Found A Baby flying squirrel

[OpieTheSquirrel]

Yesterday my family found a baby flying squirrel in our yard, it was cold out so we brought him in and used rice socks to keep him warm. We decided we’ll take care of him as we do not see the nest and he seemed to be on the ground enough for his mother to come and retrieve him. We did a lot of research and started giving him Esbilac powder formula after we made sure he was hydrated with a homemade rehydration fluid. We fed him the formula close to 1 ML every 3.5 hours. We’ve been keeping him warm and he’s doing really good. He’s a little active but mainly sleeps. We believe he is 4-5 weeks old. His tail is flat, his teeth are growing in, and his eyes are also open and he’s fully furred. We’re completely new to raising any kind of squirrel so we’d really appreciate any information on them. We’re planning on releasing him when he is old enough. What and how much would be appropriate for him to eat this age?

[HRT4SQRLS]

Could you post a pic of the baby? It will help determine the age. Does the fur have a ‘greasy look’? This indicates a very young flyer. As they get older the greasy look disappears and they have smooth, silky fur.

The amount of formula will depend on the weight of the baby? Do you have a way to weigh the baby in grams? We have an age vs weight chart that will also help determine an accurate weight.

Releasing flyers isn’t as easy as you would think. They are not released as singles. They must be released as part of a colony to ensure survival. Flyers depend on the colony for survival.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Post #1 of this thread is a tutorial for baby flying squirrels. It has a lot of helpful information.

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?33123-Anne-s-Handout-Caring-for-and-Raising-Southern-Flying-Squirrels

[OpieTheSquirrel]

Could you post a pic of the baby? It will help determine the age. Does the fur have a ‘greasy look’? This indicates a very young flyer. As they get older the greasy look disappears and they have smooth, silky fur.

The amount of formula will depend on the weight of the baby? Do you have a way to weigh the baby in grams? We have an age vs weight chart that will also help determine an accurate weight.

Releasing flyers isn’t as easy as you would think. They are not released as singles. They must be released as part of a colony to ensure survival. Flyers depend on the colony for survival.

Here’s a picture of him! Pardon, I don’t know why it’s upside down, first time using this site.
319428
His fur seems smooth. No we do not have a way to weigh him. Hm I did not know that, is there anything you recommend?

[HRT4SQRLS]

I would guess about 5-6 weeks. He looks pretty young. Do you think there is any chance of reuniting with mom? I’m sure you know they are nocturnal. Mom would only come to retrieve at night. You could put the baby in a basket on the side of a tree and see if she will come back. It’s worth a try. The releasing creates real issues due to needing others.

If you do decide to try, I would feed the baby and put a warm rice buddy in the basket. I would constantly be watching the baby from a distance. If she doesn’t return I would not leave the baby out all night.

Just a thought.

[HRT4SQRLS]

I just wanted to mention that they do make good pets BUT it is a HUGE commitment. It is a 15 commitment and most people can’t adapt to the needs of nocturnal animals. I would not recommend it. Many people acquire flyers and then decide it’s just not for them and then want to rehome an older flyer. The animal suffers in the end. Reuniting would be the best option or a rehabber with a colony would be the next best option. Just my opinion.

[OpieTheSquirrel]

I just wanted to mention that they do make good pets BUT it is a HUGE commitment. It is a 15 commitment and most people can’t adapt to the needs of nocturnal animals. I would not recommend it. Many people acquire flyers and then decide it’s just not for them and then want to rehome an older flyer. The animal suffers in the end. Reuniting would be the best option or a rehabber with a colony would be the next best option. Just my opinion.

Thank you so much for the information, I’m not quite sure of keeping him as a pet, my family has a lot of other animals to take care of too. It’d be nice if his mother would come however right where we found him we saw 2 stray cats last night when we went to check for any squirrels and I would hate for him to even have a chance on getting caught by one of them. We’ll see about the rehabber. Thank you for the help, do you recommend anything else?

[HRT4SQRLS]

Thank you so much for the information, I’m not quite sure of keeping him as a pet, my family has a lot of other animals to take care of too. It’d be nice if his mother would come however right where we found him we saw 2 stray cats last night when we went to check for any squirrels and I would hate for him to even have a chance on getting caught by one of them. We’ll see about the rehabber. Thank you for the help, do you recommend anything else?

I hate to hear about the stray cats. It’s possible the cats killed the mother. You might want to check outside for other flyers.

I would recommend you buy a high protein block made specifically for babies and flyers. It is available online from Henry’s Pets. It would be the first solid food for the baby flyer. At first he would just nibble it and crumble it but will eventually eat it. I would give him 1/2 block at first because he will waste most of it. They need to eat a block first before other tasty foods. After he eats that well he can start getting healthy veggies and a little fruit. Of course, continue the formula as long as he will take it.

https://henryspets.com/hi-protein-blocks/

[flyer]

Hello! Another West Virginian here, sent you a PM about the rehabber I found for the flyer I got from a cat a couple of days ago.