New mom to a (2nd) rescued fs in Biloxi, Ms

[Emily]

I am a homemaker with 2 kids, plus the hubby(i think he counts for another 2 children, at least). I have become The caretaker, mommy to our 2nd fs. About 2 1/2 wks ago, a fs ended up in our house. It was the beginning of a very unusual cold streak on the coast( a couple of weeks of below freezing temps at night). My dog (a yorkie-poo) actually found him and caught him when he ran across the floor. 1st, I too thought it was a mouse, but still screamed for my dog to 'drop it'. He did, but picked it up a couple more times b4 the little guy got away under the frig. At that point, I had seen enough to recognize it as a flying squirrel. He stayed hidden the rest of the night, while the dogs went in the bathroom for the night, in hopes of protecting the little guy if he wondered out. Next morning, i found him curled up, asleep in the corner of my kids hallway. Got the kids to school, & after many creative attempts, hubby & I finally caught him. Kept him in a plastic garb. can with a book over the top(but room for air) while we ran to Petsmart & bought a cage & necessities. Once he was in the cage, I began to notice that his back leg was injured; no visible bleeding but he was dragging it, not using it. I alerted hubby, who is an ER doc,and who insisted we 'keep' him. Rocky, as he was named by the kids (for Rocky & Bullwinkle show), ate, drank water, & seemed to get around the cage ok. Hubby thought his back leg was broken, poss. from the dog's capture, or possibly happened earlier & was the reason he sought refuge in the warm house (more likely, the 1st scenario). I spent a couple hours a day, & evening w/him, cleaning the cage & talking to him. In two days, I went upstairs (we put him up there so he would have peace from the dogs!) to find him lying in his fluff bedding, but not covered up/tucked in as usual. He was lying on his side, stretched out, & from the moment I saw him, I knew something was wrong. I couldnt see him breathing, ran to the cage, & he had already passed. I would not have thought that something I had only known for 2 days could have touched my heart like that, but I was devastated! I wrapped him in a soft rag & held him, crying terribly for at least an hour. I could no longer suffer alone, so I went downstairs to wake sleeping hubby(who worked the night shift and had just gotten to sleep). I could not quit bawling, as I felt responsible for this baby. Why didn't I know he was more seriously injured, could I have done something? ANd praying that he didn't suffer; that somehow we (I) comforted him during his last days. My day was wasted, as I could not stop crying & grieving for our little guy. And my kids had been so excited when we 'found & saved him'. They did get to enjoy watching him one evening before we lost him. When they got home from school, we had a short funeral/burial in the backyard, before they had to go to guitar lessons & cheer prac. (to which neither wanted to go, esp. my son who was very upset). I went in search of a book 'Chicken soup for the pet lover's soul' with which to comfort myself and my kids. So I know what you all mean about these little flying squirrels touching your hearts! I would not have thought I could be so heartbroken about something I had known for such a short time, but he was very special!Rest in Peace, Rocky!

[Emily]

