Feeding baby flying squirrels

Flying Squirrel Information - Exotic Nutrition

SOUTHERN FLYING SQUIRRELS (Provided by Steve Patterson)

Description and History

Glaucomys Volans, the Southern Flying Squirrel, is found in Southern & Eastern United States. The smallest of the tree squirrels, its body color is gray to chestnut with a white belly. A flap of skin connects the back leg to the front wrist. This squirrel has very large eyes, which aid its nocturnal vision. You will rarely see one in the wild since they are very shy. It has a body length of 5 to 6 inches. Flying Squirrels can live in captivity for up to 15 years.

What kind of pet does Flying Squirrel make? A flying squirrel that has established a bond with its owner will make an amazing pet. The squirrel will want to be with you at all times. Your pet will learn the sound of your voice and, when he or she hears it, will come out of his nest box to greet you, dashing up and down your body as if you were a big tree. Your pet will soon feel safest sleeping in your pockets or under your clothes.

Breeding Flying Squirrels

Breeding pairs should be provided with two nest boxes. The female and male will stay together just before she births. A few days prior to to birth, she will take up housing in a vacant nest. Gestation is about 40 days and babies number 3-4. Babies are born with eyes closed and hairless. They have the gliding membranes from birth. They open their eyes at about 4 weeks of age and wean at about 8 weeks. Flying squirrels will breed up to twice a year in the wild and 3 times a year in captivity.

What do I look for in choosing a Flying Squirrel? The best age at which to purchase a Flying Squirrel is 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 weeks. At this age they are sure to bond to you. As the squirrel gets older, it will become less likely to bond to a human; for this reason, adult flying squirrels sold in pet stores will not make good pets.

How do they bond to you? Your six-week old flying squirrel won't quite be weaned from its mother's milk, so you will have to feed them Goat milk three times a day, which will aid in the bonding. Further bonding is accomplished by carrying your pet close to your body in a pouch or pocket for at least three hours a day (the longer the better). The squirrel will sleep happily while you carry on with your day. You can check the Nursing Department for related products.

Housing

The bigger the better as far as cages go. The mesh size should not exceed 1"x 1/2". Sugar Glider Cages are ideal. Cage furniture should include a Nest Box, branches, a salt spool, a calcium block, food, and a water dish.

Feeding

We suggest flying squirrels be fed a complete pellet based food formulated specifically for squirrels. Exotic Nutrition's Squirrel Complete is highly recommended. It not only contains the nutritionally complete pellets, but also incorporates a variety of dried fruit and nuts in with the pellets. Each Squirrel will eat 5 -10 grams of the food daily. Your squirrel will also love pecans, but these are particularly fattening and should only be given as occasional treats. You may also supplement their diet with mealworms or other dried or canned insects.

Are they clean animals? Flying squirrels have no odor. Their droppings are dry. They will use one or two places in their cage for their toilet.

Do they need a companion? Flying squirrels are social animals. If you give your squirrel a lot of attention, it will be very happy. If you decide you want more than one squirrel in your home, do not house the two pets together at first, as they will bond to each other. Bond to each one individually for several months, then you can put them in the same cage.

Are they prone to any health problems? Flying squirrels are susceptible to calcium deficiency problems. Hanging a calcium block or giving a supplement like Squirrel-Cal in addition to feeding a complete pellet diet will help prevent such problems. Flying squirrels do not need any routine vaccinations.

How will they get along with other animals? A squirrel introduced at a young age to the family dog or cat should not have a problem co-existing with these animals, provided they respect his small size. Larger animals should be supervised when your squirrel is out of his cage.

Who should own a Flying Squirrel? Flying squirrels need owners who are dedicated. The whole bonding experience is a real joy to go through: feeding the squirrel milk and carrying it around in its bonding pouch is a delight for a child (age 10 and up) or adult, but it does take a commitment. Once a flying squirrel bonds to his or her owner, continued attention must be given each day. If your lifestyle calls for you to be out of town often, a flying squirrel will not be the ideal pet for you. And remember, once your squirrel bonds to you, it is not easy to place the animal in another household.

Although considered arboreal animals, flying squirrels do spend a small percentage of time on the ground, foraging for food such as fungi, insects and ground-level-fruiting berries. They also store nuts in shallow holes dug into the ground. It is at this time when they are most vulnerable to predation by land carnivores such as bobcat, coyote, wolf, house cat, etc.

