I Think My Squirrel Friend Has Mange!

[Tigger]

I moved into a new house a few months ago and a few days into living into this new place - I looked outside my window and was face to face with a cute squirrel. I noticed she was black with white on her pack, almost like a ring around the back of her neck. Nonetheless, I began calling for her and and she would come over and I gave her some nuts, raisins, etc. They weren't salted or anything and my friend told me I should name her. So, I named this little squirrel Peanut. BTW., I know it's a female because she has a baby I have named Cashew!

Anyway, as I formed a friendship with her I began doing research on her missing fur. Of course, mange came up and concerned me. But, then a few weeks ago her fur seemed to be growing back in very nicely. I was relieved.

Except now she is looking kind've rough, again. She has a lot of white and with it getting cold - I am worried for her.

I was wondering if there was any natural stuff I could use to help fight mange. I mean, I know there is some vet subscribed medicine or whatever but unfortunately for Peanut its not really an option.

Does anyone have any ideas?

I am also looking to buy her a squirrel house but there is a big brown billy squirrel with some smaller babies that live really close so I am afraid they would use it instead of her.


On the subject of her baby, before someone wonders if the baby has signs of mange too - as odd as it sounds I think her baby is living with the bull squirrel. Because Peanut and her babies were living in my neighbors overhang due to a hole in this screen thing - which got patched up. I thought the babies were inside and I was looking for ways to break them out. I didn't hear them crying and I saw Peanut later that day; she seemed upset. A few weeks later I saw a smaller black squirrel and a smaller brown squirrel fighting in the back yard which I assume was Peanut's babies. Since she was close by. I called her over and she stood up, then ran over to get her 'cookie'(I use the term lightly; its not a real cookie in the literal sense) but the babies ran up the wall and into the hole that was patched up.

A few minutes later a bigger brown squirrel which is now known as the bully, she came over with a really small baby in her mouth and went into the same hole in the overhang. I read up and its not all that uncommon for babies once after a certain age to live with a different nest of squirrels. Could this be because Peanut has mange?

Anyway, I'm sorry for going on but this squirrel is just amazing. I call her my own, though she obviously lives in the wild. She comes right up to the screen door and looks in while waiting for her treats. I recently started giving her almonds which she's been burying. If I am watching her she looks back and runs further until she thinks I can't see, then she digs, buries them, and comes back for more! And if the bully arrives, I take the almonds back so the bully doesn't get them and Peanut comes back, runs to where the almonds were, then stands up and looks at me like "where are my almonds?" Its so cute!

Again, sorry for going on and on but its hard not to. I have some adorable pictures of her I will upload soon but any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

[MissDolittle]

Heyas Tigger, welcome!

Are you totally sure it's mange and not the seasonal shedding? I never had a squirrel with mange, so I'm not an expert, but with dogs I often thought it was mange and it was ringworms instead. Same with the raccoon I had last month. It could also be lice or allergies. Hard to tell.

Lets see some pictures, maybe a visual helps to figure out what it is.

You sure like those lil buggers, don't you? hehehe Means you are at the right place here! Welcome again!

[Tigger]

Thank you.

I found this forum while looking up information on squirrels/mange, its lovely.

Anyway,

here is some pictures of her:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/tiggaplease/IMG_17302.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/tiggaplease/IMG_1728.jpg

I know they don't show here missing fur the greatest, but I hope it helps a bit. Oh yeah and here is one when her fur seemed to be growing back in nicely(excuse the red eyes ;)):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/tiggaplease/IMG_1820.jpg

It's also ironic I named her Peanut because she doesn't like peanuts! LOL! I originally got her some unsalted mixed nuts and she would eat the peanuts...but only if she had to. I also tried to see if she likes carrots and stuff, but she sniffed it, stood up and looked at me and waited for me to give her something else.

=)

I'm not sure if it is mange or not, I hope its not but at the same time I don't wanna take any chances. So again, glad I found this forum!

[MissDolittle]

That looks like a scar to me. Maybe during summer and winter when the fur is full you don't see as much, but when they change their coats with the season, it's more visible.

Of course I can't say for sure, but she sure is a cutie. I never saw a black squirrel except in pictures :).

Is she itching and scratching on the area, does it look infected or bothersome to you? I don't think it's mange.

