Need guidance! Northern Flyer with hair loss

[RoseHawk]

New squirrel mom here! To a rescued northern flyer, ChiN ChiN. I believe she was only a couple months old when she came to us & my guess is she’s maybe 6 months old now.. this is my first experience with such a wondrous creature so I’m constantly reading & researching.. to make sure I can give her the very best care I can. At the moment, I’m struggling with remedying some hair loss at the tip & along the spine of her tail. I noticed this about a month back, and from other readings on this board suspected it may be due to too much calcium as I had made sure to order some squirrel-cal powder by exotic nutrition. I was sprinkling on her veggies regularly for a few months along with Henry’s hi protein healthy blocks & picky bites when I noticed her hair starting to split at the tip of her tail & thin along the middle. I have pulled back on the calcium the last couple weeks but it appears as though the fur is continuing to reseed and upon another inspection just minutes ago, I noticed there are a couple of thinning spots on her back as well.. now I wonder if mites aren’t the culprit?? Please help! What should I do first? Where do I start?
Any and all knowledge & advice welcomed. Please and thank you

[CritterMom]

Can you get a good, clear pic so we can see what you are seeing?

The Henrys food is supplemented so you don't need to add ANY additional vitamins or minerals. If your girl is eating a whole block or even 1.5 per day along with other healthy veggies and limited fruit, she needs NOTHING sprinkled on her food.

I am interested to see her. Just about everyone who thinks they have northern flyers actually have southern, since their range goes very far north. My boy Laz is from north central Maine and is as southern as they come!

[RoseHawk]

Oh Thank you so much for your reply! This is the clearest picture I could get this morning, I will try and get a few more. The second picture I included is from September 14, when her tail was still full. It never occurred to me she could possibly be southern! That's so fascinating to me! The only physical distinction I have read about is SFS are slightly smaller than the NFS. I'll be interested to hear back what you think of ChiN ChiN, my boyfriend's cat brought her in during the night at the end of June in North Idaho.

I have been doing my best to follow the food pyramid I found on this site, but it is unclear to me the exact amount of veggies I should be feeding her? I try to keep a variety and I see mushrooms are good, are there any particularly good ones or mushrooms I should be weary of, besides wild picked? I want to give her the very best care I can but I am fearful I'm still falling short as I am brand NEW to this. I graciously accept all advice & guidance anyone is willing to share with me, on all aspects of her wellness. Thank you

[CritterMom]

What color is her tummy? Southern = white tummy, Northern = gray/beige tummy.

[RoseHawk]

I'd say beige, I was able to snap a couple more pictures!

[CritterMom]

I think she is our very first northern flyer! Cool!

Is the skin in the areas where the fur is thin smooth and healthy looking or is there any irritation?

[HRT4SQRLS]

She is definitely darker than my Southern Flyer but I’m still not certain. Here is a way to tell.
Split the hair on the belly with your fingers.
If it is light colored all the way to the root… it is a Southern Flyer.
If the hair on the belly is light colored on the tips and is a darker gray at the root… it is a Northern Flyer.

As far as the hair loss I don’t think it’s a problem at this point. Of course if it gets worse then it might need attention. I have seen many with the hair loss pattern on the tail. Some do that year after year and it regrows. My Bonzai even did it once. I’m not sure of the hair loss on the back. Does he have a nest box? Could he be scraping his back going into the box? I don’t like to randomly start putting chemicals on them. I doubt this is mites.

I don’t think this is the problem but just for future reference, flyers have been known to ‘barber’ their hair when they are stressed. They will pull out their own hair. You can tell by the hair loss pattern. The hair loss is in areas they can reach. Again, that’s not the problem with your girl.

I agree with the others, I would not sprinkle calcium on the food. I do it rarely because my one flyer is inconsistent in eating his block. As long as she eats her block you shouldn’t need to supplement. Does she eat meal worms or WaxWorms for protein?

Edit, just saw C M post. She definitely looks different.

