Flying Squirrels - Pictures

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Flying Squirrels - Pets

Flying Squirrels are often acquired as pets. They are kept like other rodents and do not require much care. However, they should be supplied with all the necessary items, such as a cage with sufficient room, appropriate diet, and some space to exercise. Overall, Flying Squirrels live for about 13 years in captivity. When in the wild, they do not usually live for more than five years.

Research has determined that they do not get enough calcium when in the wild. Natural gliders, Flying Squirrels have light bones. Therefore, the diet of the Flying Squirrel should be rich in calcium. As a matter of fact, they often experience the shortage of this mineral since vegetation cannot supply them with necessary amount of this important element. Moreover, their diet is usually rich in phosphorus that does not allow them to properly assimilate calcium. As the result, they develop calcium deficiency.

Flying Squirrels do well on nuts, fruits, vegetables, and mice. Feeding a pet mainly cat food is a common mistake. To properly care for the species, one should supply the pet with melons, grapefruits, mangos, pineapples, leafy greens, seeds, and other food with a high level of calcium and a low level of fat.

It should be remembered that Flying Squirrels are nocturnal animals. They are active at night and tend to use vocalization. Flying Squirrels communicate by the means of high-pitched sounds and chirping. It has been suggested that Flying Squirrels have an echolocation system like that of bats. It means that some sounds lie beyond the frequency range of the human ear. However, it is a misconception. Flying Squirrels have a different hearing system and cannot communicate like bats.

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