about a southern flying tree squirrel

Question
QUESTION: Hi Dawn, We bought a southern flying tree squirrel about 2 weeks ago and i want to do everything right so he will be happy and healthy so please tell me what he needs to eat and how much! He eats as long as he has food and has gotten pudgy! I keep a cuttle bone,and sprinkle vit d 3 powder on his oatmeal 2 times week and feed him dried bananna chips, raw sweet potatoes, apples and cinnamon granola cereal.please help! thanks, Dawn

ANSWER: Thanks for being patient with me on responding. Flying Squirrels usually eat diets of bugs, seeds, fruit, nuts, and sometimes eggs of birds. Don't rely on "squirrel" food you buy at a local store. That is for wild animals and not a good source of vitamins. Remember to always give calcium in some form daily.  What I suggest for you is a mix of the following:

sunflower seeds
corn
dried fruit
peanuts
waulnuts
banana chips
fresh chopped fruit


You can feed them a mix of trail mix with bird food or you can give them fresh fruit you chop up at home. Just stay away from the following:

chocolate
almonds
pits of peaches/apricots


Here are some websites that are great to rely on :
http://www.awrc.org/Flying%20Squirrels.htm

http://www.mary.cc/squirrels/unreleasable.htm

http://factoidz.com/a-southern-flying-squirrel-makes-an-interesting-and-unusual-

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thanks for your help, but can you tell me about how much is safe to let him eat? will he just eat till he is full? I am feeding him dried oatmeal with a little water to make it moist, he loves it but is it okay to feed him this? you didnt mention it on your list but he has eaten this as soon as he came off the bottle. thank you! Dawn

Answer
In normal situations you would do like most rodents and keep the bowl full, a regular feeding bowel for guinea pigs or rats, and just make sure to check it daily. Now you need something separate for the fresh items so they dont become sour. This is where you have to learn how much he/she eats daily and after some time you will know how much to place in the bowl to last a day.

Oatmeal or baby cereal is just fine. Many use this to begin the transfer from milk to solid foods. Even if he/she can eat solid foods this is still an option to give for that calcium they need and something for variety. If you have a schedule where you feed him/her oatmeal for breakfast then you can place the food for lunch/dinner at different times and do a schedule. Something like lets say 8am breakfast, 12-1pm lunch, and 6pm dinner, then maybe a snack like a grape cut in half before everyone goes to bed. It all depends on your schedule, whether you can feed him several times a day or just once and let him eat on his own. He will eat only what he needs.

I think you are doing a wonderful job and I love that you care so much about your pet. Please feel free to ask as many questions as you need and thank you for using all experts and choosing me :)

Happy Holidays,
Dawn