[RoseHawk]

She is!? ReaLLY!!? That is exciting!! Smooth & healthy, she doesn't seem bothered by it, in the slightest.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Her tail looks enormous! :grin2 How long is her tail?

[RoseHawk]

She is definitely darker than my Southern Flyer but I’m still not certain. Here is a way to tell.
Split the hair on the belly with your fingers.
If it is light colored all the way to the root… it is a Southern Flyer.
If the hair on the belly is light colored on the tips and is a darker gray at the root… it is a Northern Flyer.

As far as the hair loss I don’t think it’s a problem at this point. Of course if it gets worse then it might need attention. I have seen many with the hair loss pattern on the tail. Some do that year after year and it regrows. My Bonzai even did it once. I’m not sure of the hair loss on the back. Does he have a nest box? Could he be scraping his back going into the box? I don’t like to randomly start putting chemicals on them. I doubt this is mites.

I don’t think this is the problem but just for future reference, flyers have been known to ‘barber’ their hair when they are stressed. They will pull out their own hair. You can tell by the hair loss pattern. The hair loss is in areas they can reach. Again, that’s not the problem with your girl.

I agree with the others, I would not sprinkle calcium on the food. I do it rarely because my one flyer is inconsistent in eating his block. As long as she eats her block you shouldn’t need to supplement. Does she eat meal worms or WaxWorms for protein?

Edit, just saw C M post. She definitely looks different.

Thank you so much for the feedback! As far as the fur on her belly goes, the tips are beige but it gets lighter towards the middle but definitely gray at the base! I do give her a couple meal worms in the evenings. Is that sufficient? I alternate between Henry's hi protein block & the wild bites in the morning. She LOVES her blocks. She only needs one block a day then? I've been giving her one to two. Then I give her veggies when she wakes in the evenings around 7pm But I've noticed she wont finish them until 6 or 7 am.. I'm wondering if there isn't a better routine I can implement with her food schedule? What amount of veggies should I be giving her?

Ooh! (Face PaLm) I wonder if she isn't scraping her back on my ceiling! I live in an apartment so I ran some thick bands of burlap along my ceiling to give her extra play room, runways & height. I'll go through and loosen them in the places I can see are closer to the ceiling, see if that doesn't improve things!
Thank you sO soO much for helping me make some discoveries today!

[RoseHawk]

Her tail looks enormous! :grin2 How long is her tail?

haha:grin2 At least 5 inches! At a glance with a ruler. Any tips on getting an accurate measure?

[Mel1959]

I think she is barbering her tail. My flyer did that to the whole topside of his tail…only along the actual tail. He kept it up for months. I had a vet look at it and she was the one that told me that’s what she thought it was. Then one day he must have just decided to stop because tiny little hairs started appearing. This was a couple of years ago so it happened in his first year of life.

I’m not sure about the other places of hair loss on your girl. If you look real close with a magnifying glass maybe you can see where the hair strands have been cut very close to the skin, indicating barbering.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Gray roots is definitely a Northern Flyer. Cool! :dance

I feed my boys in the evening. I give them everything then. Mine get a single block but your flyer will probably be bigger than my boys so 2 is probably OK. Yes, a couple meal worms is fine. Try WaxWorms. My boys prefer them over the meal worms.

I’m probably not a good judge of amounts. I give mine entirely too much. What they don’t eat I toss out. It doesn’t affect Bonzai as he is a tiny guy but Tucker is a porker and needs to go on a diet. He is 9 yo so I’m just going to let him eat. :grin2 Bonzai is 11yo.

[RoseHawk]

I think she is barbering her tail. My flyer did that to the whole topside of his tail…only along the actual tail. He kept it up for months. I had a vet look at it and she was the one that told me that’s what she thought it was. Then one day he must have just decided to stop because tiny little hairs started appearing. This was a couple of years ago so it happened in his first year of life.

I’m not sure about the other places of hair loss on your girl. If you look real close with a magnifying glass maybe you can see where the hair strands have been cut very close to the skin, indicating barbering.

