Loss of fur

[Kierafay]

Hello, I have a 1 year old female squirrel that seems to continue losing hair on her sides some times it shifts and she starts losing hair in different places. But she has never been completely fully furred. She has free roam of the house and we play outside. She gets lots of attention and love. She eats her blocks, eats Ridichio, Endive, Cabbage etc... gets a little bit of avocado and fruit weekly...
What could the hair loss issue be?

Thank you in advance 🙂

[HRT4SQRLS]

Could you post a pic? That might be helpful. :thumbsup

[Kierafay]

319723319724

[HRT4SQRLS]

Well, isn’t that odd. Do you see her over grooming the area?
I wonder of this is molt. I really don’t know. Hopefully others will sound in.

She is a beauty! :grin2

[Kierafay]

She doesn’t groom herself excessively at all... and I haven’t noticed her groom the bare areas.
Thank you! She is a lover! 319725

[CritterMom]

I discovered just this year that this is a fungal issue with the hair shaft itself, not the skin. You will notice that the underlying skin looks perfect, like a baby's bottom. Both of my squirrels have had this - my Zeke is currently growing all of his gray fur in. Both of them lose the fur on their back end beginning mid summer, getting all the way down to bare skin. Then in the fall, it begins growing back and by winter they have a perfect coat. In the spring, neither of them seem(ed) to molt completely - their top half would molt normally and have the sleek summer coat while the back end still looked shaggy like the winter coat. I occasionally also see wild squirrels this way. I also read that it gradually gets better and stops happening as they age. Mister P, who I lost a couple years ago at the age of almost 10, stopped with the "buttless chaps" look at about 6 years old.

I don't live in a particularly humid area, either, though we do get some humidity in the summer here. And my "squirrel room" is air conditioned in the summer!

[Kierafay]

Oh so interesting! Thank you so much for the info!

[BubblesMom]

Any updates on this? Did it change? My Fidget is having some major butt fur loss. It looks different though