Fatty cyst or tumor on red squirrel

[gunpackingrandma]

Ben is a 3 1/2 year old red squirrel with possible fatty cyst or tumor. Didn't think much about his little man breasts at first as he seems to add alittle weight for winter. During playtime last night I was tickling his arm pits and felt a bump the size of a large pea on his right side. The bump felt squishy and doesn't seem to bother him. Ben weighs 269 grams, strictly follows the Henry's Pets squirrel food chart and is never given human processed food. Also, all his fresh food is organic.

We live in Montana and against the law to own. My local Veterinarian highly recommended not to bring Ben to anyone in our area for fear of confiscating and being euthanized. I have checked our surrounding states and non are legal to own.

Has anyone seen this before and can offer any suggestions? Ben seems totally healthy and eats and plays just fine.

[RockyPops]

Ben is just adorable!

I don't know about his condition but was just wondering if he gets lots of out of cage time with running and climbing?

Thanks for taking care of him and someone with knowledge will chime in soon.

[gunpackingrandma]

Yes. He gets plenty out of cage playtime and has two Magnum wheels in his cage. Ben must run five miles per day on the wheels! Lol

[TubeDriver]

This is really hard to diagnose without getting a needle biopsy. However, most cancerous tumors are firm/hard feeling and not squishy. Does the object seem attached to the muscle or skin or sort of loosely held in place? Your boy is a cutie and looks very happy. He does look a little pudgy but some winter weight gain might be healthy for a red (we don't have reds in my area)?

I think as long as he continues to be healthy, does not lose weight and the mass does not continue to grow, it is probably a cyst or maybe a fatty lypoma. I would not worry to much as long as he is doing well. Your fears of confiscation are justified, I would not bring him anywhere unless you are 100% sure they will return him to you.

I sometimes wonder about the "breast" development we sometimes see in non-released squirrels. If soy is an ingredient in the blocks you are using, you might want to try a different block. I believe Teklad has an option in one of its blocks that does not use soy. But Henry's blocks are generally considered an excellent block. You can contact the folks at Henries and ask if they have any suggestions, they are very helpful.

[redwuff]

Ben looks terrific! We need to see more of him:w00t

[gunpackingrandma]

I have a Boston Terrier with a tested and confirmed fatty cyst on her chest. The firmness and shape feel the same as Ben's. Also the cyst doesn't feel attached. Hopefully Ben just has a fatty cyst. We will take him to the Veterinarian on our next trip to Florida.

The only blocks I have ever used are from Henry's. I will contact them to see if they have any insight.

Ben seems very healthy, loving and active. He gets plenty of exercise, love and we are always looking for new ways to stimulate his mind and body.

[gunpackingrandma]

The two pictures are just to show Ben doesn't look chubby in every picture...lol

[Nancy in New York]

Ben is perfection.
I just love your little guy! :Love_Icon:klunk

[frankc]

The two pictures are just to show Ben doesn't look chubby in every picture...lol

LOL Chubby or not he is one handsome little guy. I love the white around his eyes :serene

[HRT4SQRLS]

There is our little Ben. He is adorable. I believe he is grinning in those first pics. :grin2

I can’t say for sure what they are but I suspect it is fatty tissue. My flyer Tucker has about 4 of those. It drives me nuts. At first I laughed about his moobs but we have gone way past moobs. His are soft so I think it is fat.

Like TubeDriver I have always wondered why some of our boys get moobs. Tucker has never had a soy product.
Here is the real kicker... he runs like lightening in his wheel and he carries all this excess fat. What is that all about? :tap Our athletic, wheel running boys should be lean and mean.
Surely he burns enough calories during his nightly run that he shouldn’t gain weight. I don’t get it.
Bonzai has never run on the wheel and is slim and trim. Maybe exercise makes you fat??!! :dono I doubt it but it’s a thought. :grin

Just curious, does Ben eat sweet potato, acorn squash or butternut squash? I found out these are sources of phytoestrogens as are a lot of the veggies we feed. In nature they wouldn’t be eating these. :thinking

[Wally]

So glad to hear Ben is 3 and a half and still playing nice. Our little red is 1 and a half and just started ripping my hands apart about week ago. He's not interested in playing at all now. He's obsessed with protecting his cage and his food. Was Ben ever aggressive like that?
We'd hate to lose our boy after so long. Maybe you have a few tips? Just hoping.
Thanks,Wally and Darlene

[gunpackingrandma]

One of Ben's favorite foods is Butternut Squash. He eats a piece almost every day. Maybe I should take it off his rotation?

To answer the question about age and temperament Ben was such a love bug the first year or so but then turned into the squirrel from Satan. I blame it on becoming sexually mature. For the next six months or so I had so many bites and cuts, especially on my hands and face. The worst was the split lips and nose bites. I wore three pairs of gloves because the bites were so hard and safety glasses to protect my eyes. Then one day it was over. What came out of it was a super loving, happy, spoiled fuzzy butt. I no longer wear gloves or glasses. Ben is super friendly and loves all the attention he receives. I can tell you from my experience to make sure reds have a good exercise wheel, preferably two. I believe reds are more hyper than grays and need to work off their energy. Also, do not let them have stashes. Big mistake! You will get attacked. One more piece of advice, don't eat while playing with your red. I gave Ben his dinner and while he was eating I started to eat a carrot. Huge mistake! Ben was across the room in one leap and attacked my face! Cuts, bites and blood everywhere! I can't describe the pain and fear I felt. Pain because it really hurt and fear of hurting Ben while trying to protect my face from further injury. Ben was not injured and I learned a hard lesson. Reds take alot of patience but definitely worth the reward!

