squirrel running in circles

[lilacgirl]

There is a squirrel running around outside on the road. He is running in circles (always in a clockwise direction) and stops every now and then - he then leans his head to the right a few times before continuing to run round in circles again. What might be wrong with him and is there anything I can do??

[tiggerblue10]

I wouldn't go near it as they a nasty bite on them. Try shooing it off the road so it doesn't get run over.

[Clanad]

The advice to stay away from your squirrel is important for a number of reasons. Squirrels that display this type of behavior, at least here in the western U.S., often have maladies that have serious aspects as far as contact with humans is concerned. Rabies is the worst possible causee, but that's followed closely by West Nile virus. We've had several cases (fortunately, none near-by) of squirrels and other mammals becoming infected with this mosquito borne virus.
Some squirrels are affected by inner ear problems that cause imbalance, but often goes away (just as in humans) after two or three weeks.
(Myxomatosis only affects rabbits, by the way).

[bensmum]

It's probably too late by now but it could be that it's been hit by a car causing some sort of head injury and that's why it's behaving like this. I have seen this happen on the roads and sadly there isn't much you can do.

[Clanad]

A simile is a figure of speech in which two basically unlike things are compared using "like" or "as" or "than"...

[lilacgirl]

I did consider retrieving it for about 10 seconds then decided I didn't have a pair of gloves thick enough to protect me from a possible bite or scratch! I managed to save it from next door's cat but then it ran across the road (a very quiet cul-de-sac where most people drive slowly, so not much chance of it being hit by a car) into someone else's garden and that was the last I saw of it. Have not been aware of a squirrel 'mat' adorning the busier road behind the garden it ran into, so I can only assume it survived its ordeal somehow.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions/comments.