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Hair and Skin Problems In Squirrels

8/4/2019

43 Comments

 
Picture
I get emails all the time from people describing various problems with hair loss or thinning of hair on the squirrels in their yard or ones they are raising or retaining in their house. These can range from simple thinning to bald spots or even bloody and scabbed areas of missing hair.
There are several reasons why squirrels experience hair loss that can range from a fungus infection to parasitic infestation and even vitamin deficiency and dietary problems. They can even lose hair by repeated physical activity!
There is a fungal infection called “Dermatophytosis” that is commonly found in squirrels. A fungus requires moisture and warmth to grow. Dermatophytosis is common in the Spring of the year and whenever the weather produces warm and moist conditions. Dermatophytosis attacks the hair shaft at the skin line causing the hair shaft to become brittle so that it easily breaks off. It also produces a mild itch that will cause the squirrel to scratch and bite at the area. This action causes the hair to break off and leave a bald area. There is usually not much skin irritation or scabbing. Just bald spots that spread as the fungus spreads and the squirrel keeps scratching. If this is found on a captive squirrel, one way to make the diagnosis is to grasp a few hairs on the edge of a bald spot and give them a gentle tug. If they break off, it is probably Dermatophytosis.
No treatment is mandatory for Dermatophytosis because the squirrel's immune system will eventually overcome it. I would not recommend seeking a prescription anti-fungal medication for this condition because the potential side-effects of most of these products are worse than the disease.

I use a couple of natural products that are completely safe to use, yet are very effective at treating a fungus. One is cold-pressed organic Coconut Oil. It's important that it is cold-pressed and unprocessed because processing and heat destroys the substances that kill fungus. Another substance that can be added to the squirrel's water and applied topically is Colloidal Silver. Both of these substances can be found on our Product Page.
Another cause of hair loss in squirrels is a parasitic infestation of Mange Mites or Sarcoptic Mange. The insect that causes this is called Sarcoptes scabiei. They can only be transmitted skin-to-skin by close contact and squirrels pass them to each other when they sleep together in cold weather. The mites cannot live off of a warm host for more than an hour and are incapable of jumping from one squirrel to another. A massive infestation to a squirrel can be life-threatening because they are blood-feeding insects and can produce anemia and a weakened immune system. Since they borough under the skin, they cause intense itching which often results in open wounds and scabbing. ( Note: If you have squirrels in a cage that have never been with wild squirrels, it is impossible for them to get Mange!)
There are two ways to treat Mange. The quick way is to use a tiny dose of Ivermectin 1.87% This is recommended in massive infestations where the squirrel's life is endangered.
The other way to treat it is to add a couple teaspoons of Colloidal Silver to the squirrel's drinking water. It doesn't kill the adult mites but will weaken the cell wall of their eggs so that the killer T-Cells of the immune system can penetrate and destroy the larvae. When the adults die, the infestation is gone!
Another thing that can cause hair thinning and loss is low Vitamin D levels. Squirrels synthesize Vitamin D from exposure to direct sunlight, (not through glass.) Glass filters out the spectrum of light needed for this synthesis to take place. We have found that a simple incandescent plant light shining on the squirrel's cage for 4 to 6 hours a day helps the squirrel synthesize Vitamin D. (Note: Oral supplementation of Vitamin D is not recommended because of the difficulty of proper dosing and the distinct possibility of damage to the squirrel's liver!)
Squirrels can experience hair loss and thinning from dietary problems. Excessive salt in the diet can cause the hair to thin and fall out especially in the tail. Squirrels should never be fed salted nuts! Nuts should be raw or unsalted and should comprise no more than 20% of their daily intake of food.
The other dietary cause of hair thinning an loss is hypoprotinuria. This simply means not enough quality protein in the diet. This is a biggie, because there is a misconception out there in the squirrel rhetoric that says that squirrels are strict herbivores and should never be fed anything resembling meat protein. Yet, if you study the dietary habits of squirrels in the wild, you will find that they eat bugs and worms and have been known to raid bird's nests to eat bird's eggs and even baby birds. This activity points out the fact that they cross-over and eat protein.
We discovered this with our 11-year-old blind squirrel recently because she was losing muscle mass and had chronic fur missing from the top of her feet. She also had stopped gnawing so we were having to feed her a dental soft diet and trim her teeth every couple months.
I decided to try adding raw egg yolk to her diet by mixing it in to the soft food balls that we are feeding her. After a couple of weeks she started to put back on muscle weight and now the hair that was missing from her feet is starting to grow back in!
So, squirrels do need high quality protein to keep their muscles strong and to facilitate hair growth!
Squirrels can also lose hair from habitual activity like gnawing at cage wire. When a squirrel wants out of a cage they will often run their teeth up and down the vertical wires of their cage. If they are able to get their nose between the wires, you will often find fur missing from the top of their nose. This loss is caused by their nose rubbing up and down an adjacent parallel wire on the cage.
This sums up most of the reason why and how squirrels lose hair. If you have any questions about squirrels and their behavior you can always check the list of Blog topics on my website http://SquirrelNutrition.com or contact me by e-mail at SquirrelHelp@Gmail.com.
We're always willing to help with your squirrel questions!
43 Comments
Peter Bradley link
9/4/2019 06:07:48 pm

