Cut deep by wild squirrel question

[SAA405]

Hello. I am new to this board and I thank you for your answers. I don't know much about squirrels so I decided to talk to the experts.

I was at the duck pond with my daughter. This is a place where people feed ducks. Long story short, a couple squirrels came up wanting food. I like squirrels and i ended up feeding one and the another ended up reaching for the food and ended up cutting my finger deep enough to cause it to bleed with its claws.

Should I be worried about rabies? I thought I heard that squirrels do not carry rabies but, I don't know for sure. Thanks for your answers.

[Grinderhead]

Hello. I am new to this board and I thank you for your answers. I don't know much about squirrels so I decided to talk to the experts.

I was at the duck pond with my daughter. This is a place where people feed ducks. Long story short, a couple squirrels came up wanting food. I like squirrels and i ended up feeding one and the another ended up reaching for the food and ended up cutting my finger deep enough to cause it to bleed with its claws.

Should I be worried about rabies? I thought I heard that squirrels do not carry rabies but, I don't know for sure. Thanks for your answers. You will be fine just clean it up Neosporin or triple antibiotic. Sounds like he must have got you with a claw. Just keep an eye on it. And yes squirrel do not carry rabies. Just sharp teeth and claws.
On the homepage and advanced search just type in rabies and go read some of the threads it will help you a bunch. It will give you more reassurance.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Small mammals such as squirrels, rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, chipmunks, rabbits, and hares are almost never found to be infected with rabies and have not been known to cause rabies among humans in the United States. Bites by these animals are usually not considered a risk of rabies unless the animal was sick or behaving in any unusual manner and rabies is widespread in your area.

The above is a quote from the CDC.

Squirrels are not classified as rabies vector species by the CDC. Because they are mammals they can in theory carry the rabies virus BUT a squirrel has never transmitted rabies to a human in the US. If a squirrel is attacked by a rabid animal it is unlikely that they would survive the attack.
I would be even less concerned about a scratch. Of course a deep scratch might get infected and require antibiotics. This is a decision you will need to make along with a health care provider. Personally I have been scratched and bitten by so many squirrels that I don't even react to it anymore. Just yesterday an overzealous squirrel buried a claw deep into my finger while getting a nut. Ouch!

TSB can give you the data regarding rabies and squirrels but any decisions about whether to seek medical care is one you need to make with your physician. :tilt

[CritterMom]

As with any deep cut, you do want to make sure your tetanus booster is up to date - I believe they last 10 years.