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Flying Squirrel Basic Care

We get many calls about Flying Squirrels at Chris's Squirrels and More. We have done our share of hand-rearing flyers so we would like to share a brief basic care guide for Flying Squirrels. 

Basic Care of Flying Squirrels

I raise them very similar to my gray squirrels. The formula is the same. I personally use Esbilac with a few drops of heavy cream. The mixture would be the following:
1 part esbilac
1.5 parts warm water
a couple drops of cream
I always make my formula in advance, preferably 6-8 hours ahead of time. Reason for this is the formula needs to break down or the animals will have a harder time with digesting  it. You can make a large batch and than after it has sat you can freeze it in small individual containers such as specimen cups or ice cube trays, make sure to give a quick shake before separating it, the formula will always have some settlement. 
As far as diet, I feed the same diet as I do my grays, though flyers like bugs so meal worms are many times desirable to them. My diet in my clinic consists of fruits, veggies, rodent block (I use the Mazuri brand which is also the brand i carry) Zupreem Primate biscuits (yes they are for primates but are nutritionally correct for squirrels) all my squirrels love avocado by the way. I do not offer peanuts whatsoever, nor sunflower seeds. A treat once in a while is fine but not part of their main diet. I offer fresh ear  corn about once a week but never daily. All squirrels are very prone to Metabolic Bone Disease and that is why I hold off on the above. 
Acclimating and release:
Flyers are a colony animal so the more you have the happier they are unlike the gray squirrel which is very territorial once mature. When releasing it is critical that they are released with their nest box that they have been using. Unlike gray squirrels they stash their food in their box where grays will bury in the ground. I would not release until at least 18 weeks of age and depending on the weather in your area you may want to winter them over. You do want to make sure you release them in an area where their are signs of other flyer colonies.