What kind of squirrel is this?

[olivia2018]

?

[island rehabber]

That appears, to me, to be a squirrel who has lost nearly all his fur to mange or another disorder.

[olivia2018]

Why would it still have fur on it’s tail?

[olivia2018]

?

[island rehabber]

Mange is caused by mites on the skin...they haven't gotten to the end of his tail yet.

Can you feed this squirrel? It's possible to treat mange in wild squirrels with ivermectin if you can give him a special nut with the medicine on it.

[CritterMom]

This is a Western gray squirrel. Does the skin look scaly and red? Because to ME this looks like a squirrel that has gotten rid of mange or some other hormonal thing that caused the hair loss. They almost always start getting their tail fur back first.

[Diggie's Friend]

Naturally occurring, humates are found in concentrated amounts in 'leonardite'; this is the same compound that is included the Soil Based Organism in the pre and probiotic source Pet Flora by Vitality Science. Working together these natural compounds support balance in the body; yet when there is imbalance of this nature they can be used separately to treat or counter hereditary conditions like Hemochromatosis.

If this was caused by mange, know mange causes anemia (low red cells count) that is life threatening. Nuts and grains are high in iron, as are berries. 'Fulvic acid', alone is known to increase iron in the body, and so can be used to treat anemia. This is available on Amazon.com

Conversely, if the hairlessness is caused by Hemochromatosis, which can leave some hair at the end as it progresses also, the hair loss is a result of iron build up of iron in the liver, heart, and pancreas, for the body isn't able to well regulate iron, Moreover this condition results in mortality within a short amount of time, not treatable in rodents for it would require lowering the red cell count by phlebotomy. One source holds some promise, 'Humic acid', that has been found to remove iron from these organs, and move it out the bowel when ingested also.

For this reason to treat either iron deficiency, or overload, the treatment for each being opposite, getting the diagnosis right is vital!

If this isn't a pet IR, is there a rehabber in this region that might be called on to offer support for this squirrel?

[Diggie's Friend]

Here's the study done on the iron binding capacity of Humic acid.

http://www.huveta.hu/bitstream/handl...f%3bsequence=2

Read the last statement in part 5, and the last statement in part 6 on the effects of Humic Acid (HA) and Fulvic acid.

HA being 2-3 times greater in effect to lower iron in the organs, this including the liver. It adds iron to the blood, but then reduces it in the organs.

The excess iron bound to Humic acid is eliminated.

Again this is the potential application for controlling Hemochromatosis (that causes overly high iron in the liver and the heart).

If anemia, caused by hair loss from mange, is gone, then a normal diet is the answer to restoring health in squirrels.

Pumpkin seeds are a high source of iron.

Vegetables that have good levels of iron content include: boiled green beans, broccoli, podded peas, Kale, and baked acorn squash. Berries are also good sources of iron.

Chlorella, and black strap molasses are very high in iron; these could be included as a 'tonic' in small measure in the diet.

http://spiritfoods.net/foods-rich-in-iron/

Zinc deficiency, that is common in tree squirrels, also can result in hair loss.

Adding Zinc L-monomethione to the diet at one eighth portion of the powdered contents of a capsule daily (1.875 mg.),

(not to be confused with 1/8 Tsp. a far larger measure), is a good way to address this deficiency in rodents.

Source: Zinc Balance 15 mg. capsules by Jarrow https://www.amazon.com/Jarrow-Formul...ance+by+jarrow