Bot Flies and Eastern Chipmunks :(

[krushia]

I just got Beebee to come out today, I was worried because she hasn't come out for two days, and now I know why. The larva crawled out! I guess I was right in assuming that it looked full size in my previous post.

She hesitated to come out of her immediate territory, but after the first trip she started acting fine, same as usual. I've seen her lick the wound a few times so it is definately bothering her somewhat. I'm wondering if I should clean it up a little? It has some scum in there, and I'm wondering what your thoughts are... would flushing it help prevent infection? What should I use? saline/hydrogen peroxide/benzalkonium chloride/?

I'm glad she made it through the rupture

EDIT: interesting... after looking at the pictures I wonder if our "she" is really a "he" that hasn't matured yet

[krushia]

*bump*

Still wondering if I should clean it out and what to use. Sorry for nagging, I just can't wait very long for an answer because it will start scabbing up soon (and possibly sealing in nasty germs/toxins/etc.).

[4skwerlz]

Everything I have read says, they heal fine on their own with no assistance. Attempting to "flush it out" might just introduce more bacteria.

[krushia]

Everything I've read says the standard proceedure is to clean the wound with a disinfectant after a larva has been removed (some also say to apply topical antibiotic). I would like to clean it since I have the opportunity, but I need to know what to use.

[krushia]

Well she is jumping on my lap right now, so I'm frantically trying to find out what to use on rodent wounds. I called my uncle who works with lab animals and he says they use an 0.05% hypochlorite (bleach) solution for mice. What do you rehabbers use? Maybe I should be asking in a new thread...

[krushia]

Thanks for the bumps

I cleaned it out with hydrogen peroxide, and it fizzed a lot and a lot of brown gunk came out, and some white chunks. It didn't look like scar tissue. I'm thinking it was excrement and dried puss. Didn't bother her at all.

I just confirmed that at least three more chipmunks have bots. I wanted to take them all out but I ran out of peanuts, so I can't get anyone to sit still.

Dimple (the one I mentioned at the beginning of this thread) does indeed have two of them next to his genitals. There is some gunk around his wiener, which makes me think he may have an infection (can't tell for sure, didn't get a good look). His warbles are a bit less then half the size beebee's was when it ruptured.

Thumper (unknown gender, a very young one) has one warble that I missed before, because the hole is right by it's anus and it's easy to overlook. This one looks like it has a week - 2 at the most - before it pops. I'll probably leave it alone, it's too hard to get to.

And now a little good news. Cheeky (another unknown gender munkey) had one right in the middle of it's belly, and I took it out by using hydrogen peroxide, and then sucking it out with "The Extractor" when it started to enlarge the hole to poke out. That tool works great! It came out instantly, and Thumper didn't seem to feel much pain (jumped a little, then came right back for another peanut). I think it would work without the hydrogen peroxide too.

I'm wondering why I'm finding so many warbles on these critters. The statistics I've seen say 30% of chipmunks will have them, but this is way more then 30% (we only have 7 chipmunks on the property). Are botflies bad this year? Maybe I should check the food for eggs...

Still curious as to wound cleansing and infection prevention procedures for these critters.

- Ken

[Pam's Squirt]

I would think that you'd treat it the same as you would an opened abscess. You want it to stay opened so it can drain out all the crap, and heal from the inside out. I'd do nothing more than keep it cleaned with peroxide until I heard from a professional. Good luck!

[krushia]

I would not use Neosporin as it contains neomycin, which is an aminoglycoside and hence can cause ear and kidney damage, and possibly wipe out bacteria in the intestinal tract. It would be very difficult to administer a non-harmful dosage to a critter as small as a chipmunk.

I guess I will stick to the one-time hydrogen peroxide flush, and periodically clean the surface with benzalkonium chloride wipes (unless anyone knows of a better topical antiseptic).

[krushia]

Sorry, I just don't know anything about this. Wish I could be more help. It sounds like you're going to have your hands full with all your little "friends" showing up with them. Thank you for caring so much.

