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Caging Requirements
The cage should be the same as a Sugar Gliders except for a few changes: >1. They must have an exercise wheel such as the "WODENT WHEEL SR." >2. They need two (2) "CERAMIC BOWLS" 3-4 inch in diameter and no more than 2 inches deep. They like to use one bowl to drink from and the other to clean 'whatever' in. Make sure you clean these bowls daily and replace the water with clean water and liquid vitamins. >3. Use all non-toxic wood in cage. (they have rodent teeth and need to chew) wood can be Dragonwood, Cypress, Oak, Aspen, Hickory, Maple and Wild Grape Vine but never a aromatic type wood such as Cedar or Pressure Treated wood which contains arsnic or Yella Wood which contains Boric Acid. (when in doubt don't use it) Note: Cut the wood fresh as dry wood may contain unwanted insects/pests. Wood purchased from a pet shop is okay just bleach it, rinse and air dry it. >4. A nest box for 1 to 4 SFS should be about 6" x 6" x 6" with a 1.5 inch hole. We use only "100% RAW COTTON" for the nesting material. Note: Wood nest boxes are best to use for Southern Flying Squirrels and never boxes made of cedar wood. They'll chew on the entrance hole to a wood box so we use 1/2" x 1/2" hardware cloth and fasten it with staples to the front of the "BOX" and cut out the screen, 3 squares by 3 squares which would give you the 1 1/2" entrance hole. Never use a plastic or a metal house as they just don't enjoy nesting in them. Bonding
Be careful when letting them loose as they are very, very quick, so keeping a vigilant eye on them is mandatory. Southern Flying Squirrels make captivating and loyal pets when bonded to you. The best age to begin the bonding process is at the age of 5-7 weeks, this requires you to 'spoon' feed your pup (not to be confussed with 'dropper' feeding a newborn) during daylight hours as this will almost guarantee the pup will go to sleep in you shirt pocket. The more time you spend allowing the pup to hang out with you the more rewarding this will be for the both of you. Do not allow the pup around an open water source such as your toilet, they may jump in drown. If you can't find your SFS in your house be sure to check your dirty clothes as they may be hiding in them! (remember, they trust your "SCENT" and will drown if you wash your clothes!)Training
Our staff of handlers uses a small kids tent to train our pups at the age of 5 weeks. The tent is for letting them roam around keeping them out of harms-way and so they'll want to be on your warm body. From 6 to 8 weeks of age our trainers hang a 3'x4' rug on the wall and let them glide to them, using whatever food item they like best to get them to glide to them, just start close and move away from the rug a foot a day remembering that the farther you move away you must crouch down lower so they can glide "DOWN" to you or move the rug higher! We normally let them glide up to 6 feet by the time they are 8 weeks of age. In just a few weeks of this glide time a bond will be established and your pup will take to you like it would its mother. You'll now have a friend for life, jumping to and from you never wanting to be anywhere else but on you or near you, begging for your attention. When you come home after being gone for a while greet your pup with the same sound every time such as a kissing, clicking or maybe their name and they'll be so exicited to see you they just can't wait to be in your pocket or just climbing all over you! Warning: Don't forget to greet your human mate(s), children etc. first or trouble may brew.Diet
In the wild they eat ripe "Acorns," Plant Buds, "Pine Nuts," Pine Cones, Sunflower Seeds, Wheat, Soybean, Oats, Corn, Pecans, Hickory Nuts, Walnuts, Pumpkin Seeds and Fruits, such as Blueberries, Strawberries, Mulberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Figs, Persimmon, Apple, Orange, Wild Berries, Wild Grapes, Bird Eggs, Nestlings, Beetles, Moths, Carrion (flesh from dead animals) and Caterpillars. In captivity they need the same requirements so we have formulated a feed consisting mainly of Sunflower Kernels, Shelled Peanuts, Whole White Stripped Sunflower Seeds, Safflower Seeds, Pine Nuts, Pistachios, Walnuts, Almonds, Hulled Pumpkin Seeds, "Roasted Mealworms," Dried Raisins, Dried Cherries, Dried Cranberries etc.. Please click on our "Food" link under Catagories for more details.Feeding
The below diet is per SFS per night: >A. Alternate nuts every night - 1/2 pecan, 1/2 walnut or one Pine Nut. >B. 4 white/grey stripped sunflower seeds and 4 pumpkin seeds. >C. Alternate fresh fruits and or dried fruits every night - 1 grape, 1 blueberry etc. just very small pieces at a time and only two - three pieces of fruit! >D. 1/2 teaspoon of mealworms, this is very important! >E. 1/8th teaspoon of Rep-Cal Calcium (pink label) sprinkle on fruit only. >F. Add "MULTI-DROPS LIQUID MUTIVITAMIN" 1 drop per ounce of water, Lambert Kay's 'Avitron' 6 drops per ounce of water or LM Liquid Multivitamins 3 drops per ounce. You may have to add a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to this mix to help them consume it. >G. Fresh water every night, bottled Spring Water is best if available. >H. Handful of Timothy Hay or Alfalfa Hay - replace it once a week if any is left over, they like to chew on it -play with it and/or use it for part of their nesting material. >I. Offer them some waxworms or caterpillars every week if you can get them but never from an area that was sprayed with pesticides. >J. Keep this feeding program simple, it works from weaned pups to adults. >K. At least 40-45% of their diet should be fresh and or dried fruit to help keep the digestive system working smoothly. >L. Keep our "SALT SPOOL" and our "CALCIUM CUP" hanging from the 'TOP' of the cage as they may urinate on them if placed anywhere else in the cage. >M. Too much phosphorus will cause your SFS to have a nasty attitude and adds hyperactivity which they already have so please don't contribute to this as it will cause problems. "Rep-Cal Phosphourus-Free Calcium with Vitamin D3 ultrafine powder" is a good supplement that we use and is part of our Wild Diet. >NOTES:Our "WILD DIET" contains everything your Southern Flying Squirrel needs on a daily basis. All that you'll need to do is add the multivitamins to the water, keep a Spool of Salt and a Calcium Cup hanging from the top of the cage and offer them Waxworms or Caterpillars every week if possible. Remember, this feeding program is per SFS per night and discard all food every morning. They'll teach you what they like and dislike. Don't try all kinds of weird foods as we have done this research for you. Do not try to reinvent the wheel as we are saving you the trouble of the possibility of mortality of your SFS. We want you to enjoy them for many - many years to come. Common sense is the key and doing your homework is necessary. Please visit our Shopping Mall for the related Supplies, Diets and Supplements. If you should need to contact us please go to our 'CONTACT US' link. Were here to give you support, knowledge and encouragement!
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