I moved into this place just two weeks ago and immediately inherited all the neighborhood squirrels. Rex and his buddy who doesn’t yet have a name frequent my patio looking for handouts. They’re good dudes.
And then there’s Growly. So named because when he approaches me he does this grunty, squealy thing that I interpret as a squirrel growl. Very odd for a squirrel who is wanting goodies from humans. I knew I should have taken this for a sign.
Rex and his buddy don’t like Growly at all, as evidenced by the tufts of hair missing from Growly’s tail from being chased by them. I should also take this as a sign though it could just be squirrely territorialism.
Anyway, this is only the second day I’ve seen Growly. Just a little while ago, I offered him a peanut and he bit me. Hung on to my finger for a few seconds like it should be pumping out peanutty goodness. I didn’t jerk away because I know that tends to do more damage than not but he still broke the skin is a couple of places. Of course, I washed and disinfected it thoroughly after he let go.
Noticing his behavior on the first day, I should have known better than to hand feed him but I love critters, the closer they get the better. Usually. There haven’t been any rabies reports around here that I know of but now I’m wondering if I should go get checked out. Plus there’s lots of kids in this neighborhood to think about.
'm thinking about getting a humane trap to catch him and send him to the Humane Society or whatever agency that handles critters gone bad. Anyone have any thoughts to offer? Should I just take a wait-and-see approach which I’m tempted to do?
I think I’ll see what the local Humanie Society web page says.
Honestly, you probably need to call Animal Control and then go get a rabies shot at once (I understand that time is a major factor). I am not a doctor, but this sounds like something you just don’t want to assume will be ok.
You should get it seen by a doctor. DOn’t be worried about the rabies shots, they aren’t the scary “20 shots in the stomach!” thing they used to tell us when we were kids to scare us. These days the treatment is more like a run-of-the-mill flu shot in the arm and you only need a series of 5 and i’ts over a four week period.
From your freindly medical webiste:
If your doctor thinks it’s warranted you should start the shots 24-48 hours after being bitten, so don’t dawdle.
Haul your butt to your doctor. Now. If you cannot get in to see your doctor today (I can’t imagine they wouldn’t work you in for a wild animal bite), go to a doc in the box or the ER. You need, at minimum, antibiotics and a tetanus booster. If Animal Control can catch Growly and test him, they may not make you take rabies shots. If they can’t, though, you need them. Squirrels don’t usually carry rabies (if they’re attacked by another animal, they’re usually killed outright by the attack and disease transmission is rather a moot point), but they do see a few cases here and there. The fact that there haven’t been any reports of rabies in your area doesn’t mean there’s not any rabies in your area; it just means that nobody’s found any rabid animals and sent them in for testing. Our policy at work is to treat pretty much every unvaccinated animal that acts oddly as if it were rabid–a lot of us are vaccinated, but even so rabies ain’t something we care to fuck around with.
Rabies probably isn’t a concern, though you should certainly pursue medical attention to be safe.
On the other hand, growls in squirrels is a sign of radiation poisoning, so the possibility of slowly transforming into a squirrel-themed supervillain should be at the forefront of your mind. No type or amount of medical intervention will be effective in preventing the change once it begins. You should start thinking about the name you will use in your new life.
Growly could be a cool dude but you invaded his space & didn’t do what he wanted. Try making squirrel sounds but not the same ones he makes ( he could have an attitude problem, thats why rex and his pal dis him) sooner or later, you find the “Happy” sound that growly will tolerate while you feed him. You may want to establish a “Buffer Zone” with growly until he stops grunting. Soon, it will be an enchanted forest at your house and all the little critters will Love you!
Ah, but that was really the reality of things at one time. Thankfully I was too young to remember the shots, as I was only 2. This was '72 though, and medicine has come a long way. Absolutely go get checked. Don’t mess with any wild animals like this again. Cute, but WILD!! ( Actually they are just furry rats IMO)
Any unrational fears of water lately? (This was a recent “House” episode on Fox TV btw)
I’ve raised some squirrels (someday my army will be ready!) and they tend to make a growly grunty noise when they are excited. Peanuts get them excited. Perhaps Growly was just a little farsighted and mistook you finger for the peanut and meant nothing personal? It’s always best to just set the peanut down and back away.
As has been said, rabies is highly unlikely in squirrels; squirrels exposed tend to be eaten, not just wounded and they do not have the salivary glands to readily transmit it. However when you talk about a potentially fatal disease it’s always a good idea to consult a doctor.
I saw that episode of House and was upset with myself that I did not make the connection between the bats, seizures, photophobia and fear of water until House stuck the needle in the other doctors bite wound and he didn’t notice it. At least I figured it out before the other doctors who needed it spelled out for them.
One of the first signs is numbness at the site of infection.
It’s called “barking”. Go sit out in the woods for a good 20 minutes or without moving or making any noise and you’ll be hearing it from every direction (assuming you’re in the southeast US, where gray squirrel populations are high. I don’t know if other species do it or not.)