I now realize my response may have sounded a bit rude, it wasn't meant to be

However, I think you brought up an important discussion point when you said a lot of people on this board use Neosporin. I actually just did a search and found a surprising number of threads in which this was recommended for rodents. This worries me, because even though I might not know much about what is safe to use on rodents, I certainly know that Neosporin is NOT safe.

The main problem is the neomycin it contains. When used on shallow scrapes on humans there are seldom any problems (except allergic reactions in some people). However, when delivered parenterally (in deep wounds or through injection) nephrotoxicity (kidney damage) and ototoxicity (ear damage) generally ocurrs. This damage is usually irreversable. This is why Neosporin and other "tripple antibiotic" ointments always say not to use on deep or puncture wounds.

Now with rodents this is even more of a problem. Because Neosporin is formulated for human needs, this makes it several times more potent when used on small mammals. When applied to a "surface wound" on a squirrel, the effects on the animal are as harmful as if you were to inject it into your blood with a syringe! If the thought of the squirrel suffering tinnitus, vertigo, hearing loss, and acute tubular necrosis isn't enough to spook you; if the squirrel licks and ingests some of the ointment, it can wipe out all bacteria in the intestines - causing a whole load of nutritional problems.

Next time you hear someone say they are using Neosporin (or any "triple antibiotic), tell them Ken said not to . A better thing to use would be Polysporin, which is the same thing but with only the polypeptides (bacitracin and polymyxin) which are much safer then neomycin (which is an aminoglycoside).

Again, I don't mean to come across as a mean know-it-all or anything, just want to make sure people are aware of problems this common ointment can cause, since our little critters don't always tell us they're having side effects

[muffinsquirrel]

Great info - thanks a bunch!

muffinsquirrel

[TubeDriver]

I now realize my response may have sounded a bit rude, it wasn't meant to be

However, I think you brought up an important discussion point when you said a lot of people on this board use Neosporin. I actually just did a search and found a surprising number of threads in which this was recommended for rodents. This worries me, because even though I might not know much about what is safe to use on rodents, I certainly know that Neosporin is NOT safe.

The main problem is the neomycin it contains. When used on shallow scrapes on humans there are seldom any problems (except allergic reactions in some people). However, when delivered parenterally (in deep wounds or through injection) nephrotoxicity (kidney damage) and ototoxicity (ear damage) generally ocurrs. This damage is usually irreversable. This is why Neosporin and other "tripple antibiotic" ointments always say not to use on deep or puncture wounds.

Now with rodents this is even more of a problem. Because Neosporin is formulated for human needs, this makes it several times more potent when used on small mammals. When applied to a "surface wound" on a squirrel, the effects on the animal are as harmful as if you were to inject it into your blood with a syringe! If the thought of the squirrel suffering tinnitus, vertigo, hearing loss, and acute tubular necrosis isn't enough to spook you; if the squirrel licks and ingests some of the ointment, it can wipe out all bacteria in the intestines - causing a whole load of nutritional problems.

Next time you hear someone say they are using Neosporin (or any "triple antibiotic), tell them Ken said not to . A better thing to use would be Polysporin, which is the same thing but with only the polypeptides (bacitracin and polymyxin) which are much safer then neomycin (which is an aminoglycoside).

Again, I don't mean to come across as a mean know-it-all or anything, just want to make sure people are aware of problems this common ointment can cause, since our little critters don't always tell us they're having side effects

Excellent info!

[farrelli]

Indeed! Thanks TD for digging this out from the oldies!

[TubeDriver]

Indeed! Thanks TD for digging this out from the oldies!

Yea, if true then it should be a sticky. Lots of folks use neosporin on squirrel injuries. Maybe a Moderator could look at this?

[Rhapsody]

My little Dipper has 2 warbles in him now and the info I have been given when they come out is to flush it once with
diluted hydrogen peroxide & water..... then to apply a generous amount of Neosporin to the site and let it heal.

[island rehabber]

My little Dipper has 2 warbles in him now and the info I have been given when they come out is to flush it once with
diluted hydrogen peroxide & water..... then to apply a generous amount of Neosporin to the site and let it heal.

Rhapsody I would use neither the peroxide (damages tissue) nor the Neosporin. Plain saline solution or a mild antiseptic wash (Betadine) would be far safer.