If it is barbering, would this be something I'd notice her doing frequently, if at all? What would make her want to do this & is there anything I can do? Or is it out of my hands?

[RoseHawk]

Gray roots is definitely a Northern Flyer. Cool! :dance

I feed my boys in the evening. I give them everything then. Mine get a single block but your flyer will probably be bigger than my boys so 2 is probably OK. Yes, a couple meal worms is fine. Try WaxWorms. My boys prefer them over the meal worms.

I’m probably not a good judge of amounts. I give mine entirely too much. What they don’t eat I toss out. It doesn’t affect Bonzai as he is a tiny guy but Tucker is a porker and needs to go on a diet. He is 9 yo so I’m just going to let him eat. :grin2 Bonzai is 11yo.

AWESOME! I am learning so much:Love_Icon Okay! That's what I have been doing! Giving her a dish of a variety of veggies at night and whatever she doesn't eat, I toss in the morning. Phew! I have been so worried I've been over feeding her. Do you have a suggested brand or where to purchase wax worms?

[Mel1959]

If it is barbering, would this be something I'd notice her doing frequently, if at all? What would make her want to do this & is there anything I can do? Or is it out of my hands?

I think it might be out of your hands. It might be stress and an adjustment period that rectifies itself, like mine did. The fact that their nocturnal we really don’t get to observe their behavior so much. She is probably doing it while you’re sleeping.

I got my guy a wheel and he loves it! The wheel needs to be at least 12” diameter with no cross bars that can pinch toes or tail.

This is similar to what I have but mine is plastic. My guy has chewed the track once, but luckily it was replaceable. https://www.exoticnutrition.com/Products/Chin-Sprint__ENC308.aspx

The wheel alleviates boredom.

[CritterMom]

AWESOME! I am learning so much:Love_Icon Okay! That's what I have been doing! Giving her a dish of a variety of veggies at night and whatever she doesn't eat, I toss in the morning. Phew! I have been so worried I've been over feeding her. Do you have a suggested brand or where to purchase wax worms?

Check the local pet stores that sell lizards and such; they usually carry live insects. In my area, it is Petco - every person in a 75 mile radius who buys bugs knows when they get their bug shipments (about noon, Tuesdays and Fridays :grin2) and the place is like Walmart on Black Friday but everyone has bugs clutched in their hands! Ordering them just doesn't work - the shipping charges are insane and with ONE flyer you don't need to buy in bulk (regardless of what she claims) so you are at the mercy of the pet stores.

Go through them and throw away and dark or black dead ones. Keep them in the warmest area of your refrigerator, unless you just happen to have a 45 to 50 degree root cellar...

[HRT4SQRLS]

I got my guy a wheel and he loves it! The wheel needs to be at least 12” diameter with no cross bars that can pinch toes or tail.

This is similar to what I have but mine is plastic. My guy has chewed the track once, but luckily it was replaceable. https://www.exoticnutrition.com/Products/Chin-Sprint__ENC308.aspx

The wheel alleviates boredom.

Good grief Mel, that wheel is expensive. :eek :rotfl

This is a cheaper wheel. It is very similar to the Stealth Wheel. The Stealth wheel company went out of business.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1053469668/large-rat-wheels?ref=related-4&variation0=2191782171

[RoseHawk]

ThaNk you aLL for such wonderful guidance! I really appreciate you taking the time to get back to me! I'll check out a wheel! Her absolute favorite thing to do during her waking hours, is flips in her cage. She uses a fabric tunnel/bed in her enclosure/ cage to consecutively bounce off, then leverages from the top back down, over and over - I have videos- :bliss she is always doing this, even when her doors are open. Which is most of the time unless I'm asleep. I think of it as her wheel.. I wonder if an actual wheel will bring her just as much joy!? I'm willing to try! I will work on finding her some Waxworms!

