How to Attract Flying Squirrels to Your Backyard (Best Bait for Flying Squirrels?)

Suppose you are one of those people who are fascinated by wild animals, especially the small cute ones who have a mild demeanor and furry skin.

In that case, you will like the flying squirrel, a lovely animal that is cool and calm and can be easily domesticated.

If you are captivated by this little ‘flying’ cat-like looking rodent, and you are thinking of getting them into your backyard so that you can watch them as they move from tree effortless, then you will need first to attract them to your backyard.

There are different ways you can attract flying squirrels to your backyard by making available in your space the kind of food they like and keeping the environment conducive for them to stay.

So come along and let us show you a few tricks you can apply to attract squirrels to your backyard and keep them from getting into your home.

Let’s Get To Know A Little About These Flying Rodents

One of the most distinctive features of flying is its furry tail that is very long, its very large eyes, and its pink nose. They are nocturnal animals, and that is why you can hardly catch a glimpse of them in the daytime, but at night they are very active, and their large eyes help them see clearly.

Flying squirrels’ color depends on their species, but their color ranges from white to brown by and large. Their tail is short with thick and bushy fur and can be as long as 11cm, while the rest of the body is about 15cm.

They are lightweight and can weigh anything from 2 to 6 ounces, and they have 22nd teeth, which they use to chew onto the very hard stuff.

Even though you might want squirrels in your backyard, I know you do not want them to end up in your attic or under your deck.

Still, you shouldn’t be surprised to find them there because they are very inquisitive and energetic, and that is why you could see them chewing on stuff around you that is not edible, like woods and cables.

Find Out: Can You Eat Squirrel From Your Backyard

Squirrels Have No Wings, So How Can They Fly?

One of the reasons people want squirrels in their backyard is because they love their acrobatic maneuvers as they glide from tree to tree in so fast a motion that it feels like they are flying.

The truth is that squirrels never fly, but they glide from tree to tree in a very fast and sleek way because they are fast movers because they have patagium, a wing-like fold of skin that runs from their wrist to the ankle.

They also use their tails which are flat, as rudders as they glide, which helps them speed from one tree to another.

How To Attract Flying Squirrels To Your Backyard

Flying squirrels are nocturnal, and so, even if they live in your backyard, you may see them a couple of hours before you sleep and when you wake up.

There are a number of things that will keep flying squirrels coming to your backyard; the first is an excellent place to live, abundant food to eat, and enough water to drink. Here are some things you can use to attract them to your backyard.

Trees

If you have lots of trees in your backyard, that is enough reason to expect flying squirrels in your backyard.

This is because flying squirrels spend most of their lives on trees to play, sleep and feed. You could place bird feeders on the trees and leave some food inside to lure the squirrels.

Food

Once you have trees in the tour house, the next thing is to ensure that the flying squirrels fond food around your backyard constantly so that they can keep coming and eventually inhabit your backyard.

Flying squirrels are omnivorous animals and so have a wide variety of things they feed on, but you can keep their favorite snacks around your backyard to get them in. You could leave nuts like butternuts, hickory nuts, and hazelnuts on the feeders and hang them on tree branches.

You can leave around other food for squirrels in your backyard, including fruits and vegetables like apples, grapes, watermelon, carrots, peas, yellow squash, and the likes.

Water

Water is the basic necessity of life, and anywhere flying squirrels find it, they are bound to go there. If you keep food for them in the feeder, then use a feeder with two compartments to put food in one compartment and water in another.

You can also use a heated birdbath during winter as a source of water for them. You should place this heated birdbath close to the feeder.

Nest Boxes

Since you want flying squirrels in your backyard, you may as well make them cozy by building them a nest box where they can feel comfortable. The dimension of the nest box should be about 10 inches high and 8 inches wide and long. You can provide bedding for the squirrel to keep them warm.

To protect the nest boxes and the squirrels from predators, you can mount these boxes on trees or poles away from public glare. You should check these nests from time to time, and you may find flying squirrels inhabiting them.

Best Bait For Flying Squirrel

Because flying squirrels are not so choosey about what they eat, you can bait them with almost any kind of food, be they fruits, vegetables, grains, and what have you.

