The southern flying squirrel is by far the smallest tree squirrel in Wisconsin. The flyer measures at about 8 to 10 inches long and only weighs up to 2.5 to 3.5 ounces! The southern flying squirrel is all white on its belly with black and brown markings on its front. It is known for its gigantic eyes in comparison to its little body. They are one of our favorites as far as appearance goes.
Flying squirrels are similar to the red squirrel and mate from February to March and then again during a second season in June to July. The young squirrels are born about 38-40 days, and litter sizes range from 2-7. Advanced Wildlife Control generally catches 5 or more flying squirrels per litter. A flying squirrel family can be quite large! The largest family we removed was 12 baby flying squirrels.
Flying squirrels feed on nuts, berries, and some insects including beetles and moths. They also enjoy feeding on your bird feeders at night!
Flying squirrels can’t actually fly but they can glide for up to 150 feet from tree to tree. Flying squirrels are different from red and gray squirrels, because they are nocturnal. Most customers have never seen the squirrels around their home because they are only around at night. Sometimes due to their late night activities we can miss identify them to be mice. Flying squirrels aren’t easy to catch and can gain access into your home through very small holes. It’s our recommendation not to try and catch flying squirrels on your own, because they are the most difficult to catch of the three native species of southeastern Wisconsin.
Advanced Wildlife Control methods for control:
Often times the most difficult task of flying squirrel removal is locating where they have made a hole into your home. Flying squirrels can throw off our technicians, because their noise can be mistaken for mice. We live trap and relocate all of our flying squirrels. Flying squirrels usually require the cages to be placed in the attic or sometimes over the hole to insure that we remove them all! We remove over 100 flying squirrels per year! Most flying squirrels that we find our located in Waukesha Counties, but we have caught them as far east as Mequon, WI.
DID YOU KNOW?
That the southern flying squirrel is nocturnal and is the smallest tree squirrel in Wisconsin!