Loosing fur by the day

[Floppysquirrel04]

After a few days of thinking ace was growing back all fur, I was proved very wrong when I checked on him this morning. He has grown back a lot of it on his belly but not on his back. I still can't get him to stop pulling it out. I really need help!!

[cava]

Oh look at that little muffin! Is this molting?

[Floppysquirrel04]

No. Not molting. He's been bald for over a year. You can also see that his balls "shrunk" which is rlly weird. He pulls out his fur.

[cava]

Oh no. I'm sorry I don't have anything to offer, but he looks like a happy little guy in the photo. :gigg

[stepnstone]

You can also see that his balls "shrunk" which is rlly weird.

Not really weird, it is a normal occurrence for a male squirrel's testicles to "shrink" during off season
and during cold weather. They are also capable of retracting their testicles by pulling the testicle out
of the scrotum and up into the groin.
I can't tell you how many times I've read panic from those that have seen this and think somehow their
squirrels have gotten mysteriously castrated. :rolf

[Diggie's Friend]

With the moisture and heat in some areas, fungus can become and issue. The rehabbers here should be able to help you with that.

Often fungal conditions are related to a zinc deficiency, which appears to be evident in wilds, as the have been seen chewing on the silver coating of wire that is coated in zinc. I recommend Optic-zinc 15 mg by Jarrow as the source, as other zinc forms can build up in the body. Still ONLY a FRACTION, of this source of zinc should be used to supplement the diet of a squirrel daily. To measure it this out, pour out the contents onto a flat sheet of paper; then even it out into a narrow row, and divide it into eight even portions. Use ONLY ONE PORTION of the eight each day for eight days. This measure comes to just short of 1 mg. ; should you have a milligram wt scale, you could measure it out at 1 mg. to add to your squirrel's diet daily.

As zinc has a metalic taste, add this tiny fraction of the capsule powder to 1/2 Tsp.of plain organic Fat free yogurt daily. A friend of mine uses Stonyfield Organic Plain Organic for their gray squirrel. Should your squirrel not initially like the yogurt, I would recommend that you can doctor it with an organic hulless pumpkin seed oil source grown in the US. Keeping in mind this oil is a source of plant fat, use just (1/64 Tsp.) about one tiny drop, to give it an appealing aroma.

This source comes in a good sized bottle; you really get allot for your money, as it lasts a very long time stored in the fridge with no rancidity issues. You can also use the oil on cold salads, and for flavoring hot dishes after they are cooked, just not for frying.

https://www.amazon.com/Pumpkin-Seed-Oil-Grown-Oregon/dp/B00Z8BRCDO/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1505665962&sr=1-1&keywords=Pumpkin+oil+company+oregon

[CritterMom]

He pulls his hair out? You have actually seen him do this? So this is self-barbering, not the result of any sort of skin condition? Have you ever had a skin scraping looked at by a vet?

What HAVE you done to date?

[Diggie's Friend]

If the skin hurts or burns, and scratching doesn't stop, they may try to stop it by pulling out their hair. Fungus can itch allot!

Besides getting a med to treat fungus, and adding a zinc supplment, it would also be wise to add magnesium citrate to his diet, as this has a calming effect. It is also the number one deficient mineral in western civilization in the diets of humans and mammals.

The ratio should be no less than Ca:Mg (2:1) for the whole diet. Start by adding (1/16 Tsp.) (33 mg.) (elemental magnesium) from Magnesium Citrate from Frontier Naturals (other sources may vary in measure due to potency). Should loose noodle like stood intially occur, wait two days to see if it firms up for this is normal to happen when increasing magnesium in the diet. If not then lower the measure you use by 1/64 Tsp.. If the stool is runny, lower the magnesium measure by (1/32) Tsp.

[Diggie's Friend]

Crittermom wrote:

Have you ever had a skin scraping looked at by a vet?

It could be due to sarcoptic mite mange. takiing a skin scrapping should be able to determine if it is.

If not then an anti-fungal to treat his skin as your vet sees needful.

[Floppysquirrel04]

Ok idk if the vets here will take flyers. There is not that will take exotics, but idk. Ok so please one more time, everything I need and their names and measurments. Thanks! Yes he does pick it his own fur. Sometimes I'll look inside his pouch and there is a small pile of fur in there. Is scared me. Thanks for the advice!