Circling flying squirrel found /central Jersey

[JGunz]

Hi All, I am new to the group and joined because of a squirrel we just found and caught. I'm in central Jersey and I can't find any wildlife rehabbers near my area. I'm think animal control works with some but I thought I'd check here for advice on if there's anything I can do to help this little critter before calling them. So let me explain how we found the squirrel. I was driving home down my street at night and braked because I saw something in the road and thought it was a mouse. Then I looked closer and thought it looked like a sugar slider...but it didn't just run across the street like most animals would. It was kind of bouncing around in circles and looked lost or something. So I got out of the car and got closer and thought it was a baby squirrel. So at that point we were able to trap it under a plastic tote. And for the moment, it's in an old hamster cage I had. So of course after getting home and taking a closer look, we realize it is a flying squirrel. The odd thing about that is that there are no trees on our street. I didn't even think we had flying squirrels here. So my initial thought is maybe a cat caught had caught it and dropped it around here. I don't know. Anyway, I was thinking to observe overnight and if it looks fine to release it at a park nearby that has a large patch of woods. But it doesn't seem totally fine to me. I gave it some fresh pumpkin which it ate, but otherwise it is clockwise circling when it's awake. It does seem to be trying to scratch near the top of its tail so I'm guessing it could have fleas or mites or something. I've been searching online to figure out what could be wrong and this forum seems to have a lot of helpful advice. Is it possible that this behavior is due to raccoon roundworm? There are a lot of raccoons in the area so that seems like a possibility. Or does it sound more like head trauma? I'm not sure what all the signs and symptoms are for roundworm so not sure. Those are just my ideas at the moment. Anyway, at this point I am most likely going to call animal control a little later today but if anyone has any advice before that I'd appreciate it. I really hope he can be rehabbed & released but I'm not sure how animal control handles this sort of thing.

[stepnstone]

The circling sounds like head trauma, it's often the symptom one sees.
It could be a concussion from hitting something that it can recover from.
Animal control will euthanize that's pretty much a given.
Please hold on for a while longer and see if we can find a rehabilatator
that can help this little and give it a chance at survival.

[Nancy in New York]

Where in New Jersey are you located? Just the town.
JMO the circling sounds like head trauma to me.
Hopefully we can find someone to help you, as I doubt that Animal Control
would do much of anything.
Do you have any prednisone?

[JGunz]

Woodbridge Township. I spoke to someone I know who is a veterinary technician and she said our town animal control turns sick animals over to a rehabber but I don't know who or how to contact them directly. Other than that any other NJ wildlife rehabber I saw listed online is rather far. None even in my county (Middlesex).

[JGunz]

I DO happen to have some liquid prednisone (for my cat) and pills (for my dog). Would that help? And now much do I dose for a squirrel?

[Nancy in New York]

I DO happen to have some liquid prednisone (for my cat) and pills (for my dog). Would that help? And now much do I dose for a squirrel?

It may help if this is head trauma, it will take the swelling down.
We would need a weight on this little one in grams and we can dose it
for you.
What strength is the liquid meaning mg/ml and what is the strength of the pills meaning mg.

[Nancy in New York]

Going off board for about half an hour.

[JGunz]

It may help if this is head trauma, it will take the swelling down.
We would need a weight on this little one in grams and we can dose it
for you.
What strength is the liquid meaning mg/ml and what is the strength of the pills meaning mg.
The liquid is 3mg/ml and the pills are 20mg. I'm not sure how I can get a weight on the squirrel. My roommate has a food scale but I doubt he'll want a squirrel on it. Lol Also, I haven't actually physically handled it and I'm a little scared to. Call me paranoid but I don't want to contract typhus or plague if it has fleas or something (which I think it does). I'm sure you guys handle wildlife all the time and maybe that's not as much of an issue as I think but it still makes me nervous. :\

[Jen413]

You can weigh the container he's in and then weigh him in it and figure out the difference. Biggest concern would probably be making sure you get a tetanus shot if he bit you, that is if he bit you and you haven't had one recently. :grin2

I can't help with dosing the meds but I'm sure Nancy will check in when she comes back on.

[Nancy in New York]

OK I am going to pm you the name and number of a member that may be able to help.
She may not be in your area, but she has connections all over.
If you can't handle the squirrel, he needs meds and hydration, so hopefully this person
can pull through for you and this little one.
Does he drink on his own, and have you offered some food?
Please let us know if it works out, and we will see if we can get this little one
the help he needs.
Thank you for stopping and picking him up. :w00t

[JGunz]

Hi Nancy, I got your pm & will try to contact her when I get home. I did offer it fresh pumpkin and it has been eating. I put a bowl of water in the cage buy I'm not sure if it found the water yet. It's one of those cages with 3 levels and ladders and I stuck the water in at the top while the squirrel was at the bottom. So it may or may not have ventured up and drank some but I haven't seen it happen. At the very least I imagine it would receive some amount of hydration from the pumpkin. Anyway, I will contact her and see what she says. I used to be very confident with handling small animals but now I've turned into my mother like don't touch feathers you find on the ground! You'll get bird flu! Lol Anyway, I still couldn't leave this little guy outside in the cold like that.

[JGunz]

You can weigh the container he's in and then weigh him in it and figure out the difference. Biggest concern would probably be making sure you get a tetanus shot if he bit you, that is if he bit you and you haven't had one recently. :grin2

I can't help with dosing the meds but I'm sure Nancy will check in when she comes back on.

I don't have health insurance at the moment so getting bit by a squirrel or contracting serious illnesses are not options for me at the moment. I don't want to even chance getting bit.

[SophieSquirrel]

I don't have health insurance at the moment so getting bit by a squirrel or contracting serious illnesses are not options for me at the moment. I don't want to even chance getting bit.

You will be fine. I have been bitten many dozens of times by various gray squirrels and have never even gotten an infection. I don't know of any rehabbers who have ever contracted anything from squirrels either. Some western ground squirrels do carry the plague. As Jen said Tetanus is always a good idea anyway.

[JGunz]

You will be fine. I have been bitten many dozens of times by various gray squirrels and have never even gotten an infection. I don't know of any rehabbers who have ever contracted anything from squirrels either. Some western ground squirrels do carry the plague. As Jen said Tetanus is always a good idea anyway.

Thanks! I figure I am being overly cautious. I used to be very confident with animals. I even wanted to work with them! I don't know what changed that now I'm so nervous about them. Lol