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Do Squirrels Get Worms In The Summer?

61K views 32 replies 28 participants last post by  swamppapa 
#1 ·
Growing up I was told you can't eat a squirrel killed in the Summer because they are "wormy" that time of the year.

Have any of you heard this before?........Any truth to it?

Thanks.
 
#3 ·
ive heard it about all wild animals

but its more like they may/will have ticks and fleas on them but so will cows,sheep,goats...ect

any animal could have worms. do you think corprate farms care? they will kill it and feed it to us just the same, how are you going to know. lol they will buy the most horrid looking disease ridden, half dead animal hopeing it doesnt die before they get it on the trailer :eek:

most of those rumors are started by ppl who havent got a clue. i dought indians only hunted in the winter
 
#8 ·
I took a college course about parasites in dogs because of my job. I learned a lot and I would apply the knowledge to any animal.

This is what I learned in the class, it may not be correct now because I took that class several years ago. It makes sense to me so I will share what I learned.

Worms are present in most any animal, all year round. They are mostly in the digestive tract. Even if you deworm an animal there are eggs inside of cysts in the muscles. When the ones in the digestive tract are killed they release chemicals that cause the cysts to hatch and this is why you reworm a dog two weeks later. However, it is only lightening the load. From what I learned in this class they are never really eliminated.

I don't think time of year matters as long as you thoroughly cook the meat.
 
#9 ·
Cook game well. I have never known anyone that has gotten ill from wild game, and my family put a lot of meat on the table that way, in the 'olden days'.

Some tips...

Here are some facts on trichinosis from the Centers for Disease Control and on how to prevent it:

• Hunters should practice good field dressing practices and cook all meat well.

• Cook meat products until the juices run clear or to an internal temp of 170°F.

• Freeze pork less than six inches thick for 20 days at 5°F to kill any worms.

• Cook wild game meat thoroughly. Freezing wild game meats, unlike freezing pork products, even for long periods of time, may not effectively kill all worms.

• Clean meat grinders thoroughly if you prepare your own ground meats.

• Curing (salting), drying, smoking, or microwaving meat does not consistently kill infective worms.

DFG recommends hunters take the following precautions when field dressing and preparing wild pigs:

• Wear gloves when dressing out hogs and dispose of gloves properly.

• Avoid eating/drinking/smoking while doing so.

• Wear eye protection if there is risk of splashing from blood/other fluids.

• Wear coveralls over clothes or promptly change into fresh clothes after dressing animals.

• Wash hands and equipment thoroughly with hot, soapy water.

• Practice good handling/storage procedures with the meat.

• Properly cook the meat to 170°F to kill bacteria, viruses and parasites.
 
#10 ·
Cook game well. I have never known anyone that has gotten ill from wild game, and my family put a lot of meat on the table that way, in the 'olden days'.

Some tips...

Here are some facts on trichinosis from the Centers for Disease Control and on how to prevent it:

• Hunters should practice good field dressing practices and cook all meat well.

• Cook meat products until the juices run clear or to an internal temp of 170°F.

• Freeze pork less than six inches thick for 20 days at 5°F to kill any worms.

• Cook wild game meat thoroughly. Freezing wild game meats, unlike freezing pork products, even for long periods of time, may not effectively kill all worms.

• Clean meat grinders thoroughly if you prepare your own ground meats.

• Curing (salting), drying, smoking, or microwaving meat does not consistently kill infective worms.

DFG recommends hunters take the following precautions when field dressing and preparing wild pigs:

• Wear gloves when dressing out hogs and dispose of gloves properly.

• Avoid eating/drinking/smoking while doing so.

• Wear eye protection if there is risk of splashing from blood/other fluids.

• Wear coveralls over clothes or promptly change into fresh clothes after dressing animals.

• Wash hands and equipment thoroughly with hot, soapy water.

• Practice good handling/storage procedures with the meat.

• Properly cook the meat to 170°F to kill bacteria, viruses and parasites.
so by what your post says the worms and or diseases are past to humans through the blood of the animal?
 
