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FLYING SQUIRREL RESCUE · DAY 1 TO RELEASE

Flying Squirrel Rescue — Day 1 to Release

A complete, species-aware pathway for finding, stabilizing, hand-raising, developing and soft-releasing a North American flying squirrel when immediate transfer is not possible.

Start with Stage 1 →See all 9 stages ↓
RESCUE PATHWAY

Choose the stage you need

New rescue? Start at 01. Already caring for the animal? Jump directly to the stage that matches what you need.

01Assess & ReuniteDiscovery, Identification & ReunificationSTART HERE02Warm & StabilizeImmediate Stabilization & Warmth03HydrationHydration & Emergency Support04Formula & FeedingFormula, Feeding & Complications05Growing & MobileInfant Development06WeaningJuvenile Development & Weaning07Pre-ReleasePre-Release Conditioning08Release PlanRelease Planning09After ReleasePost-Release Monitoring
VISUAL IDENTIFICATION

Know the group before using the care instructions

Southern Flying Squirrel
REFERENCESouthern Flying SquirrelNorth American flying squirrels with nocturnal, gliding and social development needs.Ken Thomas · Public domain · VIEW SOURCE ↗
Northern Flying Squirrel
REFERENCENorthern Flying SquirrelNorth American flying squirrels with nocturnal, gliding and social development needs.Bob Cherry / National Park Service · Public domain · VIEW SOURCE ↗
Gliding membrane / patagium
REFERENCEGliding membrane / patagiumNorth American flying squirrels with nocturnal, gliding and social development needs.Public-domain reference · VIEW SOURCE ↗
Southern Flying Squirrel
REFERENCESouthern Flying SquirrelNorth American flying squirrels with nocturnal, gliding and social development needs.U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service · Public domain · VIEW SOURCE ↗
WHAT THIS GUIDE IS FOR

This is a practical backup pathway for a North American flying squirrel, centered on the Southern flying squirrel, when a licensed wildlife rehabilitator cannot immediately take the animal. Reunification and permitted rehabilitation remain the preferred paths. If neither is immediately possible, the guide continues from the first hour through release instead of stopping at “call someone.” Because flying squirrels are tiny, nocturnal, social gliders, do not simply copy a tree-squirrel schedule.

LEGAL / SPECIES CHECK BEFORE LONG-TERM CARE

Wildlife-rehabilitation and possession rules vary by state, province and species. Temporary first aid does not automatically authorize long-term rehabilitation or possession. Check the SQRLFather legal guide and your wildlife agency. In the southern Appalachians, an uncertain high-elevation northern flying squirrel may be the federally endangered Carolina northern flying squirrel; do not treat a questionable identification as an ordinary Southern flying squirrel.

START HERE IF YOU HAVE A BABY RIGHT NOW

Do these in order — do not jump straight to formula

  1. 01
    Record the exact find location and assess. Healthy infants may still have a mother nearby; flying-squirrel reunification often has to account for their nocturnal schedule.
  2. 02
    Contain and warm. Secure ventilated container, soft non-looping cloth, gentle heat under only part of the container, dark and quiet.
  3. 03
    Look for urgent problems. Pet contact, bleeding, fractures, fly eggs/maggots, breathing changes, seizures, severe lethargy, head tilt or inability to swallow need professional help urgently.
  4. 04
    Weigh in grams. Flyers can be only a few grams at birth; guessing volume by “looks” is unsafe.
  5. 05
    Correct dehydration before routine formula. A cold or dehydrated baby should not be rushed into a milk feeding.
  6. 06
    Feed slowly and conservatively by weight. Use a 1 mL syringe for tiny babies, upright/semi-upright positioning and controlled drops.
  7. 07
    Raise for release, not tameness. Preserve nocturnal behavior, conspecific social skills, climbing, controlled gliding, foraging and nest-box use.
START STEP 1 — ASSESS, IDENTIFY & REUNITE →

What makes a flying-squirrel raise different

Tiny neonates: Southern flying squirrels can weigh only about 3–5 g at birth, making measurement and syringe control especially important.
Nocturnal schedule: Mother retrieval, activity and eventual release should be planned around dusk/night rather than copied directly from a diurnal tree-squirrel routine.
Gliding: A release-ready flyer needs controlled launches, steering and landings, not merely the ability to climb.
Social life: Flying squirrels commonly use communal nests. Siblings and compatible conspecifics are valuable when medically safe and managed under quarantine/rehab protocols.
Nutrition: Flying squirrels are omnivorous and have meaningful animal-protein/insect intake; a nuts-and-seeds diet is not adequate.
Soft release: An established nest box, correct flyer habitat and a dusk opening are central parts of the release plan.

Development landmarks — use behavior, not the calendar alone

Approximate stageWhat to expectCare meaning
BirthSouthern flyers are pink, blind and hairless; reported birth mass is only a few grams.Continuous warmth, gram-scale weights, very small controlled feeds.
~4 weeksEyes commonly open around four weeks.Mobility and escape risk increase quickly.
~5–6 weeksYoung begin climbing and early gliding practice.Housing must support safe low-risk movement and landings.
~5–9 weeksNatural-history sources report different weaning ages.Do not force weaning to match one chart; follow intake, growth and development.
~4 monthsWild young are approaching independence.Human contact should already be minimal and wild skills strong.
18+ weeksExperienced rehab guidance recommends not releasing flyers before at least this age.Age alone is not enough; all health, behavior, habitat and weather criteria still must be met.

Feeding amounts

Flying squirrels are exceptionally small. For a warm, hydrated and medically stable baby, begin conservatively around 5% of current body weight per feeding and adjust only from hydration, abdomen, stool, appetite and daily weight trend. Do not automatically push a flyer toward the upper end of a tree-squirrel feeding chart. Stage 4 has the gram-to-mL table and controlled syringe technique.

Sources

PRACTICAL BABY CAREHenry’s Pets — Baby Squirrel Care Guide↗ FLYING-SQUIRREL DIETHenry’s Pets — Special Notes for Flying Squirrels↗ REUNIFICATIONTiny Wonders Wildlife Rescue — Flying Squirrels↗ REHABILITATOR RESOURCEOrphaned Wildlife Care — Squirrel Care↗ SPECIES / CONSERVATIONU.S. Fish & Wildlife Service — Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel↗ NATURAL HISTORYSUNY ESF — Southern Flying Squirrel↗ DEVELOPMENT / NATURAL HISTORYNHPBS NatureWorks — Southern Flying Squirrel↗ FIND A REHABBERAnimal Help Now↗ WILDLIFE HOSPITALWildlife Center of Virginia — Baby Squirrel Assessment & Reunification↗REHABILITATION / NATURAL HISTORYWildAgain Wildlife Rehabilitation — Squirrel Natural History in Rehabilitation↗VETERINARY MANUALMerck Veterinary Manual — Care of Orphaned Native Birds and Mammals↗LICENSED REHABILITATORSquirrel Refuge — Squirrel Feeding Amounts↗LICENSED REHABILITATORSquirrel Refuge — Squirrel Feeding Techniques↗