Most foraging is done in the relative safety of the trees and shrubs in the animals' home range. Ground foraging is performed within "safe scamper distance" from a tree trunk. Males generally have a larger home range than females, however, any home range, where foraging is concerned, is dependent upon available food supplies. If there is a paucity of food in any given area, a flying squirrels' range will be increased. The reverse is true if there is an abundance of food at hand.

Flying squirrels, as a rule, are scatter-hoarders, although southern flying squirrels have been known to stash large quantities of beech nuts in "larder cavities" (large natural cavities in trees). Northern flying squirrels are much less likely to larder hoard. In fact, there is no documentation regarding larder hoarding activity in northerns. Flying squirrels, once they have located a food item, will either eat it right on the spot, or find a suitable location to store it, for, it is hoped, retrieval at a later time. Areas where a flying squirrel may store its find can be notches and crevices in tree branches, natural cavities, shallow digs under the forest floor leaf litter, and under logs. They will press the food into the storage spot by banging it down with their incisors. Depending upon location and time of year, one can often hear the rapid "bonk bonk bonk bonk bonk" sound of hard mast being stashed by a flying squirrel on a windless night in the forest. Sometimes they will "finish off" the storing ritual with a few pats of the forepaws.

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Raising Orphaned Flying Squirrels – Ron Hines' Vetspace – 2nd Chance – The Animal Health Website

If you have found a fox squirrel go here

All Of Dr. Hines’ Other Wildlife Rehab Articles

Orphaned wildlife tend to knock more than once on the door of a kind- hearted person.

So, for Nestling birds go here. Opossums here. Raccoonshere. Cottontail rabbits here. Turtles here. Bobcats and other such creatures are for professionals only, go here.

Like all orphaned rodents, it’s considerably easier to raise flying squirrel kits when they have some fur and have already received their mother’s colostral (first milk) antibodies (some species pass it through the womb).

Temperature is important. I like to keep them about 100 F (37.8 C). I use a Marsh (Lion Electric) Turnex™ egg incubator, which has wet and dry bulb thermometers but you can use a heating pad under towels as well. If they are dehydrated, subcutaneous lactated ringer’s solution (LRS) given subcutaneously in an amount about as large as their heads 3 times a day is a good idea.

I use 1 part of powdered Nurturall™ Kitten Powder to 4 parts warm water and a few drops of FeloviteII™/Taurine the first day, and to 3 parts for the next week or three. I have read that soy-based infant formulas will also work but I have not used them. It is important to feed young squirrels slowly with their bellies down. Just plump them out a little. Over feeding is worse than underfeeding. I like to use a 1 ml plastic pipette with the end heated with a lighter or match and drawn out finer. The stool should be jelly-like and cream to yellow. If it is too thin dilute the formula. If you over feed, milk will bubble from the baby’s nose and it will develop aspiration pneumonia. Be sure to wake them up before you feed them! Feed them every 2-4 hours. Don’t give too much at a time. When you finish a feeding, gently massage their genitals with a warm wet pledget of cotton. Mix only the amount of food you will use. I use a half-ounce “Yorker” bottle for the formula. As they get older, you can feed them directly from the bottle.

They should feel snug in a small cardboard box packed loosely with white Kleenex. As they get older, and their eyes open a wire cage – preferably ungalvanized (no Zinc) is best. Provide a lot of twigs for them to get exercise and gain dexterity. Begin to wean them as early as you can. Provide them with berries, nuts, grains, fruit and vegetables, and a crock of water. Some of the imported ones use lead glazes. Handle them as little as possible if they will be released and they will revert to their natural shyness. That is also the time to provide them with a wooden sleeping box. It should look like a wood duck nest box in miniature. Be sure no green treated lumber is used to make it. You can go natural with a hollowed stump but that’s a lot of work and chiefly for your enjoyment. As the weather moderates – keep their habitat on a porch or outside.

If the babies bloat with air, a drop of veterinary surfactant (dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate, “Colase” or, if unavailable, a Gerber’s anti-infant bloat on the shelf ant Walmart) will help them pass the gas. Also helpful is Pancreazime™ (a mixture of digestive enzymes + vitamin E – about 1/8 tab/28ml of formula. If the bloated abdomen is firm they may be dehydrated and need more subcutaneous fluids, more diluted formula and a drop or two of cat laxative.

