Baby Flyer

[Legomom]

Good evening! I have a baby boy flyer, eyes open, furred & tiny. I tried to feed him Esbilac with a 1 cc syringe at 7 pm & he would not swallow. Seems healthy & wiggly, but does want to sleep. I haven't had a flyer before, so if anyone has tips, please share them with me.

http://img348.rockyou.com/imagehost/13/13256/13256779/13256779_37a8e5d91222133585_m.jpg

[Momma Squirrel]

I have pm'd one of our members that we consider to be very close to an expert on flyers, hope she will be on soon. Until then can you give more info on your flyer.

Age
Weight
How did you come about having him
Anything else that could help in diagnosing

[Legomom]

A friend's neighbor's cat found him. No obvious scratches, wounds. They couldn't figure out where the cat got him. As you can see, he's small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. From what I read on one site, I'd guess he's about 4-5 weeks old. On a kitchen scale, he weighs .5 oz. All he wants to do is snuggle down in the in the t-shirt rags that I have in a box with him. He's warm (not cold) to touch and seems to have a good grip. Doesn't seem to steady on his feet yet, but can crawl around.

[Legomom]

I did just get him to take a tiny bit of water...not even .5 cc, but it's a start. He's about 5 1/2" long, nose to tail, has his bottom teeth & the top have just barely broken through.

Hope all the info helps! I'm very excited to have him. :)

[muffinsquirrel]

Awwww - your baby is so cute! I'm a pushover for flyers of any age! He should settle down easily - flyers are very social and enjoy the company of people. He should catch on to drinking from a syringe quickly - just keep trying. Remember to feed him very warm formula, very slowly. He should take close to 1 cc per feeding. He is probably old enough to eliminate on his own, but I usually continue to stimulate them at least a couple of times a day - that way you can keep an eye on the color of their pee, and whether or not their poops are right. That way you can be one jump ahead if any trouble starts up. He will still need extra heat (even if he doesn't need it, he'll enjoy it!), so a heating pad set on low and placed under half of his cage is a good idea. If you plan on keeping him, then you can carry him around in your shirt - just remember to keep your shirt tucked in! :D Don't be alarmed that he sleeps a lot - enjoy it while you can - he'll be into everything soon enough!

Make sure he has an 'escape proof' cage, and plenty of pieces of fleece or old tee shirts to snuggle into. DO NOT use towels, or any loose weave fabric, as their toes or feet can get caught in them and possibly cause serious injury.

If you have any questions or problems there will usually be someone on here to help you, or you can PM or email me anytime you want to. I've got several flyer pups around the same age yours is, so I'll be fixing formula, feeding formula, or cleaning up after formula, but will try to keep an eye on the computer.

Enjoy raising your flyer - they are very special creatures.....you're in for quite an experience!

muffinsquirrel

[Kahn]

Baby flyers need protein and a good healthy source of fat. Esbelac mixed with whip cream (real cream only, nothing from a pressurized can) is a VERY tasty dish. Our baby flyer needed a loving hand and a little encouragement. Meaning, we had to hold him in a good eating position (sitting up in the hand) and made to taste it. Once he got a bit in his mouth, it was time to "pig out"!

Don't let him lay back in your hands. You should keep em upright as best as you can so he won't choke on it, or aspirate.

They're finicky eaters once they get bigger and are completely nocturnal. Be prepared to be up for an hour or two during the weekend nights to give them encouragement and attention. On the weekends, it's not so bad and you'll get to play more.

If you intend on keeping the little guy, get a pouch ASAP. They are bonding animals and need to be kept close to form a good attachment. Given the time of the season, if you let him go now, there's a poor chance of survival with fall already here. We decided to keep ours a bit longer rather than let him go so late in the season when they should be well on their way to having a nice stash of food for the winter. Unfortunately, he injured his arm and we now keep him as the family dog.

If you need anything else, feel free to PM me any time. They're very, very benevolent creatures. Just being around them makes you want to be a better person. Good luck.

..and yes, the powdered Esbelac and whipped cream will work great.

[MrBooMY]

Powdered Esbilac and "Whipping Cream" not Whipped cream. Big difference between the two. Hopefully this little guy is still doing well. I used to have a blast with my little guy TJ, but my friends let him loose by not listening to me.

[muffinsquirrel]

Bonding pouches can be very useful for carrying your squirrel around and bonding. But most of the squirrels would rather be next to your skin inside your shirt. Wear a longsleeve shirt if possible - one of their favorite places is in the elbow of your sleeve. That gives them the option of running around, curling up for a nap, or peeking out of the cuff to see what you are doing.

I buy fleece caps from thrift shops to use as sleeping pouches. They make a nice snuggly bed on the floor of the cage when the babies are young, and when they get older, I just fasten the cap to the side of the cage higher up.

muffinsquirrel

[Legomom]

I am happy to report that my little guy (still don't have a name) ate 1.5 cc of diluted esbilac just a little while ago. I think we will probably keep him. We have a nice cage that my mother built that I think will be perfect.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q53/legomom0701/92308Flyer.jpg

Thanks for all of the responses!

[cr8zyanimalgirl]

I have 2 flyers and they do not like a bonding pouch they prefer skin to skin contact. Mine are shirt trained and fly into my shirt as soon as they come out. Tuck your shirt in and they go to the small of your back and stay there all day. I have done it with mine for almost 4 years now. And you can find any and all info about them on the www.nfsa.us (http://www.nfsa.us) board. That is where mine came from.

[Sarabi]

AWW Good Luck, they are very special little guys, Just be sure you read all the safety precautions on the NFSA board. They are very smart, and very fast!:Welcome

[Story_Master]

Awwwhhh.... He is so adorable. Makes me want another flyer. Not so soon, though. And not while little Jin is taking up all my time and attention.

My flyer, Nutmeg, sometimes prefer pouch, but as she got older, she preferred skin contact. She loved shirt pockets and the darker the shirt I wore, the better for her. Wasn't so bright, I suppose. Also, she LOVED pumpkin seeds. She ended up getting killed by my Father's dog, though... My bedroom door was open and the dog managed to tear the cage open...

It's good to hear that the little one is eating now, though. :thumbsup Good job!! :jump They make fantastic companions. Just make sure you socialize them enough. Also, mine got a little testy in winter, when she wanted to sleep. I would always have to re-tame her in the spring.
I'll keep the little one in my prayers and hope for the best!