music is "I will always love you"

My very first squirrel was a flying squirrel given to me by my cat.It was a female and about 6 weeks old.Her  name was BoBo and she was the sweetest little animal I ever had.She lived with us from August 1984 to April 1988.She is very much missed by both of us.She was an enchanting little girl who gave us many hours of love and entertainment.

My second flying squirrel was given to me by a good friend who had rescued her from his dog. He brought her to me in a little box and when I opened the box,out jumped this "thing" and hopped all over my table like a kangaroo. She was alwful looking. All covered with dried salvia and dirt and was a pitiful sight.She was very dejected and would not eat or anything. So I told her:" Well if you are going to die at least you will be clean." After a bath she perked right up and soon looked like a squirrel. A beautiful little girl squirrel. From then on she never looked back. What a sweet little pet she was. Her name was Kayla. Sadly she only lived for 3 years. She died in 1989.Her and BoBo gave us many good times.

In 1995 I purchased from a breeder in Texas 2 baby female flying squirrels. They were 5 weeks old and were flown in to me. They arrived in fine shape and quickly bonded to me as they were still nursing.I carried them in my pockets for quite a while. At the same time I got a male flying squirrel who was not tame and still is not. He was in bad shape and it took quite a lot to fatten him up.Their names were Bella,Rosie and Squeeky. They all are very fine little buddies. Flying squirrels are so sweet and love people.

In May of 1998,Bella had 3 babies. Sadly all 3 died. In Dec of 98 Rosie had 3 babies and Bella had 2 babies. Each female lost one of her litter. The remaining 3 babies grew up to be very fine little pets. They are most entertaining with their antics and loveable ways. Squeeky is the daddy of all of them. The following pictures are of them.

Flying Squirrels

The Southern Flying Squirrel is the smallest of the tree squirrels.Body color is grey to chestnut with a white belly.A flap of skin connects the back leg to the front wrist.The squirrel has very large eyes which aid its nocturnal vision. Body length is 5 to 6 inches.They are native to the united states and can live in captivity for up to 15 years. They have been bred in captivity for many generations.                           The flying squirrel is a amazing pet. It will establish a loving bond with its owner and will come when called. It will happily stay with you in your pocket all day.If you place it on someone else it will immediately come back to you,its safe haven. In order to have this bond you must get your squirrel when it is between 5 and 1/2 to 6 and 1/2 weeks old.As the squirrel gets older it will not bond as well. This is the reason that an adult bought in a pet store will not make a good pet.You need to carry the squirrel with you for at least 6 hours a day in order to bond it to you.The squirrel with sleep happily while you carry it about.                              A home for a flying squirrel should be as large as you can afford. the bigger the better. Make sure it has a small mesh size. It should include a nest box,a drinking dish(which is attached to the side of the cage) never use water bottles. If the ball gets stuck (which they are prone to do) the squirrel will die of thirst  as they cannot dislodge it themselves. You will need a food dish and a calcium block (very,very important). Calcium deficiency can be devastating to these squirrels,thus the reason for the block.Be sure to put it where they will not dirty on it. You can also use powdered calcium on the food. It is called Rep-cal. Sprinkle on their fruit at night. I also use vitamins called Avitron in the water.                              They enjoy sunflower seeds,corn on the cob,peas,rodent block and of course nuts. No salted ones at all. They must have fruit in the diet. Apples,oranges,grapes are all good. give some every day.                              They are quite healthy little guys and make wonderful pets.

Here is a excellant link to learn more about them

The Den Dray at Phantom Farm presents: The Southern Flying Squirrel