Odd looking bumps on baby squirrel belly

[LoganTrace]

I’ve been raising two baby squirrels after their mom never came back to the nest. They’re currently about 6 weeks old and one of them (Bucky) has these bumps on their stomach and lower area. The other one (Scrat) seems perfectly normal. This may be normal but nothing I’ve seen or read tells me what these are, any help would be appreciated

[Mel1959]

Why is he wet? Did you bathe him? They look like little pustules. Has he had them the whole time you’ve had him? Was he on the ground in the dirt recently where he could have been bitten by ants? Do they give him any discomfort? Itch?

Until others chime in and offer other suggestions, I think you should get some betadine and put about 25 drops in 1/4 cup of warm water. It should look like weak tea. Use a cotton pad and put the diluted betadine on him wherever he has those marks. There’s no need to rinse it, just let it dry. It won’t be sticky.

Do you have any antibiotics? For humans or animals? It might be a good idea to look through what you have or can locate from friends and family in case others think he needs an antibiotic.

What are you feeding him?

[LoganTrace]

Why is he wet? Did you bathe him? They look like little pustules. Has he had them the whole time you’ve had him? Was he on the ground in the dirt recently where he could have been bitten by ants? Do they give him any discomfort? Itch?

Until others chime in and offer other suggestions, I think you should get some betadine and put about 25 drops in 1/4 cup of warm water. It should look like weak tea. Use a cotton pad and put the diluted betadine on him wherever he has those marks. There’s no need to rinse it, just let it dry. It won’t be sticky.

Do you have any antibiotics? For humans or animals? It might be a good idea to look through what you have or can locate from friends and family in case others think he needs an antibiotic.

What are you feeding him?

Yeah he’s wet because I rinsed him off with a warm wet cotton ball after feeding him (powdered puppy milk) since he’s a really messy eater. But I will definitely try that. Thank you

[Mel1959]

Which powdered puppy milk? They aren’t all the same even if they are from the same manufacturer. Esbilac with an expiration date of 10/21 or later is ok to feed, but there have been problems with the earlier batches and those shouldn’t be used.

Make sure he doesn’t get chilled when you’re using the betadine and getting him wet.

You didn’t answer any of the other questions I asked. It would be helpful if you did.

[island rehabber]

This could be a rather nasty case of pyoderma -- a staph infection that particularly likes the underbelly skin on baby squirrels. They are like pustules, but can be cured quickly with daily baths of diluted clorhexadine or even antibacterial soap in warm water. Twice a day is best.