Aggressive squirrel, possible rabies?

[Excelsior! Academy]

I want to start by saying I know it is very rare for squirrels to get rabies.  The squirrel is now dead, if that bothers you don't read any farther. 

 

 

Today when I walked to our van a squirrel was barking at me.  Whatever, we have loads of squirrels around here.  Well, the bark sounded different.  The squirrel was looking extremely aggressive and looking like it would lunge toward me.  Again, whatever.  It is a squirrel, right?  Well, I noticed the tail was limp, weirdly limp, and the squirrel was twitching unnaturally.  When I went inside it stayed facing the door I walked into and continued barking oddly, twitching, and stayed in an aggressive position, but barely moving.  If that makes sense.  I happed to be talking to dh on the phone at the time.  I told him about the squirrel and how it was weirding me out.  Its mouth looked odd (foamy?).  He said he would be home to take care of it.  It continued the bizarre behavior for 20 minutes, still facing the door, looking ready to lunge. Dh came home got out a pellet gun to shoot toward it.  It did come down and ran up the neighbor's tree.  Dh knocked on the neighbor's door to discuss the issue.  Apparently the neighbor had had a possible rabies issue as a child and even had to have shots. They both agreed the squirrel was acting abnormally. I had to leave with the children for classes, so I don't know all of the details beyond this.  I called home and he said the squirrel was dead. I am assuming it was killed with the pellet gun.  We called animal control and they are picking it up.  I am totally weirded out and a little scared.  If it is rabies, then I am a little fearful to let the children play outside.  I don't know if they will test it or even let me know if they do, but I hope to find out. *shudder*

[MomtoCandJ]

I hope you find out soon, that would freak me out too (person now all paranoid about all the freaking squirrels in her yard)

[G5052]

Rabies isn't that uncommon in wild and rural areas in wildlife.  When I worked for the National Park Service for three summers in college, we had cases almost every month of animals that had to be put down that were in the areas where visitors were. In all that time only *ONE* visitor was bitten that we knew of, and he had picked up a baby bat to look at it.  

 

I personally wouldn't hesitate to have my children play outside, but I'd have someone responsible with them at all times.  And I'd make sure that if any wildlife act strange -- in we go.  And no picking up wild animals or birds.

[Seasider]

We had a squirrel like that last year. Our property is quite wooded and for about a week you could tell exactly which tree he was in because of his loud, odd growling. He really freaked me out one day when I went out the front door to get the mail, he was in an overhanging tree and acted just as you describe. The next day he disappeared. But I was dusting off my slingshot, just in case...

[creekland]

Hopefully they will test it and you will know for sure.  Since a squirrel is a mammal, they can get rabies.  They usually don't because whatever bit them for them to get it usually kills them due to their size.

 

If it were rabid, it is possible more in the area might have gotten it from him/her.  That would not be pretty as the incubation period can be rather lengthy.  I would not hesitate to let my kids play outside, but we'd be having a discussion about critters.

 

Incidentally, around here suspected rabid animals are done away with, then buried.  We just assume they have rabies, but don't get any tested.  One time a neighbor opted to have one tested and it came back positive (no surprise).  They quarantined her farm not letting ANY animal come in or out for a few months (I'm thinking three, but it's been a few years).  That sure doesn't help when one shows, etc.  When I was young (so a few decades ago) a different neighbor had a cow get rabies.  They quarantined his farm and made him put down all of his barn cats since they weren't vaccinated - this included 2 kittens we had just given him that COULD NOT have gotten it in such a short period of time (literally, less than a couple of days and not with the other cats yet) and we'd have gladly taken them back.  So, we don't test... we just put two and two together and act accordingly - and rabies shots (for pets and ponies, etc) are always kept up to date.

 

In many places rabies is around - you just need to learn how to deal with it just as people have done for eons (though now we have vaccinations possible making it far better than years ago).

[Hypatia.]

Squirrels aren't usually a rabies vector (found this out after DD1 was bit by a squirrel a little over a year ago), but with it acting like that I would be concerned too.  I hope they test it and let you know the results.

[clarkacademy]

Or it could have been raised by someone who decided they don't make good pets and tossed it outside. They get used to humans so when something is wrong they will seek one out.

[Cinder]

And no picking up wild animals or birds.

 

Yes--do not touch the wild animals! We recently had a case around here of a rabid fox. It was acting friendly and got close enough to some people who, seeing how "friendly" it was, decided to pet it. Then it bit. And of course they had to undergo rabies treatment.

[creekland]

Or it could have been raised by someone who decided they don't make good pets and tossed it outside. They get used to humans so when something is wrong they will seek one out.

I've seen multiple outdoor "tamed" squirrels.  The behavior the OP mentioned doesn't sound even remotely similar IMO.  

 

It sounds more like rabies, another disease, a brain tumor/stroke, or possibly even just something as simple as getting something caught in its throat that it couldn't dislodge.  IMO, killing it was the right thing to do in this situation.  Testing will provide an answer, but as long as no one was bit or otherwise got saliva --> bloodstream, it should be safe.

[Laurie4b]

What would be your reason for not letting your kids go outside?

 

We live in area with rabies of several kinds of wildlife and have never had an encounter with an animal that appeared rabid. If the squirrel had it, it's probably around in general. But it doesn't need to change the way you live. It does change what you should do if you've had contact with a wild animal, but not in terms of going outdoors.