Neurological Question.

[catfaeries]

Hey there. Brief history- I currently have a 6 week old female baby squirrel, Mabel. Mabel was found at 3 weeks old, about 80% dehydrated and was found next to a dead sibling on an asphalt road. I have been working with a local DNR rehabber that due to personal circumstances could not take her in at that time. I have a vet tech background and we have worked through the dehydration with SubQ fluids and gotten her healthy and thriving again. She is currently eating Fox Valley Day one formula and in all aspects appears to be normal except for her movements. She has consistently gained weight, opened eyes, started chewing. She was almost immobile when we first got her but as we have gotten her up to speed, she is climbing well, but was still in learning to walk phase. My rehabber that saw her originally kept saying “any day” she would figure out moving around but now another week has gone by and although we are seeing MORE movements it’s still not fluid. She eats great, climbs our shirts when we have her out, and moves freely about the cage but in more of a swimming motion. She can get her feet under her for a few steps but then tips on her side. She often travels around with sideways crawling motion. She also often moves in reverse. She’s still QUICK. Definitely seeing progress overall. I called the Henry’s squirrel line today because I was reading about roundworm as a possible cause but she said the squirrel would not be thriving if that was the cause and it’s possible that the original fall or other issues could be the culprit. Any advice? We were working with the DNR lady to eventually release her but if she stays in her current condition I don’t think that would be possible. Has anyone had a squirrel gradually recover from similar condition? Is there anything I should be doing to assist? We give her tummy time and try working with her when we have her out to get her coordinated. I’m interested in what could possibly be the cause and what happens if she doesn’t recover enough for release. I feel her quality of life is overall great right now… she’s curious, engaged, loves feeding time. I sent her most recent movement video to the rehabber Im working with to see and get an opinion but she’s out of town right and I haven’t gotten any outside input. Any thoughts appreciated, mostly wondering if anyone has had one recover from similar circumstances and what we can do for support. Thanks so much!!

[SquirrelyDan]

It would depend on whether it’s Neuro or ortho. If it’s ortho (like “swimmer” puppies and kittens), then you can try the hobbles, etc. if it’s neuro, then you’re already doing everything for her—supportive care and physical therapy. I’ve had squirrels take up to 8 weeks to recover from a traumatic brain injury. Just when I would start to worry about them being non-releasable (especially the high-stress ones who would be unhappy in captivity), they would improve! So I think just keep up the good work and hope for the best. If she ends up being NR, at least you got her young, and she would probably have a good quality of life with the right care. Thanks for raking so much extra time and care of a special needs baby! Oh, and make sure to put a safety ladder in your toilet!

[catfaeries]

Thanks Dan! I had her evaluated by a vet and we are trying a round of prednisone to see if there’s any improvement. He does think neurological although not sure if it’s congenital or trauma related. Moving to a larger cage for stimulation and better movement area and hoping for the best. Appreciate the reply. ❤️