Please help? My release Adam has bare skin spots on her

[Emssiee]

Hi everyone,
A short introduction: Adam and I meet just a few steps behind my house on a daily basis since her release last year. The release had to be made later in the Fall, so I took the responsibility to make sure she is well-fed until Spring comes around. I stay with her until she's finished eating to make sure no other squirrels try to get some.. I am very grateful that I get to interact with her and maintain a close relationship, I love her so much.

Until recently, Adam started to have some bare skin 'scratches'-looking on her face. From a day to another, it was changing very rapidly, she would have new bare skin scratches while the previous ones would be growing new (shorter) fur. I am constantly in contact with a local rehabber than I happened to have met on this lovely forum, and she advised it was normal, that she is shredding her winter fur. Which made sense to me.

Last week though, Ive noticed that the tip of her tail (only the tip) was see-through, I could see the skin of her tail through the bit of hair she had left (but not the rest of her tail), and it looked a bit red.. + she started to have a bare skin spot under her armpit. Then the following day, the tip of her tail was totally bare skin (not red anymore though) and the bare skin spot under her arm started to extend further more to her elbow and on the side of her stomach. Today, I could literally see her bones poking out when she was bending... And her neck & stomach also started to be bare skin. I forgot to mention, her fur has been also 'see through' along her spine for the past month. So now it seems to me that its been getting worst rather than changing rapidly? I'm just worried... Is this normal? Is there anything I could do to help her?

Its winter here, her first winter.. and she's alone out there (raised as a singleton), has no one to cuddle with to warm herself up, and she's just bare skin exposed to the cold...ugh.. it kills me inside.. She doesn't seem to have a settled home neither as I keep seeing her borrowing 'available' nests from other squirrels and/or making herself a non-protective temporary spot with dead leaves to sleep the night away.. I feel terrible because I released her in Fall and she may have not had the proper time to build herself a kingdom because winter comes.. I had put up a condo nest box in my tree that I built for her prior to the release (in the case that this situation would happen), but unfortunately she didn't venture in my tree on the release day, so she never got the chance to acknowledge the box. I also noticed last week that the squirrels living on the block (the ones chasing her away from borrowing one of the douzains nests they own) made themselves home in the 'Adams' nest box... Do you think I should take it down?

Here are some pictures of Adam from last weekend:

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And from today:

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Thank you in advance for your help and advice :Love_Icon
Marie

[Emssiee]

Heres a last picture that shows her bone poking out from her bare skin :(

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[stepnstone]

Squirrels can be prone to a fungus due to moist environments but the thinning fur stripe down her back suggests mites and personally I would treat her for mange/mites.
This can be easily accomplished by use of Revolution or Ivermectin.
Revolution is Rx but unless you have other options to obtain, it can be purchased without script through; http://www.joespetmeds.com/
You would want to purchase the one for Puppies/kittens up to 5 lbs. All that would be needed is a drop or two between the shoulders from the pipette and repeated again in 10 days if she will still allow you to interact with her.
Ivermectin can be purchased OTC through places like Tractor supply and other feed stores of such. If it is in paste form once it is thoroughly mixed well all that would be needed is a pin head amount no bigger then a piece of uncooked rice placed on a nut such as a walnut fed to and consumed by her and given again in 10 days. The fur will grow back.

[Mel1959]

Great advice. I wouldn’t take down the nest box, but I would probably provide Adam another nest box mounted where she could see and access it. I can’t imagine how your squirrels survive those brutal Canadian winters. Brrrr!

[Emssiee]

Thank you so much to the both of you for taking the time to help me, I truly appreciate it!! ��

I actually had ordered the Ivermectin last week and received it this weekend, good thing I did. It’s in a 15ml tube, so I believe it is in a gel or paste form. However, does Revolution treat on a wider scale of diseases vs. Ivermectin only restricted for mange? Would Ivermectin still help if she’d happen to not suffer specifically from mange? Adam still climbs on me and bite/fight my hands if they get too close to her food. Sometimes she eats in my arms if I happen to be holding the food dish. I’ve tried 1 or 2 times to pet her at the very beginning of her release, but she didn’t allow me (hard to cuddle while food is around lol) so I’ve never tried again after that. I wouldn’t want to force my hands on her and loose her trust, so I don’t think the topical treatment would be an option, sadly. I am about to meet with her in an hour, so I will use a tiny rice grain size amount stuffed in a walnut or pecan, and cross my fingers that she goes for it.

