There is a lot of confusion among squirrel lovers when it comes to skin diseases suffered by squirrels. I get letters and e-mails all the time about how to treat mange in squirrels. I often have to have them make sure that the squirrel does indeed have Sarcoptic Mange verses a skin condition called 'Dermatophytosis."
Sarcoptic Mange is caused by a tiny mite called "Sarcoptes scabiei," that burrows under the skin to feed on the blood of the squirrel. It causes severe itching, a rash, crust formation on the skin and hair loss. The picture on the left shows an Eastern Grey with mange on it's lower back. Notice the red, crusty area in the center of each patch of missing hair. The irritation, rash and crusting of the skin is what differentiates mange from Dermatophytosis. This squirrel would do well by treating it with a small quantity of Ivermectin Paste spread on a Nut Meat. We give approximately 1/2 to 1 drop of Ivermectin 1.87% once a week for 3 weeks to make sure that all active mites and all newly hatched mites are killed. You can order Squirrel Quantities of Ivermectin paste HERE.
Sarcoptic Mange is caused by a tiny mite called "Sarcoptes scabiei," that burrows under the skin to feed on the blood of the squirrel. It causes severe itching, a rash, crust formation on the skin and hair loss. The picture on the left shows an Eastern Grey with mange on it's lower back. Notice the red, crusty area in the center of each patch of missing hair. The irritation, rash and crusting of the skin is what differentiates mange from Dermatophytosis. This squirrel would do well by treating it with a small quantity of Ivermectin Paste spread on a Nut Meat. We give approximately 1/2 to 1 drop of Ivermectin 1.87% once a week for 3 weeks to make sure that all active mites and all newly hatched mites are killed. You can order Squirrel Quantities of Ivermectin paste HERE.
Squirrels can also have a condition called "Dermatophytosis," ( not to be confused with ringworm that carries the same name,) or a skin fungus. The way you can tell this condition from Mange is the absence of irritation, crusting or rash. There is hair loss, but that is all. Dermatophytosis is caused by a fungus that attacks the shaft of the hair where it emerges from the skin. Since it attacks the hair and causes it to become brittle, the hair breaks off at the skin line and falls off leaving a bald area, but no obvious skin irritation. This condition is common in late Winter and early Spring. The treatment is nutritional support. It's usually not fatal and the squirrel will recover from it over time. Feeding squirrels chunks of raw coconut and raw coconut oil can help, because the Lauric Acid and Capric Acid in the raw coconut oil is anti-fungal. In captivity, I spray a strong solution of Colloidal Silver and apply Raw Coconut Oil topically to this condition also. You can obtain Colloidal Silver and Raw Coconut Oil on our Squirrel Mall Page.
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