We have a squirrel that looks like it has mange. We would like to know how much colloidal silver to add to the drinking water. The squirrel is a wild squirrel but it lets us hold and handle it. She is at least one year old or older. We ordered the ivermectin paste but it has not been delivered yet. Can you give us some advise or tell us the safest method to help it.

Reply
William
2/15/2020 08:52:13 pm

I use a tablespoon in a cup of filtered or distilled water.

Reply
Lydia Keet
2/1/2021 08:33:22 am

My squarel is in a gage been is 7weeks or almost 2months loos a lot of hair know and itching he eating almond nuts, carrots an appel he eating him ster food and rabbid food, do you think he have a fungal invection, shaal I go to a vet for medicine? I did put twice coconut oil on his skin, small I continued

Reply
William Sells
2/1/2021 03:12:54 pm

Hi, Lydia!

Is it possible for you to send a picture of what you are observing to: SquirrelHelp@Gmail.com?

Bill

Sandra
2/13/2020 11:52:08 am

Hi there! I rescued a baby squirrel named Pepe almost a year ago. I released him back to the park where I found him and since then I keep visiting and feeding him every time I can. I noticed he is losing his hair, but I don't know for sure what is wrong with him. I would like to send you a picture of him to see if you can identified the problem. I bought the Ivermectin 1.87% from you, but I want to be sure that this is the right treatment for what he has before I give it to him. Where can I send you the picture? Could you please help me?

Reply
William
2/15/2020 08:51:06 pm

You could send a picture to SquirrelHelp@Gmail.com.
Or, go ahead and give one dose of the Ivermectin and reevaluate in one week. If the hair is starting to grow back, you've made the diagnosis of Mange. If, not it is probably the skin fungus. One dose will not hurt the squirrel, but it will temporarily relieve them of fleas, lice and some intestinal parasites, But, I don't recommend giving it on a regular basis for those conditions. After one dose use it only for Mange.

Reply
Monica Henderson
3/30/2020 06:38:03 am

I have a squirrel that visits my terrace regularly. He has lost patches of hair. There are no crusts or scabs on his skin at all. Could you let me know how I could help him? I have a video I can send to you if you have an email address available.
Thank you.

Reply
William link
3/30/2020 09:32:53 am

Hi, Monica!

Yes, you can send your video to SquirrelHelp@Gmail.com

Reply
Monica Henderson
4/1/2020 01:43:59 am

Thanks William.
I’ve sent a message and pictures through to the email address provided. Please let me know if you have received it!
Kindly,
Monica

Reply
William link
4/1/2020 07:56:05 am

Hi, Monica!

I didn't see it come through. Try sending it to:
SquirrelNutrition@Yahoo.com

Bill

Reply
Monica Henderson
4/1/2020 09:14:58 am

Maybe the emails are going to your trash folder? Perhaps you could try emailing me and I’ll reply to you with the photos.

Monica Henderson
4/1/2020 08:22:01 am

Thanks Bill, I’ll send it now!

Reply
Monica Henderson
4/1/2020 10:20:00 am

Did you receive?

Reply
Shelly Herrington
11/25/2020 04:04:47 pm

would you mind sending me the pics also and tell me what the answer was? I have a 13 week old, grey squirrel I am rehabbing. She has had no problems till to night I noticed she had a bald spot on her front shoulder/quarter area.

Tanya
4/10/2020 05:57:07 pm

Hi! I have a 2 yr old gray squirrel that a friend found as a baby (eyes still closed). He was unable to use his back legs. I nursed him back to health and he regained the use of his back legs after about a month....that was late summer 2018. I kept him inside until May 2019 when I released him outside. He stayed outside free for about 3 months. He came back to me after suffering a fall or possible attack. I have had him inside since August 2019. As I get ready for re-release in May (when the weather gets warmer and food is more attainable) he has developed a sore on his side. I am not sure if it is mange or nutritional or what. I was wondering what you think it could be. It isn't crusty, but very raw skin about the size of a quarter.