[Diggie's Friend]

Sources recommended to include in the diet of your Northern flying squirrel:

Camilles Vita-mealies Recommend dried superworms, about a Tsp. daily.

https://vita-mealie.weebly.com/dried-superworm-listings.html

Pet Flora Probiotic with Prebiotic aka: Symbiotics that replaces the consumption of soil ingestion in the wild (geophagy) that all tree squirrels require a replacement for in captivity. This source both supports a healthy immune system of which over 70 percent is located in the intestinal tract and digestion of calcium lowering anti-nutrients common to their diets. (1/64 the Tsp.)added daily, mixed into a moist food.

https://www.amazon.com/Vitality-Science-Pet-Flora-Gastrointestinal/dp/B005PJN2HO

Pycnogenol, and extract of the cambium layer of maritime pine to in part replace the source of cambium inner layer of tree bark this species consumes. 1/64 Tsp. added daily, mixed into a moist food.

https://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Orgins-Pycnogenol-Capsules-Count/dp/B00CLYNA14

Huckleberries, a natural wild food that is part of the wild diet of this species. "Oregon Mushroom LTD". Feed approximately 1 Tbsp. daily. Very healthy source from a pristine region of the Pacific NW https://www.oregonmushrooms.com/c-75-frozen-huckleberries.aspx

https://www.oregonmushrooms.com/p-133-dried-usa-domestic-porcini-powder.aspx
https://www.oregonmushrooms.com/p-118-dried-usa-wild-ground-chanterelles.aspx

Wild harvest mushrooms by experts. Oregon Mushroom. Recommend dried ground Porcini domestic, Chanterelles domestic, and Yellowfoot (winter chanterelles) domestic (check back later in the season for this mushroom to be available. All these mushrooms are wild harvested from the wild habitat of the Pacific Northwest wild forests, dried and ground by "Oregon Mushroom LTD". 1/8 Tsp. mixed into moist food. Best to call for best shipping available in the winter to place order.

https://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/sciencef/scifi60.pdf

Some information on the diet of the Northern flying squirrel of the PNW. Not all the articles are pertinent to captive care of course; so look for the portions of articles on the wild diet of this species on this multi article cache page.

The photo of a northern included in one articlesure looks allot like the flyer you have.

[Diggie's Friend]

I'm afraid I must amend my prior under a different flying squirrel species name, for in 2017 the flying squirrels of the Pacific NW were confirmed by DNA and physical examine to be a third distinct species of North Amercian flying Squirrel, making the total in N.A. flying squirrel species three. In that members weren't sure they would be correct, for squirrels in this region have been reclassified as, Glaucomys oregonensis). "Humboldt’s Flying Squirrel".


Until recently, mammalogists classified two species of flying squirrels in North America. But, in 2017, a third was added with the formal description of the Humboldt’s flying squirrel (Glaucomys oregonensis). Though slightly smaller and darker, this cryptic species was once considered to be part of the northern flying squirrel (G. sabrinus) group but genetic studies and an in depth look at the penis bone changed that. Northern flying squirrels inhabit the boreal coniferous forests of the northeastern U.S., Canada, and Alaska as well as relictual habitat in the higher elevations of the Appalachian and Rocky mountains. The Humboldt’s flying squirrel is a specialist of the Pacific Slope’s coastal forests from southern California’s sky islands, north through the Sierra Nevada, Klamath Mountains, Coast Ranges, and Cascades in conifer and mixed-conifer forests.
https://wildlife.org/new-species-humboldts-flying-squirrel-discovered/

https://oregonwild.org/wildlife/humboldts-flying-squirrel

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/flying-squirrel-new-species-north-america

[QUOTE]Glaucomys oregonensis

ps Please be aware that that I don't necessarily share the points of views of the authors of the prior posted cache of articles in regard to the Northern flying squirrel species that inhabit regions of the of the Pacific NW. I thought to share the page as it includes the diet of squirrels in this region.

[Mel1959]

Good grief Mel, that wheel is expensive. :eek :rotfl

This is a cheaper wheel. It is very similar to the Stealth Wheel. The Stealth wheel company went out of business.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1053469668/large-rat-wheels?ref=related-4&variation0=2191782171


I know! But I couldn’t remember the name of the stealth wheel or the one I got from a vendor on Etsy. :eek:embar:embar. Mine is only 12” and I think the one I posted is 15”.

