Female flying squirrel for sale
Northern flying squirrels require similar care to that of sugar gliders and even pet birds, but they do have their own unique requirements. Even though they are high-energy, nocturnal rodents who love to climb and glide, as pets they also require many hours of hands-on attention and socializing with their owner.
Flying squirrels require spacious cages and like many other rodents, they need hard things to chew on to keep their teeth trimmed and healthy. Flying squirrels are entertaining to watch, and they have fun personalities. They can make a great pet for the right person, but they are high-maintenance animals that require a fair amount of supervision. As such, they are not ideal pets for young children.
Housing the Northern Flying Squirrel
Whatever enclosure is chosen for your flying squirrel, it must have very small spaces between the bars or mesh to prevent escapes or accidental injury, especially if you have a baby flying squirrel. A flying squirrel that has bonded with its owner will try to get to them at all costs.
Owners that have cages with bars spaced too far apart have awoken to their squirrel sleeping at their feet or on their pillows. Some squirrels may also try to return to their cages and are only able to get part of their body back in. This has led to fatal outcomes for the poor little flying squirrels that get stuck.
The vertical height is more important than horizontal space in flying squirrel cages as they enjoy climbing up as high as they can go. Tall bird cages are often used to house flying squirrels. Metal cages are much more difficult for a rodent to chew through, and metal cages are also available with different bar spacing sizes for different bird species.
By adding chicken wire mesh to all inside surfaces of the cage, some owners can modify a store-bought cage that has wider bar spacings. This works well and is usually less expensive than purchasing a cage with smaller bar spacings, yet this retrofit is time-consuming. Care must be taken to avoid any sharp edges and missed surfaces.
Be sure to provide areas in the cage onto which your Northern squirrel can climb; branches are good for this as are ropes made of chemical-free cotton fibers. Provide nest boxes and soft nesting materials such as non-colored paper towels or inkless newspaper.