How to raise a Flyer

[squirrellover101]

any tips for Flying Squirrel care?? I can use all the help you can give! Like what do they eat? what temperature should i keep him at, when hes a baby?? and any other tips on how to raise him..:nurse

[NatureGirl]

Please make sure you do lots of research before deciding a flyer is the right pet for you. They need dedicated owners and live for 10-15 years in captivity, and it's very hard for both the flyer and you if you have to find a new home for him/her because they form such a deep bond with their owner(s). You also need to have plenty of time to spend with your flyer to keep that bond and be willing to let him/her out of his cage at night for at least 1-2 hours. If you do decide to get a flyer they can make wonderful pets and will bring you years of pleasure.

It's very important you buy your flyer from a reputable and trustworthy breeder. You should try to get one that's 6-8 weeks, because the older the flyer the less likely it is to bond with you. Carry it around in a shirt pocket or bonding pouch for many hours a day for at least 2-3 weeks to ensure a strong bond. This way the flyer will learn your smell, voice and heartbeat. A fleece bonding pouch filled with cotton bedding makes a great bed for a baby. Or you can use a box, for example, I use a small chest I got at Michael’s that I drilled a hole in. And the lid works good in case I need to get him out. The most important thing is that the baby stays warm. Flying squirrels usually wean at 8-10 weeks so until then you’ll have to feed it a milk replacer. I’ve heard the best type of milk to feed a baby flyer is Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer. It contains all the protein content that they need. Nothing needs to be added to it. You also have to be very careful your baby doesn’t aspirate the formula. You can start offering your baby soft solid foods, such as apples, pears, cherrios, grapes, and pecans split into quarters.


Once your baby is weaned, you should start putting rodent vitamins in his/her water three times a week. I use Oasis vita-drops for hamsters, but many people use L&M multivitamins. Either one will work. You should give your flyer plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables every night. Some of the things mine likes are: blue berries, rasberries, lettuce, apples, carrots raisins etc. It’s really important they get a calcium supplement added to their diet. This can be accomplished by sprinkling rep-cal on your flyer’s fruits and vegetables every night or mixing it in with their food. They also need vitamin D so his/her system can absorb the calcium. I feed my flyer, Jasper, a wild bird seed mix called Nut N’ Berry. It has lots of different types of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. He loves it.

The cage should at least 2’x2’3’. But the bigger the better!! The bar spacing should be no more than 1"x ½ ". Or else the flyer can squeeze out. Flying squirrels become very active at night so they need lots of toys to play with! One of the Jasper’s most used toys is his stealth wheel. He loves to run on it all night long. I also have a ferret hammock in his cage, an acorn bed, a small straw finch nest, a kladder (bird toy), a ladder etc.

Like I mentioned up top, please do lots of reasearch before bringing a flyer into your home.

[squirrellover101]

Thanks for the tips NatureGirl... any tips on where to get some of the supplies??:smiley_pirate

[squirrellover101]

:madd everything is needed!!! even if it's just cage size or whatever else you have to tell me!! plzz help!:frustratedx

[NatureGirl]

I got the vitamins, Rep-cal, and Esbilac at Petsmart. And most of the toys. The cage is actually a large bird cage, which I got at a feed store. I just use cotton balls for bedding.

[squirrellover101]

Thanks again NatureGirl! Your a real life saver! lol:icon_devil