Hi friends , I think we're getting towards the season of the dreaded bott fly. I'm going to be releasing a squirrel I love dearly, Luna, in the next couple weeks. Could we revisit the protocol for bott prevention? I've never seen them on my yard squirrels, hand raised or otherwise, but Heart for Squirrels lives very close by and you may remember her Bott horror story from last summer. (Snow on the ground where you live? Lucky!! It's already getting quite warm here in Central Florida!) I know the proper med is ivermectin, and that H4S had good luck dosing on a shelled pecan. But, where can I get it, how much should I give, and how long does it work? Also, is it dangerous for pregnant/ lactating squirrels? And can you overdose them? I'd like to treat my yard squirrels, but have not thought of a way to ensure they don't get multiple nuts laced with the med.
If nothing else, it seems like a good time to reopen this conversation and start thinking ahead to help prevent our fuzzy friends being infested with these nasty parasites. (FYI, I've been off the board for awhile, so if you've already been discussing this, please accept my apology and kindly point me in the direction of the current thread.)