Remember, they are nocturnal creatures – if you are a night owl – feed them at night. Make them hunt for their food – that is hiding it about like they would forage in the wild. Wean them from formula slowly. When they are grown and fat, I usually nail their nest box to a large oak tree that has some potential knotholes in it. If you cut a wilted branch off flush with the tree there is often a rotted center hole in it. Keep putting feed in the box. The squirrels may return for a while but they will eventually move on. Other people keep them in large outdoor aviaries for a few months to a year and accustom them to freedom slower.

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description, what they eat, how long they live, habitat

Flying squirrel or flying squirrel is a small-sized rodent that belongs to the Squirrel family and the Mammals class. In our time, this rodent is the only representative of this family that lives on our territory.

Contents

1 Flying squirrel: description
- 1.1 Appearance
- 1. 2 Lifestyle
- 1.3 How long do flying squirrels live
- 1.4 Habitat
- 1.5 What they eat
- 1.6 Natural enemies
- 1.7 Reproduction and offspring
2 Population and species status
3 In conclusion 02 To our time, about a dozen main subspecies of this rodent have survived , the differences of which are associated with the main color of the coat, as well as sizes, but only 8 of them are found on the territory of our country.

Appearance

The flying squirrel is similar in appearance to the common squirrel. The only difference is that this animal has a characteristic skin fold covered with hair between the front and hind limbs. This fold helps the flying squirrel to glide through the trees. The front of the membrane is supported by a long, sickle-shaped bone that is located between the wrist and forearm. The tail of the flying squirrel is long and covered with thick hair. It acts as a steering wheel as well as a brake.

Interesting to know! Compared to other subspecies, the common flying squirrel lacks a flight membrane between the base of the tail and the hind limbs.

Adult flying squirrels grow to a maximum length of 23 cm, with a tail that is half the length of the body, or even more. The length of the foot is in the range of 3-4 cm, and the average body weight is about 165 grams. This mammal has a rounded and blunt head. The eyes are large and bulging, black in color, which is associated with its activity at night. The shape of the ears is rounded, without tassels. The legs of all representatives of this family are quite short, although the hind legs are somewhat longer. The paws are armed with rather short and rather curved, as well as sharp and tenacious claws.

The coat of the flying squirrel is quite thick, but soft, with a pronounced silkiness, while the ordinary squirrel's fur is not so thick and delicate. The upper part of the body of the animal is distinguished by a silvery-grayish color, while blotches of brownish and ocher shades are possible. The lower part of the body is lighter, with the presence of a characteristic fawn coating. The eyes have a black border. The tail also has a lighter color, while being very fluffy. In winter, the coat of the flying squirrel is especially fluffy and especially delicate, colored in various shades of grayish. Animals shed twice a year.

Lifestyle

The flying squirrel is active throughout the year, but it prefers to lead a nocturnal or twilight lifestyle. Females who are busy feeding their offspring can actively behave during the day. As a rule, these animals spend most of their time looking for food. To arrange a nest for itself, the flying squirrel uses the hollows of old but powerful trees, as well as abandoned nests of common squirrels and woodpecker nests. In fact, this animal is quite picky about choosing a place for a nest, so it does not build nests anywhere. There are times when a mammal's nest is found in rock crevices, as well as near human habitation, including birdhouses.

The flying squirrel's nest is distinguished by a rounded shape, while for its construction the animal uses soft lichen and moss, including various dry grasses. In nests, squirrels can live in pairs, since these mammals are quite social and do not show aggression towards each other. The only moment when the female becomes aggressive is when she has offspring. Flying squirrels do not have individual foraging areas as compared to other mammal species, although they always follow the same feeding routes.

An interesting moment! The presence of a flying squirrel can be identified by peculiar heaps of droppings, reminiscent of ant eggs, but of a bright yellow hue.

Like ordinary squirrels, flying squirrels spend almost their entire lives on trees and try not to fall to the ground without special need. The membrane, which is located between the front and hind limbs, plays the role of a parachute, so the animal easily moves from tree to tree, covering a distance of more than fifty meters at a time, while some species are able to cover distances of more than a hundred meters. To make such long jumps, the animal climbs to the top of the tree. The flight is carried out due to the fact that the squirrel spreads its front legs wide, and the hind legs at this moment are pressed against the tail. A squirrel can easily change its flight direction up to 90 degrees. The tail also takes part in this process, as well as in the braking process.

