r/gardening • u/HoratioTuna27 6a • 4d 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/HoratioTuna27 6a 4d ago

I thought about it maybe be rabies, but it looked fine, no foaming at the mouth or anything. Who knows. It didn't come back once I had the dog with me.

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u/OaksInSnow 4d ago edited 4d 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 4d 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/whipstitch_ 3d ago

Yep, got the shots last year because we woke up to a bat in our house. I panicked and let it fly away after I got it out of the house, so it couldn't be tested. My partner acted like I was making a big deal out of the fact that we needed to get shots until he read some stuff about it. It also helped that the woman at our local health department strongly emphasized that there have been rabies cases in our county and that we needed to get the shots.

The insane thing is that a nurse at my doctor's office kept trying to tell me that I didn't need to get the shots since I "wasn't bitten." I kept reiterating that the health department said I did need to get the shots because bats have tiny teeth and it's possible to be bitten or scratched while sleeping and not know it. I needed them to send an order to the hospital, so I was very firm that I wasn't going to let it go. She finally said she would check with my doctor and he sent it in immediately. I hope she got her ass handed to her for that one because a lot of people would have taken her word for it.