Itchy baby squirrels

[Anderson2017]

I found 2 squirrels from the same litter 2 days ago. One female and one male. They are drinking esbilac puppy powder now. They are just 5 weeks old. They had fleas when I found them. After washing in blue dawn dish soap the fleas disappeared. But now the squirrels seem to be very itchy. When looked at by a wild life rehabilitator we suspect mange. There are small scab like marks that are hardly noticeable unless you are looking for them. What can I do to treat them? What should be my approach? They are scratching all the time.

[Scooterzmom]

Hi Anderson, and welcome to the board :wave123 It's Miche here ;) I think we may want to post this in help needed - non life threatening so as to get an answer quicker.

Guys, I checked the babies out, they're doing fine, a bit on the skinny side at this point but that's normal for what they went through. Anderson has them very well hydrated and they're drinking as they should. My concern is those teeny tiny scabs we found on how they keep scratching. We didn't see any fleas at all anymore. So, I wonder if the scabs could be from flea bites and they're scratching because the scabs itch, or if maybe they might be starting with mange. Anderson explained that they did see one squirrel in the vicinity with mange.

If that is the case, I know we'd normally use Ivermectin for that but with babies this young, weighing in at around only 80 gr I'd be scared to use that. Is there anything else we could give them. I was thinking maybe of Capstar, or the one drop of kitten Revolution, since I'd like to be sure that even the eggs of those fleas are truly all gone, but beyond that I don't know.

[SammysMom]

I moved the thread to Non-life threatening. I would definitely suggest a single drop of Revolution on each baby. Sounds like mange or some other mite may be the cause of the itching. Hope they are feeling better soon!:Love_Icon

[Scooterzmom]

I moved the thread to Non-life threatening. I would definitely suggest a single drop of Revolution on each baby. Sounds like mange or some other mite may be the cause of the itching. Hope they are feeling better soon!:Love_Icon

Thank you SM :Love_Icon

[JoanP]

This is exactly what I described and asked about just a few weeks ago. The itching was awful for the single baby boy squirrel, and the scabs were seen when I went through his fur to try and find what might have been causing it. I had gotten rid of the huge number of fleas, with a Dawn bath.
I used one single drop of Revolution for kittens, on his back on the skin. Within a few days all the not normal scratching stopped. I was told by a Vet. who specializes in small mammals, reptiles and birds, that I could give him another single drop of Revolution 10 days later, to kill those mites that may have hatched now from larvae. This would be today.

Baby boy still will not eat HH blocks no matter how hungry he is or even dressed up with coconut oil or peanut or almond butter!!! He LOVES his formula, and has cut himself down to 2 main feedings in the morning and before I finally get to sleep.
He likes some of the veggies and fruits he gets during the day, goes to his special spot for pee and poop....not in his cage, and has free run of the laundry room for several long play times each day.
My body seems to be his favorite place for jumping and playing. I have begun to wear a heavy fleece jacket, to avoid any more wounds from his nails.

[lucygail]

I found 2 squirrels from the same litter 2 days ago. One female and one male. They are drinking esbilac puppy powder now. They are just 5 weeks old. They had fleas when I found them. After washing in blue dawn dish soap the fleas disappeared. But now the squirrels seem to be very itchy. When looked at by a wild life rehabilitator we suspect mange. There are small scab like marks that are hardly noticeable unless you are looking for them. What can I do to treat them? What should be my approach? They are scratching all the time.

If its not mange:
I found that when i bathe any of my animals with Dawn that it tends to also dry out their skin.... If they will let you maybe try a moisturizing wash or oatmeal wash to soothe the skin after the Dawn. I used Johnson's Baby Bath on my squirrel when she was younger and she seemed to be fine.