Itchy little girl

[Squirrelskeeper]

One of my babies has been scratching and biting herself a lot. What can I do to help?

[lukaslolamaus]

Do you see any irritation? Is it the baby with the eye injury?
Pictures and videos are always really helpful to figure out what could be the cause.
Has the little eye injury girl been to the vet yet?

[Squirrelskeeper]

It is the baby with the eye injury, she’s going to the vet tomorrow and I will see if I can upload anything, it’s reslly difficult for me

[lukaslolamaus]

I'm not very good at explaining how to upload pictures. I always upload videos to YouTube, set the privacy setting to unlisted and then share the link here.
Please keep us updated on the vet visit. I'm glad that she's getting to see the vet tomorrow.

[Squirrelskeeper]

The YouTube took forever and a day only to tell me it failed. I’m gonna try again here. Would it be okay if I washed her with baby aveeno that has no scent for sensitive skin?

[Sottinger]

I’ve only read of dawn dish detergent being safe. But I can’t imagine aveno isn’t. Can you use dawn just to be sure? I washed my little guy in that early on when diarrhea got on his tail and hind legs and he was completely fine as expected. It is the number one go to for wildlife affected by an oil spill so it goes without saying it’s safe =)

[Squirrelskeeper]

I will try that! Thank you!!

[lukaslolamaus]

What did the vet say about the eye and the itching?

[CritterMom]

I will try that! Thank you!!

Please make sure you rinse her THOROUGHLY. Dawn is quite hate to rinse off so you need to do more of it than you would think.

[Squirrelskeeper]

What did the vet say about the eye and the itching?

Her eye is healing, there is no infection and the itching is most likely something she’s come into contact with so I’m gonna bathe her and I’ve been using tissues (I’ve been using wipes)

[lukaslolamaus]

Great news about the eye healing, and that there is no infection!
I hope you'll be able to post some pictures and maybe a video. Everyone on the board loves seeing baby pictures.

[cava]

Her eye is healing, there is no infection and the itching is most likely something she’s come into contact with so I’m gonna bathe her and I’ve been using tissues (I’ve been using wipes)

What are you using wipes for? It's always safe to stick to plain water and a wash cloth when wiping them and cotton balls or basic tissue to potty them. Wipes can have all kinds of irritating chemicals in them.

[Squirrelskeeper]

I was just using baby wipes we had handy. I’ve bathe her and her sister in aveeno and they are still biting at areas

[cava]

What is aveeno? A baby shampoo product?

Generally the safe bet is a drop of dawn dish soap and rinse very well but also frequent washing can leave skin dry and itchy.

If it were me, I'd hold off on grooming and bathing for a bit and let their natural oil return and skin self regulate, if you aren't seeing mites, fleas, crusts, flaking, redness, hair loss, etc.

[Squirrelskeeper]

Aveeno is a brand that makes all sorts of stuff for sensitive skin. Her little skin is peeling but it went away after the wash. I just don’t want her to scratch herself to death. No sign of any parasites, etc. just her skin flaking and hair loss.

[lukaslolamaus]

What are you using for bedding? Maybe they're allergic to the laundry detergent, hand soap or lotion you use? Could it be a food allergy, what type of formula are you feeding? If it doesn't get better I would check back with the vet.

[Sottinger]

Aveeno is commonly used is humans to calm down skin irritation from allergens and such. I used it religiously when I had hives in my younger years. I would be super surprised if it could cause harm. But getting to the root of what is causing her to itch so bad is the only way to really fix it. Aveeno won’t dry skin out like Dawn can though.

[Spanky]

Can you post pictures of this little one?

I am in the camp that continuing to give her Aveeno baths.. any baths at all.. may well, may even be likely, to make the problem worse. Just over bathing a squirrel in plain water can cause problems, so its not so much the product (Aveeno) as it is the repeated treatment of the symptoms without (seemingly) correcting the underlying cause (which could be too much bathing!). lukaslolamaus posted some very pertinent questions above, if answered might help to start identifying the underlying problem(s).

[Squirrelskeeper]

What are you using for bedding? Maybe they're allergic to the laundry detergent, hand soap or lotion you use? Could it be a food allergy, what type of formula are you feeding? If it doesn't get better I would check back with the vet.