As for the nestbox, I’m still quite new at woodworking, it took me about two months to build it ���� which was one of the unexpected reasons to why the release got delayed :/ Although I may have gone a little nuts in trying to make her the perfect home with predator guards, insulation, ventilation etc. And that tree is the only one we have in our yard (I live in the city) so I wouldn’t be able to select another spot. But I have a feeling that when leaves start to come out, she may start to venture a little bit more and actually come around. She currently keeps around where there’s a lot of regrouped trees from my neighbours yards, which probably feels safer to her at the moment. There is a lot of unsafe/dead space to come all the way to my house for now, but once the greenery is out it’s heaven and easier to access. I was thinking maybe I take the box down and bring it with me to show it to her so that she actually sees it, and when leaves start to come out to put it back up, if she happens to come around? I also wouldn’t want to ‘help out’ her competition neither by giving them a home? Aye aye aye.. Not an easy thing to be mommy of a squirrel haha ��

[Mel1959]

Yes, just a small amount of Ivermectin. I believe it is more broad spectrum and potent than Revolution. Remember to mark your calendar so you can retreat in 10 days.

[TubeDriver]

Hi there!:wave123 Overall, Adam looks pretty good overall for experiencing his first cold winter!

As Step mentioned, the Ivermectin will treat the Mange. Just make sure that it states "1.87% Ivermectin" on the tube and that it contains only Ivermectin and no other active ingredients. Ivermectin will kill the Mange mites and also kill fleas and some internal parasitic roundworms as well. Follow Steps dosing directions carefully, just a bit of Ivermectin that size of a small piece of uncooked white rice. Too much Ivermectin is toxic so don't overdo it. One dose and then a second dose 7-10 days later.

I also have a released squirrel that just made it through his very first winter and he has some hair loss too. In my squirrel's case it might be a fungal thing related to diet issues (he probably has had a hard time locating wild foods in the winter time). I have been giving him unrefined coconut oil dipped pecans and some Avocado meat spread on pecans (pit and skin are toxic so remove first) in addition to almonds to help him put on weight and stay strong. It is hard to watch them outside but the spring is almost here and already we have trees budding so healthy wild foods will become more abundant!

I would not evict the other squirrels from Adam's nest box. They are probably the dominant squirrel in your area and would just kick Adam out if he moved in. I would try to put up another box nearby and hope that he will move in. In my case, my little guy lives in a wooded area about 500' from me (I have several nest box's but the older, tougher squirrels live in them). I still get to see my boy several times per week so that is alright by me. Maybe some day he will be able to live in one of my nestboxes after he moves up the hierarchical squirrel chain of command.

[Jen413]

I have nothing to add about treating her but just wanted to tell you I am SO happy to see that you see her as often as you do and that she is still friendly with you. I remember how torn up you were after releasing her and how worried sick you were. I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!! :clap

[stepnstone]

Ivermectin paste in tube needs to be mixed very well as in a tube there can be settlement and separation.
Many will squeeze out entire contents into a small (baby food) jar and completely mix contents that way.
Jar can be sealed for later use. :great

[Emssiee]

I have nothing to add about treating her but just wanted to tell you I am SO happy to see that you see her as often as you do and that she is still friendly with you. I remember how torn up you were after releasing her and how worried sick you were. I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!! :clap



Awwww.. thank you so much Jen, that is so kind of you to say, and to even remember
<3 You just made my day, thank you!! I am indeed FILLED of joy that my babygirl didn’t just peaced out :peace:grin3

[Emssiee]

Thank you everyone for your helpful and appreciated replies.

Great minds think alike! I do give Adam avocado slices, almost daily - although with the skin, but she never bothered eating it. She still eats her blocks and favourite veggies (Edamame, butternut squash & sweet potato, sometimes carrots). She eats a lot, it amazes me!!

So I have Adam a dose earlier but afterall it wasn’t a paste, it was under the form of oral liquid. It was kind of hard to have it sticks to the nut so I put a few drops on it, which dripped off but a little bit stayed in the pecan cracks. It was kinda tricky to do and to precisely choose how much would stay on, but I think there was about 2 rice grain of LIQUID. Is liquid less ‘concentrated’ in volume/quantity than in the form of gel? I hope my judgement didn’t get me wrong and that it wasn’t too much?

