Loss of fur on tail?

[Vivinus]

My flying squirrel Rockie has been showing fur loss on her tail, only the end half, and on top. I'm clueless to what can be causing the loss of fur in that specific area. It is to the point of the top, back part of her tail is bald, but has fur on the sides and bottom of it.

Her typical diet consists of broccoli, tomato, sugar snap peas, sweet potato, apple, cherry, banana, brussels sprout. She gets an occasional vanilla yogurt covered raisin, bits of pecan, or an unshelled almond for desert every night along with a yogurt drop and some natural wood to chew on. 1-2 times a week I sprinkle some repto-cal over her food.

I'll try to get a picture if I can, in the mean time I'm not sure what to say that will help in a diagnosis, so get started with the questions I suppose :dono

I did leave the nail trimmer in her wheel for a couple of days longer than normal because her nails were so long, so I'm hoping maybe the fur just shed off from the track and will grow back.

[Vivinus]

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r111/Vivinus/IMG_0104.jpg

Best picture I could get of her tail.

She usually tries to face the camera to make sure it doesn't make any sudden moves on her :P

[Vivinus]

It doesn't appear dry or crusty. Her tail also does not appear swollen, or show any signs up scraping/bleeding. Looks like what I'd imagine a flying squirrel's tail to be if they came without fur

She also does not seem shy about letting me touch her tail, so I want to say it is not hurting her.

[Vivinus]

Thanks Gamma. I have not noticed any shed fur, but I do not keep her in a cage, so it is possible she was jumping and climbing around my room and fell, skinning her tail on something along her way down.

She is a clumsy climber and prone to falling just before she reaches the top of the door or window -it used to scare the heck out of me, but I guess because she's a flyer the falls never hurt, she'd just go right back up until she reached the top, only to fly across the room.

[Vivinus]

Phew. Rockie's tail is starting to grow new fur. It looks darker than the rest of her tail and body, but it's growing in nice and thick :)

[ravenlaws32]

good news, i do not get to post as much as i want to , i have to watch out for my 80 year old mom ,and jobs ,rehabbing, family, etc and seems no time to rest lol. im glad the tail is regrowing hair , my first thought was injury totail aka nerve ending,mites ,mange or food allergy. but im glad all is well.

[toasty]

I did leave the nail trimmer in her wheel for a couple of days longer than normal because her nails were so long, so I'm hoping maybe the fur just shed off from the track and will grow back.

I'm sorry, I know this is off-topic but I was curious about the nail trimmer in her wheel. I'm still kinda new to carring for squirrels. I have a grey and his little claws are killing me. You should see my arms, even when I wear long sleeves, he manages to tear me up. I would hate to wear gloves to play w/ him and he's so affectionate he loves to climb on me and groom me. Just wondering if something like you have might help me out. Would you mind telling me about it please?

[muffinsquirrel]

If your squirrel runs in a wheel, the nail trimmers are great. If not, here are some other suggestions you can try:

Put a thick branch in his cage for him to climb on. He will also chew on it, and this will help keep his nails AND his teeth trimmed. A piece of firewood will also work.

Put a good sized piece of sandstone under his food and water bowls. You can usually get this pretty cheap at a nursery where they do landscaping or a place that sells decorative stone. You don't need a real thick one - I get the thin pieces that have split off, and they usually give them to me for free. You can also use very fine sandpaper.

Some people use the stone pizza dishes (for baking pizza) under the food dish.

Put a real large branch somewhere in your house where he plays. This will keep him entertained and will keep his nails trimmed.

Good luck - I know how much those little nails can hurt!!

muffinsquirrel