St.Augustine Fl. Help! Baby Flyer Won't Eat/Too Scared

[NatsMama]

Hi there...
I got a call last night from a friend who found a baby flyer. She knew I've raised a few gray squirrels. But I've never raised a flyer.
This one is terrified of humans and won't let you touch it. It bites.
I've tried Esbilac with a miracle nipple and it just runs away. So I put the warm milk in a shallow dish to see if it will lap. Nope.

Perhaps it isn't a baby? It is fully furred and about the size of a gerbil.
To be honest, I've never seen a flyer before so I have no idea how old this one is.

It doesn't appear injured or sick. It is very fast and hard to catch ( it slipped right through the slats in the cage ....lol. Little Houdini. )



The rehab here only takes birds and exotic wildlife. There is another rehab in Jacksonville but I can't get it there. I'm an hour away and not able to drive right now.

I will try to attach a pic.

Poor little guy. It's so tiny compared to my baby grays. But far more skittish and nippy. Which is good, but it needs help right now.

[Nancy in New York]

Can you just give me the city you are located in, and I will change your title to reflect that
help is needed there.
We have many Florida members, so hopefully someone will be on soon. :grouphug

[NatsMama]

I have no clue how to attach a photo. Darn!

[NatsMama]

I'm in St.Augustine

[Nancy in New York]

I have no clue how to attach a photo. Darn!

Email it to me if you want.

[NatsMama]

I emailed the photo. The photo was taken by my friend before she brought it to me. It's not in that tupperware container anymore. It's in a cage with bedding.

[Nancy in New York]

https://nmognoni.smugmug.com/photos/i-8k3KB96/0/X2/i-8k3KB96-X2.png

OK first off, can you put in some fleece or t shirts
something where the nails won't catch.
He is feeling very exposed with nothing to hide in.
I would put him in a dark room.

Does that container have any air holes?
I will look for members close by, and try to get some of
the flyer people to your thread for their opinion on age.

edit: I must have been posting before I read your comment above.
Great thanks!!!!!!!

[Nancy in New York]

We have a flyer expert in Jacksonville, but I am not sure if she could pick up this little one.
IF she is available, do you have a friend that could drive?
I have sent her a pm, so hopefully she will be on soon.

How did your friend get this little one?
If he doesn't appear injured or hurt, I do wonder if it should
just be released where your friend found it.
I'm not an too familiar with flyers but I do wonder if this is an adult. :dono

[NatsMama]

That's just the container my friend brought it to me in. I have it in a cage with a heating pad on low and pillowcases and some clean hay. Same set up I use with my baby grays, just a smaller cage with smaller slats since this one slips right through.

[NatsMama]

She found it in her garage. She has cats that were going crazy and her neighborhood is full of cats, so she was afraid they'd get it.

You know, this thing is tiny but it sure has a healthy fear of humans, so I don't know what to think. I've never seen one before. i put some soft nuts in the cage to see if it will nibble those. So far, no. It won't eat anything.

I will keep trying. But it's been more than 12 hours since it's had anything. Sweet baby. I feel so bad.

[HRT4SQRLS]

I believe this is an adult. If not an adult, it's certainly old enough for independent living. I really think the best thing would be to release it tonight on a tree where it was found. Because they are colony dwellers, it no doubt has family in the area. They call out to each other and can certainly hear other flyers. I hear them at my house. It's a chirping sound. They can be quite loud. :grin2

Because this is a wild, probably adult flyer, it will not make a good pet. Some never gain the trust of humans and can be very nippy. Give it some fruit... orange, apple, peeled grape... for hydration. If your going to release it I would even give it some nuts. He will eat THAT, no doubt. :peace

[Nancy in New York]

I feel badly too.
I just wished I could help determine the age.
It may not be drinking or eating because of fear.
Can you put in a little dish of water.
Something heavy, and put in enough water
to just sort of coat the bottom of the dish.

Hopefully someone with more flyer experience
will come on soon.

[Nancy in New York]

I believe this is an adult. If not an adult, it's certainly old enough for independent living. I really think the best thing would be to release it tonight on a tree where it was found. Because they are colony dwellers, it no doubt has family in the area. They call out to each other and can certainly hear other flyers. I hear them at my house. It's a chirping sound. They can be quite loud. :grin2

Because this is a wild, probably adult flyer, it will not make a good pet. Some never gain the trust of humans and can be very nippy. Give it some fruit... orange, apple, peeled grape... for hydration. If your going to release it I would even give it some nuts. He will eat THAT, no doubt. :peace

Fantastic, one of our flyers experts is here! :w00t

[Coralreefer]

Not an expert at all but based on the ones I have seen up close this one looks to be an adult.
*Heart4 beat me to it and knows more!*

I'm not even sure it's mating season for them but if she was "hanging around in the garage" and so easily caught I'd be concerned about a nest being in there.
Generally from what I hear these guys are not so easy to catch. She may have been standing her ground in an attempt to guard her nest?

[NatsMama]

I just put some water and mixed soft nuts and avocado in the cage. I think tonight I will go ahead and release it. It's just too afraid being here.

[Nancy in New York]

I just put some water and mixed soft nuts and avocado in the cage. I think tonight I will go ahead and release it. It's just too afraid being here.

Can you possibly release where he/she was captured?
This would be the best scenerio if she has a family.

Did you take the skin off the avocado?
Most likely you did since you've raised greys before. :)

[Coralreefer]

I just put some water and mixed soft nuts and avocado in the cage. I think tonight I will go ahead and release it. It's just too afraid being here.

I'd have your friend check her garage for a nest first just in case.
You don't want to release this little one and then find out she has a nest over there with no way to get her back.

