bennie has a tail problem can someone help

[Danielle]

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so im trying to figure out how to work this site, im new on the board. im hoping this is going out for everyone to see. my squirrel Bennie is a little over a year, he is awesome happy and very playful. within the last 2 months he lost a lot of hair on his tail, weird only on one side. now were he lost the hair he has a perfect line of cuts. in trying to post a photo but I cant figure it out. I might just have to make it as my profile photo. ok back to it. he has everything he's supposed to get. rodent block. all the right fruits and veggies. nuts for treats. rawhides, antlers, cuttlebones, sticks and branches to chew on. his cage is very big. we try to get him out of the cage 6-10 times a day 20-30 minutes at a time sometimes more. he keeps very clean as do we keep his cage very clean. the bumps happened once 2months back, I called my vet, not exotic vet. he told me wash with dawn soap, and I could use a little neiosporne. he said if it doesn't get better we can do an antibiotic shot.. it got better but more hair was coming out. I did a lot of research. I cant find one picture that has matched what his tail looks like. the closest I found was mange, I didn't think it was that, mange starts with ears most of the time his are fine. so I called the vet because it came back. he said we could try revelation, along with the antibiotic shot. I think clavamox..??? so I picked it up from the vet. came home gave Bennie the shot. waited a day gave him the revelation. he still is acting fine and normal. the scabs again have healed but the bumps are still there. fir is trying to grow back in but only time I guess will tell. as I've done more research another alternative I saw was pox.. now what I have seen online is bad. looks like bad blisters all over.. this is just his tail no scabs or bumps anywhere else. does it look like pox, and will pox heal by its self and come back.???? so my other thought was maybe its allergies??? dose anyone have experience with squirrel allergies and has it affected the tail. I thought maybe the laundry detergent, so now I hand was everything in dawn soap. he was also getting almonds as a treat everyday, I have done research on everything since this problem and I saw that they have an ingredient that is also in aspirin and can make a squirrel with also humans neurotic... so another thought is maybe the almonds were making him so neurotic he chewed a perfect line of holes in his tail???? but he didn't act that way. so I stopped the almonds about two weeks ago. and I guess almonds don't leave your system for three weeks. so he has had these cuts twice in a little over 2 months. and the bumps are still there. little bumps few millimeters. but about 8 little ones. maybe they are going to stay there as a scar.??? he still has movement of his full tail, but likes to curl it all the way in to his chest at times. if anyone can help out on what it could be. if anyone has had the same problem before. nnie has a tail problemATTACH=CONFIG]233212[/ATTACH]

[CritterMom]

What blocks are you feeding him?

Have you ever seen him actually mess with his tail? The term I want to use is "over grooming" - like paying more attention to it than he does the rest of his coat?

His fur looks great and this does not look like pox AT ALL

Does he go outside at all or is he strictly an indoor squirrel?

[Danielle]

he is an indoor squirrel. last summer and a few warm days this spring when its warm I put him in an outside cage. when he was little he would let me put a harness on him and we would go out. but he never would get a chance to run off. I also have a uvb 26wats reptile bulb I leave on for 5 hours a day. 2and a half hours at a time.. I have seen him clean himself pretty hard at times. like he is pulling at his fur. I've seen him chew on his tail and I stop him right away. I didn't think it was pox or mange. but I gave him revelation to be safe. if it is him over cleaning can I use any cream that he will not like to lick up. like bitter apple or would he like that stuff. I don't know. like I said he is still playful im just worried

[Danielle]

mazuri block is what he gets. he only eats like 2-3 a day. sometimes he will go for a forth

[lilidukes]

This could possibly just be his molt pattern.

I have found over the years and some might not agree with
me but when tails get scraggly I up their protein levels. And
usually in a week or two I see results.

[CritterMom]

The mazuri is okay for the few months between weaning and release but they don't really eat enough of it to get the proper daily requirements long term. I would strongly suggest you try one of the Henry's blocks: www.henryspets.com. I use the picky bites myself. They are supplemented to the point that 2 of them provides all of the vitamins and minerals they need - mixed with healthy veggies and moderate treats it is as good as you can get.

I do think this is a funky molt - they develop some bizarre patterns sometimes - but the additional nutrients won't do anything but help him.

[farrelli]

Is the short hair I see along it new or does it look like it was nibbled?

[Danielle]

ok I will definitely pick up or order some of the hennery's block. picky bites.. but with him molting or any squirrel molting do they get cuts. the little raised bumps were tiny wholes, they didn't get flakey there was no pus, just a whole then a scab with the bump. and yes some of the tiny hairs are new, and some I think is chewed off. when the first scabs healed hair started to ergrow out of were the scab was. but not around it. besides the hennery's block is there anything I can get him vitamin wise that can help him out. on the most natural side of vitamins I looked up that I could give him small rodent or bird vitamins, or reptile calcium. I bought bird cuttlebone calcium powder a while back, he wont eat it at all. its powder the most natural I could find. someone said mix it in natural applesauce nope wont do it. I also heard mix it in plan yogurt a little bit. but im sure any yogurt is bad so I didn't try it. and all of the small rodent vitamins I found have so much extra chemicals in them its unbelievable. I did see a good ferret vitamin that had all the good stuff no extra additives, but would ferret stuff be ok? someone said something about protein. how else can I get a little extra in him.. he wont eat any insects I have tried meal worms, and crickets live he wont eat them. hard boiled eggs, even plan scrambled he wont touch them. he does get some peanuts but I heard they aren't the best either so he doesn't get to many of them.. thank you so much everyone you have been so much help

[farrelli]

Once he's eating the HHBs he won;t need any vitamins.