#11 ·
In the US, both squirrels and rabbits can be infested with botfly larva in the summer. These form big boils on the skin, and a fly maggot lives in there. Is this the type of "worm" you are referring to? Do not try to squeeze the maggot out, they have hooks all along the outside of them, to keep them in place.

Simply cut out the boil without puncturing it, and you are fine. A botfly larve does not extend into the muscle. Removing the whole skin should also remove the capsule the botfly larva is in. (And you thought my scientific trivia would be useless.)

There are no human botflies in the US. But there are in Mexico and Belize.
 
#25 ·
I have shot and eaten many summer squirrels in Georgia. The previous poster writing about botflies is correct. In the hotter months, both squirrels and rabbits can have these very large parasitic maggots under their skin. I have only seen one or two squirrels with these parasites and they were very gross. However, if you skin the animal and cut out the pocket that the parasite lives in, the meat is fine and good to eat.

I don't have any experience with this condition on rabbits because the season here starts in November.

We call them wools - and they are gross.
yep, Ive found these in rabbits, and they are gross... cant remember ever finding any in any squirrels but im sure that theyre there
 
#12 ·
Personal Experience

I have shot and eaten many summer squirrels in Georgia. The previous poster writing about botflies is correct. In the hotter months, both squirrels and rabbits can have these very large parasitic maggots under their skin. I have only seen one or two squirrels with these parasites and they were very gross. However, if you skin the animal and cut out the pocket that the parasite lives in, the meat is fine and good to eat.

I don't have any experience with this condition on rabbits because the season here starts in November.

We call them wools - and they are gross.
 
#18 ·
I was told this same nonsense by my dad as a kid. I shot a rabbit in the summer and he wouldn't let me cook it, because it would have worms he said.
Pretty sure the worms are present year round.
Most of the people on Earth have some sort of worm crawling around in them. Not a bad idea to do like our ancestors did and do a general deworming once or twice a year.

Some of the worms you get just from walking barefoot outside, or swimming or wading in a lake or pond. different worms can live in just about every part of you. Liver, muscle, digestive tract, eyeball, brain.

I think much of the unexplained intestinal complaints are caused by worms. (irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, etc )
 
#19 ·
Don't know if it is true ,but a friend of mine that hunts hogs, states that he usually gets his hogs from the orange groves.

He says the hogs from there always eat the oranges and the citric acid in their system keeps them from being infested with bugs and the hogs always have more tender and better tasting (sweeter) meat because of the citric acid.

He says they are nuisance animals and the owners of the groves appreciate when you hunt there (with permission of course).
 
#21 ·
"Worms" do not live in the muscles, which is the part of the animal you eat. Botfly larvae may be there rarely, but that is a one-off occurrence, and you can easily cut them out. You also will generally want to cook all wild game well done which kills any other pathogens in the meat.

Many of the concerns surrounding eating wild animals have to do with handling and gutting the carcass and being exposed to the wide variety of parasites and diseases they possess. Most all of that will be discarded and neutralized during cooking, but you are still exposed to it during that time. Thats why protective barriers like gloves and clothing and proper sanitation measure sare important. As long as you are doing that part right then you won't have much of an issue once it comes time to eat the animal.
 
#22 ·
I am pretty sure that there are worms that live in the muscle. It was even on an episode of "House" He says, 'Worms LOVE thigh muscle". Sure enough, they found worms there. They also live in the eyes, intestines of course, the liver, etc. In fact, they did an episode on each.
 
#23 ·
I found this on wiki about Trichinella worms: "...found in rodents, pigs, and bears....[they] bore through the intestinal wall, enter the blood (to feed on it) and lymphatic system, and are carried to striated muscle. Once in the muscle, they encyst, or become enclosed in a capsule. Humans can be infected by eating infected pork or horse or wild carnivores such as fox, cat or bear."

Mentions rodents initially, but doesn't seem to reference them again, mainly just pigs. Perhaps it is assumed that those who eat rodents fully cook them, while pork is often served less than well done.
 
#24 ·
on swamp people the brothers Glen and Mitchell looked like they shot squirrels to eat in the summer.i wont hunt them then.
they are out then and alot.then when it comes to colder weather.they are hiding and the snow is on the ground.so if u can shoot them in the summer.i would sure love to find out.
 
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