For many, squirrels are the charming little acrobats of the backyard \u2014 furry tails flicking as they dart from tree to tree. But recent photos and videos circulating on Reddit and Facebook have left animal lovers horrified, showing squirrels with grotesque lumps covering their bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-6.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOne concerned Reddit user posted a photo of a squirrel in late July, admitting at first they thought the critter \u201chad been eating something,\u201d but quickly realized the mass was \u201con its face.\u201d They pleaded: \u201cAny ideas what is going on with this little fella?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It turns out, the unsettling answer is a naturally occurring disease known as squirrel pox \u2014 also called squirrel fibromatosis \u2014 and experts say it\u2019s more common than most people realize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confirm the disease but urge caution
In 2023, residents in Maine reported seeing squirrels with oozing sores and scaly growths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wildlife biologist Shevenell Webb from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife assured locals that the condition would \u201crun its course,\u201d but issued a strong warning to stay away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI would not recommend trying to capture a squirrel that has the virus. It is naturally occurring and will run its course in time,\u201d Webb told Bangor Daily News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The illness spreads quickly when squirrels gather at feeders, often coming into contact with one another\u2019s saliva. Webb compared it to humans passing germs in crowded spaces:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like when you get a large concentration of people. If someone is sick and it\u2019s something that spreads easily, others are going to catch it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though the growths look disturbing, most infected squirrels survive \u2014 unless the fibromas spread to vital organs or block their ability to eat or see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nothing to really worry about,\u201d Webb explained. \u201cFor the most part, squirrels with squirrel pox are just really ugly to look at.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cZombie squirrels\u201d spark panic online
From Maine to Virginia, the reports keep rolling in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At Evelyn\u2019s Wildlife Refuge, staff say they\u2019ve also seen squirrels with \u201cunusual looking skin lumps,\u201d sometimes caused by another culprit entirely \u2014 a botfly parasite that tunnels under the skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their warning was blunt: \u201cOnly skilled rehabbers or vets should attempt to extract bots.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Social media users have been quick to dub the critters \u201czombie squirrels,\u201d with one exasperated Twitter user writing: \u201cZombie Squirrels?! Seriously?! FFS!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another horrified commenter posted a photo of an eastern gray squirrel with growths overtaking its face, asking: \u201cCan grey squirrels survive squirrel pox? I see a few with early symptoms in my backyard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Others tried to find some humor in the nightmare fuel. One Redditor captioned their photo simply: \u201cSquirrel Pox, ladies and gentlemen. Thank God they\u2019re only for squirrels.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Should pet owners worry?
Thankfully, experts stress that the virus is species-specific. According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, humans, cats, and dogs are not at risk. In rare cases, domestic rabbits can catch the virus, but this is unusual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Transmission between squirrels often happens through mosquito bites, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, which described the illness as being \u201ccharacterized by varying sizes and numbers of wart-like growths or fibromas on the skin of squirrels.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The agency added: \u201cBiting insects, such as mosquitos, are likely the primary route of transmission between squirrels.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hope for survival
While the photos look grim, not all hope is lost for the little creatures. In fact, many recover fully once the virus passes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One wildlife enthusiast shared proof, posting a video of a once-infected squirrel bounding through a yard:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe beat the worst squirrel pox I have seen and is recovering well. Bad scars but almost full function again and is socializing a little too!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wikipedia Commons \/ Peter Trimming After the alarm over \u201czombie rabbits\u201d with creepy growths, a new warning has now been issued. Americans are being urged to keep their distance after<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1590,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/535984077_122280642188009108_7635595674234328168_n.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1588"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1591,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1588\/revisions\/1591"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/primestuff.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ser-1536x1229-2-300x240.jpg\")
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So while \u201czombie squirrels\u201d may be terrifying to stumble across in your backyard, experts say the best thing to do is keep your distance, don\u2019t interfere, and \u2014 most importantly \u2014 put away the feeders if you spot an outbreak.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"