[sid'smommy]

I think he is doing it himself... Notice the area missing fur is only within the area he can reach comfortably. given the age of this one, I would say he is extremely bored, and wild instincts are kickin in. If you plan on keeping this squirrel, your gonna need to find ways to relieve his boredom. Toys, jungle gym, trees, branches, hammocks, swings...

[SugarBugFerret]

A little bit of yogurt isn't bad. In fact, it is fairly widely used amongst many members here, especially when administering antibiotics, that can sometimes upset little squirrel tummies. The good bacteria in the yogurt helps to even things out again in the gut. I give my squirrel, Skiddil, a little dollop (about the size of a nickel) of Yoplait original (red label) french vanilla every evening. She absolutely loves it! You want the full fat kind, not the light or diet stuff. I have seen banana and blueberry listed here before as commonly used flavors as well.

[Danielle]

just ordered hennery's picky blocks. should be here in 3 days. hopefully this will help. and yes I know he is biting his tail himself. I have seen him do it. it could be boredom even though he has like 3 hammocks 2 beds. stuffed animals. cuttle bones, antlers, cow hoofs, ropes branches and logs in his cage. but he also does it when he is out. we get him out a lot. like I said in the first message 6-10 time a day 20-30 minutes at a time sometimes more. he gets a room run. and he gets the playing rough out let me tell you. I have secured branched to my celling he loves it. and my stuffed animals yeah they are his now. even though he gets the hole room and sometimes the house run, he stays stuck to me. if I move he has to jump back to me. but he cleans his tail a lot even in play. almost as if he gets so excited with jumping around and playing with my stuffed animals he just grabs his tail and cleans away. so yes the hours he is in his cage it could be boredom, but that doesn't explain why he does it in play as well. so maybe it could have been the almonds making him neurotic, I hope not thought. im hoping its just his way of molting. or maybe he needs the vitamins from the hennery's as to the rodent block he gets now. Im not sure. but hearing my little guy could be bored he's getting new toys tomorrow, he's so spoiled. I will keep everyone posted on him. and if anyone can think of anything else about this or has any helpful tips. is there anything I can put on there that wont hurt him to keep him from chewing.??? he did have his first tulip of the season today he was such a happy squirrel. now we are just waiting for the roses outside the window.. thank-you everyone again.

[Danielle]

well that is good to know. maybe having some yogurt as a treat here and there will make him happy. im writing everything down as im reading, everyone has been so helpful

[farrelli]

Does he have any hanging toys in his cage, hanging pieces of fleece to bat around, or ropes to clib on and play with?

[Danielle]

yes he has his favorite bell to that he loves to play with. it is hard plastic, the only plastic he wont chew up. I believe he thinks its his baby. a lot of the time he will swing with it then hold it and pass out. hes really cute with it, he will keep dinging the bell until he falls asleep. and I cut up fleece blankets into 1foot by 4feet pieces for his bedding. I drape it through the top of the bars over his hammocks the top one he sleeps in most of the time. but he plays with the bottom two and swings from the fleece. I also believe he has made his lower hammock his girlfriend...... and I have one rope hung from the top that he can jump around and swing on, its sorta short because I don't want him chocking himself with it. and he has stuffed animals he wrestles with. he does have a lot of stuff to keep him occupied. I try not to leave him in the cage for more then two hours at a time. unless im out. or between 12-6am when we sleep. the longest he was ever left in the cage with now play is probably 8 hours, and that hardly ever happens.

[farrelli]

Maybe he's just neurotic, like some dogs ans cats that need to be prescribed anti-anxiety drugs.

[Danielle]

well I wouldn't want to do that. he is a little aspartic at times but its because he is wild. I did hear from somewhere that he can have chamomile flowers is that true. maybe I could always try and get some off the dried up ones they sell in the store. or just grow them. im not sure. and I know they can live up to 20 years so he probably is in his toddler stage so he would be very hipper. im sure in a few years he will calm down a bit with age. im cool with him being crazy jumping and playful, makes my reflexes better. I just don't want him pulling his hair out over it. maybe chamomile flowers. anyone else ever hear of that

[Danielle]

a little spastic lol

[Runestonez]

We have a girl that does this.
She has every once in a while. She hadn't bothered the skin...just the fur itself.
She would be fine then start grooming like crazy.
Took her tail right down to the skin...and whenever it looked like it might be starting to grow in...she would start back at it again.
This winter she started to actually chew the skin. You would hear her yell and know she had bitten her tail again. Just a nip here and there and then she really lit into it and bit it almost through. Blood every where.
I talked to the vet...we tried a few things...
-was it because she was bored being caged? nope
-was it mites? nope
-was it the result of impinged nerves? nope





I couldn't figure it out and the vet was stumped.
So I sat down in front of the cage to just watch her.
I noticed that she usually started off grooming regularly...washing her whiskers, face and ears then down the back and viciously grooming her tail.
We had already ruled out mites. But I decided to clean her ears with ear cleaning solution anyway. I also decided to supplement her calcium.
She hasn't touched her tail since and the fur is growing back.
Which of these two did the trick...I don't know. I did notice that even though she didn't have mites...her ears were dry and definitely needed cleaned. I also rubbed in a bit of Burrows Solution. She no longer grooms like a fiend...soI am guessing it was her ears bugging her.
I don't know if info any of this helps...but I thought I'd put it out there just in case any one else runs into the same issue as us!

[farrelli]

Kind of makes sense. Calcium, specifically calcium ions, play a MAJOR role in nerve function.