Hair Loss on Tails! ?

[ShadowTailSquirrel]

Hi squirrel lovers!
I was hoping someone on here could help me out. I have 3 squirrels in my care from the same litter, and all of their tails are looking very ratty! There is hair at the base, but the rest of the tail is practically bare. I thought perhaps it was a molt, but it's been like this for over 3 months now with no change. I've tried calcium carbonate supplement from Henry's. They all eat their HHB's daily + veggies from the approved squirrel food list I found through this board, so I'm not totally convinced it's dietary...the one thing I can think of is that I took these squirrels in from a woman who found them at 5 weeks old, and unfortunately proceeded to feed them kitten formula and peanuts....by the time I got them they would only take their squirrel formula sporadically. Could that have caused long term significant damage? I know proper formula is so very important. I've attached a photo. Does anyone have any other ideas on what might have caused this, and what the best treatment might be? I am hoping to release them this spring once the weather gets a bit nicer, but I can't let them go until this tail situation clears up. Thank you guys in advance!

[Rhapsody]

Poor Baby. How long have they been eating their HHB and a balance diet?
This could be from a lack of proper diet from when they were younger and
now they just need the right amount of time to get their fur back in shape.

How does rest of their fur look? -no other missing fur or patches on them?
Just trying to make sure we dont have a case of mites that may need some
treatment with Revolution.

[ShadowTailSquirrel]

Hi & thank you for responding! They've been eating their blocks & veggies since they were about 8 weeks old.

One of the boys does have a little fur loss on his side in addition to the loss on the tail. I didn't really think it was a parasite because the skin isn't irritated looking, but maybe that actually is the problem? Would you recommend dosing with the revolution just in case?

[missieann]

Hi. My little Fluff A Nutter who will be 1 at the end of this month has just lost all the hair on the tip of his tail... I know it is not mites or mange but from what I am reading in a few other places is that it could also be a an auto immune issue. He gets Henrys Healthy Bites along with a healthy diet and fabulous menu verities and there is no hair loss on any other part of his body. I have an older squirrel that is 5 yrs old and never lost his tail fur or any fur to be exact. Any ideals to help solve his little issue? He was rescued out of a yard while a dog was tossing him and his 4 siblings around like toys when I saved him... the others passed away... he did have a rough start and I was getting close in releasing him when just over night he developed a naked tail..... I play with both everyday, clean out cages everyday, they run, hide nuts, play, jump and it literally was overnight that the tip of tail turned naked.