This is the Ivermectin product I used:

https://www.pleasantridge.ca/index.php/wormer-avl-ivermectin.html

And here are pictures of Adam from today (eating Avocado :P) Her bare skin seems to have expanded a bit more again. She also hung out on a branch after she was done, for at least 5-7mins. She never done that before, she usually just takes off. Could it be due to the Ivermectin?

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[dextersmom]

I heard that the pit of an avocado is poisonous,I had never heard the skin is as well.. Is that an actual fact? If so I will never give them their avocado in the skin again.

[Mel1959]

Yes, neither the pit or skin are recommended.

[Emssiee]

Hi everyone. Would someone have the kindness to inform me how long approx should it take to see changes on the fur after taking the medication? Adams fur keeps getting worst :/ Also, is lost of appetite a normal effect? I will be giving Adams second dose on Thursday, and just wanted to make sure to give her the correct dosage for Ivermectin in liquid form.. Is a few drops covering a nut ok? I wouldn’t want to intoxicate her..

Yesterday Adam was waiting for me upon my arrival. She was on the ground and she seemed like she was looking around to find me behind my neighbours home. When she’s there before I arrive it usually means that she’s hungry. When she saw me, I said hi, and she ran up to me. She smelled the food dish (lots of nuts, avocado etc) and she then jumped right off me without taking anything. That was a first. I then walked towards her and bend over with a piece of avocado in my hands. She took it and ate it. Then came around to me and looked again in the dish, she didn’t seem interested, and after a slight pause, she took a shelled nuts and left. She usually eats a lot, and keep 1-2 things to bury near the end (if there is a shelled nut amongst unshelled nuts, she will eat the unshelled ones and keep the shelled one to bury) But she never came back after that. That was just strange. She passed on all her nuts.. Then today, she did not show up at all. That does happen once in a while, usually if it’s really cold or very windy day, but today was a beautiful sunny and warm day. Maybe she’s just well-fed at the moment, but I just wanted to say it in the case that it is related to something else.

Thank you very much,
Marie

[cava]

I can't comment on the Ivermectin right now, but as spring brings things back to life, there are a ton of new and exciting things to eat out there (and to do). Her issues aside, it's totally normal for them to begin to distance themselves, come less often and turn away even nuts. My spring releases from last year went days without coming for their stinking nuts and I thought they were for sure dead and then they'd show up in the afternoon, or the next day, sitting near the back door, staring into a window.

[stepnstone]

With the liquid, 1 drop! I use a syringe with a needle attached for the 1 drop.
Walnuts with their crevices are easy to dose, if you use an almond carve out a tiny pit
in it for the dose. Allow the med to dry on the nut before giving.
Fur growing back can be individual to the squirrel. With some it takes 2 treatments
while some others may take up to 3 treatments.

[Milo's Mom]

It would help to know what size drop you're using. One cannot truly make a helpful or educated suggestion without knowing the size, which equals the amount. It's a powerful drug and it's very good at it's job.
What size needle are you using to make your drop?

[Mel1959]

As others have stated, use only 1 drop. Ivermectin can be lethal if too much is given.

[TubeDriver]

Avocado skin is toxic along with the pit so just provide the meat, remove skin and pit.

Err on the side of too little as opposed to too much with Ivermectin, you want an amount that would ~fill this “O”.

Several drops is too much and could make him sick.

[Emssiee]

Thank you everyone for your help. I have given Adam the second dose on March 22, and left the following day for 10 days. When I came back, in April, i saw that she was starting to show ‘titties’ and get bigger.. She was pregnant until May 1st. Ever since my return though, she’s been acting out of control, waiting for me at my door for food when she would never meet me in my yard before, approaching my neighbours (even jumped on one), ran towards me when I’m with my dogs which she would have never done before (she came as close as 1ft), and a few days ago she literally adopted the 6-7weeks old orphan babies that I found in the nestbox on my tree and now lives with them and feed them.. Lots of confusion.. I thought at first it was maybe hormones messing with her head but now it’s just over the top, and out of the sudden Ivermectin just crossed my mind.. Could it be Ivermectin side effects that has been making her act out of control like this? Could the Ivermectin also have affected her pregnancy and causing the lost of her babies?

[Emssiee]

Btw- The fur missing on her back (the line along her spine) has still remained the same way, and she did loose the tip of her tail.