NORMAL BODY TEMPERATURE FOR EASTER GRAYS

[Trooper]

Sorry to spam the whole community, but my searches came back with too many hits to read in short amount of time available. My Trooper has been kind of sick since Saturday with fever (rectal 103.5F) and a slight case of coccidia. Vet prescribed TMZ for fever and Toltrazuril for coccidia. However when he asked me what is the normal temperature of grays I was stumped. I did not know for sure.

I usually take Trooper's temperature on his ear with a temp gun and it reads about 98F, but the vet said that ear temps are usually lower a few degrees than correct body one.

Does anyone have the true correct body temperature for easter gray squirrels, and which method is used to take it (rectal. ear, under the tongue [ yeah, right!!!])

Thanks,

Trooper's dad

[Milo's Mom]

I was always told that it is 101-102 degrees. I have no idea of the method though. Ears being cooler makes sense.

[Lighten-Up]

This was posted earlier today and so I cut and paste it in here, it is a section from a post of a sticky about heatstroke on TSB I presume. The instructions are how to cool down a squirrel, from being over heated, and then it says this---pasted below-- this may give a clue to normal squirrel body temperature.


If you have no access to a vet, try to find a rehabber. If you're on your own, you will need to monitor the squirrel constantly, including his body temperature. Take the squirrel's temperature using a rectal thermometer or a digital ear thermometer. When his temp reaches 103 degrees F, you must stop the cool-down procedures to avoid overcooling. Continue to offer cool water drop by drop.

[Trooper]

Hi Lighten-up;

Thank you very much for this info. So if I read the excerpt you quoted that 103F is the "stop" temperature before we overcool them, then I would surmise that 103F is the normal temp. Having said that, his rectal temp was 103.5F, and assuming that rectal temperatures would be the highest of all methods by its nature of not being able to get cooled down like ear, mouth or arm-pits, then he was not too high by reading 103.5F.

Unless the forum states otherwise, I will adopt 103F as the normal temperature, rectal

Thanks, Trooper and Trooper's dad

[Lighten-Up]

Hi Lighten-up;

Thank you very much for this info. So if I read the excerpt you quoted that 103F is the "stop" temperature before we overcool them, then I would surmise that 103F is the normal temp. Having said that, his rectal temp was 103.5F, and assuming that rectal temperatures would be the highest of all methods by its nature of not being able to get cooled down like ear, mouth or arm-pits, then he was not too high by reading 103.5F.

Unless the forum states otherwise, I will adopt 103F as the normal temperature, rectal

Thanks, Trooper and Trooper's dad

I am not an expert on this I am basing my thoughts off this written knowlege. But I agree with your statement that if we are to believe this article -- his temp maybe only about 0.5 above a normal range.

Here is the complete article for your reference:
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?17785-WARNING!-Squirrels-Can-Overheat-in-Summer

[Gardentoes11]

Just double-checked in my rehabbers' intro class materials, & it says in there that normal body temp for Eastern Grays & fox squirrels is 98-101*F, but I'm sure I read on here long before I took that class that it's 102...... Read that regarding how warm to heat up formula.

[Trooper]

O.K. I received from a friend outside the forum, this article from the American Society of Mammalogists, published in December 1994 by our friend John L. Koprowski:

Rectal temperature of Sciurus Carolinensis is 36.4 to 39.7 Celsius (97.5F to 101.66F) per research of Bolls and Perfect, 1972 and Off et al. 1976. Also the article establishes the heart beat average of captive squirrels at 259 beats/minute.

This is a very interesting article (link below):
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0ahUKEwjciqTwlZLOAhUD1WMKHf1ACAYQFggrMAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.science.smith.edu%2Fmsi%2Fpdf %2Fi0076-3519-480-01-0001.pdf&usg=AFQjCNE4YM0EIyy4ULCFAh-NW3eybRo-gg

enjoy and thank you all for the input.

Trooper's dad,

[Daisey007]

O.K. I received from a friend outside the forum, this article from the American Society of Mammalogists, published in December 1994 by our friend John L. Koprowski:

Rectal temperature of Sciurus Carolinensis is 36.4 to 39.7 Celsius (97.5F to 101.66F) per research of Bolls and Perfect, 1972 and Off et al. 1976. Also the article establishes the heart beat average of captive squirrels at 259 beats/minute.

This is a very interesting article (link below):
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0ahUKEwjciqTwlZLOAhUD1WMKHf1ACAYQFggrMAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.science.smith.edu%2Fmsi%2Fpdf %2Fi0076-3519-480-01-0001.pdf&usg=AFQjCNE4YM0EIyy4ULCFAh-NW3eybRo-gg

enjoy and thank you all for the input.

Trooper's dad,

You say 259 beats a minute huh...? That's about what mine was today went I felt something hitting the outside of my right foot, ankle and lower leg... and I looked down and saw that the head of a copperhead snake was pinned 'under my freakin' foot' and the back 19 INCHES of him flipping up hitting the outside of my leg!!! :eek :panic NO JOKE! I actually did not panic, I froze. Luckily I had on leather cowboy boots (had been to the horse barn). The friend I was with said "don't move, just stand right there..." and he went got in his truck! :eek
But he returned a moment later with a machete. :klunk So trust me, I KNOW what 259 beats a minute feels like!!!

[Trooper]

You say 259 beats a minute huh...? That's about what mine was today went I felt something hitting the outside of my right foot, ankle and lower leg... and I looked down and saw that the head of a copperhead snake was pinned 'under my freakin' foot' and the back 19 INCHES of him flipping up hitting the outside of my leg!!! :eek :panic NO JOKE! I actually did not panic, I froze. Luckily I had on leather cowboy boots (had been to the horse barn). The friend I was with said "don't move, just stand right there..." and he went got in his truck! :eek
But he returned a moment later with a machete. :klunk So trust me, I KNOW what 259 beats a minute feels like!!!

Wow, nothing can prepare you for a situation like that and stay cool. Good going!

Trooper's dad