This is mange:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/349107973_8d07cb238b.jpg

[Tigger]

Well, she does scratch a lot but really no different than any of the other squirrels! I know from just searching around it didn't look like mange from all the pics of it I saw. The skin on her ears looks corroded almost, I originally did think it was just a scar. I still hope so!

I am gonna take more pictures of her so I can see if I can monitor if its getting worse or possibly just the different angles I see her at. She doesn't seem to be weaker, she is certainly faster than the bully. And whenever the bully gets her stuff she runs back to the door to get more.

:D

Thanks for your help!

[MissDolittle]

She looks old to me. That might be a reason why she's slow.

[Helenmary]

Wow!!! I've never seen a black squirrel before....How cool!
(Thanks MissD, for keeping this site so wonderful!!!)

Oh, and I think it looks like scars too, maybe cat claws, dog teeth, a "bully" squirrel...? I wouldn't doubt the latter if she fought to keep her young'uns. What does the other side of her look like?

Thanks for taking care of her!

[kathy]

I read your possible mange problem with peanut. My Charlie has the same thing, but a lot worse. I first noticed it about 2 weeks ago. It looked just like yours. Then seemed to be better. Now it is terrible, worse everyday, I'm getting worried about him. Soon it will be very cold. I attached a couple of pics.
Does anyone know what I should do? I don't know how to get the photos in.

[MissDolittle]

Hi Kathy, welcome on board. In order to attach photos, you have to have the pictures online somewhere. You then click on the little yellow square icon right above the field where you are typing your answer and then paste the URL of the image into the little window that pops up.

Alternatively you can also email (mailto:rehabilitator@gmail.com) me the pictures and I'll post them for you, if you don't have a place to host them.

One of the 8 squirrels I have had been losing patches of fur, but they are growing back on their own. Since the other squirrels didn't get it, it couldn't have been anything contagious, so I ruled out mange and ringworm.

It might just be that some shed their fur more than others during the season change.

[MissDolittle]

Here are the pictures. It DOES look like mange or ringworm...

http://www.amazes.us/pics/squirrels/hairloss.jpg

http://www.amazes.us/pics/squirrels/hairloss1.jpg

[MissDolittle]

I have been emailing with kathy and asked her if what we see in the picture is the main diet for the squirrel, but since the squirrel lives outside, she can't tell what else he's eating.

Here is my reply to her:

The reason why I asked if this is his main diet, is because corn and sunflower seeds are just about the worst one can feed to a squirrel. It's like feeding a child with candy and chocolates only.

Mange only becomes activ when the animal is too young of the immune system is compromised, which could be the result of a wrong diet.

Here is a list with 'good' foods: http://www.rainbowwildlife.com/adult-squirrel-diet.html

Are you able to handle the squirrel? Would you be able to apply topical cremes or give him medication? Could you sneak some meds in his food?

Here is a great link that explains about mange and it's treatment with oral Ivermectin. Ivermectin is the ingredient in heartworm meds for dogs and there is a paste available here at the feed store, but it might be better to ask a vet about it as well as the dosage.
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12150_12220-26949--,00.html

If it's not mange, the treatment with ivermectin won't hurt, since it's basically a dewormer too.

However, if it's ringworm, you have to apply topical cremes such as Mycelex onto the affected areas and that can be tricky, since they clean themselves and would lick the cremes off. I think there is an oral medication as well, ask the vet about it!

It all depends if you can handle the squirrel or not. If you can, ringworm will glow under black light, that would be one way to determine if that is what you are dealing with.

[Sylvia]

I have two grey squirrels that come to my feeder that definitely have the mange. I was told by a wildlife person from Fish and Game that it was fatal and there was nothing I could do to help them. Then I was told by a wildlife rehab person to buy ivermectin from a feed store and put this on their food. However, the feed store only sells it in pint size bottles with a syringe that measures for horses and cows. They didn't think it would be appropriate for squirrels. Does anyone have any other ideas.

[MissDolittle]

Welcome on board Sylvia, and thanks for caring about the squirrels!

Do you have dogs that are on heartworm meds? The main ingredient for heartworm prevention is ivermectin, so HeartGard and such are based on ivermectin.

But how to get the squirrels to eat them...that's a whole different story.

