TROOPER'S FUNNY FUR/SKIN CONDITION

[Trooper]

Hi forum;

I wanted to reach out to you today with a different topic, in hopes that someone with more experience than me with squirrels, could confirm/deny/advice on what I am seeing.

Because of his balanced diet (TSB Pyramid), and additional supplemental nutritional juices I give him daily, Trooper (7 years old, male Eastern Gray) has always had a near perfect “fur coat" (per human standards); one that I would describe as soft, fluffy, silky and with straight and slick hairs. But since about 4 to 6 weeks ago, he has developed what I call “brillo pad” or “wiry” hairs; that look more like curly, twisty strands and for the past 4 days, are coming out of his fur when I groom him with a flea comb.

Along with this fur hair loss, I noticed in him a more than usual scratching and grooming, a routine that he would have normally done at wake-up or before going to bed. He is doing the grooming at any time of the day now, sometimes stopping in his tracks to do it while he was on a different goal, almost as if he just got “bit” by a flea, lice or other.

Because he is mostly kept indoors (or outdoors in a restricted cage), he has no visible fleas as I comb him for every day. However, this morning while I was doing this ritual, I saw some of his wiry fur stuck on the comb, containing at the ends what I can only refer to as greasy or waxy little lumps. Upon inspection of Trooper’s bottom quarters, he seems to be coated with a thin, sebaceous layer of a material that is what I think is coming off attached to his fur hairs. This skin coating resembles what the new born pinkies have on their skin before they get their first fuzz or hairs growing.

See the pictures attached that I took this morning, containing the grease/waxy blobs on each ends. I am concerned that this could be some form of fungal or other skin reaction. It does not look to me like mange, as I have seen enough samples of it TSB. Since his behavior (over-grooming), lackluster fur and sebaceous debris attached to hair droppings is completely out of character for the past 7 years he has lived with us, we believe that your expert opinion is in order.

Your comments, as always, will be greatly appreciated.

Trooper's dad.

[CritterMom]

The very first thing I do when I see some weird skin related "don't know what it is" condition - on me or my animals, the first thing I try is wiping the skin down twice a day with a diluted Betadyne (10% povidone iodine) solution. 20 drops to 1/4 cup of water is just about right. It doesn't leave any sticky residue on the fur and if he grooms himself there is no problem. It doesn't sting, either. You will need to get him pretty wet to make sure you get the skin itself wet, then just wipe his fur dry with a paper towel and leave the skin to dry on it's own.

It is antibacterial and antifungal so it covers a whole bunch of issues. Works great on staph. This reminds me of cradle cap in an infant.

Nice hat!

[Toddy]

Hi Trooper and Trooper's Dad
What a handsome boy Trooper is! I just love his hat
I hope he gets better soon

[CritterMom]

I knew I had seen something like this - but in horses. It is called "rain rot" - go here: https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/hea...treat-rain-rot and you see the description of clumps of hair with the scabs attached at the root falling out. It is a bacterial infection. The Betadyne suggestion still holds.

[Trooper]

Thank you all for the comments. I will do the betadyne treatment in spite of the fact that Trooper hates being wet. Oh well, what's a few more bites on my hand, anyway!

I checked the rain rot ailment for horses and seen images, and what Trooper has does not looks like that. However, maybe in squirrels is different. We have been having wet rainy days and he likes to sleep outside in his waterproof nest, but maybe the humidity level is too high.

I read that Neem oil is suggested for the treatment of horses. Anybody knows if Neem oil is not recommended for squirrels?

Yes Trooper likes (or rather I like) to wear hats. He does not mind them and he can go a looooong time with them on his head. It gives him personality.

Thanks,


Trooper's dad

[CritterMom]

I would use the Betadyne. Neem oil works to kill some insects and parasites mostly by smothering them. But this isn't that.

No, I know it isn't exactly the same as the horse thing but it is the same idea. The bacteria that causes rain rot in horses causes hot spots on dogs.

I know they don't like getting wet - but it isn't really for long. You can get most of the moisture out of his fur with the paper towels - you just want to make sure it actually makes it through that dense fur to the skin so it can work.

[cava]

THAT'S what it reminded me of, hot spots! Thanks CritterMom.

[Trooper]

Thank you Crittermom, I bathed him last night. So far so good!

Trooper's dad