New flyer...please help!

[allyouneedislove513]

Hi! I very recently became the proud new owner of a flying squirrel. I adopted him from my vet's office. His previous owner was feeding him nothing but Dr. Pepper and peanuts and he's kind of chunky. I have searched and searched for good information on the best way to take care of flyers but I haven't had a whole lot of luck so far, so naturally I have a few questions. First of all, he's 8 years old. Is he too old to bond to me? I read another post saying that it just makes it easier to bond with them when they are young but I'm afraid he's just too old. He's people friendly so apparently the woman who owned him before was bonded to him. So far I haven't fed him any nuts but I know he likes stawberries and bananas. I was wondering what the best kind of fruits and veggies are for them. My vet was giving him Forti-Diet with fruits and veggies and I was wondering just how god that is for them. On the ingredients list, it says that it contains vitamin D and was also wondering if that was going to be a good enough source for him or if I should supplement it some other way. I have another question about aggression. Last night, I had his nesting box out of his cage and was holding it on my lap. When I opened the top lid, he would peak out with and put his front two legs on the lid and look around. After a little while I closed the lid but every time I would move in front of the hole in the front of the box, he would lunge at me. Is that normal? Is there any way I can stop that? He eventually jumped completely out at me, landed on my lap, then flew to the chair. When I tried to pick him up he bit me twice. I know he's not used to me yet and has to have time to get familiar with his new surroundings but I want him to be happy and healthy here and would appreciate any information anyone can give me. Oh, and one last question. Does anyone know how his bad diet and extra weight could possibly affect his health? I want to know what to look for in the way of health problems. Again, anything will help. Thanks!

[Squerly]

OK allyouneedislove513, give me a little time to respond. You are asking alot here and it will take me some time to put it all together. BRB....

[muffinsquirrel]

A flyer is a fantastic pet! I live not far from you, in Buna, which is about 25 miles above Beaumont. I have owned and raised flyers for about 5 years or so - can't imagine life without them! The best place for flyer help is NFSA (the National Flying Squirrel Association)

http://www.nfsa.us/phpBB2/index.php?sid=487f6358aaec406b87225812d3c44f11

Since we deal with only flyers, we can go into a great deal of detail on things, and the people there are very friendly and knowledgeable and nutty, just like here!

muffinsquirrel

[Squerly]

OK, I'm back. I see that muffinsquirrel has interjected some help here but let me post this anyhow.

His previous owner was feeding him nothing but Dr. Pepper and peanuts and he's kind of chunky. This is a horrible diet for any kind of animal so there it is no surprise that he is chunky. My flying squirrels metabolism started slowing down somewhere before 8, and they will naturally start gaining some weight. But the weight gain will be seriously influenced by their diet. And Dr. Pepper and peanuts is certainly NOT the correct diet. It may be hard to change a bad diet as the squirrel has been so “spoiled” at this point, but it is a necessity if you want him to live a quality life. Try giving him/her things like watermelon, apples and wholesome fruits. Some may disagree but I fed mine corn on the cob and it was a major hit. Anyway, use some common sense with his diet. Limit the nuts, especially pecans. Pecan should be used as a treat and then only a ½ of one daily.


he's 8 years old. Is he too old to bond to me? I read another post saying that it just makes it easier to bond with them when they are young but I'm afraid he's just too old. He's people friendly so apparently the woman who owned him before was bonded to him. Well, he’s set in his ways, that’s for sure. I don’t know if you will ever achieve the actual “bond” that can exist between a flying squirrel and it’s human counterpart. But if you take some time, and a lot of patience, you may get close to the results that you want. Depends a lot on the relationship that the squirrel had with its previous owner.

So far I haven't fed him any nuts but I know he likes stawberries and bananas. I was wondering what the best kind of fruits and veggies are for them. I don’t know about the bananas, but strawberries, apples, oranges, apples, etc. certainly were a hit with mine. Leave the skin on and let him deal with it for himself.

My vet was giving him Forti-Diet with fruits and veggies and I was wondering just how god that is for them. On the ingredients list, it says that it contains vitamin D and was also wondering if that was going to be a good enough source for him or if I should supplement it some other way. I always put a liquid Vitamin D subsisted in my squirrels water supply. I had to deal with a bout of calcium defiency and I was given a cure by Curt Howard, who in my opinion was the KING of flying squirrels. I highly suggest his book called “The flying squirrel: King and Queen of the pet world”. He is no longer with us any longer but his book is an absolute MUST in my opinion and will help you in many, many ways.


Last night, I had his nesting box out of his cage and was holding it on my lap. When I opened the top lid, he would peak out with and put his front two legs on the lid and look around. After a little while I closed the lid but every time I would move in front of the hole in the front of the box, he would lunge at me. Is that normal? He is probably leery of his new environment. Give him some time to calm down. You would be afraid too if this happened to you.

Oh, and one last question. Does anyone know how his bad diet and extra weight could possibly affect his health? I want to know what to look for in the way of health problems. Well, INHO, you need to get him on a good diet as soon as possible. He has 8 years of crap so it won’t be easy. But give him some good foods and don’t get too upset if he doesn’t eat them all right away. Tough love is going to come into play here. Put the good food out for him in the morning, dump what he doesn’t eat and replace it the next morning. He will eventually get hungry and start eating the good stuff. Follow the advice that Curt Howard has in his book about calcium defiency. (How to cure it and how to prevent it.) Give him a ½ of a pecan when you want to reward him for good behavior. He will come around. It takes time. Most importantly, flying squirrels are a “way of life” and you must be ready to make some serious sacrifices in you daily routine. If you are not ready to make that commitment, move him on over to someone that is. But if you do decide to commit to the challenge, and you gain his trust and love, he will be a wonderful family member that you will cherish for life.

Flying squirrels have been known to live to be 15 years old, although mine only made it to 13. They will slow down as they get older and you need to make allowances for their inability to function as a younger squirrel. Make sure that when he decides to “fly” to a desired destination that he doesn’t wind up crashing and burning on the hardwood floor. Common sense is certainly required as they get older.

Good luck.


Edit: One thing that I was very concerned about was how I would know when my flyer was getting so old that he was about to pass. I didn’t know if he would just “slow down” or what. But here is a tip, as agonizing as it may be. When they are getting ready to go, they will loose a lot of muscle mass, and then start to get very skinny. Shortly afterward they just leave us. It’s sad, but nothing that you can do will change this.

[allyouneedislove513]

Thank you so much. All of that will help me a lot. He seems to be pretty active, even for an older guy. My vet had him for at least a little while, although I'm not exactly sure how long, and she made sure to give him a healthy diet while she had him. I watched him eat stawberries last night and today my husband hand fed him some banana. I'll be sure to pick up some liquid vitamin D as soon as I can. Thanks again!