Help!!!

[Flyingsquirrelee]

My flying squirrel won't eat. I got her yesterday and she is still super scared I can't pick her up(last time she bit me twice) and I don't know what to do!!!

[skippy]

How old is she?

[Flyingsquirrelee]

About a year

[skippy]

:Welcome
Do you have her in a quiet, secure environment. No kids, pets, TV's etc. so she can get acclimated and feel safe.

[skippy]

What were her living arrangements before you got her?

[Flyingsquirrelee]

Yes I don't let my dogs anywhere near her.

[skippy]

So, a year old, she is a self feeder.
Are you handling her because you want to or is there something special she is being hand fed for?
Is she in a new cage with all new bedding, nest box etc?
If so, it's going to take some time to let her get adjusted to you, the environment, the smells, sounds etc. to feel safe again.
They are wild at heart so it's all on their terms not ours.
Best thing to do is just provide proper nutrition, water and safety.
Plus, they are nocturnal and should be sleeping during the day.

[Flyingsquirrelee]

I don't know the guy dropped her off. But he gave me a rag with her scent on it and she been in that. I scattered the rags all over her cage and put apples and almonds in her hammock but she won't eat them.

[Flyingsquirrelee]

She is wide awake when I check on her.

[skippy]

There are members here with family flyers that will guide you through this stage. Stick around, it's a busy time of year with lots of rehabbing of injured and orphaned squirrels going on. In the meantime while you wait for more replys, just read on the nutrition threads and learn all you can about proper nutrition, cageing etc. It's all up front where you first come in on the board.
:)

[IrishHarps]

Can you please give us full information on your squirrel? That will help us to help you better :)

1) When did you get her?
2) What have you been feeding her daily?
3) What is her routine?

Pictures of her, and her habitat (cage) will be handy as well.

Thanks!
:Welcome

[skippy]

Why was he giving her up?
Did he raise her?
Knowing a bit of her story would be helpful for you to know and for us to guide you in how to care for her needs. Every squirrel is different and she needs special care. Are you keeping her for a pet or what?

[Flyingsquirrelee]

The man said that he got her about another ago by a lady, he didn't say to much about the lady. I can't pick her up or she will bite me but I pet her a lot!! Could I give her a little peanut butter??

[Flyingsquirrelee]

Month* not another

[Flyingsquirrelee]

He said that he had to give her away because he got a night time job. He was torn of the fact that he had to give her away.

[IrishHarps]

Ok, here are the basics, but you really need to read the information on this board thoroughly to get the best information for your pet. Flying squirrels require lots of time, money, and have a specialized diet. If they aren't properly cared for, they can get sick, depressed, or even die. Please know that you are in for a long-term commitment.

Food- Flyers need veggies, protein, yogurt, and a supplemental flyer block (order online at: http://www.henryspets.com/products/Flyer-Blocks.html) every day.

Housing: Flyers need a large cage to be in (several feet wide, several feet high, at least a foot deep) so that they can jump and play. They need several pouches or nest boxes to sleep in.

Bonding: Flyers are prey animals and do NOT like to be picked up! This simulates the grasp of a predator trying to eat them in the wild, and even tame flyers will freak out. The flyer needs to come to you. To bond, you will need to keep it on you during the day as much as possible. You can keep it down your shirt, and/or in a bonding pouch. At night, when it is active, start out in a small room or tent indoors, so that it has to be near you. Let it play with you in this room for several hours a night.

Precautions - Flyers are small and can and will escape very easily!! Close off ALL gaps in your house that are over 1/2 inch wide. Check around radiators and such. Always keep your toilet lid down - ALWAYS! Flyers cannot swim, and accidental death by drowning in a toilet is the #1 reason why captive flyers die.

This is pretty much the general idea, but there is a lot more to bonding, nutrition, and housing. I'd suggest you start reading up on it, and ask us any questions you have along the way!

[IrishHarps]

One more thing - nuts should be given as treats only. They aren't very good for flyers and do not have much nutritional value. If you feed your flyer mostly nuts, it will very likely get sick. Don't feed it peanut butter.

