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Thread: Release if blind in one eye?

  1. #1
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    Default Release if blind in one eye?

    Cedar is the baby that came with the “lazy eye” and facial swelling. Not sure what happened , but some sort of head trauma (?) and had a puncture on her head. For the longest she would only eat soft things. She’s gradually gotten better with that. And her eye now stays open most of the time; still droops occasionally.

    But, we examined her more closely, and she is blind in that eye. No menace at all. I can nearly touch her eye and no reaction ( her opposite blinks as should).

    She is also exceptionally friendly in spite of minimal handling. Trust me I have not coddled her other than she had more one on one since The Quad excommunicated her.

    I kept Dandies , my one eye girl, because she and her totally neuro sister were inseparable. And, it seems when I asked then, some discouraged release of a vision impaired baby.
    We live /release in the woods. We have 70 acres and all the predators that come with it.

    What are thoughts about her?
    She can stay, if the odds would be significantly against her ,

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Release if blind in one eye?

    So me and Marie actually have the same issue. Mine is with Stitch. His eye is still gray in the pupil area. Just a cloudy dot. I think he can see light and dark but that’s it. Again he came this way. What are their chances if released due to a sight impairment. Stitch also has a short tail but seems to be normal now with proper care and nutrition. I can add a video of his eye once added to a platform.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Release if blind in one eye?

    https://youtu.be/R2NcPi7lBik

    This is the video of Stitch Mans Eye.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Release if blind in one eye?

    I have seen a squirrel with vision impairment on one eye (greyed out) in the park about 8 weeks ago. He was always holding his head sideways and acted very insecure / aggressive, indicating that he could only see on one eye. I haven't seen him in about 7 weeks. Keep in mind, this is in a park with plenty of food and no major predators around.

    Not counting my neuro boy, all squirrels in this park are extremely healthy and active. Once they get seriously sick or impaired, chances are off.

    Mean life expectancy for a wild gray squirrel at birth is 1-2 years, the average life span of an adult is closer to 6 years. Captive they live twice as long, some times even longer.

    I don't think they can make it in the long run, in nature, if they have anything more than a very slight neuro / balancing issue or a couple botflies under the skin.

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  6. #5
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    Default Re: Release if blind in one eye?

    Thank you for your opinion,

    I was more concerned at first, as to why she only will eat soft things,
    I wondered if her mouth /jaws were impaired, but she can crack an almond and pecan in the shell ( ** I do not feed her nuts . I just wanted to see what her abilities were)

    But her eye ; it has no response. Just dilated and no reflexes.

    She also seems overly excited and interested in my hands, like she doesn’t realize the food is in the dish,

    I have to place her in front of the dish,

    But she can see with her other eye; at least seems to be working well enough to navigate a three level CN cage.

  7. #6
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    Default Re: Release if blind in one eye?

    Quote Originally Posted by Snicker Bar View Post
    Cedar is the baby that came with the “lazy eye” and facial swelling. Not sure what happened , but some sort of head trauma (?) and had a puncture on her head. For the longest she would only eat soft things. She’s gradually gotten better with that. And her eye now stays open most of the time; still droops occasionally.

    But, we examined her more closely, and she is blind in that eye. No menace at all. I can nearly touch her eye and no reaction ( her opposite blinks as should).

    She is also exceptionally friendly in spite of minimal handling. Trust me I have not coddled her other than she had more one on one since The Quad excommunicated her.

    I kept Dandies , my one eye girl, because she and her totally neuro sister were inseparable. And, it seems when I asked then, some discouraged release of a vision impaired baby.
    We live /release in the woods. We have 70 acres and all the predators that come with it.

    What are thoughts about her?
    She can stay, if the odds would be significantly against her ,
    In my opinion...
    In the wild, a squirrel's ability to chew is their survival as well as their sight.

    Why the soft foods? Could she not chew, bad teeth, weak jaw?
    Can your girl crack a hard shelled nut in a reasonable time? That's an important factor for a releasable.
    Besides being seasonal, without the ability to chew, I doubt they could get enough nutrition from vegetation alone.

    I'm personally not totally against releasing a one eyed squirrel, that very much would depend on the individual squirrel.
    All animals can see you with one eye, that's not in question. Binocular vision is a differentiator between predator and prey,
    unfortunately most prey animals have a small binocular area. This is why birds of prey, hawks, owls, etc. try to attack prey
    animals from behind their head as it's their blind spot. A squirrel with both unimpaired eyes can be looking at/or toward two
    different areas at the same time. Example, Incoming predator and escape route. A one eyed squirrel would lose that advantage
    and would have to adjust their sight of vision to depend solely on that one eye. Are they challenged yes, could they survive?
    I'm sure many have... Squirrel's are very resilient.

    There may be some exceptions with a squirrel being "
    exceptionally friendly," but the majority once in the wild embrace it and
    leave their caretakers wondering WTH happened to their sweet baby! A squirrel's natural instincts are hard wired and in their
    own natural environment, nature flips the switch.
    Step-N-Stone
    State Licensed
    Wildlife Master Rehabilitator


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  9. #7
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    Default Re: Release if blind in one eye?

    He face was a bit swollen on the same side that the eye is on. But her front teeth all seem to line up properly . She would squeak anytime her face was touched on that side, and she was slow to take formula. I think he face was just really sore? This was her on intake:

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    Now, I’ve got a small skittish girl that is housing peacefully with her in the hopes they could go together. The new one basically ignores her. Won’t play; keeps to itself But now after realizing that eye is blind, idk,

    Maybe I need to take her out and observe longer, and get the skittish one a new friend .

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