Eye crusted over/mass growing

[Buddy]

Could it be a bad case of pox? I was doing some research and this little guy's eye looks similar...

https://www.facebook.com/PDRSG01/posts/2253822091320109

It says: Here is a list of the signs and symptoms of the Squirrel Pox Virus.
Skin Ulcers.
Lesions and scabs.
Swelling and discharge from the lesions/scabs near the eyes, mouth, feet and genitalia.
Lethargic and shivering.

Feel so bad for her...

[Rock Monkey]

Squirrels are incredibly tough if they can get enough food. That is a huge advantage. They can heal from a great many different maladies. By feeding her you reduce the amount of time she has to spend outside of the nest foraging for food, thus making her safer from predators. Their hearing is amazing. They have great senses of smell. They have very impressive mental maps of their environment and they have whiskers to tell them what is their when they are in close proximity to something.

They do not have a central focal point in their eyes. So she is getting information from all over her environment in her other good eye.

Yes, I agree about the discharge. The mass looks a little more crusted over. (I take that as a good sign.) This is nature's way of making a bandage and keeping dirt and bacteria out of a deep open wound.

Did you put out any paper towels or napkins yet? Did she show any interest in these?

Her coat looks good.

[Rock Monkey]

It says: Here is a list of the signs and symptoms of the Squirrel Pox Virus.
Skin Ulcers.
Lesions and scabs.
Swelling and discharge from the lesions/scabs near the eyes, mouth, feet and genitalia.
Lethargic and shivering.

Feel so bad for her...

If it is a virus, an antibiotic wouldn't have any effect unless there is a secondary infection.

But you can definitely do many things to boost her immune system.

[Spanky]

I don't believe this is pox... I have treated several pox cases.

[sundoesshine]

Have any admin's heard of Vetericyn? Safe for all species, doesn't sting, can be ingested, used around eyes mouth etc. Got mine at Petco, kinda pricey but have used it for anything that comes up for years and everything always clears fast. Maybe trap her and apply for a day? Poor girl.

[We <3 Droops]

Squirrels are incredibly tough if they can get enough food. That is a huge advantage. They can heal from a great many different maladies. By feeding her you reduce the amount of time she has to spend outside of the nest foraging for food, thus making her safer from predators. Their hearing is amazing. They have great senses of smell. They have very impressive mental maps of their environment and they have whiskers to tell them what is their when they are in close proximity to something.

They do not have a central focal point in their eyes. So she is getting information from all over her environment in her other good eye.

Yes, I agree about the discharge. The mass looks a little more crusted over. (I take that as a good sign.) This is nature's way of making a bandage and keeping dirt and bacteria out of a deep open wound.

Did you put out any paper towels or napkins yet? Did she show any interest in these?

Her coat looks good.

Well, I put some out today while she was eating, right at the bottom of a vine she uses to climb to the top of our 3 story apartment building (where we believe her nest to possibly be), but a squall came through and soaked the paper towel. She was gone before I could replace it. I will try again tomorrow.

She ate a ton today. Third day in a row that she visited so that's promising. Always around the same time so hopefully we can get into a nice routine.

[Rock Monkey]

She ate a ton today. Third day in a row that she visited so that's promising. Always around the same time so hopefully we can get into a nice routine.

It is a good sign that she has a strong appetite. Yes, if you could be out there around the same time every day that would be good. They are very observant and notice patterns and if you can be consistent she will be more likely to come out. They know a good thing when they see it. Easy, calorie rich food is good deal.

When putting out paper, make sure the pieces aren't too big. They will wad it up, but can trip over the paper if it is too big.

I would fold it up and give it directly, presenting the fold, but she probably doesn't take anything directly from your hand.

[We <3 Droops]

It is a good sign that she has a strong appetite. Yes, if you could be out there around the same time every day that would be good. They are very observant and notice patterns and if you can be consistent she will be more likely to come out. They know a good thing when they see it. Easy, calorie rich food is good deal.

When putting out paper, make sure the pieces aren't too big. They will wad it up, but can trip over the paper if it is too big.

I would fold it up and give it directly, presenting the fold, but she probably doesn't take anything directly from your hand.

UPDATE: Well I spoke too soon. She has not returned since Thursday. We are now playing the waiting game.

[Buddy]

Hope she comes back soon!

[sundoesshine]

UPDATE: Well I spoke too soon. She has not returned since Thursday. We are now playing the waiting game.

Any updates? I so worry that she may be incapacitated somewhere and the young are left alone. Do you have the ability to look for her or where she nested?

[We <3 Droops]

Hello everyone,
So I finally convinced our apartment manager to let me up onto the roof tomorrow to look for Droopy. I don’t know if she actually lives up there, but it’s a better option than this sit-and-wait that I have been forced into.