[gunpackingrandma]

As the picture shows, Ben is always smiling and happy. He doesn't look like the cyst is bothering him.

[Nancy in New York]

Seriously, we definitely need to see more of Ben.
You can't help but fall in love and smile when you see
that little face! :klunk:Love_Icon

[Mel1959]

Ben is adorable! :Love_Icon:klunk

[Josh and ninja]

I can relate to being in A state like yours im going through something else where i was threatened my little girl would be taken and killed becuse she loves human interaction. Thank you for being a responsible parent to a fuzzy. :) they are magnificent creature's and make our lives so much better. May i ask how old?

[TubeDriver]

This is great info to know, thanks for passing it on.:great



One of Ben's favorite foods is Butternut Squash. He eats a piece almost every day. Maybe I should take it off his rotation?

To answer the question about age and temperament Ben was such a love bug the first year or so but then turned into the squirrel from Satan. I blame it on becoming sexually mature. For the next six months or so I had so many bites and cuts, especially on my hands and face. The worst was the split lips and nose bites. I wore three pairs of gloves because the bites were so hard and safety glasses to protect my eyes. Then one day it was over. What came out of it was a super loving, happy, spoiled fuzzy butt. I no longer wear gloves or glasses. Ben is super friendly and loves all the attention he receives. I can tell you from my experience to make sure reds have a good exercise wheel, preferably two. I believe reds are more hyper than grays and need to work off their energy. Also, do not let them have stashes. Big mistake! You will get attacked. One more piece of advice, don't eat while playing with your red. I gave Ben his dinner and while he was eating I started to eat a carrot. Huge mistake! Ben was across the room in one leap and attacked my face! Cuts, bites and blood everywhere! I can't describe the pain and fear I felt. Pain because it really hurt and fear of hurting Ben while trying to protect my face from further injury. Ben was not injured and I learned a hard lesson. Reds take alot of patience but definitely worth the reward!

[gunpackingrandma]

I can relate to being in A state like yours im going through something else where i was threatened my little girl would be taken and killed becuse she loves human interaction. Thank you for being a responsible parent to a fuzzy. :) they are magnificent creature's and make our lives so much better. May i ask how old?

Ben is 3 1/2.

[redwuff]

I have a Boston Terrier with a tested and confirmed fatty cyst on her chest. The firmness and shape feel the same as Ben's. Also the cyst doesn't feel attached. Hopefully Ben just has a fatty cyst. We will take him to the Veterinarian on our next trip to Florida.

The only blocks I have ever used are from Henry's. I will contact them to see if they have any insight.

Ben seems very healthy, loving and active. He gets plenty of exercise, love and we are always looking for new ways to stimulate his mind and body.

Thrilled to hear that you do have vet treatment available to you even if it is quite a trip. Reds are such funny animals! I love Ben!!:Love_Icon

[Diggie's Friend]

Hi. Is he overweight, (1can't see photos) enlarge mammary, aka: scoobs?

Fatty deposits aren't cancers, but they are a sign of the diet being too high in calories, primarily from nuts. This is because the diet is higher in phosphorus from fatty nut sources to calcium in the diet, which supports the development of metabolic syndrome, which is associate with the development of cancers in rodents.

In captivity feeding lean chicken (fat and skin removed), and low nuts instead of allot of nuts is the model you want to support, lowering nuts to no more than 1/2 Tsp., yet including amounts of seed oils, Chia, Pumpkin seed organic to support the nutrients found in nuts and seeds that are vital, supports the captive model diet.

Butternut squash is ideal, it supports weight control, and provides a needed source of healthy fiber, yet lower in carbs than sweet potatoes, that were bred to be high in sugar. Low-fat organic yogurt is the most healthy animal source you can feed, positive in Calcium to Phosphorus.

Reds in the wild consume more greens than Grays or Fox squirrels. Yet, blanching them to lower the alkaline ph. is needful for otherwise when lowering nuts that is necessary for pets due to not needing the higher level that is normal for calories in the wild, that nuts and animal foods are for reds. Aiming at the mean urine ph. found for small mammals, that lies in the slightly acidic mid to high 6. range (6. 4 to 6.8) can be supported by adjusting up or down as needed key acidic and alkaline sources. Acidic is sources like lingonberries, and alkaline is melon and tree fruits, and greens in very tiny amount with only low oxalate levels, like Kale. yet blanching them 90 sec. needful.

As for block, TubeDriver is spot on about the soy; if you feed a block with soy or corn I would change to HHB. grindig it up and adding a small amount of Coconut and the other oils can make it more appealing.

[Diggie's Friend]

If you ever have need of a vet, best to bring a copy of this chart with you. Just copy and past for the "Sciurus Blood Value Table Doc."

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?40303-Normal-Blood-Chemistry-Values&p=1225018#post1225018

[Diggie's Friend]

Enlarged mammary glands are often due to a fatty deposit (lipoma), commonly seen on squirrels that are overweight.

Unfortunately Mast cell tumors can mimic these, yet are hard, not soft. These don't continue to grow as time passes, but remain proportional

to the abdominal fat. If there is a question of it being benign, recommend you have an x-ray and needle biopsy done before considering surgery.

http://ratguide.com/health/neoplasia/mast_cell_tumor.php

[gunpackingrandma]

Thank you for all the information! If Ben loses some weight due you think his glznds will shrink to normal size? He normally gains a little weight in the fall and loses it in the Spring but never had a problem before.

I will follow your suggestions on diet and try and convince my husband to stop giving almonds as a treat.