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Thread: Care of Southern Fliers During Overwintering, Preparing for Spring Release

  1. #21
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    Default Re: Care of Southern Fliers During Overwintering, Preparing for Spring Release

    Quote Originally Posted by Mel1959 View Post
    Wow! 18 flyers is quite the colony! Bless you. I have one flyer and he loves his wheel, too. His wheel is called a Mod Raptor wheel. It’s made for sugar gliders and has ball bearings like the magnum wheel. How fun to have wheels in the trees for them to enjoy.
    You know, when we first heard the scratching in the attic, we viewed the whole thing as a hassle. An ordeal. When I looked up from building the tub surround one day and saw a little guy watching me from above (the ceiling drywall wasn't installed at the time) my heart softened and my mind opened a little. I didn't know what it was. We called a wildlife removal service and they guided us to the idea of live trapping and the need for overwintering. They left us some traps, we bought some peanut butter, and we were in business. In the end, what was at first a nuisance has turned into one of the great heart opening adventures of our lives.

    Maybe your little guy needs a same-sex companion? I gather that flyers are more common in your neck of the woods. RE Wheels in the trees, yes indeed. Anything we can do to repay for the joy these little guys have brought us.

    Jamie and Pam

  2. 5 TSBers pass along the fuzzy thanks to TomahawkFlyers:

    Chirps (01-29-2020), Mel1959 (01-28-2020), Nancy in New York (01-28-2020), redwuff (01-28-2020), RockyPops (01-28-2020)

  3. #22
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    Default Re: Care of Southern Fliers During Overwintering, Preparing for Spring Release

    I'm back.

    I have looked around, and from what I can tell it is legal to have them as pets and they do not require a permit in WI. A permit IS required to remove them. My sources are:

    https://www.facebook.com/WIDNR/posts...5263532204510/

    and

    https://animals.mom.me/what-states-a...s-7346943.html

    Regardless, there is no "neon sign" at our house advertising the presence of our guests.

    I have found two sources of care - one person in Rhinelander who is a licensed rehabber and the Minnesota Wildlife people at UMN. The critters all seem more than healthy, but if there is a problem I think I have resources at hand.

    Breeding and the resulting population explosion are our number one concern at the moment. We have pretty much resolved to release when the soffit is up and the weather is warm. We are concerned that pregnancies and births will occur before the time is right. If we were able to separate the boys from the girls before the process starts, we would be happy to provide an additional enclosure for the boys or girls, whoever would get moved. We do not know how to handle them without scaring them to death, and we wouldn't know how to determine their sex if we did handle them. We had no idea that what they are doing now MIGHT be play or shows of dominance. It happens so often with one little guy (We have nicknamed him "Sir Humpsalot") that we expected the girls to be exhausted and maybe a little cranky about the continual advances.

    I retired three years ago to build our home for retirement in the Northwoods. I'm not supervising or having the house built - I am building the house. The boxes for the squirrels are not a problem at all, I can crank them out quite quickly - waterproof and warm. FYI, there are several types of cedar. Some are aromatic and some are not. Most are highly weather resistant and boxes made from non-aromatic cedar will last a decade in harsh weather. I'd never knowingly subject these little guys or any animal to a hazard - thanks for the information of respiratory sensitivity. There will be no aromatic material, either in the box construction or the bedding.

    On the remote chance that we decide to keep them (the scales tipped a little this past Friday when the plumber came by and reminded me that these are prey animals - and that they live at the bottom of the food chain. Pam and I both have vivid imaginations and we see grizzly deaths at the "hands" of eagles, cats, coyotes, foxes, snakes, owls, and other predators. If, by overwintering these kids we have in any way made them less sensitive and able to stay away from predators, we could never forgive ourselves. We do have a beautiful place for them should they stay with us - an upstairs enclosed and heated/cooled guest porch overlooking the lake and large enough for two or three quad stacks. The floors and walls are waterproof and easily scrubbable. We'd have to work on ensuring reliable and competent care in our absence. I am a homebody, and Pam will be retired in a few years - we won't be away from home much. We certainly are not going to travel the world for weeks and months at a time.

    Neither of us knows what to look for in the way of disabilities. When it is time for release, and if anybody looks less than optimally healthy, we will keep them back and get them to the rehabber or the folks at UMN. In the meantime, if there are things we should be looking for, please let us know.

    15 years is, indeed, a long time. I'm 63 and Pam is 62. I've already experienced several medical biggies, including the big "C." Luckily, (and due to excellent care!) I am entirely healthy. If I make it to 68, though, I will have lived longer than any male in my family in generations. Pam, on the other hand, comes from a long line of people who live into their 90's in good health before rapid deterioration and death. These are macabre things to consider, but again - you are so right. For these creatures to die in isolation would be horrific. Long-term circumstances must be considered.

    Jamie and Pam

  4. 6 TSBers pass along the fuzzy thanks to TomahawkFlyers:

    Chirps (01-29-2020), HRT4SQRLS (01-28-2020), Mel1959 (01-28-2020), Nancy in New York (01-29-2020), redwuff (01-28-2020), RockyPops (01-28-2020)

  5. #23
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    Default Re: Care of Southern Fliers During Overwintering, Preparing for Spring Release

    Oh boy! I loved the video!

    Those little glowing eyes in the wheel...

    That's the cutest thing I've ever seen. I could watch them all day.

    Thank you for the entertainment!

  6. #24
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    Default Re: Care of Southern Fliers During Overwintering, Preparing for Spring Release

    The video was awesome. You should buy 3 or 4 wheels and hook them up to a turbine. You could power the entire house.

    Sir Humpsalot cracked me up. He is probably one of ‘those’ that just loves a pony ride.
    That’s why Tucker lives alone. He was literally doing that at 8 weeks so I’m sure it wasn’t sexual.

    Thanks for the info on the different types of cedar.

    Your place sounds awesome. I’m guessing the nearest neighbor is 10 miles away. That sounds like my dream come true but the cold weather would be a deal breaker. We were in the upper 50’s this morning and it was chilly to me.

  7. 2 TSBers pass along the fuzzy thanks to HRT4SQRLS:

    Chirps (01-31-2020), RockyPops (01-29-2020)

  8. #25
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    Default New Behavior - No Problem, Just Reporting

    As time passes, I wonder if these little guys are getting used to my presence. Two nights ago, while replacing their fresh veggie tray (they do like kale!) I noticed that while they moved away from the cage door as I opened it, many of them didn't leap and hide in their hammocks or box/nest as they usually do. They were wary, for sure, but several of them just kept doing what they were doing. When I was finished, I Stood in the dark fairly close to the cage to watch them eat and one guy jumped onto the bars directly across from me, looking at me, and (I guess) sniffing me. Perhaps with courage in numbers several of them, one or two at a time, followed suit. One was high enough in the cage that as I bent over slowly and quietly to look he was able to stare into my eyes and I his. Then, like a flight of birds, they took off and went about their business. This behavior resembled what happened each time I released a new guy into the cage. One would approach, then others, and soon the new arrival was surrounded by a "carpet" of mates. Then they would disperse and go about their business. This was surreal for me.

    I imagine my regular presence and that "The Big Thing That Is Loud And Smells Funny" also provides food and water has taken some of the edge off of things, but I never imagined they'd be this curious and relatively unafraid of me. This has not dissuaded me from preparing for release. Just an interesting event.

    Jamie

  9. 4 TSBers pass along the fuzzy thanks to TomahawkFlyers:

    Chirps (01-31-2020), Nancy in New York (01-31-2020), redwuff (01-31-2020), RockyPops (01-31-2020)

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