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Wild critter/pet?
I've never dealt with this before, and have no idea where else to go to
ask, so I'm asking here! A baby squirrel seems to be doing it's best to adopt my 18 year old as it's mommie. It came out last night and climbed onto the laptop (she'd taken it outside to watch a DVD in relative coolness) then stayed with her and her friend, eating a tangerine they fed it (off our tree) and eventually falling asleep on the blanket they were sitting on. She covered it with a corner of the blanket before she came in for the night, and this morning it was still there. It likes to be petted, and climbs onto her lap and snuggles in -- more friendly than my older daughter's cat! I have no idea how old it is, except it is obviously not yet fully grown -- this year's litter, in any event. Other than being VERY VERY clear that squirrels are not house pets, is there anything in particular I ought to be careful about? I don't think I can assume that this one will go away; we have had lots of squirrels in our back yard, so wherever its home is I'm sure it's close. Is there any reason to discourage this friendship? (Other than that if her big sister's cat gets out, I'm reasonably certain he will do his best to make the squirrel's name "lunch"....) Bemused by this . . . living in a big city, this is one I never expected to deal with! -- Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care |
#2
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Wild critter/pet?
Hi - The biggest risk with squirrels, as with other rodents, is the diseases they can carry. If this relationship continues, I'd call a vet for advice. You might want to bring the squirrel in for a rabies shot. Also, be SURE your child never touches it without scrubbing hands with soap afterwards. I don't know if squirrels bite. I'd be wary of that. I think, in the end, I'd be uncomfortable with this relationship, but consult with a vet and see how it goes. --Beth Kevles http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner. NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would like me to reply. |
#3
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Wild critter/pet?
In ,
Beth Kevles wrote: * *I think, in the end, I'd be uncomfortable with this relationship, but *consult with a vet and see how it goes. I am not a wildlife expert, but I have a special interest in zoonoses and can talk a little bit about those which may be carried or vectored by squirrels. It will depend greatly on the geographic location, but, in general: 1. Because Beth brings it up -- rabies can occur in rodents, but would be considered rare. It is so rare in rodents that for example the State of Florida, which has a big rabies epizootic, the state will not perform testing of squirrels which bite humans because they consider the risk so low. I do not believe there is a rabies vaccine licensed for use in squirrels, and I have no knowledge of using the available vaccines in an extralabel fashion in the squirrel. A wildlife person would know this. 2. Yersinia pestis (plague, black death, etc). This is carried by fleas, actually, which may be present on the squirrel. In the western US states (and in other areas) this is a particular problem. 3. Various rodent viruses - most of these are generally more a problem when you come into contact with aerosolized urine/feces than the actual animal. 4. Tularemia - more often spread by handling of carcasses or by ticks/fleas/biting flies, but there are documented cases of squirrel bite transmission. 5. Typhus has, I know, been associated with flying squirrels. I am not sure about other types of squirrels. 6. I have a personal mild concern regarding bayliscascaris procyonis, which is a raccoon parasite known to cause visceral larva migrans in squirrels and other animals, including humans (and it can be fatal or cause horrible neurological complications). While the squirrel is an aberrant host, and thus can't develop a patent infection and pass eggs to infect someone else, so is the dog - and there HAVE been a very few case reports of dogs developing patent infections, and hence I imagine it would be possible in the squirrel as well, although it hasn't been seen to happen yet. There may be - actually, probably ARE, since this is not my field of expertise - more zoonoses on this list, but this is what comes to mind. -Hillary Israeli, VMD, companion animal practice -- hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net "uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est." not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large |
#4
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Wild critter/pet?
"dragonlady" wrote in message ... I've never dealt with this before, and have no idea where else to go to ask, so I'm asking here! A baby squirrel seems to be doing it's best to adopt my 18 year old as it's mommie. It came out last night and climbed onto the laptop (she'd taken it outside to watch a DVD in relative coolness) then stayed with her and her friend, eating a tangerine they fed it (off our tree) and eventually falling asleep on the blanket they were sitting on. She covered it with a corner of the blanket before she came in for the night, and this morning it was still there. It likes to be petted, and climbs onto her lap and snuggles in -- more friendly than my older daughter's cat! I have no idea how old it is, except it is obviously not yet fully grown -- this year's litter, in any event. Other than being VERY VERY clear that squirrels are not house pets, is there anything in particular I ought to be careful about? I don't think I can assume that this one will go away; we have had lots of squirrels in our back yard, so wherever its home is I'm sure it's close. Is there any reason to discourage this friendship? (Other than that if her big sister's cat gets out, I'm reasonably certain he will do his best to make the squirrel's name "lunch"....) Bemused by this . . . living in a big city, this is one I never expected to deal with! -- Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care In my opinion, living where there are fleas, ticks, rabies and the like (Midwest), I would not fear a tame/friendly wild animal (but would probably spray it with flea/tick repellent). I have known several locals to have skunks, raccoons, deer, owls, hawks, etc. as 'friends'. I would check with your local DNR (Dept. of Natural Resources) or Wildlife Dept. just to see what types of vaccines, etc. can make it a safer 'friend' (if you're really that concerned, but I wouldn't be)...after all, there are a lot of people in the world who have befriended wild/feral cats. I would let this baby enjoy the comfort and safety of your daughter. Maybe this poor critter was abandoned and even a better reason to show it love. Keep us updated. In all, I think it's sweet that this animal would have the courage to do what it is. Enjoy nature, being unnatural and I'd take pictures- you have a great story on your hands! -- Mary~ Mom of 2 Sweeties on Earth and 2 Sweeties in Heaven |
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Wild critter/pet?