It's me again, Emily, grieving Mom of Rocky. The story continues b/c the night we buried Rocky, my husband kept hearing noised in our bedroom. Luckily, the dogs slept through them. Early in the a.m, he turned on the light to see another flying squirrel jumping around our room. I sat up & the little thing was on the floor next to my bed, just looking at me! We quickly put the dogs outside, & began trying to catch the fs. Needed a hidden video, b/c this one proved much livelier and much more difficult to catch! Of course, since we already had the cage, food, complete set-up, we had to keep him (or her)! It was still below freezing at night, and our dogs would be looking for him, as well as the stray cats, racoons, & owls that live in our unfinished, partly wooded neighborhood. I wasn't letting anything hurt this one! I've been told by a petsmart worker who rescued a gray squirrel that it is illegal in MS to keep them, but that didn't stop us. He was named Flyer, for obvious reasons and b/c my 7 yr old daughter is a 'flyer' on her competition cheerleading team (she's one of the smaller ones who is tossed in the air--a 'top girl'). Flyer is slowly getting more tame & used to me, as I am the one spending the most time w/him. Last night , he let me pet him lightly & even rub his chin & around his ears. He didn't let me pick him up, but he didn't flee immediately when I tried, just kind of scooted over a bit. Your website is a lifesaver, as it has guided me choosing habitat, food,etc. for Flyer. He has been very active in the evenings around 5- 6 pm, when it 1st gets dark. But last night, he didn't want to wake up & come out of his hut. Maybe he played longer the night before & was still tired. So i went back up to see him when hubby got home from work around 1 am. Flyer was still acting very shy. I laid on the floor next to his cage & he sat still & watched me till I started to fall asleep. I ended up pushing a shelled pecan, and fresh slice of apple into his hut, b/c he would not come out to eat. (THose are his favorites, besides acorns, & I delight in watching him eat them ea. night.) So obviously, I'm a little worried about him. When i poked my fingers into the fluff bedding in his hut to see exactly where he was, he 'grabbed/held' and sniffed my finger, which was really sweet. That's how I knew where to push the food to. I did hear him eating a little inside the hut. I have some concerns, which I'll post on the non-emergent help board, about a small amt. of hair loss. THanks for reading my lengthy account of our family additions. Most of my friends aren't that interested!

[pnerissa]

Welcome aboard and hopefully we'll be able to help you some. I've found since being adopted by a flyer that a proper flyer diet is of the very utmost importance. None of that storebought stuff for my babies. I make sure to give them plenty of fresh vegetables with a squirrel block tossed in. Both of my flyers are still on formula as well. Do you have some idea of how old yours might be? Also, I keep the temperature pretty warm for my little guys so they don't catch a chill.

Oh, and on another note, Biloxi is my hometown. I plan to pop over in February for a day trip.

[pnerissa]

Also, I just shot an email over to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife asking for clarification on whether or not it is legal to own flyers in MS. With any luck I'll have a definitive answer for you on Tuesday.

[violetlady]

Welcome Emily! I too am new to flyers. Our Ziggy came to us as a rescue last Oct. before his eyes were opened. When he was a bit younger (after being weaned), he would wake up & eat some around 6 or 7, but now that he is older, its usually 11:00 or so before he becomes active. I'm told by knowledgeable members of this forum that some flyers tend to sleep more this time of year. I would think another thing to consider in your case is that Flyer is no doubt still adjusting & doesn't yet feel totally comfortable in the new environment. As to the hair loss issue, I'll defer to the capable pros on the board.

So sorry for the trauma of losing Rocky!!!

[DinNorman]

Since we had our annual meeting in Natchez last year, I can tell you that it is illegal to own a flyer in Mississippi. This is not to say that there are none who keep them kept as pets in the state. It seems that the flyers keep coming to you. If you end up keeping it, just do it quietly. As far as anyone needs to know, you own a "flat tailed gerbil".
I spent my fondest years as a child in Ocean Springs, and was first introduced to flyers then. All of us kids seemed to have one which we kept on a "collar and leash" so we could handle them. They were wild caught adults that we tamed somewhat. We even took them to school with us daily, as long as we had a shirt with a pocket. we would yank them out at recess and lunch and give them a piece of pecan as they sat on our lap; then back into the pocket. I dont recommend this as we know better these days. Mine was captive bred in South Texas and is a wonderful little "friend". It is illegal in Oklahoma, without applying for a permit annually, so I just keep her "quietly"; when she travels with me, I just say it is a flat tailed gerbil. Good luck with yours.

[pnerissa]

I wanted to put this out there to you also. If your little one ever winds up needing veterinary care and you can't find a vet in Biloxi, St. Francis Animal Hospital in Navarre, FL treats exotics (and also works with the Emerald Coast Wildlife Rescue) and is only about 2 1/2 hours from where you are and is not a bad drive.

http://stfrancisveterinarycenter.com/

[pnerissa]

I have excellent news! I received this email today from Rick Hamrick with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife. He also sent me an attachment that has the full wording of the Notice of Rule Adoption/Final Rule and it is indeed legal to own a flyer in MS as long as you also hold a valid resident small game hunting and fishing license.

