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Thread: Injured Arm

  1. #1
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    Default Injured Arm

    I feel soo bad for my backyard squirrel "Little" .. she hasn't been putting any weight on her front paw for the last 3 days, walking with it up in the air. I'm worried it may be broken. What should I do? I feed her everyday she comes right up to my back door and waits. I wish I could bring her inside to help her heal and keep her protected, but that wouldn't work with my family. Do you think it will heal on it's own or do I need to call to wildlife rescue? i'm pretty attached to this squirrel any advice would help <3
    she also has no tail! this gal has been through a lot and is a fighter
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  2. #2
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    Default Re: Injured Arm

    Probably the best thing you can do is to provide plenty of food and water so that it won't have spend a lot of time out looking for food, which should reduce the risk of predation. Try to put out the food at the same time everyday. They are very observant and will show up if you will be reliable. It would probably be helpful if you are able to stand back and watch while it eats just to make a cat or something doesn't sneak up while it is eating.

    You can also put out some pieces of plain, unscented paper napkins or paper towel. If it is interested it will take this to its nest, which will make it more comfy and warmer.

    If it is just a sprain it should get a little better every day. If it is a break it will take several weeks to heal. By refraining from weighting the arm, the squirrel allows it to set and heal. As long as it isn't a bad break, and given the photograph, it doesn't seem to be, it should be able heal on its own in the wild.

    If caught in a trap the squirrel will likely freak out and may injure itself trying to get out.

    Second, some places grey squirrel are euthanized on sight. This can vary from state to state and from organization to organization. So, my personal suggestion would be to give it all the help you can.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Injured Arm

    Also, you might want to place the food where it doesn't have to climb stairs or put out a board or a scrap of plywood up the stairs to minimize the amount of leaping required because that can result in a jarring impact. If it uses the board, you will know that it is appreciated and useful.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Injured Arm

    Thank you for the reply, it gives me comfort knowing I can be a reliable food source and reduce the amount of digging and foraging she'll need to do. She's still consistently visiting every morning for nuts. Today her arm looked a bit worse, now with fur missing and pink skin exposed. Ugh. It is so heartbreaking to see and I sure hope she pulls through and recovers.

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    Speaking of arm injuries, another one of my backyard squirrels who I feed regularly turned up with a wounded arm now too. I'm worried what is going on out there, hope there isn't a predator nearby. Or could squirrels be fighting among each other for the food in the yard? Again, it is so heart breaking to see one of my guys hurt and limping, looks painful

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  5. #5
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    Default Re: Injured Arm

    Thanks for putting up the extra photos.

    I have two lines of thought at this time.

    First, somebody may be putting mouse traps outside and these squirrels are trying to get the food in the trap and their hands are getting caught when the bar closes, but the squirrels are able to extricate their hands however bones may be getting broken in the process. Some people who have outdoor pets put food outside and don't like the mice eating the food or maybe mice are getting into a house or garage or parked car. If it were a rat trap, the squirrel likely wouldn't survive unless they have amazingly fast reaction times. The mouse trap is of course preferable to somebody putting out poison, because then the squirrels will just start dying. If the person putting out the traps has pets they wouldn't put out poison, hopefully.

    Secondly, they squirrels do sometimes get into physical fights about dominance and territory. The striking similarity of the two injuries suggests that theory number one is the more likely explanation.

    You might inquire with your neighbors if you are on good terms and aren't known to have a hatred of squirrels. Some people do. If a rat trap is being employed, they may well be after the squirrels.

    The regular food at reliable times will definitely help a lot. Hopefully, both of these squirrels now know what a mouse trap is and know to avoid it.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Injured Arm

    Thank you for following up. I'm sad to report a third squirrel now has an injured arm and is limping. That thought could be true, that a neighbor may be setting up traps. I live in a dense suburb and 2 neighbors have gardens. I'm relatively new here and don't know them well enough to ask but now with 3 injured squirrels i'm really concerned and am thinking about it. They also have dogs.

