Can someone help me? I live in cold Illinois and I just realized today that the flying squirrel or flying chipmunk (my kids think I'm crazy)that I've been feeding the last couple of weeks is a sugar glider. Can it live in the wild? It's been eating from my squirrel feeder every night the last couple of weeks. Any advise? Someone must have lost it or let it go.

Can you post a picture to insure that it is a sugar glider? The flying squirrel can look pretty close.

Flying squirrels are often confused to be sugar gliders, so it's most likely a flying squirrel. Especially if it's cold, and it's still alive, in the same tree.

Get a large fleece mitten. Go to the pet store and get some mealworms, put them in the mitten and hang it out near your feeder at dusk. Stand by and see if the glider goes into the mitten for the mealies. If so, approach gently and close the mitten, then bring the poor baby inside. If you can get a large Kritter Keeper or a bird cage to keep it in overnight, that would be good. Let him keep the mitten. Fix him a dinner of a scrambled egg, no salt or oil, cooked in the microwave; some vegetables of any kind and fruit of any kind. Give him a small dish of water.
Then get back to us and we'll help you from there.

That's a great idea! Thank you! I was thinking about placing an add in the paper to see if someone lost their pet. I rehabilitate wildlife so you can imagine how dumbfounded I was to come upon this little baby. I'll try it tonight. Can it survive in the wild in harsh conditions? After seeing the pics of sugar gliders - I'm sure it's not a squirrel. Thanks again

I'm sure it's not a squirrel after seeing the pics of sugar gliders. It's been unseasonably warm here lately but I'm worried now that the weather is turning colder. I will try the glove with mealworms tonight. I haven't been able to get a pic of it since it's sooooo fast!

Aww. Poor thing. I really hope you can catch him/her!.

When (if) you get it captured, you can take a photo. I'm really curious to know which critter it is.

Thank you for the advise. I have a mitten hanging from the tree with the mealworm treats in it. It IS a sugar glider for sure. He or she already came down from the tree to eat. It's sooooo fast - I'm not confident that I will be able to capture it.
I'll keep you posted.
Lisa

Yay I hope u catch it to give it proper care!

Please post pictures when you update. =)

if uh its living in a hollow in a tree you may be able to catch him/her with a THICK leather glove and a pouch to put it in lol

Oh my goodness! Best of luck to you, I have trouble catching my little guy in his cage! Although I'm sure once its cold enough s/he'll go in the mitt to sleep and maybe then you can catch it

Good luck! I hope you catch him/her. Poor little guy. Please keep us posted.

It may decide to go to sleep in the morning in that glove. Not sure but it may. Check the glove in the morning or noon to see if it's in there sleeping.

It would sure be wonderful if it did, and you could get it somewhere warmer! I know it's been pretty cool here in Michigan at night lately.

Thanks to all of you for the great advice. I fed it last night and it came pretty close to me but not close enough to grab. I did feel better when I saw it eating the proper diet. (bought some sugar glider food at Petsmart).
Anyway, I checked the mitten this morning and no Glider. I will try again tonight to get close enough to catch. Thanks again

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Originally posted by animallover

Thanks to all of you for the great advice. I fed it last night and it came pretty close to me but not close enough to grab. I did feel better when I saw it eating the proper diet. (bought some sugar glider food at Petsmart).
Anyway, I checked the mitten this morning and no Glider. I will try again tonight to get close enough to catch. Thanks again

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I'm not sure if thats a proper diet, does it say for "wild" sugar gliders?

A wooden birdhouse with fleece in it might be tempting for the little guy/girl.

That's a great idea, Catman!

Great idea. It would be nice and cozy.

I kno we already went over this, but squirals and flyings squirals look alot different from another. Did you look up flying squrials as well as sugar gliders? Bc suggies and flying squirals really do look alot alike.. and up in a tree it might hard to tell the difference. Anyway, whatever it is, thats sooo exciting!!! GOOD LUCKK! and best wishes! Also i think its a good idea to post an ad asking if anyone lost a pet in the area

Try to get it to eat from your hand but do NOT GRAB IT!! I promise you it will get away and then it won't come near you ever again. Get some fresh fruits and cut them up into small little pieces. Dry glider food is actually not good for it, even the stuff made for gliders but it is better than bird seed. It will love you forever though if you fed it fruits. But you need to convince it to come close enough to eat from your hand. Then, once it's more comfortable with you, it should jump on you. Still do not make the mistake of trying to grab it. You will lose. If you can convince it to jump on you, then you could just walk back into your home with it hitching a ride on you. This was someone's pet. That pattern of behavior will click back into place once it feels like it can trust you. This might mean several days of touch and go but you have to be patient and spend as much time around the glider as possible. You may even make contact with it several times before it will trust you enough to stay on you while you walk back into your house. Wear a coat or fleece jacket halfway zipped up so it might be tempted to dive down into it.

Also, if you know where the tree is that it's been sleeping in, try hanging another pouch on it.

Another thing... If there is a door into your house close to where the glider is eating, try leaving it open. Gliders are notoriously curious. You might be able to trap him in your house. But this would require you waiting near an open door for a few hours. Lighting would also have to be very dim.

Here is a picture of a flying squirrel (gliding)


Here is a picture of a sugar glider (gliding)


The biggest differences, especially from afar, are the squirrel has a bushy tail, and the glider has the striped face
Hope that helps!
Either way, I'm real curious to see what happens, and if you are able to capture it, and keep it warm. I can't wait to see pics!

Anything new on this?

I've been wondering the same thing. Update, please? :D

maybe she hasnt catched it but i really wanna know what it is