I have the attachment also if anyone needs it emailed to them.

Beverly,
The reference on this as far as a regulation is Public Notice M4-3201 (attached).

Accoring to PN 3201, it is legal to own a flying squirrel in MS (may possess up to 20 nongame reptiles, 20 nongame amphibians, 10 nongame mammals, and 4 nongame fish except as otherwise provided by this or other regulation). Of nongame mammals, no more than 2 can be of the same species. Any resident that takes or possesses nongame wildlife must have a resident small game hunting license. See full regulation for details on conditions for sale, etc.

Rick Hamrick
Small Game Biologist
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks
910 Barnett Drive
Starkville, MS 39759
Home Office: 662-320-9375
Mobile: 662-617-1445
Email: rickh@mdwfp.state.ms.us

[Emily]

this is Emily again. It's been awhile since i've had a chance to check the message board. Thank you so much for all of the helpful responses, esp. info about legalities and vet. care available. Good news: Flyer's hair loss on top of his head is pretty much filled back in. He looks great. I haven't had as much time to spend upstairs w/him lately, so of course he seems a little shyer. I definitely overdid it when I added several new things to his cage at once. I see that Flyer does not like change.
On another note: in the last week if have ( my yorkie dog has) spotted a fs on the back porch, apparently living in a column. We have suspected this for awhile, as we had seen an fs back in the fall when my husband used the grill which is very near that column. I managed to get video of one of them out & about @ night, crawling across the brick wall on back of my house. LAST NIGHT, I saw 1, then 2, & I'm pretty sure a third fs peek out from the top of the column. I put a plate of peanuts, snflwr seeds, corn, and acorns nearby a couple of weeks ago. doesn't look like they've touched it. Last night, I put 3 pecan halves next to the plate, & put a towel under the plate for traction. (the plate is on top of an icemaker machine, which is metal & I thought it might be too slippery if they jumped from the brick wall to it.) THis am, still no takers of the pecans, so my ever-helpful hubby tossed the pecans up on top of the column, prob. scaring the little guys to death. I did get pictures of them & was able to stand on top of a cooler to get a little closer. They seem very curious about me. Maybe b/c I talk to them?? My hub. calls me the "squirrel whisperer". They did actually come back out for him to see when I talked to them/asked them to peek out! They are so precious! NOW I WONDER if keeping Flyer is the best thing for him, or if he would be happier out there w/friends. What are your thoughts on this- letting him go- as he was apparently grown & wild (not tame) when we took him in. His cage & he are kept upstairs to be away from the dogs. I try to go up a couple of times a day, and my son goes up a couple x day,quickly, to retrieve things. Wondering of setting his cage outside with the door open, like maybe on top of the icemaker, near the column where the other fs's live, would be a bad or good idea? I thought that way, if he wanted to be free, he could go. But if he didn't know or get along w/the other fs's, he might stay in his cage. Also wondered if they would come in and get food, bedding, etc to take back to their nest. Or could the others become aggressive toward Flyer & put him in danger? I just want to do the BEST thing for Flyer, and don't want him to be lonely!
I would really appreciate any input you all may have on this subject. FYI: I guess I've had Flyer in 'captivity' for about 1 month, if that factors in to his survival rate in the wild. Thanks so much. GReat to hear from several MS Coastians!! WHO DAT???? Go SAINTS!!!

[violetlady]

Im not knowledgeable about these things, but my instinct would be to release him. Obviously you have a colony, probably he had been one of them. From what I've read here I don't think he would be rejected by the others.

