Caring for a disabled wild squirrel

[RockyPops]

Hey Pam, thanks for the pics and videos. Your poor baby is beautiful.

He looks good other than the back leg problem.

My opinion is you need to get this baby started on medication ASAP to have a chance of making him better. And he looks young to me also.

I know life gets in the way but he really needs attention right now. Check back here for med dosing. Someone will be able to help.

And he needs a name too!

[lilidukes]

You were absolutely right! He let me scratch his back where he can’t reach and loved it, even grooming himself along with the scritching, and clinging on to my fingers at one point. I was even able to clean some earwax out of his ears. He seemed really pleased.

I’ll try and get some pictures later. He ate some food afterwards and is now sleeping.

I’ll make sure to continue my contact.

I've never seen earwax on a squirrel.
Dirty ears from basic dirt yes but wax no.

I have seen mites, maggots and lice in a squirrels ear.
Just sayin.

Is he urinating on his own or is he expressing/leaking his bladder
laying on his stomach.

Wishing you the very best with this guy!

[Pam]

Prednisone can’t be given as a quarter of a pill. Someone will help you dilute the pill in water and tell you how much to dose. The dose is based on the strength of the prednisone and the weight of the squirrel. Please provide both.

Abs is an abbreviation for antibiotics.

Ah, thank you...

Weight is 9.6oz

I figured it would have to be diluted. It’s not like they’ll just take the pill. Heck, I have to take orecautions when taking it... stuff tastes NASTY. :lol

[Pam]

Hey Pam, thanks for the pics and videos. Your poor baby is beautiful.

He looks good other than the back leg problem.

My opinion is you need to get this baby started on medication ASAP to have a chance of making him better. And he looks young to me also.

I know life gets in the way but he really needs attention right now. Check back here for med dosing. Someone will be able to help.

And he needs a name too!

My mother calls him Duke. I asked, “What if he’s a she?” She replied, “It’s Duke anyway!” :lol

Duke is getting care from me multiple times a day...my life comment was per ignoring this thread. So apologies were to everyone here.

Compared to the other squirrels outside Duke seems to be the same size, but may still be young, as you say.

I’ll be better at staying in touch from now on!

[Pam]

I've never seen earwax on a squirrel.
Dirty ears from basic dirt yes but wax no.

I have seen mites, maggots and lice in a squirrels ear.
Just sayin.

Is he urinating on his own or is he expressing/leaking his bladder
laying on his stomach.

Wishing you the very best with this guy!

The earwax I reported may have been just dirt/skin, since Duke can’t scratch with hind legs. Ears have remained clean since initial clean-out, so (crossed fingers) no mites.

Seems to be urinating on his own. There are many wet spots around the cage, not just where he lays.

Thank you for the support!!

[stepnstone]

Ah, thank you...
Weight is 9.6oz
I figured it would have to be diluted. It’s not like they’ll just take the pill. Heck, I have to take orecautions when taking it... stuff tastes NASTY. :lol

Info sent to your private messages...

[RockyPops]

No apology needed! And thank you for caring for Duke!

Let us know if prednisone treatment helps.

[CritterMom]

You will need to attend to the ears regularly for as long as the back legs are unable to do so. Ear issues are very common in NR squirrels with hind end paralysis, so I would be proactive in this area and maybe you can avoid them.

I would also see if he will let you begin to very gently start working the hind legs. I would start by very gently rubbing between thumb and fingers to help boost blood flow to the area for healing if it is possible and also to begin loosening up the muscles so those legs can be (eventually) gently stretched out. Otherwise the curling of the limbs can become very exaggerated and can become an issue itself.

[redwuff]

Does anyone think there is any chance this little cutie is a dwarf?


https://i.imgur.com/6AZI1wk_d.jpg?ma...idelity=medium

[redwuff]

Pam,

I am wondering if you have been able to get Duke on a better diet than the exotic nutrition.
This guy is very slender and needs to be on a good diet as soon as possible. Thank you for caring for this little one. Without you this little guy would most likely be dead. You have saved Duke’s life.

I noticed that you have Duke bedding on a material like carefresh. He will be much more comfortable on a twin sheet with half a dozen pieces of fleece that he can hide under. I put newspaper under the sheet to soak up urine, but having the fleece to hide under is very important. Please don’t use towels, it is very easy for them to be injure by getting nails caught in the loops.

[Pam]

Pam,

I am wondering if you have been able to get Duke on a better diet than the exotic nutrition.
This guy is very slender and needs to be on a good diet as soon as possible. Thank you for caring for this little one. Without you this little guy would most likely be dead. You have saved Duke’s life.

I noticed that you have Duke bedding on a material like carefresh. He will be much more comfortable on a twin sheet with half a dozen pieces of fleece that he can hide under. I put newspaper under the sheet to soak up urine, but having the fleece to hide under is very important. Please don’t use towels, it is very easy for them to be injure by getting nails caught in the loops.

