Can squirrels carry rabies?

I haven't been bitten...Just curious. Thanks :DCan squirrels carry rabies?
No. All rodents have something in their DNA that does not support the Rabies virus- scientists are not exactly sure why. There has not ever been a documented case of Rabies in a squirrel. The most common species to carry the virus (besides pets) are skunks, raccoons, bats, and opossums.





I'm pasting in a passage taken directly from the CDC (Center for Disease Control) website:





Small rodents (such as squirrels, rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, and chipmunks, ) and lagomorphs (such as rabbits and hares) are almost never found to be infected with rabies and have not been known to cause rabies among humans in the United States. Bites by these animals are usually not considered a risk of rabies unless the animal was sick or behaving in any unusual manner and rabies is widespread in your area. However, from 1985 through 1994, woodchucks accounted for 86% of the 368 cases of rabies among rodents reported to CDC. Woodchucks or groundhogs (Marmota monax) are the only rodents that may be frequently submitted to state health department because of a suspicion of rabies. In all cases involving rodents, the state or local health department should be consulted before a decision is made to initiate postexposure prophylaxis (PEP).





For more information about rabies in rodents and lagomorphs, see: Childs, J. E., Colby, L., Krebs, J. W., Strine, T., Feller, M., Noah, D., Drenzek, C., Smith, J.S., %26amp; Rupprecht, C. E. (1997). Surveillance and spatiotemporal associations of rabies in rodents and lagomorphs in the United States, 1985-1994. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 33(1), 20-27.Can squirrels carry rabies?
Squirrels can carry rabies. They are just less likely to transmit it. Sciurids have a certain dentation that makes them less likely to transmit it.

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I believe the answer is yes


thank you
Yes, they can.
yes.
.


Here is what the governmanet site says about carriers.





What animals are likely to be rabies carriers?


Bites from skunks, bats, foxes, coyotes, bobcats, raccoons and unvaccinated cats are sources of rabies. In California, skunks are the most likely to have rabies. In fact, about 38% of skunks, 31% of raccoons, 14% of bats and 4% of foxes carry rabies. In Northern California, raccoons are the main source of rabies. In Southern California, along the United States-Mexico border, rabies is common in dogs.





Mice, rats, squirrels, groundhogs, guinea pigs, gerbils, chipmunks, hamsters and rabbits are unlikely to transmit rabies. Contact your county public health department to determine which animals are high incidence carriers of rabies in your area.
i belive they can
Yes, they can. Were some cases in Illinois many years ago. They also can carry mad cow disease. There was a case in Arkansas where eating brains of squirrels is done by some people and they came down sick with what is commonly known as mad cow disease. The health department tracked it to the squirrels the family had eaten (or rather the brains of the squirrels)
yes,google rabies and it should tell u the in and out of rabies
Yes
I would think so, most any mammal can carry rabies.
i'm sure they could.
yes
yes
Yes, nasty little critters, aren't they?
course, why not?!
surely
Indeed. Watch out for their bites.
yes
if their hands are big enough, maybe?
Yes. In fact squirrels are one of the most likely to get rabies. They live among rabbits, another likely rabies victim. So they are liable to get it.