    I'm doing my best to feed my regulars and let them know here is a safe trusted place for food. On another note, Little's paw has gotten worse and today I noticed a finger is completely hanging off the hand by a thread! I am so upset to see her like this. This is now escalated to more than just a broken limb. Does this squirrel need medical attention like antibiotics? The finger is literally swaying back and forth, I caught it on video.

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    thelema93 (06-22-2021)

  8. #7
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    Default Re: Injured Arm

    Oh no, that poor lil gal! I hope that she heals up. I'm not sure about the antibiotics myself but someone on here will absolutely have advice for you!
    I'm in New York as well (Brooklyn) and have had 3 squirrels (out of 4 regulars) show up with injuries over the last few weeks as well. I've never had so many show up with injuries, and they seem to be hiding out much more and not visiting for snacks as much. I only saw 1 little stranger show up this morning and none came by the day before. You can get quite attached to these little sweethearts and really worry when they don't show or get injured!!

  9. #8
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    Default Re: Injured Arm

    Quote Originally Posted by LawrenceSquirrels View Post
    On another note, Little's paw has gotten worse and today I noticed a finger is completely hanging off the hand by a thread! I am so upset to see her like this. This is now escalated to more than just a broken limb. Does this squirrel need medical attention like antibiotics? The finger is literally swaying back and forth, I caught it on video.
    Antibiotics would be good if you can manage to get some medicated food to that particular squirrel every day, for several days. Look around and see what antibiotics you have, some varieties can be used even though they are expired. Taking a photo with some known object of known size might help the Administrators better guesstimate the weight. You can also ask friends and family about what antibiotics they might have left over. Only one or two pills will be needed.

    Let us know what you find, including the strength of the drug. If an administrator thinks that it would be helpful they can give you precise dosing instructions.

    This squirrel may lose that finger. (For some reason the video would not play for me.) They will be able to manage without it, but preventing any more injuries would be even better.

    If a neighbor is setting mouse traps, they are probably after mice and very well may not realize that they are harming squirrels.

    You might just mention that you have seen several squirrels with hurt hands and see what their reaction is. Hopefully, in an indirect way you can figure out if they are anti squirrel.

  10. #9
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    Default Re: Injured Arm

    Following up with an update!

    I'm happy to report all 3 squirrels with injured arms are doing doing much better than a few weeks ago. All 3 are now walking with both front paws again! The wounds also look like they are improving.

    They continued to visit everyday for food and water. I monitored them and took photos to track healing progress.

    Here are some photos of my gang, and their names

    "Zebra" was limping.
    "Outfielder" was limping and had a swollen hand with skin exposed.
    "Little" Little was limping and also lost a finger during this whole ordeal. The finger looks like it broke off and is healing up with fur growing back over the wound. From my observations she's getting around ok, climbing trees, picking up food. She also is missing a fingernail on that same hand so I wonder how good of a grip she can get while climbing.
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    Thank you for following Rock Monkey and offering your advice. So grateful there are people who care about squirrels. And i'm so thankful these squirrels are doing alright, they bring me so much joy to feed and watch their quirky antics.

  11. #10
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    Default Re: Injured Arm

    Wow, I totally missed this thread. Poor babies! Love the names. Hopefully they will have no further troubles. I agree it seems like injuries a mouse trap would cause.
    "I hope everyone got or gets their Baby Love today"~Shewhosweptforest

    https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/

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    LawrenceSquirrels (07-12-2021)

  13. #11
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    Default Re: Injured Arm

    Quote Originally Posted by Chirps View Post
    Wow, I totally missed this thread. Poor babies! Love the names. Hopefully they will have no further troubles. I agree it seems like injuries a mouse trap would cause.
    Thank you Chirps! They are all doing better every day...I've noticed their bellies getting extra white fur!

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    Diggie's Friend (07-13-2021)

  15. #12
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    Default Re: Injured Arm

    Thank You to everyone on this thread. I found the forum through trying to find how to trap an Eastern Gray squirrel with such an injury in order two get him to wildlife hospital. I also noticed a second squirrel with an injured forearm and hand and wondered about neighbors having traps.
    I will follow the advice here and ask neighbors, though they are not very animal friendly
    I am so glad the little troopers in this thread all improved!

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