Friday, January 22, 2010

Flying squirrel trouble?

I have a baby flying squirrel in my house that I can't catch. Anyone know how many more there may possibly be, how many in a litter, and how is the best way to catch them? I would like to know how many more I should be looking for?Flying squirrel trouble?
I did my master's work on flying squirrels. They usually have 2 to 6 babies at a time. The best way to catch them is a live trap with peanut butter and oatmeal or try dry dogfood. However if you leave them in the trap very long they tend to die of exposure and dehydration VERY easily.





Their peak litter time is in February and again in September. However they can have young year round.





They make wonderful pets but you must put in an old bone or deer antler or they die of calcium deficiency in a few years. Taken good care of they can live to 20 years. They become very attached to a person and will hang out in a pocket or pouch. If turned loose in a room (you must make sure you keep the toilet lid down) they will find one or two (sometimes three) places to urinate and defecate and you can cover those with newspapers and they will be self paper training (LOL). They are very docile and I have tamed wild ones in 45 minutes.Flying squirrel trouble?
There is a non lethal trap that catches them. Some counties humane societies lend them for free. If you buy them they cost about $20. The trap will eventually get them all.





There really shouldn't be a whole litter because squirrels have their litters in the Spring. So it might be the only one.





Even though they are flying squirrels, the best way to prevent them from getting into your house is to check all around and prune back any branches that go over your roof, it's the small young branches that cause the trouble, it can grow over your roof in a year's time.





Prune back all branches away from your house so there are no branches that are within 3 feet of your roof. That usually is enough to take care of the problem and keep them off your roof and getting in through the chimney.





Also check for holes they may have nawed through and cover them over. If you check for holes and you can't see any and can't see how they are getting in, try checking the metal ventialtion tiles that are usually installed underneath your eaves. These are usually found on the newer kind of eave trough assembles and are attached to the roof by flanges.





That was my problem, I had new eaves installed and that's when I started to get squirrles in the attic. Push up on them, if they push up the contractor forgot to put in the screws that attaches them to the flange. If you can push it up, then a squirrel can too.





That was my problem, there were two tiles that were missing their screws, they were just being held in place by gravity.





But pruning the branches also helps to keep them off your roof altogethor.
Is it possible for you to leave a door open and see if it goes out by itself? Call animal control for advice. There is a place near where I live called OWL and they respond to all wildlife issues, I found them by looking in the yellow pages under animals, you might try that. LOL...I know it's not funny to you but the scenario does sound funny.
if one got in there is probably a way for more to get in. you should trap it in a cage and let it out. If it gets back in then you have a hole somewhere.
why dont you GET A CAGE!!!! HOW DO U FEED THEM ANIMAL ABUSER!!!!!????

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