[pnerissa]

It's just my opinion, but especially since you know he/she is an adult, he might be better off back outside with his friends. A wild adult might eventually become used to you, but I don't think he will ever become the cuddly ball of love that most babies who bond with their humans are.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

[Emily]

Sorry it has been so long since i last posted. I still have Flyer in his cage upstairs, but am still wondering if he would be ok if I let him go. I am not able to spend as much time with him now and I feel like he would be happier if set free. I just want to know, does anyone think that having him in captivity for this long (a little over 2 months) would hurt his chances of survival in the 'wild' ? I appreciate the previous answers y'all posted. The nights are a little warmer so I'm thinking of letting him go. But I'm not sure what time of day would be best. I also haven't seen the other fs's on the porch lately, so i'm not sure if they are still in the column. Should i try to release him at dusk? Any help that anyone can offer would be very appreciated!

[Judy C.]

There should be no problem at all with returning Flyer to the wild. His 'family' will still accept him, and probably misses him very much. If you will put up some nest boxes for them, and a feeder, you will be able to enjoy them all the time. Just be sure to put the feeder where there is enough light to watch them, and have some comfortable chairs around!

You can put his cage out in the late afternoon and just leave the door open. Fasten the door so it will stay open in case he wants to go back in it. Make sure no predators can get to the cage while he's in it. And put food out in some sort of feeder starting now. Put the feeder in, on, or near some trees, so the wild flyers will be comfortable coming to it - they might already be there to greet him when he comes out of his cage!

Although I know you will miss him, you will still have him and all his friends to enjoy, and the knowledge that he is back in the trees where he was born to be. If you keep feeding them regularly, and talk to them quietly, they may eventually come and eat from your hand! Put their food out right around dark, after the grey squirrels have gone to bed, and call the flyers to come eat when you fill the feeder, and they'll learn to come when they hear you.

Good luck - I hope you do decide to release him - I know he must miss being free.

Judy C.

[flyer_1]

I know it must be tough to let him go but if you think it's the right thing than you should, like you said around dusk would be a good time if that's what you choose to do, good luck.

[Emily]

Judy & Flyer 1: Thank you so much for your advice and support. It will be hard to let him go, but I will be happy if he is happy! Question about feeders: Just like regular squirrel feeders? or something different? and do I put sunflower seeds, nuts, nut &berry mix (like songbird)? Also, my yard has no trees, though there are some on the empty lots right next to mine. Does it matter what kind of tree, how high I place the boxes, and where would i get some boxes? it seems like I remember reading that they need to be a certain kind of wood, no wood glue? I'm as nervous about letting him go & setting up the right enviroment as I was about keeping him & taking care of him! And how do you keep birds from nesting in the box before the squirrels can find it? Do i go ahead & put some fleece inside the box, & maybe some acorns? I guess I could put a box on the crepe myrtle outside my bathroom window. It's big, (right now it's pruned down,but will soon leaf out again) & I watched one of the wild fs crawl from the porch column around to that window. (you can't see thru the window, b/c it's a privacy glass, but at least I feel like the fs would be safer close to the house).That is prob. my best option for nest box placement, other than on the porch. What do you think? MORE HELP PLEASE! YOU ARE ALL SO WONDERFUL & I APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT SOOO MUCH!!!

[flyer_1]

Well Emily someone will be along shortly to correct me but since I'm the only one on the board right now here it go's

Go to Wallmart or Wallgreens, or Menards and ask for a squirrel feeder and standard bird seed, but no sunflower seeds. If you just can't bring yourself to get a feeder from a commercial store like that and are very concerned about possible glue go on line to (Cris's Squirrels and more) and get one from them, they would also sell you the seed for them too I'm sure. Regarding where to put the feeder I would put it a little ways from the house and not on the porch, same with the nest box, as for the nest box you can put 100% cotton in there if you want but that's not necessary they find all that stuff them selves they have very strong instincts.


Best of luck Travis.

[Emily]

Travis, thanks so much for the reply. I will work on finding a feeder tomorrow. Just wondering, why no sunflower seeds? The squirrel food i bought at Petsmart in the very beginning has sunflower seeds, peanuts in the shell, corn, and maybe a couple of other things. Flyer likes the sunflower seeds but doesn't really touch the other stuff. I certainly hope they are not bad for him! Thanks again. I will post when we let him go, prob. in the next couple of days. Emily

[flyer_1]

I heard allot of times they will mill the bag with sun flower seed for filler and leave out the good stuff but I don't think it's bad for them, you know forget it just keep what you have that's good I didn't even know why when I made the post and just remembered that's what it was so your okay.