Anyway, it’s a 100 year old apartment building, 3 stories, and I’m looking for advice on where to look when I get up there (with the manager most likely breathing down my neck so he can get back to his apartment). So I’m just looking for any advice about what to possibly look for when I get up to the roof tomorrow. Without any knowledge of what is on my apartment’s flat roof, does anyone have an inkling of where I should start my search?

#shotinthedark
#thankyouallsomuch

[We <3 Droops]

Any updates? I so worry that she may be incapacitated somewhere and the young are left alone. Do you have the ability to look for her or where she nested?

Hello sundoesshine,
I just posted about finally getting onto our roof tomorrow. It’s a long shot...but I’ve been tossing up immunity booster nut balls for the past few days, and it’s rained twice so if she is incapacitated at all, and she does live up there, she has had food and water at hand. Thank you for your concern. I will write back tomorrow what I find. Fingers crossed...

[Buddy]

Best of luck! Hope you update us tomorrow (or soon) with some good news!

[Rock Monkey]

Hello everyone,
So I’m just looking for any advice about what to possibly look for when I get up to the roof tomorrow. Without any knowledge of what is on my apartment’s flat roof, does anyone have an inkling of where I should start my search?

Squirrels prefer homes with small entrances, oftentimes not much larger than them, think of a 3" circle or maybe even smaller. Helen's favorite nest featured an opening of 1 1/2" x 6". This small opening excludes larger predators. The inner nest may only be a 6" sphere, likely lined with whatever could be scrounged. They prefer small spaces because they will only be heated with body heat.

They prefer homes whose entrance is elevated, preferably some that might be accessed with a small ledge.

The entrance may be concealed behind objects stored on the roof or accessed through a small between larger objects. Sometimes they will chew to make a small opening larger, so look for chew marks. You may see odd bits of fabric sticking out.

Don't expect her to come running out to greet you. She will likely stay totally still and concealed when you are around. Caution is what keeps them alive.

If she were dead, there would be a very strong odor. (So, if you don't smell any such odor, that is a good sign.)

Burrowing into the building would be desirable because there will likely be some residual heat from the building wherever they reside.

[We <3 Droops]

Roof update: Well, I didn’t see Droopy or any clues to her whereabouts. No real places to hide up there. I am guessing that she lives in the decorative metal structure (looks like a rain gutter but is covered) that wraps around the building, about 5 feet below the edge of the roof. There are a few places this hollow structure has been rusted out and squirrels will sometimes crawl through them. I bet she is nested up somewhere in there. Impossible to get near.
So I will continue to toss immune system boosting nut balls up to the roof until she shows up or my arm falls off.

Thanks again for everyone’s support. It’s really hard loving a wild animal so much.

[sundoesshine]

Roof update: Well, I didn’t see Droopy or any clues to her whereabouts.
So I will continue to toss immune system boosting nut balls up to the roof until she shows up or my arm falls off.

Thanks again for everyone’s support. It’s really hard loving a wild animal so much.

Thank you so much for the update and doing all that! I thought looking would mean taking a walk in a back yard or just taking a look up at neighborhood trees that you might not otherwise look at for nests etc. So she's somewhat of a city squirrel. I wonder if she could have been trapped by someone else that she visits. My released squirrel can be very regular for a few days, then not show up for a week too. Hopefully she is just taking advantage of nature's free this time of year.

[We <3 Droops]

Thank you so much for the update and doing all that! I thought looking would mean taking a walk in a back yard or just taking a look up at neighborhood trees that you might not otherwise look at for nests etc. So she's somewhat of a city squirrel. I wonder if she could have been trapped by someone else that she visits. My released squirrel can be very regular for a few days, then not show up for a week too. Hopefully she is just taking advantage of nature's free this time of year.

Definitely a city squirrel. We would sometimes see her around the corner and she would follow us all the way back home. If she was around at dusk, she would always climb up the vines onto our 3 story apartment building to end the evening. There are no trees close enough to jump to from atop so we just assumed she lived up there.

I bought a slingshot to launch the immune system booster treats up to the roof but they just break apart into tiny pieces. I still try to throw some up there but most of the time it bounces off a window or falls straight back down and gets lost in the weeds. It's been over 2 weeks now since she was last seen, so our hopes are not very high.

Thanks again everyone for all of your positive thoughts.

(Here is one of my favorite photos of her from last fall...)

[Rocky1]

My non-expert brainstorming:

It looks like she cannot blink and I do not know what the prognosis is for that. I wish I knew of a veterinarian who would be willing to analyze a swab or help via virtual* appointment? I wish I could think of a trail and error method that is likely to work without doing further damage? Such as eye drops of some sort? To me, it is unclear if this is purely an injury, or an injury plus an infection possibly caused by fungus or bacteria or a virus, etc. *Maybe a state where pet squirrels are legal and doing virtual veterinary appointments?

I hope this will give someone a helpful idea and that it is not entirely worthless. Good luck! I hope she gets better!!