people friendly squirrel with bugs

[jenb]

Workers were cutting down trees and two squirrels came out one ran the other ran up a workers leg and was not afraid in the least didnt attempt to bite or get away hes quite content being held he looks to be full grown we put him in a cage with a nest and some sticks food and water until we decide if he is ok and he is less scared but holding him a few flea looking bugs came off and are all through his coat I dont think they are fleas and was going to attempt to bath him to get them off not sure if thats the problem but he doesnt seem to be hurt just a little scared he wants to be held but Idk if these bugs are making him sick? Any advice how to get rid of them

[island rehabber]

Thanks for saving him! A warm water solution with a few drops of Dawn dishwashing liquid works very well: just wipe him down with the solution and fleas/mites willl jump off and die. :great

[HRT4SQRLS]

Hi jenb, I can't imagine that this would be an adult wild that would allow someone to hold him. That behavior is pretty common for baby squirrels but certainly not adults. Even young juveniles would be very afraid unless they have been orphaned. If they are alone, babies will seek out the help of people.

If this is indeed an adult, I wonder if it has a head injury. A 'normal' adult wild will bite you like you have never been bitten before. Be very careful.

We get fleas off by a warm bath with a little Dawn dish soap. You might want to rub with a warm damp cloth with a little Dawn on it. If you have a dog or cat and have access to Revolution, a drop between the shoulders will also get rid of fleas.

Again, if this is a wild adult, I wouldn't recommend bathing him. Know what I mean! :tilt :peace

:Welcome to TheSquirrelBoard

[ScrappyDo]

Workers were cutting down trees and two squirrels came out one ran the other ran up a workers leg and was not afraid in the least didnt attempt to bite or get away hes quite content being held he looks to be full grown we put him in a cage with a nest and some sticks food and water until we decide if he is ok and he is less scared but holding him a few flea looking bugs came off and are all through his coat I dont think they are fleas and was going to attempt to bath him to get them off not sure if thats the problem but he doesnt seem to be hurt just a little scared he wants to be held but Idk if these bugs are making him sick? Any advice how to get rid of them

I used diatomaceous earth with mine because they were 2 days old and there was no way I could put caustic chemicals on them. They had lice or something like that. I dipped my finger in it and rubbed it on them. No more bugs! Then I got a little 5 weeks old with fleas and bugs. Diatomaceous earth to the rescue! It works and is more natural and less chance of side effects IMO. Hope this helps!