Reply
William
4/10/2020 07:24:42 pm

Hi, Tanya!

Is it possible to send a picture to me at SquirrelHelp@Gmail.com?

It is always easier to determine or guess what caused it with a picture!

Thanks!

Bill

Reply
Brandy Talbott
5/22/2020 02:01:39 pm

Hi. We have recently moved into a new neighborhood. We have several bird feeders that the squirrels frequent too - all seem to be in harmony with one another. But I have noticed one with a non-bushy, rat-like tail. He (or she?) has become a favorite of ours and wondering if there is something I can offer that would help its issue. TIA

Reply
William link
5/22/2020 04:30:03 pm

Hi, Brandy!

Could you send me a picture of the squirrel's tail so I could evaluate it?
Send it to SquirrelHelp@Gmail.com.

Thanks!

Bill

Reply
Elizabeth
6/29/2020 03:07:05 pm

We have a wild pregnant female squirrel that lives in our trees and has a pattern of hair loss that looks like a series of diamonds--one on the back of her head, across her shoulders, and on her back. I don't see any redness or welts and her tail is resplendent. We usually put out raw walnuts, hazelnuts, and a fruit/seed/corn mix for feed. She also sometimes drinks from the bird bath or the dog bowl. Although she is a wild animal, and is rather cantankerous, we are pretty attached to her and her imminent babies. What if anything can we do to help? Any suggestions would be welcome.

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Bobbie
7/22/2020 09:03:47 am

Our blind and deaf cocker brought us a baby squirrel in Feb 24-2020. We have raised her and she has now become a part of our family. We fed her fruits, veggies, all sorts of nuts, we fed her junk bugs when they were abundant. But, lately we’ve noticed a patch of fur thinning. Not all the way to the skin. Just to the soft grey downy fur. ??????

Reply
William Sells link
7/22/2020 07:11:51 pm

Hi, Bobbie!

It could be low Vitamin D levels. Squirrels need 20 minutes of direct sunlight, (not through glass,) to help the squirrel synthesize Vitamin D.

For indoor squirrels, I use incandescent plant lights 3 to 4 hours per day.

This is what I use:

Incandescent Plant Lightbulb.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0066L0WL4/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=squirrelnutri-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=547fb0acf899c4ffaf53e106096e92fa&creativeASIN=B0066L0WL4

Clip-on Light

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HHQ94C/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=squirrelnutri-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=ffafd8e1f0ed8b086aea5735cb6db6be&creativeASIN=B000HHQ94C



Bill

Reply
Jean
9/21/2020 04:49:37 pm

William, Thahewre nks for your informative site. I live in Manhattan, NYC and the lucky squirrels have a garden and courtyard habitat, They are plagued by fleas. We suspect dogs on leashes as the culprit. Squirrels spend great amount of time scratching and seem miserable in warm weather. Any suggestions?

Reply
William
9/22/2020 07:12:41 am

Hi, Jean!

Three things for flea control on the squirrels in your courtyard.

1. you can temporarily control them on the animals if you are able to get them to take food from you, or toss a treated nut to them. We have a product called Ivermectin 1.87% that successfully treats Mange mites in squirrels. It kills blood sucking insects. A single dose will temporarily kill the fleas and lice on the squirrels. This should not be used on a regular basis because you don't want the fleas to build up a tolerance to it, and you don't want to be putting chemicals into the animals continuously.
2. You can greatly reduce the number of fleas in the grass of your courtyard by regularly using a natural product called Diatomaceous Earth. It is finely ground exoskeletons of ancient sea creatures that lived in the sea thousands of years ago and is mined along the ocean where waters have receded. When crushed to powder and viewed under a microscope this powder is like millions for tiny razor blades. The particles are too small to harm humans or animals, but, when it gets on the exoskeleton of insects, it makes tiny cuts which causes the insect to leak body fluid and they die of dehydration. It doesn't work instantly, but over time, if dusted on the grass, every week or so, will greatly reduce the numbers of fleas in the area and the squirrels will start scratching less.

3. There are things you can feed the squirrels that will help repel fleas. One is Brewer's Yeast. Fleas do not like the smell of Brewer's Yeast. And, it is a great source of the B vitamins for the animals which is great for skin condition and hair growth, When a squirrel receives Brewer's Yeast on a regular basis, they will excrete the substance in their body oil through the hair follicles. Since the fleas move around and bite on the skin to get blood, they are exposed to the smell and taste of the Brewer's Yeast in the blood and they will get off the animal. Again, this happens over time.

