a squirrel friendly calm environment like a garden or trees (not windows facing something scary to squirrels, and the window side can be covered by something at night). It's also fine to cover part of the cage with a towel or something so that they can feel hidden.

Water is also essential. Did you check to see if she has nipples like a mother would have? A concern of mine would be that she might have babies somewhere. Do her eyes look fine? Given that she is an adult, and depending on how "off" her ability to balance and walk or run is, I would also consider just letting her lose now that the cat is gone. The seriousness of her condition, to me, would determine whether or not that's an option.

I agree that a rehab would be the best place if you can find a good one on here.

[roscos.crazygirl]

She is laying on rice buddy now. She let me squirt a small amount of pedilyte into her mouthvas she sat in back of carrier. She has only been here less then 2 hours now. The cat did not have her in its mouth that seen. It was at a stand off about 5 foot away and my boyfriend tried to chase cat away while i checked on squirrel, and the cat kept trying to circle back, but did not get her while we were there. When i followed her, she was acting funny and runjing into wood fence, listing to side...she stayed in a shirt while we walked 2 blocks home.

I dont have anything tonight other then cat carrier..ibdo have a small metal have a heart trap but its small...we can go buy a small rabbit cage tomorrow ..she has 4 fleese blankets and rice budfies in there now. I did put small plastic water bowl in with her. I keep going in every hour to check on her because i cant help myself. The cat carrier also has a blanket covering it so its dark, quiet and calm.

[roscos.crazygirl]

Also me and my boyfriend go on walks every day, and a couple weeks age there were 6or 7 kids in that same area chasing a rabbit, a lady pulled up and said "what are you going to do if you catch it" they yelled "eat it" she laughed and we made sure the rabbit got away. So there is a chance some kids could have hurt her, not sure. But she is not bleeding from her nose, and when i was holding her and checking her for fleas, punctures, marks, and kinda feeling around on her body to see if she acted like anything hurt or was broke and she did not, and surprisingly she seemed kind of strong.

[roscos.crazygirl]

Sorry, yes..there is antibotics here that is squirrel friendly if need be.

[mel_la_fee]

A grown wild squirrel let you catch her and check her for puncture wounds? My first impulse was to think that it's not really a grown squirrel, but perhaps a large juvenile. However, a very hurt or injured squirrel may offer little resistance when caught, especially if already weak or suffering from trauma, which just suggests (to me) there is some kind of head trauma, neurological damage, or internal injury that you cannot see.

One possible culprit is that your squirrel has suffered some kind of concussion or has damage to her inner organs that is making her less coordinated and responsive to stimuli. Then again, you said that at one point she was throwing herself around in the carrier. This could be explained as a simple reaction to a caged environment and being in an excitable nervous state. Still, caution is your best friend in an unknown situation. Make sure you keep her well away from your other animals, in a quiet, warm space with water and food available, until you can get her to a vet or, barring that, a more experienced rehabber.

Unfortunately, listing to the side, 'dullness', and erratic behaviors can be signs of encephalitis/meningitis. Encephalitis is basically swelling and inflammation of the brain. This can cause motor coordination issues, behavior uncommon for the species, repetitive actions, seizures, paralysis, and death. One possible, though not generally common, cause of encephalitis in gray squirrels can actually be the West Nile Virus. Just to restate that- it is NOT common. Raccoon roundworm is slightly more likely- and it causes significant damage to non-raccoon species like squirrels who become infected. Loss of balance and neurological symptoms are the key identifiers.

Just in case I've scared you at this point- I'll reiterate that it is most likely some kind of head trauma or internal injury, and not something more exotic. A rehabber friend of mine actually had a squirrel presenting with neurological issues and it turned out the little girl had such severe fluid retention in her skull, that they had to have the liquid sucked out via syringe to ease the pressure it was putting on her brain. The poor critter lived but suffered a fair amount of mental retardation from it and was unsuitable for release after that. I definitely feel that before you begin to invest in cages and other accessories, you should take her to someone who might have a better idea as to what's going on.

While viruses and parasites are not especially likely, and are not (usually) contagious between you and the squirrel (or even other squirrels, assuming they have no contact with each other) do take the precaution of washing your hands well after every time you handle her or the carrier/things in the carrier. Hopefully, its actions thus far are only a sign of it being scared- but definitely have her evaluated by some kind of professional as soon as possible. There have been several cases of raccoon roundworm in Indiana, so it's best to treat the baby with as much compassion as you can while still being uber careful about what you're handling and how.

[Rocky1]

Anyone know a good rehab in Indiana?

In case OP needs one.

[Spanky]

Sorry, yes..there is antibotics here that is squirrel friendly if need be.

I would start the antibiotics unless you are absolutely certain that cat never got a hold of the squirrel. Let us know if you need help dosing.. we'll need the antibiotic and a weight of the squirrel (or an estimate on weight, or a picture to estimate).

Hopefully it was a mild trauma, maybe a mild concussion, and the cat was the first to come upon the squirrel and they will recover quickly. The dark and quiet might just give them the time needed to recover.

[roscos.crazygirl]

She ate some watermelon, and popcorn this moring. She let me get her out and check her, i found a tiny circle wound uner her leg....im trying to figure out how to post pictures..
Im in indiana and a.Vet will tell you to leave it outside and let nature "take its course" so she cant go to vet here with me :((( i would love to give her to a rehabber that would take care of her if possiable. I am worried about her.

She has not tried to bite, and no poo or pee today. Let me try to post pics and i will then look at what antibotics i have on hand for them.

[Spanky]

I would suggest you start a new thread, you can link to this one, but title it "Indiana Rahabber Needed" or something with the general location and need for a rehabber. Most are very busy and do not read ll the threads, but almost everyone takes the time to read posts from their "neighborhood" and title will catch their eye! :thumbsup

I sent a PM with an e-mail address if you send pics I will post.

[roscos.crazygirl]

I sent them..thank you...i just had her out. Wraped in towel to weigh her to start to give her antibotics and after i put her back in the carries, she made a chrip noise and i looked, she was having a siezure, and foaming at the mouth....she was kinda just ploping around and couldnt help herself...this is one of the worst things i have ever seen and fell utterly helpless to do anything :(((

[Spanky]

Here's pics:

[Rocky1]

I would suggest you start a new thread, you can link to this one, but title it "Indiana Rahabber Needed" or something with the general location and need for a rehabber. Most are very busy and do not read ll the threads, but almost everyone takes the time to read posts from their "neighborhood" and title will catch their eye! :thumbsup

I sent a PM with an e-mail address if you send pics I will post.

Agreed.

I would also be tempted to put some iodine solution on the top of that hole/wound in the picture. Someone on here could probably provide better instructions, and exactly what sort of iodine solution to apply. A rehab probably could take her to a vet which is another reason I would like for her to find one asap.