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

I would say both squirrels have mange. If you look at the black squirrel's ears, you can see they are kinda crusty. That is the first sign I look for with mange (my squirrels got it last winter and one of my black squirrels got it 4 years ago). It actually looks like the squirrel is recovering from the mange though. The grey grey squirrel looks to be getting some fuzz back. That means the mange is gone and the fur is growing back. It may come in a different color at first, then fade in with the rest (my fox squirrel got orange fuzz in on his back, it was so cute).

[MissDolittle]

But what do you DO about it? How do you help them if ya can't catch 'em.

[Helenmary]

Guess you could try mixing the Ivermectin (paste, I'm guessing) with a favorite food. Might try something already paste-y like peanut butter, yoghurt (mine liked strawberry) or whatever they'll eat. I'd put the food out there minus the medicine first to see what they'll eat.
As far as how much, they'll probably self govern 'cause they won't like the taste, but to be safe, I'd look at how much to give a horse, dog, etc. by weight, and dose accordingly). Be very careful if you use the horse Ivermectin. I understand it's concentrated while heart worm pills contain a very small dose of Ivermectin.
Good Luck!

[snowman]

The mange can be treated with ivermectin, which is available at the farm store in injection format for around 35 bucks for 50mL, I have no clue as to the dosing for squirrels, and without a rehab permit, you are likely breaking the law regardless. A friend of mine says she mixes it with food, or injects it into raisins for squirrels. I don't believe much she says.

Ringworm can be treated topically or orally. Orally, I believe ketaconazole is the treatment of choice, but this requires a veterinarian prescription. Not sure on cost. Program flea control for cats and dogs could also be used, active ingredient is lufenuron.

Not all ringworm glows under woods lamp test, estimates are 30-80% (wide range). The only definative way to diagnose ringworm is to culture it and view it under magnification. There are DMT gels that are available for the culture, if the gel medium changes color, it generally means that you've got ringworm.

Just as a disclaimer, this is my first post and I have NO CLUE as to the safety of any of the above products in squirrels.

[snowman]

sorry, that's DTM gels, not dmt. Dermatophyte test medium.

It's not cheap, but I think you can find it from one of the online pet retailers, I just can't figure out which one right now.

[MissDolittle]

Injecting it into raisins is a good idea! How else would you be able to administer it to wild squirrels outside?

Thanks again for the great info!

[sneha.dharwadkar]

hello,
I have just joined this group and going through all this stuff I am glad I joined!
I do need help. I am from India and here we find 3-striped and 5-striped squirrels commonly. I worked with a local SPCA and have been rearing baby orphan squirrels since October 2007. presently I have 7 squirrels with me and one of them has got some infection I suppose. whenever he grooms himself near the nose, a white milky discharge comes out from its eyes and nose. i have sought help from a vet n giving it medicines as prescribed. but can u shed some light on it? he is has actually been very weak since he came to me (in November 2008 ) and has his tail cut from the half since beginning. I got him I think when he was some 3 weeks old. my other squirrels dont take him as friends and fight with him and the poor thing cant oppose or fight as he is weeker as compared to them. i dont think i can release him back in wild as dont think he will be able to compete in wild. any help?

[MissDolittle]

Hello sneha.dhardwadkar and welcome on board! We have a couple of Indian friends on this forum that have raised squirrels, so I'm familiar with the sweet little squirrels you have in your country.

I'm sorry to hear about your problem "child". Do you know how the injury to the tail happened? Is it possible that the squirrel was bitten by a dog or other animal? Maybe injured the eye as well and it all got infected?

I use topical antibiotic creme for eye injuries and in case of a dog or cat bite, I also use oral antibiotics such as Amoxicillin to fight off possible bacteria that entered the bloodstream from the dog's or cat's teeth.

The injured squirrel also sounds like he's the runt and weak to begin with. How old is he? At what age do you usually release them?

[sneha.dharwadkar]

thanks for accepting!!
well this eye problem has just occured since last few days and this squirrel has been with me since last 5 or 6 months approx and i have no idea how this one got injured as when i brought him home he was ok only with its tail already broken...so i am quite unaware about its history.....till now he never had any kind of infection...as directed by the vet i am putting dexamethasone and gentamicin drops in the eyes and it seems my lil one has internal infection as well so giving him amoxicillin....occasionally i give him vitamin drops and liver tonic drops.....he has been recovering and his infection has reduced....inially i was very scared for him as i ove him very much but m very happy he is gonna be alryt now....:smile29: :smile29:

[MissDolittle]

That's good news! You are doing such a great job :).