We put Brewer's Yeast in all of our squirrel products. I feed one Nut Square to my squirrels that will come and take food from me a couple times a week. ( I don't do it daily because they will take them and bury them if I feed them too often.) What I have noticed over the 12 years I've been doing this is that their hair becomes thick and fluffy and they are really beautiful looking animals. Squirrels with thin wispy tails are malnourished and needing vitamins, mainly the B vitamins and Thiamine which are great for their skin and coat.

The most important is calcium, Their front incisors teeth grow continuously throughout their life. If they don't get enough calcium to support this growth, their body will pull it from their bones and they will develop a condition called metabolic bone disease, (commonly called Rickets,) that makes their bones thin and painful and will eventually kill them if they fall out of a tree and shatter their pelvis or spine.

If you send me an e-mail at SquirrelHelp@Gmail.com, I can send you links to all these items I mentioned. They are not really expensive at all. For example, our Ivermectin kit will treat 20 to 30 squirrels and only costs $4.95.

I look forward to hearing from you! Please mention that you wrote your question through my Blog article so that I will remember talking to you!

Bill

Reply
Linz
11/14/2020 08:38:31 am

Hello,
We are trying to treat Baby - a small squirrel that comes to our balcony. I managed to get him to eat a pecan with a small dab of ivermectin paste, about the size of half a grain of rice approximately. Is adding colloidal silver to the water at a little less than 1 tbs per cup doing too much or is the colloidal silver and the ivermectin ok in tandem? Any help is much appreciated. He has a pretty severe case and has always been slower and smaller than the others, he may have dwarfism - I am not sure.

Reply
William
11/14/2020 06:03:41 pm

Hi, Linz!

Using Ivermectin and colloidal silver together is perfectly OK. Just keep in mind that the Ivermectin should not be used more than once a week.
With a squirrel that small, the dose you gave should be sufficient and it should not need more.
I've seen squirrels with dwarfism, but they usually have physical features that are different. Such as, shorter legs. It is possible that the squirrel you have is just a runt. They are usually smaller than other squirrels even when they are adult.

If you are unsure you could send a picture to me at SquirrelHelp@ Gmail.com.

Bill

Reply
Linz
11/21/2020 04:46:21 am

Thanks! Sorry I just noticed this. I will email you. There are things now that are making me wonder if he is perhaps a down syndrome squirrel. His hours are erratic and he nests on the ground half the time. Yesterday he came down from his drey at 9 pm to sleep in his ground nest. The other night he came to our balcony to eat at 1 in the morning. I will email you some pictures. He just got his second dose and looks much better. But do you know how long it will take for the fur to come back in?

Reply
Heidi
7/5/2022 10:39:50 am

What happened with this squirrel? I hope you were able to help him/her!

Natashya
2/23/2021 02:05:02 pm

Hello! We have a squirrel in our backyard who is missing half of his hair. Their is no scabbing, he’s not itching, and he comes to our feeder to eat. In addition to coconut oil, what else can add to his diet to make him healthy to regrow his hair. Do you think it’s the fungus? We’re in cold Canada:)

Reply
William
2/23/2021 03:01:55 pm

If you are feeding corn, that could be the problem!

Check this out: https://www.bayoubill.com/archives/2005/031405column.html

Bill

Reply
Natashya
2/23/2021 06:03:28 pm

Thanks Bill! He was like this last year. There is just a bit of corn in the bird food but we typically feed our wild squirrels a no mess gardener blend, all nuts no corn. Do you ship to Canada from the squirrel mall? Is the coconut oil we buy liquid or scoopable? Thanks, Bill!

Reply
William
2/23/2021 06:25:58 pm

Hi, Natashya!

Coconut oil is solid below 76 degrees F. Above that temperature, it starts turning to liquid. The most important thing is that you use Organic, cold-pressed coconut oil. The reason is that cold-pressed coconut oil contains Lauric and Capric Acid that is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal. If the oil is heat processed these substances are destroyed and the oil becomes useless!

If you are in Canada you would need to order from Amazon.Ca

https://www.amazon.ca/Nutiva-Organic-Virgin-Coconut-Oil/dp/B004NTCE1M/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=Organic+cold-pressed+coconut+oil&qid=1614133486&sr=8-5

Bill

Reply
Natashya
2/23/2021 06:33:31 pm

Thanks Bill! Looks like we got the right one then. Should we just coat the nut mix with the oil? For other food, does your squirrel mall ship to Canada? Thanks for all the education and good work you do to help the squirrels. We love the little guys too!

