blackbranches
02-18-2016, 02:13 PM
(I posted this over in the Pox subboard, but was worried it might not be seen and I would love advice as soon as possible so I can try to help them out!)
Hello everyone
It's unfortunate that this is my first post here, but I need some help. I live in a suburban area with a smaller yard, but we have a densely wooded backyard with plenty of hickory trees (so, plenty of squirrels!) I have two bird feeders out on the porch, and, over time, the squirrels have gotten quite comfy eating there (which I expect, and appreciate - I have always loved squirrels!)
Over the past month or so I have noticed what I believe to be a bit of mange pop up in our local squirrel population - the low point has been having one slowly die on our front porch about 2-3 weeks ago, and having to watch the poor thing suffer :sadness Obviously distressed by the entire situation, I have tried to take whatever steps I can to make sure that my population is ok, stop the spread of the disease, make sure they are getting whatever they can to fight the sickness, etc.
Over the past week, though, I have seen two squirrels with what I believe to be the dreaded pox. I know that this a deadly disease, and its spread could really wreak havoc on the group. I know there are many threads on this topic (obviously, I am posting in a section of the forum dedicated to it!), but what is the best way to move forward in treating/containing it?
I have been trying to feed them each at least one of these veggie squares a day http://www.squirrelnutrition.com/squirrel-veggie-squares.html
which are made of rice cereal, ground pecans, sesame flour, brewer's yeast, dolomite calcium, vitamin C, alfalfa powder, salt, cod liver oil, and raw organic coconut oil (and bound with applesauce)
alongside a bit of the birdseed (black oil sunflower, and I believe they eat a bit of the safflower), and organic walnuts and pecans. Should I be making changes to their diet in this hard time? It's also a northeast Ohio winter, which hasn't been too cold this season but the past week or two have been quite harsh. I have emptied the feeders and feed them on the porch and throughout a bit of the front yard, in hopes of spreading them out a bit more, and trying to sweep up all leftover seed and disinfecting the porch with a mix of water, vinegar, and soap once a day. Should I move towards stopping feeding altogether? I don't want to but am very worried about spreading the pox (I was already very concerned about the mange, but I know the pox is even more hideous)
I have a heated birdbath I recently disconnected and stopped filling, as one of the ones with pox was starting to roll around in it, and I did not want to further spread it through the water. I know this is recommended often
http://www.caoh.com/liqimbarecbe.html
so I didn't know if it would be worth it to purchase some and get the bird bath filled again.
I've attached pictures of the two below, just to be safe. I apologize, I know my message is long and winding, but I have honestly been a wreck the past few weeks, watching the poor babies suffer, and I want to do everything I can to help them along in this tough time.
Hello everyone
It's unfortunate that this is my first post here, but I need some help. I live in a suburban area with a smaller yard, but we have a densely wooded backyard with plenty of hickory trees (so, plenty of squirrels!) I have two bird feeders out on the porch, and, over time, the squirrels have gotten quite comfy eating there (which I expect, and appreciate - I have always loved squirrels!)
Over the past month or so I have noticed what I believe to be a bit of mange pop up in our local squirrel population - the low point has been having one slowly die on our front porch about 2-3 weeks ago, and having to watch the poor thing suffer :sadness Obviously distressed by the entire situation, I have tried to take whatever steps I can to make sure that my population is ok, stop the spread of the disease, make sure they are getting whatever they can to fight the sickness, etc.
Over the past week, though, I have seen two squirrels with what I believe to be the dreaded pox. I know that this a deadly disease, and its spread could really wreak havoc on the group. I know there are many threads on this topic (obviously, I am posting in a section of the forum dedicated to it!), but what is the best way to move forward in treating/containing it?
I have been trying to feed them each at least one of these veggie squares a day http://www.squirrelnutrition.com/squirrel-veggie-squares.html
which are made of rice cereal, ground pecans, sesame flour, brewer's yeast, dolomite calcium, vitamin C, alfalfa powder, salt, cod liver oil, and raw organic coconut oil (and bound with applesauce)
alongside a bit of the birdseed (black oil sunflower, and I believe they eat a bit of the safflower), and organic walnuts and pecans. Should I be making changes to their diet in this hard time? It's also a northeast Ohio winter, which hasn't been too cold this season but the past week or two have been quite harsh. I have emptied the feeders and feed them on the porch and throughout a bit of the front yard, in hopes of spreading them out a bit more, and trying to sweep up all leftover seed and disinfecting the porch with a mix of water, vinegar, and soap once a day. Should I move towards stopping feeding altogether? I don't want to but am very worried about spreading the pox (I was already very concerned about the mange, but I know the pox is even more hideous)
I have a heated birdbath I recently disconnected and stopped filling, as one of the ones with pox was starting to roll around in it, and I did not want to further spread it through the water. I know this is recommended often
http://www.caoh.com/liqimbarecbe.html
so I didn't know if it would be worth it to purchase some and get the bird bath filled again.
I've attached pictures of the two below, just to be safe. I apologize, I know my message is long and winding, but I have honestly been a wreck the past few weeks, watching the poor babies suffer, and I want to do everything I can to help them along in this tough time.