Baby/ juvenile Southern Flying Squirrel behavior

[Crack'r]

A month ago I was outside at night on the trail to my shop and heard something fall and it was a baby Southern Flying Squirrel. I rounded up a box, blanket, and heating pad and got her situated. About 1.5 hours later I headed to the shop to look for something and there was another baby in the same exact spot. I imagine she had been there for a little while but backed off and waited 15-20 min to see if momma might show up, but didn't.

So I had 2 baby girls straight from the nest that I guessed were 4-5 weeks old. Their eyes were open and they had all their fur and were both between 19-20 grams.

I live in the woods and have been rescuing animals since I was a kid and have taken care of just about everything at one point. I rescued a SFS a long time ago and got her weaned off milk and released where found though that was before the internet and better information. Since then I've raised quite a few gray squirrel babies and released them and have a good amount of experience with squirrels.

Since I found 2 that were the same sex I figured they made great candidates as pets, especially since my 10 yo daughter instantly fell in love with them. Plus I already have a 6'x4'x2' cage I made for a previous squirrel that got a little too bonded and kept coming back so I made her a place she could stay on the porch but also go outside. She eventually had a litter and moved out permanently but would always come jump on me to say hi when she saw me.

Anyways, for the first 3 weeks the 2 SFS had tons of attention and spent hours every day being held or in someone's jacket or pocket. But about a week ago one started eating less milk and getting more "squirrelly" or wild acting. She will stay on me when I try to feed her milk but usually runs to my back so I can't bother her and will jump off and go explore and frequently goes to the fireplace that is surrounded by a rock wall she can easily climb on. She will run away from me if I try to get her, at least for a while. One night it probably took an hour before I was able to get her again. She also runs one way then another and acts skittish or scared? But maybe that's normal SFS behavior? She has gotten pretty good at jumping 5-6 feet but not really gliding yet. The other is acting similar but still likes to be held and will run and explore but then runs right back and jumps back on us. That one still drinks milk occasionally but they seem to like their veggies, fruit, pecans, white oak acorns, and Henry blocks better.

Does this sound normal for 2ish months old? Could it be the equivalent of turning into teenagers at that age? Or maybe they are smaller and older than I thought? They are about 42 grams now and seem very healthy. They sleep a lot but are also very active when they are out being held or playing/eating in the cage.

I also have a big dog (rescued Foxhound) that loves babies and would lick them and let them run around on her and would never hurt them but they don't know that. She will lay on the ground 6 feet away and just watch them play and has given the cage a sniff a couple times but I don't know if that's enough to scare them and possibly causing some of the "wild" behavior? Being a hound she will bark a couple times if she hears something outside which might not help?

I'm willing to make the commitment of keeping them as pets if they are happy and will like to be held and played with. But if they are going to be unhappy or scared because there is a dog around, and wild and try to run away from us then I'd rather let them go. I'm pretty sure there is a healthy SFS colony in the area since it's almost all hardwood forest around us and they fell from a nest in the yard that I can see in the day. I've also heard little squeaks moving thru the trees and see a few things zip thru the air if shining a flashlight late at night in an open area between trees. So I think they will have a good place to go to if necessary.

Sorry this is so long, but does this sound like normal behavior? And at this age? Or could having a dog be scaring them or causing stress even though she doesn't bother them? Any other thoughts or suggestions or resources on SFS specifically? And let me know if anyone has any questions.

Thanks!

[supersquirrelgirl]

Hang tight. There are members here who have tons of experience with flyers. I hope they join soon to respond. Thank you!

[lovesquirrels1]

1. Flying squirrels don't really sit still in peoples hands or anything like that. I mean some of mine will but only for a short time then they jump around. It's not how they are wired. For something closer to that, it would be a northern flying squirrel which are a bit calmer in my experience. If you keep them in a small area, even room sized, they should have access to a wheel. Most wheels are not properly designed. Freerunner or raptor wheels will work, they are made for small animals like sugar gliders but work very well for flying squirrels. In my experience they will use them extensively I personally consider it cruel not to provide one unless the enclosure is bigger than a couple of rooms in size.

2. I would not let any small animals play with a dog. This is an accident waiting to happen.

3. I don't know much about releasing flying squirrels. I'd have to defer to someone else

4. Food is important: Henrys has blocks they sell which I use along with their recommended vegetables, zupreme monkey biscuits, and mazuri rodent blocks. Once a week or so I give them shelled hazelnuts.

5. Water bottles, I always use 2 in each enclosure. ive had one stick before.

[TomahawkFlyers]

Congratulations on finding and saving those two babies. Given the age at which you found them and the contact and attention they have received since then, it is a fair bet that they have bonded with one or more of your family members. That bond is strong. At eight weeks, they are getting ready to be adolescents and they will want to play more and perhaps more roughly (though not aggressively unless they perceive your play to be aggressive.) They will also want to hop down and explore - they have very curious minds. How curious? Even the National Enquirer could satiate their need for new things to learn about. The fun really begins when they figure out they can glide. They are colony creatures, and do best when with their extended family. That said, that you have two is a blessing - in this case, two can equal a colony.

Flyers exist in the wild pretty close to the bottom of the food chain. Just about every predator out there will be delighted to kill and eat a flyer. For this reason, even bonded flyers who are as close to being domesticated as they can be retain instinctual reflexes designed to protect them from predators. I mention this in context with your dog. Dogs, in general, love to chase and kill squirrels - flying and otherwise. As sweet as your dog is, a defensive movement might cause the predator deep within to emerge - even for just a moment. That's all it takes, though. Flyers are tough little creatures, but they are exceedingly fragile in the mouth of a predator. Even without provocation, a dog engaging in his idea of play can bring quick disaster to a flyer. If these two little guys become members of your family, it will be your job to keep the flyers out of harm's way.

The average lifespan for a flyer in the wild is 3-5 years. In captivity, it is not uncommon fr them to reach ten years of age and more. The wild life is just that - wild. Risk of death - violent or otherwise - is around every corner. The payoff is life in the trees, gliding with the colony, and eating the things nature places before them. Captivity (with someone who has taken the time to learn how to care for them) means comfort, warmth, no hunger, and being able to have fun with the things the owner provides for their enrichment. I have wondered for years what these flyers would choose if given the chance. I can tell you this ... Unless a flyer who comes to us has a life-long defect that will prevent him from living a full life in the wild, we give our rescues the choice of in or out. Generally, those who come to us as adults choose out - and a few of those will seek shelter when things get really tough out there. Those who have bonded have uniformly elected to stay.In the case of the latter, we are glad of that because in the process of bonding, some of the survival edge is lost. Truth be told, we come to love them and we like to imagine that they are fond of us.

So, the decision is yours. I hope this information lightens the load for you.

Jamie