Yep, mines like the one you posted….it’s called a Raptor Wheel.

[island rehabber]

... in 2017 the flying squirrels of the Pacific NW were confirmed by DNA and physical examine to be a third distinct species of North Amercian flying Squirrel, making the total in N.A. flying squirrel species three. In that members weren't sure they would be correct, for squirrels in this region have been reclassified as, Glaucomys oregonensis). "Humboldt’s Flying Squirrel".


https://wildlife.org/new-species-humboldts-flying-squirrel-discovered/

https://oregonwild.org/wildlife/humboldts-flying-squirrel

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/flying-squirrel-new-species-north-america




I actually remember the day the NY Times (I think)announced this third species of flyer -- I was amazed that "our" little favorite fuzzballs made the Science News LOL

[HRT4SQRLS]

I'm afraid I must amend my prior under a different flying squirrel species name, for in 2017 the flying squirrels of the Pacific NW were confirmed by DNA and physical examine to be a third distinct species of North Amercian flying Squirrel, making the total in N.A. flying squirrel species three. In that members weren't sure they would be correct, for squirrels in this region have been reclassified as, Glaucomys oregonensis). "Humboldt’s Flying Squirrel".


Glaucomys oregonensis

Diggie, I believe you are right. I do vaguely remember when the new species was published. Based on the distribution map a Southern Flyer wouldn’t even have been a possibility as they don’t live in the western US. The first thing that caught my eye was how dark he was compared to my Southern Flyers. Also, the very long tail. :grin2 I’ve always thought of the Northerns as larger than the Southerns but yours seems about the same size as mine …. other than the tail. :rotfl

https://oregonwild.org/wildlife/humboldts-flying-squirrel

RoseHawk, I believe you have yourself a unicorn… Humboldt Flying Squirrel…. a distinct species from the Northern Flying Squirrel. :grin2 COOL!!

[Diggie's Friend]

I recalled I had the two distribution maps for (NFS and SFS) which I thought to share help clear up the identity question of species. Yet, you were right to be unsure as to the species, as it didn't fit either known description for Northern flyer, being considerably large bodies; , nor for that of the Southern flyers, for though smaller didn't resemble its appearance. I thought it might be a smaller subspecies, but couldn't recall if that was the case.

Struggling then to just recall old files, when after three weeks of hubby going in and out of the hospital, with a major surgery in between, enough to scatter the most organized brains. Then, I recalled reading a file on the habitat specific diet, with journals on truffles, and kinds of lichens, and nodes in the structure of conifer roots. So I typed in Northern flying squirrels and found the files, but also found another intitled, "Humbolt's Flying Squirrel"; this was very familiar as I knew where this was located and remembered a copy of the map for this population, and then up it came. Now relisted as a flying squirrel species in its own right, renamed, [1] (Glaucomys Oregonensis)[/I], the third official flying squirrel species indigenous to N.A.

Not only are they smaller bodied and darker coated than the Northern flying squirrel species; but upon being examined were found to have a bone like structure in their penis, like the North American Red Squirrel. Details, details, they're just too cute!!

Then I realized that the flying squirrels my brother in law who lives in northern Oregon, told us about seeing giiding back and forth between the trees near the shores of the Wiliamette River during early summer evenings, were the cute little dudes. I have as yet to see one in person, but hope in the future to catch a glimse of one gliding on a warm moonlight summer evening against the Oregon sky.

Be assured that the flying squirrels in PNW are all (Glaucomys Oregonensis), according to the scientists.

In anycase I quite agree, it's been quite a long tail!

[Chirps]

Hi All! Welcome, RoseHawk! So exciting to read about your special little girl!

