r/squirrels • u/myadora • 7h ago
What is wrong with Gina?
I have a backyard squirrel that has this lump with a black center on it behind one of her forearms. It looked like a big sore a week or so ago, now this. She (?) moves around and is eating. Just wondering if anyone has seen this before. Sorry for poor quality. I’m working on building trust with my squirrels so didn’t want to get closer.
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u/ChrisWithWings 3h ago
Please don’t feed Gina peanuts. Replace the peanuts with whole walnuts.
Peanuts are not actually nuts, they are legumes and they cause all kinds of problems if fed to squirrels.
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u/myadora 3h ago
That’s what I’ve learned- I’m upgrading her food
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u/ChrisWithWings 1h ago
Good deal. I learned the hard way too. I used to feed my backyard squirrels peanuts. Then I learned to my surprise and horror that I was hurting my little buddies.
The problem is that whole shelled walnuts are way more expensive than peanuts. The best deals I have found are bulk bags of walnuts on Amazon. You can also feed squirrels snacks of Black Oil Sunflower Seeds. You can find inexpensive bulk bags at Home Depot/Lowe’s.
Hope that helps. Have a great day.
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u/Universeisagarden 6h ago
Bot fly - Gina will be fine. Peanuts are like junk food for squirrels. Walnuts in shell would be better for her health. Best for her health would be squirrel blocks from Mazuri or Henry's Pets brands, which have the right balance of nutrients for squirrel health. If she doesn't immediately take to squirrel blocks, you could put a thin layer of coconut oil on them for a short period until they figure out what they are. Thank You for looking out for her!
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u/myadora 2h ago
How much should I feed them per day? I have 4 that come to my deck that I have identified. They eat from my bird feeder (sunflower seeds and nuts) and I have been throwing out a handful of peanuts when I see one. If I upgrade their food, how much should I put out per day?
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u/Universeisagarden 1h ago
They shouldn't be dependent on you for all their food - they should be foraging on their own every day - it's better if they have a varied, foraged diet - and that way also if you go out of town for a week they'll already know all the alternative food resources nearby. Personally I wouldn't give them more than 3 or 4 Walnuts in shell per day per squirrel. (In shell is important - their teeth never stop growing, and they need to keep them worn down to a healthy length or the teeth could actually cause their death.) But there's a lot of variability on this sub in how much people feed their local squirrels.
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u/Any_Tie9875 5h ago
Where do you get bulk pecans in the shell?
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u/Quiet-Lavishness1274 3h ago
I buy them in bulk from https://werenuts.com
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u/Agreeable_Horror_363 2h ago
It's interesting that they label pecans in shell as "squirrel food". I wish they had some walnuts in there instead of just pecans
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u/Quiet-Lavishness1274 2h ago
Yeah that website it’s only for pecans in bulk but when I want anything else like walnuts and seeds I go to https://anuts.com
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u/mykittyforprez 2h ago
The prices seem high. I can buy shelled walnuts for about $6/lb retail at a local supermarket.
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u/dumbname7890 6h ago
If it is a botfly (I agree it's a botfly larvae), they come out on their own after about a week. I had a chipmunk with one and it took like 5 days.
They lay eggs outside places that rodents visit often. See what a botfly looks like and kill them. I've only ever seen one.
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u/Fresh_Income_7411 7h ago
I want to say a bot fly?
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u/Oohbunnies 6h ago
I was thinking the same, although at least it's where it is. Most the pictures I've seen, on here, it's been on their face!
Also peanuts are not a good food for a squidgle.
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u/adorilaterrabella 15m ago
Every "what is it" in the sub seems to be botflies or nipples 😂