For bedding I’m using a hand towel, the detergent we have is Persil, and I’ve washed it once. The itchiness just started recently. Maybe it could be my stuff. Her food is esbilac puppy milk replacer, the one that I was told to get on here. I’m gonna try to post pics again. The vet did say it could be something she’s in contact with which is why I bathed her last night, to try and help

[SammysMom]

Have you used a drop of revolution (if she is not a pinky)?

[Jen413]

I gave you my number in a PM. If you can't upload photos or videos you can message them to me and I'll post them for you. I can also send you my email if that is easier.

I would switch out the hand towel for fleece. They can get their little nails caught in the loops of the towels. They can also get the threads wrapped around little fingers and toes cutting off the circulation. I always wash my bedding with detergent and then rewash with just hot water. Maybe you could try that if she's still itching.

[Squirrelskeeper]

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[stepnstone]

That pattern appearing on her back is reminiscent of mites.
The dry flaking could be from the detergent or what you have been using to bathe her with.
Dawn has been proven safe for wildlife, that is why it's use is recommended.

[Squirrelskeeper]

Are mites hard to see? I see nothing on her little body

[stepnstone]

Are mites hard to see? I see nothing on her little body

Mites are usually microscopic and your not going to see them, I also see the pattern down the arms that suggests mange mites.
Simple solution, treat this baby and any other's that have been in contact with revolution.

[Mel1959]

Some babies are hyper sensitive to ingredients in wipes and other products (Aveeno). You need to stop all use of those types of products, wash her with basic blue Dawn detergent, treat with one drop of kitten Revolution on the skin between the shoulder blades and give her skin a break from the washing and chemicals.

The Revolution requires a Rx or purchase from a vet. If you know anyone that has a cat that sees a vet you could ask them to get some for you. The cat version can also be used. The drug strength is the same as the kitten, it’s just a bigger tube. The size tube doesn’t matter, you’re just using one drop.

Revolution can be purchased online from JoesPetMeds without a Rx but it takes awhile to arrive as it comes from Australia.

[cava]

Great info everyone and I'm just going to add, RINSE, RINSE, RINSE and then RINSE again. Sometimes left over soap residue can cause redness, hair loss and itching.

[Sottinger]

Wow, pretty concerning that a vet missed diagnosing mites =( Glad you got pics uploaded and the experienced folks here could see what you were describing. That looks much worse than what I'd envisioned in my mind.

[Squirrelskeeper]

I’m very thankful for everyone who responds to me :)

[Squirrelskeeper]

I purchased the revolution topical. Can I use one dose on both?

[Spanky]

This is the Revolution for cats or kittens?

Yes, you need only one drop on each squirrel. You can use the same tube for both and should have some left over in the tube!

[Squirrelskeeper]

For kittens and thank you so much!

[Squirrelskeeper]

I just looked and the girl gave me the one for puppy🤦🏽*♀️ Will it work? I’m so angry

[Spanky]

Is it the mauve colored box for puppies up to 5 lbs? That is the only "dog" version that is 60mg/ml (which is what all the cat versions are)

The other dog versions are twice that at 120mg/ml including the other "puppy" one that is in a purple colored box and is the 120mg/ml version.

[Squirrelskeeper]

.

[Spanky]

Yes, that is the same concentration as the kitten / cat. One drop for each squirrel, that is all you need.

[Squirrelskeeper]

Yes, that is the same concentration as the kitten / cat. One drop for each squirrel, that is all you need.


Thank you so much. I was very worried

[Squirrelskeeper]

How long does it take for the medicine to work?

[Spanky]

Up to 36 hours to kill off all the mites, and new mites will be hatching but the revolution will kill them off as they hatch.

It may require several weeks for all the symptoms to clear up and hair growth returning to normal.

[Squirrelskeeper]

She’s still scratching, should I put on more medicine?

[Spanky]

She’s still scratching, should I put on more medicine?

No, that would serve no purpose and present only risks. Once treated with Revolution the product will continue to be effective for weeks.

Mite's life cycles are several weeks long but the revolution will kill off the newly hatched mites.. but it is not like they hatch and fall over dead immediately. So it could be the "itchies" are just newly hatched mites.

Be careful to prevent any cross contamination if you have other squirrels and frequently change bedding (and immediately wash the old bedding).

[Squirrelskeeper]

So no more baths are necessary? Will it wash the revolution off?

[Spanky]

So no more baths are necessary? Will it wash the revolution off?

As a general rule squirrels do not need baths. Exceptions might be if they are found orphaned or injured, covered in fleas, maggots, mud/dirt, etc.