Milo lost a nail!

[NewtonsDad]

Ack! My poor bad luck Milo, 9 months, who was improperly cared for over several months before we rescued him, just can't get a break.

He had a series of seizure about 3 months ago, but we brought him back to health (with nutball recipe from squirrels.ws) . He is pretty stunted in growth, but has sortof overcompensated by never stashing food. (He eats everything and has a bit of a gut...)

However, I saw he was holding his paws and looking a bit off today, so I checked him out. He has lost a hole fingernail on his right front paw. It was bleeding profusely when we saw it. (which was incredibly distressing) So I know it happened shortly before we noticed it.

It is ripped to the quick, but has stopped bleeding. He is climbing around and doesn't seem to be too bothered by it strangely. I can't find the claw, but have taken his (favorite) towel out of his cage because I'm afraid he got it caught there.

What should I do? Will it grow back if he has completely lost the nail?
Are there squirrel safe antibiotics I can give him to avoid infection?
Is this a sign that his mdb is not better?

thanks, sorry this is how I have to make my first post here.....

Newton and Milo's dad

[Tickle's Mom]

I'm sure some experienced friends will be on here shortly to answer your questions...i will say, never ever use towels Nails can get caught in the loops and rip the nails out - good thing you were home and saw Milo when you did

[lilidukes]

Hi and welcome to TSB

You need to clean the affected area with an antiseptic and then apply any antibiotic salve.

Keep a close watch for infection

You need to check his cage for the guilty culprit. Towels are a

Fleece does not snag and is squirrel friendly

Please check out our nutrition forum right diet=happy healthy squirrels

[jo_schmoe]

Poor Milo!! Bet that hurt like the dickens!
If I were you I would remove the towels and try and get your hands on some fleece. You can find it just about anywhere. I go to the thrift stores and buy up bunches of baby blankets and fleece sweaters. I cut the sweaters up into squares.
If it makes you feel any better.....my squirrel did the same exact thing. One day I woke up and their was blood in the cage. I about fainted. I noticed he was holding his paw and with a closer look....he was missing a nail. Pulled it right out. ( I have no towels in their cage...but he still pulled it out somehow.) I put some neosporin on it ( that was tricky lemme tell ya) and let it heal. He stopped favoring it after a few days and you can't even tell he lost it at all. He still beats his sister up daily!
I don't think they grow back. His never did.
Don't worry.....he will be just fine.

[NewtonsDad]

Thanks,
we took the towel out immediately, along with all of his bedding and toys, to check to see if we could find the culprit but found nothing....

He loved his towel a lot. But he'll just have to deal with his sham tent and various danger free bedding, a few old t-shirts and a ferret hammock that he destroyed =D.

I feel so bad for him! We will attempt to put neosporin on it once I get done with this post. He cleaned all the blood up by himself (which made me a bit of a proud squirrel mom) and is in good spirits.

So there is not a relationship between having mbd and weak nail attachment?

He's shown no sign of remission into mbd, but it's still a present worry on my mind.

Any advice on weight loss diet, normally he gets 2-3 nuts and a vegetable and fruit per meal, plus a nutball at dinnertime.

Thanks a million! Yall are great!

[Jackie in Tampa]

MBD sqs have fatigued muscles and more often hop than walk with a gate. Therefore they are not using their nails to hang and do normal activities to wear them naturally. So yes you will commonly see nails extra long and curled with MBD sqs.
It is ok to take the clear tips off ...BUT I do left front and right rear at the same time and next week the opposites..as they do need sometiming to grapple with.
I urge you to see the nutrition forum and ck out the long term MBD treatment stickys you will find there.
Thank you for recognizing the issues and trying to correct them. Hang around...you catch on quick making your sqs life a better one!
I agree, triple anti B or neosporin will help heal and take some pain away..
yes Tshirts and fleece!

[dblcit]

Check where the sides of the cage meet. On some cages, a squirrel's claw or finger can get wedged in the small gap between the sides (the gap can open up towards the top and as the finger slides down to where the gap is tighter, the finger or claw gets wedged in).

Daniel Lang

[Cejemere]

Angel has lost a nail in the past ( my stupid mistake for putting a toy in her cage that she destroyed) but the nail grew back. I wouldnt worry too much, neosporin is awesome though!

[Peanut773]

Sorry for bumping a 13 year old thread, but one of my neighborhood squirrels that I feed semi-daily seems to have lost a claw on her front right paw.

She seems ok, is able to climb and get around, but also seems to be favoring it slightly.

My concern is that it will get infected...

Any suggestions?