Would a gray squirrel kill a flying squirrel?

[sarahraney]

I am considering bringing another squirrel into my family because I enjoy Maximum so much, but I do not want to put my baby in danger. We recently had to re-home my dog because he was killing squirrels in our back yard and we do not want him to get Max.:shakehead He nearly pulled her tail off the other day as he dragged the cage across the floor by Max's tail!:sanp3

Chances are we will get another flyer for Max soon but I want to consider other options first because I do love the bigger squirrlies!

[Buddy'sMom]

I think it would depend on the squirrels. They perhaps could live in the same house, but might not be "friends." With flyers being nocturnal, you might be able to arrange to keep them sufficiently separated not to have to worry. :dono

But there's little way to plan to bring a grey squirrel into your house the way it is with a flyer. You sort of have to be in the right place at the right time, but even if you raise a baby you could not be sure that it would be "pet material" once it grew up. Some do well living with humans and others make it quite clear that they want to be released as soon as possible. :shakehead Sometimes a non-releasable squirrel is in need of a home, though ......

:grouphug :Love_Icon :grouphug

[muffinsquirrel]

OK, this is just my own weird personal opinion, and I have no facts whatsoever to back it up with. I've owned both. They are active at different hours, so that part wouldn't be a problem. I DO know that my flyers get upset if a tree squirrel gets on their cage. I would NEVER cage them together, no matter how large the cage - there are just too many things that could happen. Sure, squirrels are squirrels, but cats are cats, too, and you'd never keep a house cat and a tiger together!

There is a very great difference in flyers and tree squirrels. Flyers tend to like people, and do well in captivity. Tree squirrels, as a general rule, don't. They have much more inbred 'wildness' in them, and it is very rare that one will be content in captivity. They are also illegal to own in most states, so you may run into all sorts of problems in case of illness or accidents.

My advice is to stick with flyers and forget about getting a grey, or any other tree squirrel. (Tree squirrels also have MUCH BIGGER TEETH than flyers, and they know how to use them!!!!:D )

muffinsquirrel

[TexanSquirrel]

:goodpost You've been given some good advice here....:thumbsup

[Sciurus1]

Gray squirrels can be very aggressive with other species of squirrels not tolerating them in their territory, so even so they would have different shifts, they may overlap, and the scent as well may be an issue that won't work if not then raised together. As for a gray squirrel as a pet, unless you found one that needed help and could not be released, how could one get one to begin with for they are not legally raised anywhere to be pets, unlike the Southern flyers. They also require a far larger habitat, and won't share that with other species. A bite from the larger gray, fighting for his territory, could result in the smaller flyer being hurt. Not unless you had what is more like a facility to handle them separately as MS does, would this work. They surely then would not be good company to one another. It is best then to keep with the one species for pet squirrels, for even then their own kind may or many not accept them. Also Southern Flyers are not indigenous to California, so you won't be able to find one here as a companion.

[sarahraney]

:thankyou Thanks for all the great help ppls! I am planning to get my little girl a flyer friend.