But since you are trying to attract them to your backyard, you can lay some yummy treats in strategic places where they will find them. You could use apples, sunflower seeds, and the best of all is a piece of bread with a good helping of peanut buteo spread on it.

Meat, goat milk, pellet mix, mealworm, and acorn are also some f the best things you could bait your squirrel with. The idea is to place these food items in feeders with water and keep them near trees or in the branches where they can eat them without disturbance.

Related Article: Can Squirrels Eat Chocolate Cake?

How To Bond With The Squirrel In your Backyard

Contrary to many people’s perception that squirrels are aggressive and dangerous, they are social animals that can be tamed easily and hence you can get a flying squirrel to be a pet, provided that you clear it with the wildlife department in your locality, getting a veterinarian to examine it from the presence of parasites and to ensure it is healthy.

This is because squirrels are vectors of diseasing-causing organisms. They, therefore, can transmit diseases like typhus and even rabies.

If you follow the points we talked about earlier, you can attract these squirrels into your backyard and get them to live in a cage (but remember that at some points, you will have to release them back to the wild).

The squirrel cage you make should be large enough to give it enough space to play, glide, and exercise itself. They must also contain branches and a nest at the top of the tree.

You should add a feeding trough and one for water to for it, and you should also ensure that their bedding is clean and dry. You can get them out once in a while to bond with them, and as you do so, they will identify your scent and hence will be very friendly to you.

Getting The Flying Squirrels Out of Your attic

Squirrels will want to live in your attic if you let it, and there they will give you a lot of problems, so it is best you don’t let them move any closer to your home because they can overrun your space.

If you leave flying squirrels in your attic, you call for trouble because they are pretty curious and destructive; they can leave a nasty smell around as their droppings will be found everywhere. They will also make lots of noise and cause permanent destruction to woods, installation devices, cabins, and the like.

Squirrels can also be responsible for some damages and holes you see in your lawns, and they can also chew on the bark of your tree and thereby defacing the tree or even Killing it.

You can keep these flying squirrels far from your attic by looking for all entry points from where they can enter and block it; these include holes, cracks, and open windows.

Some Fun Facts About Flying Squirrels

Flying squirrels are some of the most incredible animals you can have around, and many facts about them are almost unknown. If you know this fact, you might want to get them in your backyard.

1. They have very large and bright eyes, which is an adaptation that helps them gather food and sight predators in the night when they are most active because they are nocturnal animals.

2. Flying squirrels flow in the dark under ultraviolet light. They give off a neon pink color which is more vibrant at the sides when they come under ultraviolet rays in the night. This is an adaptation that allows them, other predators, perhaps communicate with others.

3. These gliding mammals have an extra finger that helps them stretch and glide farther and smoother. They can glide about 60 feet from tree to tree.

4. Flying squirrels communicate with each other with very high-pitched noises, which usually communicate the best food location.

5. They are good mothers who can nurse their babies for more than two months; they also have secondary nests that they make when a predator discovers their nest. By four months, the babies are big enough to fend for themselves.

6. Squirrels are very agile animals, so they need a lot of energy to maintain their high activity level; that is why they gather and store a lot of food for the inter. They can collect as much as 15,000 nuts every season. This is simply amazing.

7. There are tiny squirrels that are just 7cm long, and many mistake them for big butterflies. These species are called Dwarf Flying Squirrels.

8. The female flying squirrels are very territorial, and they compete with others for mating opportunities. They are great mothers who can stand up against bigger animals if their baby’s life is threatened. The male does not have many parts to play once the babies are born; they move away from their families.

Conclusion

Flying squirrels are cute animals that glide rather than jump, as their names imply. They are small in size, along with a tail that is half as long as the entire body with fur that glows in ultraviolet light.

If you love to watch these gliding nocturnal animals in your backyard, then make available tasty treats and water available and place them on tree branches or any place they can nimble on them without feeling threatened, and they will flock to your backyard.

However, you should restrict them to your backyard because you don’t want them in your attic. After all, they can constitute a nuisance to you.

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We trust this article helped you know if Chocolate is Poisonous to Squirrels. You may also want to check out if Skunks can Climb or Jump.

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