[HRT4SQRLS]

I just put some water and mixed soft nuts and avocado in the cage. I think tonight I will go ahead and release it. It's just too afraid being here.

I think that would be best. I would take it back to where it was found. They depend on the colony for survival in the wild. They are not solitary critters like grey squirrels. Coralreefer is right. It might even have a nest. Under normal conditions it would be sleeping now because they're nocturnal but it's probably terrified. I think the nuts and avocado will probably interest the little fellow. Thank you and your friend for rescuing it from the cats.

[Spanky]

I don't have a long experience with flyers, but recent experience and I if this is not an adult, it is a older adolescent. The wild ones around here a tad smaller than the adult I have inside right now.

But what I am really curious about is how your friend was able to "capture" this little one. That part of the story seems missing. It should not have been easy to capture her, especially if she does not like people! Which would raise concerns that perhaps it is injured in some way. I know you said she is nippy and hard to handle, but I wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to give her a good examination before releasing? If a cat did scratch or bite her, she'd need antibiotics before release.

And I also agree that releasing in the area she was found is best.

[NatsMama]

I just spoke with her about releasing it at her house and she is scared to death of all the cats around there. She said it's possible a cat brought it in the garage, but not sure. They caught it with a net.

It did escape through the slats of my cage and ran like the wind. Took me almost an hour to catch it. There are no visible wounds I can see but that doesn't mean there are none.

I think I'll just hang on to it for a little longer before releasing it. Make sure it's ok. I have it in a sugar glider cage outside on my back porch....nice and warm but still calm and quiet, only outside noises. Plenty of food and water and warmth. Once I know it's eating I will release it here. Only one lazy cat around here and I hear other flyers at night ( just listended to flyer sounds on YouTube and realize I hear those squeaks most nights ). Plus I have food and water sources and squirrel houses everywhere....a patch of woods at my back fence and plenty of oaks.


How in the world would I get it antibiotics? It won't let you touch it without freaking



Gah! So frustrating. Thank you for all the help. Appreciate it. This is new territory for me.

[Fireweed]

Jmo, but I personally would release this flyer back where s/he was found, on a tree somewhere near the garage. Even though there are cats there - this is an adult - so s/he's survived this long around all those cats. For some reason maybe s/he just got trapped by the cats in the garage? Or maybe your friend caught her with a net because s/he finally got exhausted enough to be caught! No idea - but if at all possible I'd release near the garage where s/he was found. S/he likely has a whole family waiting! And s/he'll be extra cautious around cats now, anyway!
I would hate to separate an adult like this one from family. If s/he was a tiny baby, it'd be a different story...

Also, please make sure your friend checks for a nest in the garage - in every nook and cranny and roof/wall! Listen quietly for periods of time, too, so you might hear squeaking or whatnot.

Thanks for looking out for this one! :glomp

PS: If you have to give antibiotics it would be on a nut or in a ball of something. We'll help when/if it comes to that. For now, do not open that cage unless you MUST! The last thing you need is a flyer loose in your house/walls! :grin2

[NatsMama]

Should I wait and see if it eats first before I release it? To make sure it's not hurt?

[Anne]

Without seeing it in person, it looks like an adult to me also. Best bet for this squirrel is to release it on a tree in the yard it came from. Other than that I am in Orange Park and could meet you somewhere and take the squirrel for treatment and place it with other flyers that will be released this spring. Single flyers released in a new territory have little to no chance of survival. I will unlikely be able to travel all the way to St. Augustine. Dr. Emerson in Port Orange (Ravenwood Animal Hospital) also takes flyers, but again you would have to drive to her office to turn the squirrel over to her. A wild adult will never learn to bond or be tamed, they are like adult grey squirrels in that respect. Also an adult flyer will not recognize foods you offer it as food and will possible starve itself.

[NatsMama]

Well it seems to be ok. It has been up and moving around the cage once it got dark. Sitting in the bowl nibbling on food. I put some shelled nuts in there to see if those are cracked open in the morning. It was raining here tonight, so I will wait until tomorrow night and take it back to where my friend lives.

:grouphug

[NatsMama]

Just one more thing....

Everything I read said an adult southern flyer is about 10 inches ( give or take a few ). This one is only about 5 inches including the tail length.

Still ok to release??

Thanks

[SammysMom]

Ten inches sounds like double what my two are...:grin3 I don't think the two I have are much more than 5" nose to tail...:dono

[flyer girl]

Look like a older teen to me.. But I would definitely release it back where it came from.. This baby looks big enough to be on it's own little friend probably misses it's family... Good luck keep us posted..

[HRT4SQRLS]

Just one more thing....

Everything I read said an adult southern flyer is about 10 inches ( give or take a few ). This one is only about 5 inches including the tail length.

Still ok to release??

Thanks

That's a little confusing to me. 5 inches is a very small flyer. 5 inches including tail sounds like a baby.
My adults are about 8-9 inches if you include the tail. 4 inch body... 4 inch tail. Are you sure it's 5 inches total?

[Nancy in New York]

I know with the greys we can sort of tell age by the thickness of
their tail fur. This little flyer seems to have a great tail. But
then again. I can age a grey much easier than a flyer. :dono
That's why I call in the experts. :)
I hope this little one doesn't have babies depending on her. :(

[Nancy in New York]

How's the little one doing?
:hug

[Fireweed]

Yes, I've been thinking of this little one, too. Please update and let us know how it went/is going. :)

[NatsMama]

I released it last night in the same neighborhood, but a little further away from the house it was found at. Just way too many cats, plus they were clearing a lot next door.

It was eating Japanese plums and seemed fine, so I just released it. I don't think it was an adult, but it was old enough...I guess.

Tomorrow I'm getting three gray abandoned pinkies. You might be hearing more from me :dance
Love me some gray babies!