William
2/23/2021 06:42:44 pm

We can ship Nut Square Kits to Canada, but the postage costs are ridiculous. 1 to 3 kits fall into the allowable weight allowance of 9 ounces to 2 pounds. The kits are $8.00 US each but the postage for 1 to 3 kits is $20.19 US. It costs almost as much to ship as the product costs. Each kit makes 100 squares.

Natashya
2/23/2021 07:11:36 pm

Thanks Bill! I'm going to go ahead and order 3 kits. I've put in the order on the form with my address and will wait for your invoice. I'm ok with the postage if it means the little guy has a fighting chance:)

Reply
GHO-AHK CORPORATION link
3/25/2021 07:49:19 pm

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Reply
Cara L Barefield
5/31/2021 09:13:53 am

My squirrel I raised from baby,is loosing more & more of her bushy tail. If you suggest the ivermectin,how much is the dosage?

Reply
Rashmi Chadha
6/7/2021 04:27:06 am

Dear Bill, thank you so much for this wonderful site. I’ve emailed you photos of my wild squirrel Squeaky’s tail which I think is hurt because of a fight. Praying it’s not mange (is that even a think in London?!). I live in a really nice neighbourhood and all the other squirrels look amazing. Even Squeaky’s actual body fur is silky. It’s just her tail that has suddenly lost a lot of hair and bleeding (again, i think it’s because she’s the Queen B and I hand feed her the best food so all the other squirrels are jealous and may have tried to bully her). Please help me. I love Squeaky like my own daughter; she’s my best friend. Thank you and God bless, Rashmi xo

Reply
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Reply
Brian Picard link
9/7/2021 01:44:10 pm

I am worried. I have rescued a florida fox squirrel. The squirrel had bot flies, loss of hair, loss of weight, and both eyes looks to have cold like symptoms. I am trying to do my best to make sure that it eats normally, gets sunlight, and I clean out the eyes regularly. I have ordered a antibiotic medicine to clear up the eye issue and orders ivermectin paste to clear up the skin issue that it has, hoping that it is mange and curable. Is there anything else I can do?

The diet I am giving it is puppy milk for calcium, Pedialyte for dehydration and regularity, squirrel food including a variety of nuts and dead meal worms for extra protein and vitamins.

Reply
Dana
12/1/2021 07:03:07 pm

I have a wild squirrel that lost her tail, and is now loosing her fur, poor thing.. Looks like she has mange. I looked for ivermectin for almost 2 weeks, and finally found some and gave her a tiny dose of it tues. But, I live in Iowa, and it's starting to get cold, and she progressively got worse with loosing her fur, while I was trying to get the ivermectin. How long, approx will it take her to grow back her fur? I want her to survive this winter😥

Reply
John Collingwood
7/10/2022 09:05:30 pm

For 4 years I have been feeding and looking after 8 to 10 grey squirrells every day from the trees around my yard. As summer is here I notice that some are scratching themselves more and more, I feed them well and put powdered calcium on their food which they took to quite well. They are wild and quite good looking rascals that give me a lot of happy. Sadly every year a few are gone and a new crop come in which I have to retrain to behave themselves. But what can I do to help them with the scratching? They do not like to be touched or handled even though they will take food from my hand and when they are hurt (in a fight for food) or sick or injured they retreat to their tree alone and appear to die which causes me much pain, I would like to fill a shallow pan with something that they have to walk through to get to the food bins, can you recommend or sell something?

Reply
Cheryl Aguiar link
11/7/2022 06:17:26 am

Hello,
I am a licensed rehabber, I have a young adult squirrel who was struck by a car in late September. She suffered some head and jaw trauma. She is not cracking nuts, but eating soft food. I will be overwintering her with hopes she will rd over by spring! I am interested in trying the soft balls with the raw egg yolk that you fed your precious NR. Would you be able to forward the recipe?

Reply
Pirithika
11/23/2022 10:10:05 pm

My squirrel's tail hair is falling out so how can I reduce his hair problem and what is the best food I can feed him for hair growth?

Reply



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    Author

    William Sells is a Registered Nurse turned Squirrel Rehabber and Nutritionist. His passion is raising healthy, disease free squirrels through feeding them the right way and the treatment of common squirrel diseases. He's always open to questions and comments regarding Squirrels and their care and feeding.

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