Flyer stashes and future friends

[Lucille]

Background (TLDR, 2 questions at the end): About 6 months ago, my cats got a pet flyer. They picked a bald one with its eyes still closed. I wish they had asked first, but here we are. Adrian has managed to survive cats and dogs, babysitters, road trips, weekends camping, getting peed on and one time being lost in the house. She gets fruit, mushrooms, some seeds and mealworms daily. In case she's releasable in the Spring, I also include items from outside in my area-walnuts, fungus, pinecone, crickets, etc. (all sprinkled with calcium) and there's a corn cob that she occasionally snacks on. From 10am-10pm she's in a 7'x2' cage on wheels with various toys and local tree branches inside. We also have a very large potted ficus tree for climbing and little ledges hung close to the ceiling that she can jump from. She's consistently 2oz on the scale, active and appears healthy. At night, we open her cage door and she has the run of our bedroom and master bathroom. If it's above freezing, I keep a window cracked so she can become familiar with the outside. We love her, and have truly enjoyed having her. My one frustration is her food stashes! Slippers, towels, curtains, top of the blinds, window ledges, shelves, picture frames, door jams, any available pockets, plants growing in the drain, even pieces of corn stashed between your toes while you're sleeping. Basically everywhere. I realize this is a natural instinct and a skill she'll need if she goes outside, so I don't want to totally discourage it. So, the Questions...
#1. What thoughts do you have on not feeding her new food for a couple days in order to get her to eat what she already has hidden away? (I would never let her go hungry).
#2. Unless it's through the window screen while I'm sleeping, she has never seen another flying squirrel. I've showed her YouTube videos, but I don't think she makes the connection. Will she recognize them, will they accept her? I've also wondered if the flyers outside can hear her when she makes that cute high pitched sound? I guess that 3 questions...

The people on this site have been a huge contributing factor to Adrian's survival and I look forward to reading your advice. Thank you!

[TomahawkFlyers]

Hi there!

The easiest (and best) way to curb the stashing is to replace a lot of what you are feeding her with block. Henry's, Teklad, Mazuri, no matter Get the complete rodent diet version. Teklad 2018 (that's a ratio, not a date) or Henry's are both great choices. Replace the fruit with green vegetables, eliminate the seeds and corn, and give a very small piece of nut or fruit occasionally as a treat. Your flyer has not learned from her mother how to tell what is right to eat and what could harm her. By bringing things in from the outdoors, you could eventually provide her with something harmful to her. If you release her, it must be near the colony where she was lost. She will not survive on her own. If she is able to join her colony, she will learn from her colony mates which wild foods are safe.

Squirrel diet is critically important. Please look up "Squirrel Nutrition" on the main page of this site. If not nourished correctly, your flyer might very well be taken by Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) - a grizzly and horrifically painful death. Yes - it is that important.

As much of a pain as it is, you need to search out and confiscate her stashes. Throw them away. Almost everything you'll find is not good for her, and it could be spoiled by the time she eats it. Then you'll have a different problem on your hands.

There's a lot here. To summarize:

Change diet. Get her on block, and just what she'll eat at one sitting. No seeds No corn (!) Be stingy with fruit and nuts. An occasional hazelnut in the shell will keep her teeth healthy and properly sized. No wild food picked by you. MBD MBD MBD MBD!
If released, must be to her colony. She'll die quickly on her own.
Seek and destroy the stashes. Take the stuff between your toes OUT before destroying.


Let us know how it goes?

Jamie

[Mel1959]

It’s always best to release a flyer with other flyers close to her age as there’s no guarantee she’ll be accepted into an existing colony. A flyer on its own is usually a death sentence.

Search for a rehabber in your area that would be willing to take your girl and place her in a release cage with other flyers for a soft release in the spring.

As Tomahawkflyers said…rodent block is imperative for her to remain healthy. You can purchase some tasty ones online at Henry’s Pets. The hazelnut and picky eater blocks are usually well received.