Young gray squirrel with broken or abnormally developed tail
We have several yard squirrels that have become accustomed to being hand-fed, and several will come into the house for it. Two are black and two are gray. One of the most recent additions to this collection is a smaller-than-average gray squirrel with a tail problem that worries us. Its tail is always angled over to its left, and it obviously can't raise it. The tail is of normal length, so if it's broken that would have to be right at the base. The other explanation, I imagine, is abnormal development or a neurological problem, and maybe the tail was never normal. When it's been raining, its tail gets very wet from the ground/grass, since it can't be raised or twitched as most squirrels do very often. It appears to be somewhat rejected by other squirrels but that it difficult to assess. Also worrying about its prospects is that we see what looks like several raised bumps in the area just below the tail. We don't think it's just feces accumulation resulting from the squirrel's inability to raise the tail. It looks like swelling but so far, we can't see it well enough to say there is inflammation redness.
However, despite the disadvantage of a non-working tail and that negative impact on balance and agility, it manages to climb trees and scamper among the branches OK. And its appetite is good, eating many nuts especially walnuts and almonds.
What might explain the tail problem and the bumps underneath it? Is there anything that can be done to increase its chances of survival?
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