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#6
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Wild critter/pet?
In article , dragonlady
says... I've never dealt with this before, and have no idea where else to go to ask, so I'm asking here! A baby squirrel seems to be doing it's best to adopt my 18 year old as it's mommie. It came out last night and climbed onto the laptop (she'd taken it outside to watch a DVD in relative coolness) then stayed with her and her friend, eating a tangerine they fed it (off our tree) and eventually falling asleep on the blanket they were sitting on. She covered it with a corner of the blanket before she came in for the night, and this morning it was still there. It likes to be petted, and climbs onto her lap and snuggles in -- more friendly than my older daughter's cat! I have no idea how old it is, except it is obviously not yet fully grown -- this year's litter, in any event. My brother had two pet squirrels, raised by hand after he discovered a litter one morning when he was out on an HVAC (heating, venitlation, air-conditioning) call. There's a barrel-shaped finned air-moving device called a "squirrel cage", and that's where he found them in a nest - really! Squirrels in the squirrel cage. The mother had chewed on some wires and was electrocuted - that was the root cause of the HVAC problem. He put the babies in a shoe box with some tissues, and put it in his truck, and went on the rest of the day's calls. He didn't expect them to survive, but didn't have the heart to dispose of them. Well, four were alive at the end of the day, and he and his girlfriend managed to get two to thrive. And they grew up! They're pretty intelligent and affectionate (like pet rats with hairy tails), but he put up with a LOT of house and furniture damage before he put them outside after a few months. They hung around for about a year, one drifted off, then the other. He still talks about them. Banty |
#7
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Wild critter/pet?
I actually have experience with this. It happened to me when I was younger!
Mine were grey squirrels, not red ones. Two baby squirrels decided I was their best friend, and with no mom running to their rescue, I fed and petted them OUTSIDE for about a week until one day, they just up and left. But they would run up my body and back down like I was a tree, very cute and funny. I still saw them when I visited my mom for a year, maybe two and only recognised them because they came right up to me. But after that, nada. Guess they died. They did not bite me but attempted to nibble my finger when it smelled like food. My ex father in law raised a pair whose mom had electrocuted herself by accident. He said they liked to ride in his shirt pockets and slept in his boots which he hung from a nail in the garage. They would be up waiting for him each morning. They left eventually too and he was grateful as he said they had begun to get destructive in the garage. Heather "dragonlady" wrote in message ... In article , (Hillary Israeli) wrote: In , Beth Kevles wrote: * *I think, in the end, I'd be uncomfortable with this relationship, but *consult with a vet and see how it goes. I am not a wildlife expert, but I have a special interest in zoonoses and can talk a little bit about those which may be carried or vectored by squirrels. It will depend greatly on the geographic location, but, in general: Thanks for the information, Hillary! Given that my daughter is 18, I wouldn't even TRY to tell her she couldn't adopt this squirrel -- but I CAN give her information about the risks involved. Do you know where I can get information about what diseases are common in THIS area? Would a local vet be likely to be any help? I don't have a lot of money to put into this, and since other rodents are often pets I don't really have any sort of emotional response to this -- but I would like to try to make it as safe as possible! It turns out that there are actually two of them, one of which is more friendly than the other. They are continuing to hang out in our back yard, and come out to greet us if anyone goes back there. They've come up to the patio window a few times -- which gets the cats interest! I think they may be thumbing their noses at the cat . . . meh -- Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care |
#8
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Wild critter/pet?
"Heather" wrote in message ...
I actually have experience with this. It happened to me when I was younger! Mine were grey squirrels, not red ones. Two baby squirrels decided I was their best friend, and with no mom running to their rescue, I fed and petted them OUTSIDE for about a week until one day, they just up and left. But they would run up my body and back down like I was a tree, very cute and funny. I still saw them when I visited my mom for a year, maybe two and only recognised them because they came right up to me. But after that, nada. Guess they died. They did not bite me but attempted to nibble my finger when it smelled like food. My ex father in law raised a pair whose mom had electrocuted herself by accident. He said they liked to ride in his shirt pockets and slept in his boots which he hung from a nail in the garage. They would be up waiting for him each morning. They left eventually too and he was grateful as he said they had begun to get destructive in the garage. Heather I have experience with it to. When I was pretty young my sister found an injured baby squirrel at the raquet club. She brought it home and we raised it. It had had the end of his tail broken off so when he grew up instead of his tail going up and over it just went up and stopped. I'm not sure how long we had him. He would climb everybody and the curtains, one day my mother was fixxing her hair and all of a sudden Baby (the squirrel) was sitting on top of her head. He loved sleeping on the back of the TV where it stuck out and the air vents were. When he was grown we started letting him out and he would come back in threw the cat door on the porch when he was ready to. One day he didn't come back and we figured he had found a girlfriend. |
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