Thank you...

I’ve got the Henry’s food on the way and will be starting on prednisone tonight. That should help him put on weight too.

That material is a velveteen from an old pair of pajama pants. As soon as I can take care of whatever this skin problem is (another rehabber said mites & he may also have lice & fleas), I’ll get one of those soft burrows that my ferrets loved so much. Those are more difficult to clean out bugs from tho, in my experience.

[stepnstone]

As soon as I can take care of whatever this skin problem is
(another rehabber said mites & he may also have lice & fleas),

Replied and addressed all 3 suspected critters in your pm.

[Pam]

Replied and addressed all 3 suspected critters in your pm.

Thank you again for all your help!!!

[redwuff]

Hi Pam. How is your little man doing? He is such a cutie pie. Hope all is going well for you. Would love to hear from you

[Pam]

Hi Pam. How is your little man doing? He is such a cutie pie. Hope all is going well for you. Would love to hear from you

Doing well! Got some more movement in the tail, even though the prednisone treatment is done. My mother figured out that Duke has some bot fly infestations so now we’re doing baths in epsom salts and got at least one to detach. We’ll be continuing that for a week to make sure the others leave too. Otherwise, we’re dealing with the infestation that’s causing the fur loss, and some is even starting to grow back in!

The bad legs seem to be due to a cyst that’s deformed Duke’s spine. I’m still doing PT on the legs despite the cyst. There’s some grip there so I think it may just be that the nerves are impacted, making the legs too weak. But there’s a weird bend to the spine, almost like a hunchback that doesn’t go away.

I’ll try to get some more pictures... my own gimpy-ness has been interfering in anything not necessary (we’re a pair, Duke & I :lol)

Thanks for checking up!

[redwuff]

WowPam, I have to say that I can’t imagine bot fly issues in Colorado in February. Have you gotten warbles out? It is no mistaking if you are seeing warbles, that’s for sure! Can you send a picture. Bot warbles are under the skin and they create a hole from which they emerge. There is an oozing of fluid from the hole and a big swelling that is the warble. I’ll see if I can dig up a picture. We should have a section on this board that says OOH TOO GROSS cos that is where bots would be.. But they never are attached on the skin. Like I said, a picture is good and we can learn from this!

Sounds like you have gotten into a good routine with Duke. Is he being a good boy and eating his blocks.

[Pam]

WowPam, I have to say that I can’t imagine bot fly issues in Colorado in February. Have you gotten warbles out? It is no mistaking if you are seeing warbles, that’s for sure! Can you send a picture. Bot warbles are under the skin and they create a hole from which they emerge. There is an oozing of fluid from the hole and a big swelling that is the warble. I’ll see if I can dig up a picture. We should have a section on this board that says OOH TOO GROSS cos that is where bots would be.. But they never are attached on the skin. Like I said, a picture is good and we can learn from this!

Sounds like you have gotten into a good routine with Duke. Is he being a good boy and eating his blocks.

Insects live year-round here, we dont get a hard freeze like in the Midwest. We had 70° weather just over a week ago. Here’s a link to a before picture. https://imgur.com/gallery/uK34YlK Whatever it was came off with the epson salt bath, treated with Neosporin afterwards, so I’ll continue that success until all are gone.

Hope that helps!

[Chirps]

Been in and out of this thread, then lost track of it. Pam, you rock! Thanks for being so good! Maybe a pic of the next disgusting critter to emerge would put the question to bed, but you're probably right that it's a bot.

Ever see the YouTube videos of the mangoworm removal? Both fascinating and disgusting at the same time. I almost wish we had mango worms here instead of bots since they don't seem to grip with those little barbs as tightly as the bots. You can just squeeze with gentle pressure and they pop out. But they also seem better at infesting in greater numbers so I guess it's a tradeoff.

[redwuff]

Insects live year-round here, we dont get a hard freeze like in the Midwest. We had 70° weather just over a week ago. Here’s a link to a before picture. https://imgur.com/gallery/uK34YlK Whatever it was came off with the epson salt bath, treated with Neosporin afterwards, so I’ll continue that success until all are gone.

Hope that helps!

Yup, that’s a bot. My hens love those tasty little critters

[Pam]

Hey Pam, thanks for the pics and videos. Your poor baby is beautiful.

He looks good other than the back leg problem.

My opinion is you need to get this baby started on medication ASAP to have a chance of making him better. And he looks young to me also.

I know life gets in the way but he really needs attention right now. Check back here for med dosing. Someone will be able to help.

And he needs a name too!

If it’s a him, his name is The Duke. If a girl, The Duchess.

I had a book as a kid: The Duke of Sycamore, where the main character was a squirrel.

Just waiting on med info. Thankfully, it’s not infected, but meds still needed, yes!

I’m super worried. :cry