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Thread: Rather large open sores/wounds on many wild squirrels

  1. #1
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    Default Rather large open sores/wounds on many wild squirrels

    I've noticed 5-6 squirrels with rather large ugly raw open wounds on them in the last 2 weeks. A momma with a 1.5 inch round ish one on her shoulder. A baby had a 2 inch or larger one on his whole butt, he died yesterday in my hands, he got weak and I assume went septic. Another 14 -16 week old wild baby just showed up with a crescent shapped one on its hip. None of them are dripping blood, just all the fur is scraped off in these spots and they are blood red. The baby who died, his large wound was scabbed over at the time he died.

    Does anyone have any idea what this could be? I have been watching squirrels for a long time now, and have never seen this type of thing. I know what abscesses are, I've seen plenty of them, they usually break open in round holes etc, pretty nasty. I'm not saying these are not abscesses, they just don't look like the ones I'm used to seeing. I don't have a photo at the moment. I can try to get one.

    One thought. Squirrels are living in a neighbors soffit that got torn up, if they are up under the roofline there could be nails that point down, but I would think a squirrel would be smart to avoid rough soffit torn metal and roof nails.

    There may be raccoons in the area, I saw some for the first time 9 months ago, but I thought maybe they passed through, I haven't seen them since. They made a racket on my front porch for a few nights, and I have never heard or seen them again. But would raccoons make abrasions? I would think they would eat them. There are cats around too, but I would think a cat would make a puncture, not a large abrasion.

    Any thoughts would be welcome. I'm seeing too many looking like this and simply want to ask. I know it would be easier with a photo. All I can reiterate, is that they don't appear to be a puncture, it looks like a sharp metal object scalped their skin off in contained areas, only on one place of the body per squirrel ranging from 1----2.5 inches in size. Locations range from shoulder, to neck to hip to butt.

    Thank you.

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  3. #2
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    Default Re: Rather large open sores/wounds on many wild squirrels

    After doing some research, my best guess is that maybe these are bacterial infections, they would fit the description of being angry red skin issues. So if a cat or raccoon scratched the adult squirrel or baby then a bacterial infection could set in and grow, maybe that is what I am seeing.

    Would this be more likely from a raccoon or cat or something else? About the same time these began appearing, I decided to chase the stray cats out of my yard. I appreciate all animals, so I had let cats have a refuge here, but I had to make the tough decision a few weeks ago to have them move on to somewhere else. It was an agonizing decision. So except at night, there are not really cats in my yard anymore. But the cats had to go to another yard nearby, so maybe that is what is happening? I have no idea where the squirrels live that visit my yard. A few live here, but not all of them. All that said, I know cats can get squirrels, but I don't think this many, squirrels are pretty savvy about cats, and the neighbors put food out for them, so they are well fed. Raccoons?

    Here is a photo of the baby who died in my hands the other day. Note baby was 320g. Two weeks ago this wound on his butt was clean raw red, now it is nasty scabby.

    There is another baby I see now, similar condition, wound on hip, right eye closed, walking very slowly, won't let me approach him. I'm doing my best to put food out when I see him.

    It's heart breaking to see this.
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    Default Re: Rather large open sores/wounds on many wild squirrels

    I was able to get a photo just now of the baby who had a fresh small crescent shaped wound yesterday. This is a small one compared to what I am seeing. Just at squirrel dinnertime, I saw a mom with a large shoulder wound, she's had that for weeks now, maybe that is a true abscess? And I saw the baby with the shut eye, large wound, moving really slowly not functioning well. Another baby with woundings under an armpit. And this baby in the photo.

    Most of these are babies. It's so odd. I really don't think it could be cats. Some wet/fungal/infection that is spreading because of all this rain???

    I know I keep speculating and then changing my thoughts.

    Because these skin issues were all angry red at the beginning, I naturally felt they were wounds. But maybe they are something else, but whatever it is, it takes the life out of babies in a few days to a week. There are a lot of babies, I think I've counted 7-9 or more.
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    RockyPops (06-05-2020)

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    Default Re: Rather large open sores/wounds on many wild squirrels

    Wonder if someone is shooting them will bb gun?

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    Lighten-Up (06-05-2020), RockyPops (06-05-2020)

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    Default Re: Rather large open sores/wounds on many wild squirrels

    This definitely sounds like someone in the area is shooting squirrels with a pellet gun.

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