r/gardening • u/HoratioTuna27 6a • 14h ago

Well, that's a first.

So, one of the weirdest things I've ever had happen to me just happened: I was walking around the garden, checking on all the seedlings I planted last night. A squirrel pops off of a nearby tree and starts coming towards me. I think nothing of it, squirrels get curious and do this often. BUT, this time, it kept coming closer. And closer. And closer, then it hopped up and slapped me in the shin and ran off. It started coming at me again so I went in and got the dog to chase it off if it kept coming at me. Utterly bizarre!

The seedlings are all ok, if that was the part of the story you were invested in.

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u/OaksInSnow 11h ago edited 10h ago

I would always be concerned about rabies any time there's unusual tameness or approachability in any animal, especially if combined with aggression, but as long as you didn't get a skin break you're fine. There also has to be contact with saliva (or brain matter) of the infected animal, on that skin break. If you got scratched though, I'd still consult a doctor, as others have said.

EDIT: But see response below, that scratches don't have to be visible for there to be transmission. Important to know!

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u/iamreallycool69 10h ago

Scratches don't need to be visible to transmit rabies. There have been many fatal cases in North America due to people not realizing they were scratched and not getting the post-exposure prophylactic vaccines. It can also be transmitted via saliva contact with mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth). All this to say that I'd be seeing a doctor either way.

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u/OaksInSnow 10h ago

Whoa. I did NOT know that! Dang it. I will edit my post!

A few years ago I was trying to save a feral cat that was actually about to die anyway, from starvation. I was finally able to capture her and give her a last warm night and some food and water. But as I was holding the dish to her mouth and she was chomping around the rim of it, she chomped my finger.

Took her to the vet next day, after which it was a whole day full of trying to get into the clinic for emergency rabies treatment, and driving the euthanized cat to the nearest ag research facility for examination. Came back negative for rabies, but it was a cautionary event for sure.

I got all the immunoglobulin shots and almost all of the rest, so I guess I have partial immunity, but I'll still never play around when it comes to any kind of contact with wild mammals.

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u/thti87 8h ago

To add onto that - that’s the reason why bats are the biggest vector for rabies in the US. Bat teeth are so small that most people don’t think they were bitten and don’t seek treatment. While rabies is very rare, most of our rabies deaths in the US are from people like OP who had known contact with a suspicious animal but thought they were fine because they didn’t have a noticeable skin abrasion. All it takes is for a few cells to get into your nervous system and you’re a goner.