Does anyone think the hair loss could be molt in preparation for winter? I have no idea when that would happen in PNW. Here in SE PA my wild greys are in various transition stages. :dono

[RoseHawk]

Wow! :dance I cant thaNk yOu enough for all the info & corresponding websites- that is incredibly helpful! Takes out the guess work of quality information when researching NFS particulars; which I have found to be the most challenging part, but I am always up for a challenge! I will be sure to check out those websites as well!

I have a couple more follow up inquiries, what sort of environments and/ or enclosure set ups do you all have? Looking for tips, tricks & insight, especially any remedies for urine odor control.
What are you flyers schedule like?
And! Are there any games or activities I can implement for amusement? Any suggestions for activities or games?


please & Thank you,

Ashley & ChiN-ChiN

[Mel1959]

Hi Ashley, I thought I’d share the set up I have for my flyer. I keep his enclosure in the middle of my family room/kitchen. His cage is a repurposed TV cabinet because of that. The cardboard on the lower portion of the doors is to keep the cats from being eye-to-eye with him. Having it enclosed on three sides limits the mess. I change out his fleece items occasionally, except his bed, to various tunnels and pouches. When I give him worms I put them in his hanging coconut to keep them contained until he eats them.

My guy doesn’t really like coming out of his cage much. I have cats, so when he has out of cage time it’s either in a bedroom or bathroom where he’s contained. My biggest fear is that he’ll get into a closet and settle down in there and I won’t be able to find him. I don’t have the luxury of allowing him to return to his cage on his own.

He likes to have me wrestle with him and his little blanket square. We play tug of war, much like you would with a dog. I gently try to pull the blanket away from him and he grabs it with his arms or teeth and pulls it back. He’d do this for hours if I’d participate that long. :grin2 He loves his wheel and uses it daily. :bliss

[Mel1959]

I forgot to mention what to do about the urine odor. There’s a product called Kennel Odor Off (KOE). I purchased it on Amazon. It’s a concentrate that you mix with water and safe for use around animals. I occasionally use it, diluted, to wipe down the wire inside my guys cage. It has a fresh scent, but not overpowering. It’s because of the urine smell that I use fleece inside the cage. The fleece is easy to remove and wash every few days.

[KariM]

I apologize if I'm doing this wrong, but I am new to the forums and can't figure out how to start a new thread.

I have a southern flying squirrel approximately four months old. A few weeks ago she started licking the hair off of her tail to the point of severe irritation about halfway down from the base. Could she be bored or depressed? I can't have her with me very often. Sometimes in the morning and a couple of hours at night is the best I can do.

What can I put on her tail to help it heal? I tried antibiotic ointment, but it gave her diarrhea.

[Mel1959]

To start a new thread go to the section you want to post in such as “Emergency life threatening” or “non life threatening” etc. Once you click on that it will open up all the previous posts, just click on “Post new thread” and a new window will open for you to give your thread a title and a place to post your question.

For now I’ll answer you right here. Has anything changed in your girls habitats or routine? Yes, flying squirrels can self groom to the point of hair loss. When my flyer was young he had self barbered the whole u deride of his tail straight down the middle along the tail bone. I’m not actually certain what caused him to do it and it never got to the point of being a sore. He eventually stopped as quickly as it had begun with no interference from me.

Your little one sounds like she’s more determined and is already creating a sore. Clean the area a couple of times a day with Betadine that’s been diluted with warm water to look like weak tea. Use a cotton ball or a-tip to apply it. There’s no need to rinse it it won’t dry sticky and it’s not harmful if she ingests it. Try this without any other ointments since the ointments may draw her attention to it.

Yes, flyers can do this out of boredom or stress. Try adding some additional toys in her cage. Even toilet paper tubes are fun for them to tear up. My flyer has a wheel that he loves to run on, so you might consider adding one to the cage. Be careful that you don’t choose one with a cross beam that can pinch toes or tail. This is the type I got. https://www.mygliderwheelsandmore.com/shop-for-wheels.html. They’re a little pricey but we’ll worth the money for the entertainment they provide. It’s best to introduce it while your flyer is young.

Please let us know if the chewing persists.