Treating ringworm in flyers?

[MiriamS]

Oy vey! Cookie my flying squirrel has recently been sick but is totally on the mend. Before her illness, I took in two rescue kittens that had ringworm. They were totally separated but ringworm spores can float everywhere. Cookie now has a number of completely bare patches on her face and neck and I will take pictures when I can. Does anyone have experience treating ringworm in squirrels, let alone tiny squirmy flyers? It's not like I'll be able to give her medicated baths. Help.

[SammysMom]

Not sure about flyers, but i believe some creams for fungus like athletes foot work. What did you use on the kittens? As i recall there was an oral medication we used on a cat rescue outbreak years ago. I do think it was hard on the kidneys though...:dono

[Nancy in New York]

Oy vey! Cookie my flying squirrel has recently been sick but is totally on the mend. Before her illness, I took in two rescue kittens that had ringworm. They were totally separated but ringworm spores can float everywhere. Cookie now has a number of completely bare patches on her face and neck and I will take pictures when I can. Does anyone have experience treating ringworm in squirrels, let alone tiny squirmy flyers? It's not like I'll be able to give her medicated baths. Help.

Found a couple of things that may be helpful.


I did some research on this a while ago when Joe Schmoe's Rocky and Rhona got ringworm. I discovered that the Organic Virgin Coconut Oil rubbed into the areas took care of this! Apple Cider Vinegar does as well but the smell of it apparently makes many animals quite ill with vomiting so I hesitated to recommend it. Jo treated both of her foxers successfully with the coconut oil.

Organic Virgin Coconut Oil is sold in health food stores - and Walmart has it as well.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?24215-Ringworm&highlight=ringworm
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?30776-Chipmunk-with-Ringworm&highlight=ringworm


He needs to lightly bleach the cage and bedding every few day to keep the fungal spores down and keep it from spreading.. I have had flyers come to me and give me ringworm it takes about a month to get rid of it.. miconazole cream works good you can get it at any drug store.. The spot will turn dry and crusty before it starts to look better.. Hope this helps flyer girl..:eek
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?42357-Possible-ringworm-what-to-do&highlight=ringworm


Oh boy have I dealt with ringworm! In kittens not flyers but what Flyer Girl said is the mantra. Apply one of the antifungal creams, there's even one at the drugstore that says it's for ringworm, every day and keep the bedding clean.

The other factor is immune system health so make sure your friend's flyer is on the best possible diet. This will help the flyer fight the fungus.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?42357-Possible-ringworm-what-to-do&highlight=ringworm

[island rehabber]

I had it once here with a couple of babies and used Desitin powder, the yellow can for athlete's foot. I only dusted it lightly on the affected areas....worked great! (Of course, while dealing with the babies I also infected myself :shakehead....worked on me, too.)

[Nancy in New York]

I had it once here with a couple of babies and used Desitin powder, the yellow can for athlete's foot. I only dusted it lightly on the affected areas....worked great! (Of course, while dealing with the babies I also infected myself :shakehead....worked on me, too.)

I read that Maura, but didn't know you used it on squirrels. :thumbsup

[flyer girl]

I had a flyer with ringworm, I ended up with it too... Lightly bleach cage and bedding 2 or 3 times a week... If there is a vet near you try to get some miconazole lotion it is a oil you apply 2 times a day it does sting just a little but it works really well... Your squirrel will look a bit greezy but no worse for wear... Good luck... Bleach your hands and arms after ever contact with your flyer... Keep us posted... I think you can get the miconazole cream at your local drugstore, but in my opinion it does not work as well as the lotion...

[MiriamS]

Thank you everyone for the advice. I have the cream but my concern was whether it would be toxic to Cookie when she licked it off, which I am sure she will do. I think I'll try the Coconut Oil approach. Now I just need to catch her since she is free in the closet...:help

And yes, I'm quite familiar with treating kittens with ringworm. You can give them oral medication or use medicated shampoos or dip them in a sulfur-lime solution. However, bathing a flying squirrel would be a bit impossible. :grin3

[MiriamS]

How odd. I posted a little while ago that I spoke to the vet and he thought that because Cookie's bare patches are crusty, it is probably self-plucking instead of ringworm or a bacterial infection. Here's a pic. Interested to hear what you all think. She has one big bare patch on her chest and a smaller one on the side of her face.

265386

[SammysMom]

Did you mean to say "aren't crusty" by chance. That looks like healthy smooth skin to me and ringworm does not look that good. :dono

[MiriamS]

Did you mean to say "aren't crusty" by chance. That looks like healthy smooth skin to me and ringworm does not look that good. :dono

Oh geez! Indeed I meant to say "aren't crusty" because she has beautiful bald spots that don't look like ringworm or bacteria at all. I'm going to wait a few days to see if the fur starts growing back. I theorize that she was so stressed out at being kept in confinement when I had to medicate her that she plucked herself like a stressed-out parrot.

[flyer girl]

It doesn't look uneven enough to be plucking I am thinking molting... My boy get those perfect bald spots about 2 times a year and it is molting.. If it looks darker in a week and she is not itching then I say molt.. Let us know...

[MiriamS]

Great news. Cookie's fur is growing back and she looks great. :serene

[island rehabber]

Great news. Cookie's fur is growing back and she looks great. :serene

:w00t:clap yaaay!

[flyer girl]

Molting... I freaked the 1st time my boys went through a molt...