Missing squirrel!!

[CWbrider16]

Hey everyone! I'm new to the Squirrel Board and just stumbled across it looking for help. I have a healthy southern flying squirrel, have had him for about 4 days now. Little did I know hes an escape artist and keeps getting out of the cage! Hes been found a couple times at night and placed back into the cage, but as of right now hes missing. I realize he's probably cozy and sleeping somewhere, and I expect he'll be around later tonight. Any suggestions or should I just wait for him? Thanks!

[thundersquirrel]

put out food, keep him around! you could place the food in live traps if you really wanna catch him, and after that, get a new cage. a really good cage. maybe you could make one? chicken wire (mesh) would probably be best for your little houdini.

[Momma Squirrel]

Has your flyer come out tonight ??

[CWbrider16]

Not yet, hopefully soon! I plan on staying up a while tonight to see if i can spot him. All the windows are closed so he should still be in the house, I just hope he's alright

[drakkonia]

:Welcome I'll keep my fingers crossed for you and your little buddy.

[CWbrider16]

Found him! He was heard knocking things off a shelf in the bathroom...all is well and hes safe now. Thanks everyone

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

:wahoo :wahoo

[drakkonia]

Good to hear!

[GhosTS]

:jump :wahoo :wahoo

[Squirrellady]

:jump :wott :wahoo

[Momma Squirrel]

:multi :wahoo So glad he is safe and back where he belongs :multi

They can be sneaky little devils :D

[muffinsquirrel]

I'm glad your flyer showed up! They are all experts on escaping. Does the cage you have now have bars spaced more than 1/2" apart? Buy, or build, a new cage if it does. Another thing to check is the doors on the cage. I have a couple of flyers that can, and will, open their doors if they want out. I use alligator clips and/or small bungee cords to fasten the doors with - so far that has kept them in. Also make sure that none of the wires in your cage are bent, or loose in any way. I had a cage once that was put together poorly, and a flyer could kept getting out in one particular spot on the top edge. Took me forever to figure out how he was escaping! A few zip ties fixed that right up - be sure to check the zip ties occasionally to make sure they aren't chewing them.

When I build a cage, I use either 1" X 1/2" cage wire or 1/2" hardware cloth. Both can usually be found at Lowes, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, etc.

I'm glad that 'Houdini' is safe and back with you again. I think that flyers escape not because they want to go anywhere, but to remind you that if they set their mind to it they CAN escape! (More or less just part of the training of their human!)

muffinsquirrel

[LynninIN]

So happy your little boy showed up. :Welcome

I remember the day Sammy learned he could bite through zip ties. Within a few hours he'd knocked down his hammock by chewing 4 zip ties, two hang toys, an artifical tree that was held to his cage with ties, all four points where a sheet covered the bed posts and his water bottle. When I came into his room, I found a wet quilty squirrel with everything un-zipped.

[CWbrider16]

The cage I have for him is an "All Living things" cage, and there were a couple of places where the wires were bent apart a bit. The doors were also loose in a couple of places, and I have been using twisty ties to keep them together, fortunately he hasnt chewed through them yet. If this cage holds up I think I will keep it and get a better one or build one when he gets bigger, my friends and I have built a couple that work really well. Thanks for all the help! :thankyou