[Judy C.]

Emily, since the flyers are already living on your porch, there should be no problem putting a feeder on the porch rail or something, or hanging one from a rafter or beam or the ceiling.
Sunflower seeds are not the best thing for squirrels of any type, but you are right - they really do love them. Since you will be feeding wild flyers, you are safe in giving them (within reason) sunflower seeds, dried corn, etc, and almost any nuts - they LOVE pecans! They will get other things they need from foraging. Also, after you have lured them to the feeder with the sunflower seeds, you can start adding some healthier foods, like pieces of apples, oranges, broccolli, mushrooms, etc. Also you might want to put out water for them - a shallow birdbath would be good. Just make sure it is not so deep that they could drown in it.

As for nest boxes, get some bluebird boxes. Try to get the ones that open so that you can clean them out if necessary. Put out several if you can. (You might also want to make sure there is no way they can get into your attic - they seem to think that attics are a great place to live!) You can put some cotton balls in the boxes if you want to, and/or they will fill it with leaves, bark, etc. You can find bluebird nest boxes at Walmart, Lowes, Tractor Supply, Wild Birds Unlimited, nearly any big hardware store, etc.

Best of luck.

Judy C.

[flyer_1]

Like I said someone would be along shortly to correct me

[Emily]

Guys, Thanks again for the great advice. I looked at Chris's squirrels and More website. Great stuff, but really pricey. I was wondering: the squirrel nest box they sell, which has a pic of a gray squirrel on it, but i'm sure is fine for flyers too... it has an entrance inside of another entrance- similar to the plans you have on the rehab. area of site, which say to put the 1 in. shelf of wood around the inside of the port hole to keep predators from being able to reach in. Are these predators racoons? i thought the owl was the main predator of fs. Will racoons, or what ever other animal, try to get adult fs from their nest, or do they just go for the pups? This shows how little I know about this subject!! lol If I get bluebird boxes, do i need to try to put the 1 in. shelf inside around the opening or will my wild flyers be ok? How high should I hang the bluebird/squirrel boxes? As for trying to keep them out of the attic....that may be impossible! That is how we think Rocky, then Flyer got into the house; somewhere through the overhang by the column, into the attic, then prob. followed the gas line down to the stove in the kitchen, where there is a nice big hole around the pipe that they could come right out of!
(We didn't build our house; bought it when it was a couple yrs old. Numerous little things that weren't done correctly or as well as they should have been during construction!& it's a big house..3800 sf with probably another 1000 sf of attic, some not really accessible) HOpefully, as the weather warms up, the flying squirrels will not seek refuge in the attic & will move to the trees or @ least stay in the porch column. That attic heats up to well over 100* in summer and stays that way till 'winter' so the squirrrels should not WANT to be in there for the 'warm' months, much less the miserably hot months! I will also put out a water dish for them. I have a bird bath, but it gets really nasty quickly w/the humidity down here. I'll find something shallow & smaller that i can take inside to wash regularly, or use flyer's little water dishes for now. I'm pretty sure i've seen feeders similar to the one on Chris's squir. at lowe's or home depot, def. at farm co-op. Thanks again for your wonderful support and advice. You are very much appreciated!
Emily

[flyer_1]

Owls are a threat to flyers but so are coons so you may want that ledge, good idea. Like I said if you go to a place like Walmart, you know that's fine I really don't think a bad glue job will be a problem, you can always take the loose glue of before placing it.

Now I've never placed a feeder or nest box, but the nest box should be up high, allot of people put them high up on tree's and they really like them, the feeder could be any where from five to six feet I think, don't put the nest box and feeder to close together so the coons won't be to curious about the flyer/flyers.