Southern flying squirrel
My elderly neighbor found this baby flyer in her basement*. She brought it to me in a coffee can, hoping I would know what it was. I have done song bird rehab as well as fostering countless other baby animals over the years so I am somewhat familiar. This baby was in good shape, however, it was around noon and my neighbor did not want it back in her basement. She claims she has no other evidence of nesting in her house. I found it to be odd considering the nocturnal and arboreal nature of these guys that she was awake and in the basement. So...against my initial maternal reaction to keep her safe with me, we attempted to leave her near the treeline of our wooded backyard. I offered a shallow lid of water and a few blueberries and hoped she would find mom soon. However, as I snuck away, she quickly followed and attached to my shoe. I took my shoe off and she climbed in for a nap, where she stayed for the next several hours.
There was no way I felt comfortable or knowledgeable enough to take her back to the woods as it got dark. I had a small animal enclosure that I planned to house her in overnight with a heating pad and food/water. As well as the sole of my shoe...I weighed her on a food scale to be about 30g, took her temp at 100, she was able to potty without assistance and drink/eat. I believed her to be about 6-7 weeks old, not quite ready to be on her own. I syringe fed her esbilac as I believed her to be at most at weaning stage. I was also unsure as to when she had last eaten and was dehydrated.
I did not plan to keep her as a pet, however, I have been carrying her around in a pouch so she is not alone in her enclosure. I am a stay at home mom so she has been on my person for upwards of 4 hours during daylight hours. We are in the process of building a large aviary type enclosure for her in hopes that she may have a soft release, if any at this point.
I am still learning about her tendencies. While she was surprisingly tame and friendly when she found me, I worry she may not stay that way. She seems to be annoyed with me if I disturb her during later morning hours, but is still quite pleasant if I get her out in the early evening. I wondered if it is timing, or if she is developing aggressive tendencies? She doesn't attack, but more of a *pop* movement if my hand gets too close. She comes out of her bed when she hears me, and climbs up her branches to greet me so Im not sure what this behavior means. Does she need more handling to curb this reaction? She has not had much opportunity for exploration in the week I have had her, so I also wondered if she is feeling too confined, or if she would still be fairly nest bound at her age.
Thank you for any advice and for taking time to read this post.
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