The process of landing on a tree is quite interesting, because the animal takes a vertical position, clinging to the tree trunk with all its paws. Having landed, the squirrel immediately moves to the back of the tree so as not to draw the attention of various natural enemies.

The flying squirrel, like other varieties of squirrels, moves quite dexterously and quickly in the crowns of trees, jumping from branch to branch. Therefore, it is quite difficult to notice this small animal among the branches of trees. The animal also has a unique coloring that allows the animal to disguise itself against the background of trees. With the onset of dusk, in the forest you can hear the voice of a flying squirrel, which resembles something like a chirp, and not too loud.

How long do flying squirrels live

Thanks to the found remains, it was possible to determine that flying squirrels lived in the Miocene period. Inhabited in the wild, the average life expectancy of this animal is about 6 years. Being in captivity, when proper care and quality nutrition is provided for the animal, the flying squirrel can live 2 times longer.

Flying squirrels

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Habitat

The natural habitats of the flying squirrel are associated with deciduous green spaces, where there are aspens, as well as birch and alder forests. These animals prefer to live in places located near swamps or rivers, where alder predominates. In forest zones, with a predominance of coniferous trees, these animals are found, but very rarely.

Common flying squirrel living in Siberia prefers to settle in deciduous forests with a predominance of tall and strong trees. In the west of Siberia, its habitual habitats extend to ribbon pine forests, as well as birch pegs. Closer to the northern territories, the mammal is found in thickets of floodplain vegetation. The flying squirrel is also found high in the mountains, where tall trees with a dense crown grow.

What they eat

The basis of the diet of the flying squirrel is the buds of various deciduous trees, as well as the tops of young shoots, young needles and seeds of coniferous trees such as pine and larch. In the summer, her diet expands due to the ripening of berries on plants and mushrooms. In addition, flying squirrels feed on the thin and young bark of trees such as willow, aspen, birch and maple.

An interesting moment! The flying squirrel does not hibernate in winter, but in very cold, frosty periods it prefers to sit in its nest, eating its food reserves.

The most preferred food is alder or birch “catkins”, which the animal collects and folds inside the hollow, thus providing itself with food for the winter. There is an opinion that the rodent is able to eat the eggs of various birds, including the newborn offspring of these birds. This is only evidence that the diet of the animal depends on the living conditions and the availability of food supply.

Natural Enemies

This cute, nimble, small animal has a lot of natural enemies. Despite its capabilities, the flying squirrel still cannot avoid the attack of such predators as lynx, weasel, marten, ferret, solongoy, owl, falcon and others.

Reproduction and offspring

This process has not yet been fully studied, due to the great secrecy of the animal, as well as its nocturnal lifestyle. It is known that the female feeds her offspring 2 times a year, and each time from 2 to 4 cubs are born. It is also known that the female bears her offspring for one month.

An important point! According to the observations of specialists, it was possible to find out that 50 days after birth, young individuals already know how to plan, moving from tree to tree. Therefore, they become absolutely independent, because they know how to get food for themselves.

The first offspring appear already in April/May, and the second at the end of June/beginning of July. The offspring that was born is absolutely helpless, as it is naked and blind. After a couple of weeks, they begin to see, and after a month and a half they are ready to leave the parental nest.

Population and species status

The number of this animal in nature is quite small. In this regard, hunting for these representatives of this family is very limited. In addition, the fur is not considered valuable enough, despite the fact that the fur is quite soft and attractive. It has a very thin and fragile mezdra, which is the reason why the fur of these animals is not used so actively.

Although flying squirrels do not do well in captivity because they need a lot of space for their jumps, this animal is constantly captured for home keeping, which causes serious damage to flying squirrel populations.

Other factors also influence the total number of these animals, so their numbers are constantly declining in some regions. In connection with this fact, the flying squirrel is listed in the Red Book, as well as in the Red Books of some republics.

In conclusion

Recently it has become fashionable to keep an exotic pet in a house or apartment. This is not so much about loving and caring for animals, but about showing others that they are different from others. Naturally, what happens in life is that there is simply no choice, since you have to pick up the cubs of various animals, and then keep them in the house, nursing and fattening them. Unfortunately, recently the keeping of unusual animals has been practiced, and the flying squirrel is no exception. To keep such an animal at home, you must be a great animal lover, since this animal requires special living conditions. After all, this is a flying squirrel and it will not sit in a cage, because it constantly needs to move, and for this it uses various hills. You need to be prepared for the fact that she will definitely break something, etc. If such an animal is kept in a cage, then this can only be called a mockery of the animal, which, unfortunately, many do.