A few small pieces of a nut (like small pecan, hazelnut, or almond) a night as a treat is good. You can use them to bribe her to play with you :)

Also a few in-shell nuts a week is good, because she will need to chew to trim her teeth. Rodent teeth grow continually and if they don't have something to chew on at all times, they can get overgrown teeth, causing them to get very sick and possibly die as well. So you'll want to give her lots of branches (like maple or oak) to chew on as well.

Hope it helps!

[IrishHarps]

Only one more thought, I promise!

It is possible, if the person who had her before did not feed her properly, that she may have some calcium deficiency. So please be sure to feed her yogurt every day, to keep her healthy and strong!

[Flyingsquirrelee]

Thank you so much!!! It helps a lot :thankyou :goodpost :wave123

[Skul]

It shows that you're still signed on.
Are you there?

[Flyingsquirrelee]

Can I give her fat free regular yogurt??

[Skul]

No, use full fat if at all possible.
I'll keep refreshing my page as long as you're here.

[IrishHarps]

I'm leaving now for the night, but Skul and Mrs Skul will give you the best advice anyways. You are in good hands now :)

[Skul]

I'm leaving now for the night, but Skul and Mrs Skul will give you the best advice anyways. You are in good hands now :)
Chicken. :poke

[IrishHarps]

Embarrassed to admit it, but I forgot my login password for the board, so I'm only signed on, on my work computer. It keeps my login permanently :)

[Skul]

I'll try not to overload you with info right now.
You have a one year old female that probably was never allowed out of the cage.
Chances are, her diet during that time was not quite up to par.
It's going to take her at least a week to settle down in her new home.
Keep her cage as close to you as you can, so she accepts your presence.
Offer a variety of different foods. Small bits of good vegetables.
Please do not feed peanuts, corn or spinach.

[Jackie in Tampa]

fyers like fleece pouches with cotton balls as bedding.. a substitute would be a crown royal bag hung up in her cage...
with all wildlife, everything should be done soft slow quietly...
baby steps so to speak... she is being introduced to new sounds and smells etc.. she is nervous, she is tiny and everything seems scarey...
she is acting like a prey animals' instincts tell her to...

did she come with a cage? what is in it?
Hopefully she has had a good diet.. I agree, the Skuls are gonna be your best source for info on flyers...
but Irish is another great source ... alot of flyer peeps willing to help!
welcome to TSB!:Welcome :wave123

[Skul]

(I'm waiting to see the reaction when I tell her about the worms.):rotfl

[Skul]

Embarrassed to admit it, but I forgot my login password for the board, so I'm only signed on, on my work computer. It keeps my login permanently :)
Your password is "Knucklehead". :Stooges

[Skul]

When you can, please check this page.... http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37700
Remember, these are suggested items. You do not have to get all of them. Just a few, and go from there.

[farrelli]

IH, you can go to this link to reset your password:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/login.php?do=lostpw

[Flyingsquirrelee]

Thank you guys for everything:thankyou and Jackie in Tampa we had to build a cage for her

[Shewhosweptforest]

:Welcome Flyingsquirrelee:Welcome

:wave123 Does your girl have a name? And pics ..we need pics:)

You couldn't have found a better place or kinder, helpful, KNOWLEDGEABLE people :bowdown

:grouphug :Love_Icon :grouphug

[IrishHarps]

Work computer is a laptop- I brought it home with me tonight :D

I know I can reset my password.... just haven't gotten around to doing it yet ;-)

So how's the flyer doing? What's her name? Let's see some pics :) We love new flyers! And their humans, too!

[Mrs Skul]

Work computer is a laptop- I brought it home with me tonight :D

I know I can reset my password.... just haven't gotten around to doing it yet ;-)

So how's the flyer doing? What's her name? Let's see some pics :) We love new flyers! And their humans, too!
Changes password from "knucklehead" to "blonde".
Yes, I hijacked C's machine. :rotfl

[MollyBear361]

Pics! Pics! Pics! I know that's easier said than done especially with flyers. I have three. One who is very wild and just barely coming out of his shell. Patience is a virtue. But with enough love, time, and patience you can bond with a wild. Maybe not like if you had a baby, but you can make slow progress. :wave123

[IrishHarps]

sounds like mrs skul needs to change her password too. darn hackers!

