Do Red Squirrels Carry Diseases. The red squirrel is the uk's only native squirrel species, and was once a common sight. Grey squirrels carry a disease, a parapoxvirus, which does not appear to affect their health but often kills red squirrels.
Find out about diseases that threaten the red squirrel population plus what you can do to help.
Red squirrels have a lifespan of roughly 3 years in the wild, but squirrelpox virus (sqpv) can be carried by grey squirrels without causing any symptoms. Cats, dogs, squirrels and chipmunks are not known to carry the virus. The red squirrel is an arboreal, primarily herbivorous rodent. Have howth's red squirrels succumbed to invasive greys?