Petunia chewed off part of her tail😑

Hi all. Need some advice. So Petunia my para baby chewed off the tip of her tail. She has been with me for two and a half years and never spent a day without me. I hold her and snuggle her etc etc... Well I had a family emergency and had to leave her for 16 days. My sons cared for her, but I am her mama and she does not interact with anyone but me. They had to do the toileting duties etc... This could cause stress I would think. Has anyone heard of this? Also how should I medically treat the injury. I can’t get a photo today. I tortured her enough for one day (bath and nails). Thanks in advance💜🐿☮️

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I looked at your pic in the other thread. Have you SEEN her chewing it? It looks to me like she got it caught somewhere - lots of cages have pinch points where the bars meet in the corners that can trap a tail. That will deglove the tail - the skin covering it gets pulled off, often leaving the bare bone exposed, which the squirrels will chew off as the bone "dies" because the blood supply has been cut off. Normally these heal fine and other than a slightly shorter tail, the squirrel is fine.

Get a bottle of Betadyne (10% povidone iodine) at the drug store - in the wound care aisle. It is a plastic bottle filled with red fluid - looks like blood. Dilute it by adding about 25 drops to 1/4 cup water and apply that solution to the tail. You can even put it in a little sprayer and spray the wound if it is easier. You don't need to rub - just get it wet and leave it that way. It doesn't sting, and when it dries, it doesn't leave a sticky residue that she will try to fuss with. Apply it at least a couple times a day.

Thank you for the response. I have never seen her chew on her tail. But have seen her chew on her feet. I understand pinching points on cage but since she is a para her cage is all fleeced out and cuddly. No areas that she could get snagged. I also searched cage for any remnants.
I have never left her for more than 8 hrs in the 2 1/2 yrs she has been with me. I had a family emergency and was gone for 16 days😑 She requires a lot of handling due to toileting and syringe feeding. She was completely distressed by my boys needing to handle her so much. Plus I hold her and snuggle her a couple times a day. We are very attached to each other. I have to say I missed her more than my boys😂
I am not sure when it even happened. I soaked it in the betadyne and it does look like it is healing but wonder if AB would be recommended.
From the pic how much do you think is missing? Thank you again for looking out for us. 💜🐿☮️

Average adult tail is 12 inches

Stick with the betadyne only. It is antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral so it covers pretty much any issue, and you ca apply it as often as you want to. Creams and ointments are problematic because squirrels are so fussy about their fur and will work obsessively to get anything foreign out if it, often to the point of further damaging the wound. The betadyne doesn't leave a sticky residue so they completely ignore it.

Do watch her closely though. Paras often have phantom pains that can cause big problems with self mutilation. It can be treated with gabapentin if they do but you would need to be able to get your hands on some... If she absolutely isn't chewing herself then there is no problem.

My late Mister P had this happen - I did it to him - stepped on his poor tail and off came the tip - they are designed to do so, almost like a lizard, leaving predators with a mouthful of tail tip and no squirrel. I always looked forward to which tail he would have when he molted out his winter fur and got the summer coat. Some years the tip was flat like someone cut straight across the fur with scissors. Often the hairs tip would split and he would have a forked "devil tail." When I lost him, his "last" tail was corkscrewed at the tip. I always told him that mama gave him the coolest tail in town...

Sorry to get back so late. Too much stuff going on😑 Thank you for all of the info! I have had many lizards and have seen that tail dropping with one. I had no idea squirrels could do that!😳
So my baby does have phantom pains for sure. I do have gabapentin. I will weigh her and tell you the mg of the meds. Would you be able to dose it for me? My poor girl.

She also has moments of nerve twitches and like freezing in motion. I give her magnesium in her formula (does not eat much so I syringe feed her a fortified shake /with FV etc) Also try to get her to eat some almonds. Any advice on the neuro issues?

I recently moved to Co. Are there any friendly vets you know of ?
I have actually contemplated on a road trip to Dr E.

Thank you so much for al of the advice! You are awesome🤠💜🐿☮️

Yes, someone on here can help with Gabapentin dosing. Post the strength of the med and the weight of your squirrel.

Colorado is a difficult state. I do not know of any safe vets there and very few rehab resources. You wouldn’t be the first squirrel peep to travel across country to see Dr. E. Florida’s really nice right now, too! :grin3