Hello!
My wife and I are building a home in Northern Wisconsin. We were not able to get the soffit installed before winter hit. Long story short, a colony of Southern flying squirrels took refuge in our attic from the fierce Northern Wisconsin winter. Fearing the possible damage we understand these little guys can cause, we sifted through abatement advice and resolved to live trap the colony. It has been a long process, and now we have eighteen (18!) Southern fliers housed in a double-double Critter Nation cage with one floor and one ceiling. There are three half-width shelves that hold a waterer, a feeder, and a large nest box with nesting material, respectively. All the shelves and the bottom of the cage have plastic liners to protect little feet. The plastic liners are lined with newspaper for ease of cleanup, which happens weekly. There is a large apple tree branch with offshoots that goes from the top of the cage to the bottom, and a second, thinner but still sturdy branch next to it. The colony chews, perches, and races up and down these branches, stopping at the various shelves and at the large wheel that has sandpaper attachments on the outside to keep nails trimmed. There are two pocketed fleece hammocks hanging from the ceiling. The colony has divided into three groups for daytime sleep - some sleep in the nest box, some in one hammock, and some in the other. Everyone is highly active at night. They seem to get along well. As each new kid has been released from his trap into the cage, the others have surrounded, sniffed, and then accepted him. We feed them a fruit and nut commercial bird mix that gets shaken together with a calcium and vitamin D supplement before it is placed in the feeder. They also get a weekly fresh fruit and nut plate (chopped apples, blueberries, orange slices, Craisins, dried cherries, and pecan pieces) and a daily ration of acorns. They also get mushrooms and peanut butter. We have trapped these kids in our attic and are keeping them against their will - so we are doing our best to keep them comfortable and healthy, if not entirely happy during their time with us.
With advice from a representative of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota, we are building three wood-duck sized nesting boxes out of cedar, with single 1 1/4" rounded over entries near the top of each. We will add untreated cedar shavings for bedding material, and replace the current nesting box and hammocks with these new ones as soon as they are finished. With weather as it is up here, the colony will have two months or so to bond with these nesting boxes. In Spring, after the soffit is installed and all possible entry points are managed, and when we are certain that the weather is warm enough, I will place these nesting boxes about 20 feet up on three different trees in the backyard canopy, fliers inside and entries facing away from the lake and prevailing winds. We will continue to provide food for a time, so the colony can eat while they become reacquainted with their natural home.
So some questions. First, it is comfortably warm in the area of the house where the fliers are caged. We have noticed activity that resembles copulation. We understand that it is a little early in the year for this, but wonder if the warmth has accelerated the arrival of the mating season. If it has, and mating has begun, we see a possibility that there will be pregnancies and births before release time comes around. Should I be building separate, smaller nesting boxes (hung in the same cage) for the mothers to inhabit, give birth, and care for their babies? Should we keep these boxes and their inhabitants indoors and cared for until the babies are self-sufficient and then place them near the boxes already in the trees with the rest of the colony? If not, how to proceed on this count?
The colony has become attached to that wheel. One little guy seems to be providing most of the locomotion, and many others will wait for a full head of steam and jump in for the ride (they actually spin around like a load of laundry) while the one little guy keeps things moving. They'll do this on and off for hours at a time. It makes us think of kids at an amusement park getting on their favorite ride. Should I put that wheel up in the canopy too?
And a guilty admission. We have grown quite attached to these little guys and every once in awhile we imagine making permanent accommodations in our home. Then common sense takes over and we wonder to ourselves "What are we thinking! These are wild animals who will be exponentially happier in their own habitat - natural hazards notwithstanding." Would anyone here care to comment on the practicality - and more importantly - the ethics of keeping these little guys inside? Bottom line, our hearts say "Keep 'em!" and our brains say "Release 'em!" Thoughts?
To close, please know that we love animals to the point where we prefer their company to that of many humans. We are viewed by others to be generous and compassionate. We really do understand the difference between what is in the best interest of an animal and what is more likely to provide us with gratification. We'd never even seen a flying squirrel before this episode and are working to do the right thing. Any insight from people in the know will be gratefully accepted.
Thanks!
Jamie and Pam