[Flyingsquirrelee]

Her name is Zoe :D

[MollyBear361]

:Welcome Zoë!!

[flyer girl]

:wave123 and :Welcome to TSB.. I recently got a new flyer he is a little older too but with a little time and quiet your new baby will come around.. the key is just to be patient and don't get your feelings hurt if they don't come to you right away.. good luck flyer girl..:wave123

[jbtartell]

I agree with every one.. first is to let her calm down and 2nd is a good diet.. you can put things in with your smell too soo she can adjust to it.. you want to make sure she adjusts to every thing.. is it possible to talk to the man and find out her diet?

[Unikorngrrl]

Put things in Zoe's cage with your scent on it. A t-shirt you have slept in, or a sweat shirt. No towels, they can get caught and hurt their little legs or choke!!

You can also look under Jax's Box thread and Ziva and Tamzyn threads. I asked lots of questions and answers in those that you may want answers to. Jax was already bonded, but Ziva and Tamzyn I just got Friday and I'm working with them. Mrs Skul (Skul and Mrs Skul are our resident flyer experts) gave me some tips in the Ziva and Tamzyn thread that may help!! Good luck and :Welcome to TSB!!!

Jax and Ziva and Tamzyn's threads are in the flyer forum:
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40754
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40055

[IrishHarps]

Zoe is really cute :Love_Icon

[Shewhosweptforest]

Love these flyers:grouphug :Love_Icon :grouphug they're just too adorable.....Zoe is precious.....you're doing sooo good with her:thumbsup
I've also read where others have carried them around during the day in a pouch...maybe on this thread:dono :jump after she becomes adjusted to her new surroundings...to become use to your smells and sounds .....sort of kangarooing :thumbsup for bonding:thumbsup

[Flyingsquirrelee]

She finally came out of her hammock but then when I touched her tail she freaked out and went up the wall of the cage so at least she knows where her food, water, and treats are!!! Got her some nutritional food tonight and cut up some apples and watermelon and put some almonds in there!!:alright.gif

[IrishHarps]

Hello!

What would probably be best, if you would like to bond, instead of reaching for her and trying to touch her, just offer treats in your outstretched hand and let her climb on you to get them. Once she is very comfortable with coming to you (this may take a while) then she may let you pet her. Flyers aren't usually super comfortable with being petted all the time, even the tame ones - you'll have better luck if you just get her to come to you.

Also with the food, make sure you are feeding her mostly veggies, protein (like chicken or cooked egg), yogurt, and the healthy blocks. Too much fruit is bad for them. Try to limit fruit to one small piece, the size of a nickel, per day.

And use the almonds to bribe her to come to you, instead of putting them in her food dish. Nuts are treats, not food, and anyways, this way she will have to come to you to get treats :)

[Skul]

Don't touch her tail. :D
I do that if I want one to get the heck away from something. They think predator.
Being permitted to pet, is kind of rare, and only a few seconds.
Piglet is different. I can smush pet her for a minute or so when she's hanging on my pants.
Where you can get away with it, is when they're in a pouch or shirt, and they feel safe.

[Flyingsquirrelee]

Okie dokie thanks for the advice.

[Flyingsquirrelee]

Hey guys Zoe is doing great!!!!! I held her for the first time today!!! I want to thank everyone who helped me, she is going to the bathroom regularly and exploring her cage A LOT!!! :thankyou :thankyou

[skippy]

Thanks for the update! :thumbsup
Glad you're bonding. :)

[Mrs Skul]

Okie dokie thanks for the advice.
Trust me. Been there, done that.

[IrishHarps]

Yay! Be sure to post lots of pictures and updates :D We are all addicted to squirrel news.