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Date Posted: Saturday, March 06, 03:47:56am
Author: Judy C.
Subject: Re: Male squirrel killed by mate, what did I do wrong?
In reply to: Kristine Bartoszek 's message, "Male squirrel killed by mate, what did I do wrong?" on Saturday, March 06, 02:18:05am


Hi,
I'm sorry about your male flyer. I have sent you an email which will, I hope, prove helpful.


>Have had 2 flying squirrels for nearly 6 months. One
>male (older by about 6 months) and a female. Kolby
>(male) Sandy (female). Daughter was given them by
>local pet store. Found Kolby dead this evening, he
>was fine this afternoon. Kolby looked like the female
>had eaten part of his head. He had been kicked out of
>the family home since December, we provided him with
>another nesting area, one level down. Every now and
>then, there would be some bickering between the two,
>but nothing that indicated that there was serious
>trouble. Daughter was heartbroken as Kolby was the
>one that could not wait to get out to climb on her.
>Sandy was more shy. Looked into Sandy's house and
>found that she has 2 babies, I would guess about a
>week or two old, as they have hair, but eyes are
>closed. Can anyone tell us what we did wrong? Should
>the male have been removed to a separate cage? This
>is a very large, custom built cage plenty of space.
>Now I am worried that Sandy might eat her young. Is
>this normal behavior? Do we leave Sandy totaly alone?
>Do first litters come with this kind of behavior? Any
>advice would be very, very welcome. I am new to this
>kind of pet...did look into information before hand
>but have not seen anything that relates to aggression
>that leads to the death of a mate.
>
>Thanks
>Kris

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Replies:

[> [> So sorry to hear about the loss of Kolby. While I never cage my flyers ... -- Beverly, Saturday, March 06, 06:59:58am

So sorry to hear about the loss of Kolby. While I never cage my flyers ...), I have always found that the first sign of one of my girls being pregnant is that they will not tolerate any of the others being anywhere near their chosen nest box. Indeed, when the male is "kicked out" of the communal nest, and is treated with hostility, I have always given the female a separate closet drey all to herself, and closed her off from the others until such time as she made clear, by gnawing at the door of the closet, that she wanted to begin socialising with the others again. This usually occurs when the pups are about 4 weeks old, with their eyes open.

While it is awful to consider, it is very common for a flyer to consume a portion of a dead flyer, most often the head/brain. In nature, it makes sense for the female to utilise the extra protein. When I am fairly certain my females are with pups, I increase their offering of waxworms. I believe the females need the additional protein, both for proper development of the fetus, and for enriching their milk. not to mention to maintain their own condition.

Although you feel certain that Sandy killed Kolby, it is not impossible to believe that Kolby may have died from some other cause, and Sandy only utilised the available protein. That said, a female flyer will not likely kill her pups unless they are being constantly handled. If a pup should die, however, you can expect that the female will consume a portion of the dead pup.

I know you and your daughter are heartbroken, and can only offer my condolences, and suggest to you that when Sandy's pups are about 5 to 5½ weeks old, you take at least one of the pups, and keep it on you as much as possible, inside your shirt, during the day. You might want to wean such a pup from momma completely, ( I would recommend you not do so before the pups eyes have opened - a flyer pup, just like any mammal, does best when allowed to nurse naturally for as long as possible) and provide a commercial formula for another two weeks, to make the pup very dependent upon you or your daughter.

Interestingly, I recently lost one of my females flyers - she was fine in the morning - if a bit reticent - but in the early evening, I found her dead on the floor of my loft drey bedroom. There was no sign of injury, and there had been no unusual squabbling prior to her passing, so I believe her death was from a natural cause (she was coming 6 years - still young, by domesticated flyer standards - but she had produced 6 litters of pups, and it's generally found that pregnancy does take a toll, on longevity. None of the others have shown any sign of illness - and neither did any of the others begin to consume her. It may have been because she was not long dead, or it may be that consuming another flyer is only something seen in pregnant or lactating females. It may also have been because my flyers all get some wax worms each week. When the girls want more than two or three, it's usually a sign to me that she may be pregnant.

I hope you and your family will be understanding toward Sandy - and I hope one of her pups will develop into the very affectionate and friendly flyer that Kolby was. Condolences to you both, and best wishes for happier times with the pups.

>
>Hi,
>I'm sorry about your male flyer. I have sent you an
>email which will, I hope, prove helpful.
>
>
>>Have had 2 flying squirrels for nearly 6 months. One
>>male (older by about 6 months) and a female. Kolby
>>(male) Sandy (female). Daughter was given them by
>>local pet store. Found Kolby dead this evening, he
>>was fine this afternoon. Kolby looked like the female
>>had eaten part of his head. He had been kicked out of
>>the family home since December, we provided him with
>>another nesting area, one level down. Every now and
>>then, there would be some bickering between the two,
>>but nothing that indicated that there was serious
>>trouble. Daughter was heartbroken as Kolby was the
>>one that could not wait to get out to climb on her.
>>Sandy was more shy. Looked into Sandy's house and
>>found that she has 2 babies, I would guess about a
>>week or two old, as they have hair, but eyes are
>>closed. Can anyone tell us what we did wrong? Should
>>the male have been removed to a separate cage? This
>>is a very large, custom built cage plenty of space.
>>Now I am worried that Sandy might eat her young. Is
>>this normal behavior? Do we leave Sandy totaly
>alone?
>>Do first litters come with this kind of behavior? Any
>>advice would be very, very welcome. I am new to this
>>kind of pet...did look into information before hand
>>but have not seen anything that relates to aggression
>>that leads to the death of a mate.
>>
>>Thanks
>>Kris

[Edit]
[> [> [> Similar story -- Joni, Tuesday, March 09, 07:15:16pm

I had a similar experience. I have kept my males and females caged separately for 2 years now. Last summer, we noticed a little more than normal bickering coming from the boys, but gave it no thought. Then one day I found 2 babies that had just left the nest in the boys cage! Obviously, one of my boys was a girl! I removed the babies and when I looked for the mother I found her dead and half eatten. In this case, they ate her lower half including the milk glands. I was just horrified! The babies, Cirrus and Tracey's little girl, Nimbus, turned out just fine after alot of TLC.

[Edit]

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