We can safely say that the main enemy for many animals is man, since he absolutely thoughtlessly interferes in the living space of mammals, and not only. What are its constant expansions of its living space, which leads to the disappearance of the natural habitats of many living creatures, and the flying squirrel is no exception.

Flying squirrel interesting facts

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Flying squirrel

Common flying squirrel , or flying squirrel , or flying squirrel ( Pteromys volans ) is a small rodent of the squirrel family. The only representative of the flying squirrel subfamily (Pteromyini) living in Russia. Species name lat. volans means "winged" or "flying", "flying". Squad: Rodents. Class: Mammals. Type: Chordates. Kingdom: Animals

Description. The flying squirrel looks like a small short-eared squirrel, but between the front and hind legs it has a wide skin fold covered with hair - a flying membrane that plays the role of a parachute and partially the bearing surface when jumping. It is supported anteriorly by a long crescent-shaped bone extending from the wrist and approximately equal in length to the forearm. Unlike other flying squirrels, the common flying squirrel does not have a flight membrane between the hind legs and the base of the tail. The tail is long, covered with thick long fur.

Its dimensions are small, slightly smaller than squirrels: body length 12‒22.8 cm, tail - 11‒13 cm, feet - 3‒3.9 cm, ear - 1.5‒2.1 cm; weight up to 170 g.

The fur of the flying squirrel is thick, soft, silky, much softer and thicker than that of the squirrel. The upper body is painted in a silvery-gray color, often with an ocher or brown tint, the bottom of the body is white with a fawn bloom. The eyes are surrounded by a black rim. The tail is very fluffy, lighter than the body. The winter coat is especially lush, in various shades of grey. The flying squirrel molts twice a year like a squirrel and in the same order.

Lifestyle. The animal is active all year round. The lifestyle is nocturnal and twilight, lactating females and young animals appear during the day. Most of the time the flying squirrel spends in search of food. It can "fly" from tree to tree at a distance of up to 50 m, gliding with the help of skin folds on the sides of the body. Builds nests in natural tree holes, woodpecker nest holes, old squirrel nests and forty, occasionally in rock crevices. The hollow chooses at a height of 3‒12 m. The nests are round, made of soft lichens, mosses, and dry grass. The nests are often nested in pairs. They are non-aggressive social animals and do not have distinct individual areas, only habitual feeding routes. Lactating females are more aggressive and defend their nests.

It feeds on leaves and seeds of trees and grasses, tree buds (both deciduous and coniferous), berries, mushrooms, birch catkins.

Reproduction is poorly understood. The female gives birth to 2-4 cubs once a year. Pregnancy lasts 4-5 weeks. The first brood appears in April - May, the second - in late June - early July. The cubs are naked and blind; mature at 15 days of age. At 36–41 days of life, they leave the nest for the first time. Upon reaching 43-45 days of age, they begin to make the first aimed jumps, from 50 days - to plan. After 50 days of life, they completely switch to adult nutrition and become independent.

They live (in captivity) up to 9-13 years, in nature - only 5 years. Their natural enemies are large owls, less often sable, martens.

Habitats. Predominantly tends to deaf mature forests, especially willingly settles in valley forest types.

Area. Found almost all over the world. They can be found on different continents: in Russia, America, Europe; in different countries: Mongolia, Korea, China, etc.; on large and small islands: in Japan, on Sakhalin, on the Kuriles. On the territory of Russia there are more than 10 varieties of flying squirrels, which have minor physiological differences between themselves.

Conservation status. Listed in the Red Books of Altai Territory, Arkhangelsk Region, Vladimir Region, Ivanovo Region, Kostroma Region, Kurgan Region, Leningrad Region, Moscow Region, Murmansk Region, Nizhny Novgorod Region, Novgorod Region, Omsk Region, Pskov Region, Republic of Bashkortostan, Republic of Karelia, Republic of Mari El, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Republic of Chuvashia, the Ryazan Region, the Sverdlovsk Region, the Smolensk Region, the Tver Region, the Udmurt Republic and the Chelyabinsk Region.

Interesting facts. Scientists estimate that flying squirrels can harvest up to 15,000 nuts per season.
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