Flying squirrels are neat little guys. But if you got 'em in your cabin or on the marten line, they can be a pain. Most years, I'd catch two or three incidentally in marten boxes. However, every few years, that catch would jump up to 50 or 60. I think their populations are highly irruptive. They are quite common here in Idaho also.


Here, the picture shows a flying squirrel that took up residence in a boreal owl nest box. They were pretty common inhabitants in Interior Alaska.



They are commonly infested with fleas; not someone you want living in your attic.



Some years on my trapline, they were much more common than marten. In Alaska, they were considered a furbearer, and the skinned and dried pelts could be sold for a few dollars to fly tyers. For wet flies, makes great dubbing material.

Those are neat little animals. Seen a few in northern WI, none down here. I can imagine they'd not make good housemates.

Fatter buggers than our southern ones. You need to be careful with them fleas, they can transmit typhus. It's rare but I had one job where two folks come down with typhus from them.

Don't know what is softer flying squirrel fur or mole fur. Can not figure out why not a market like red squirrels. Same for other squirrels no market.

Why only red squirrels have a market I wonder? Must be something to do with processing issue?

Red squirrel has good leather and durable fur.(wears well as a liner).
Flyers have thinner leather like a snowshoe hare.Also the fold of the skin along the flanks is a pain to deal with in prep for tanning and when separated is extremely thin.I would think native people likely put them to use similar to snowshoe hare skins.
The black and fox squirrels from south have coarse guard hair,and thin underfur,but strong leather.
If you have a marten box near witches broom you can expect more than a few incidentals.
Also if you do catch a flyer in your box,dont use it for bait in the box.It will attract more flyers.
Every 4 or 5 years the populations seem to spike.

When I was 13 or 14 years old. I saw one go into a hole in a dead pine about 30 ft up. I pounded on the tree and several of them pitched out and glided to other trees. Thought that was cool. But, one circled back and landed on the opposite side of dead pine from me. I leaned around and grabbed him....or he grabbed me. I couldn't get him loose. He sunk his little incisors up to his gum line into my middle finger knuckle. I squeezed the life out of him and slung him loose.

Moral of the story: don't grab no flying squirrel!

Our red squirrel (Tamiasciurus Hudsonicus)some I tanned on the right of the ermine.
Top photo shows an early skin(with the black stripe down the side,beside a prime skin with no stripe.

You must've really put a scare into it as I've grabbed several over the years and none bothered to put up a fuss.

They're definitely cannibalistic. Not uncommon to find half eaten ones on snap traps when cleaning them out of an attic. Zombies too, brains seem to be first to go.

I have them visit my bird feeder at night. Always like seeing them.

we have them all over up here,

During the twenty five years that I was doing commercial wildlife damage control work I caught many hundreds of Southern Flying Squirrels.Most were taken from homes and commercial buildings while a few were removed from bluebird houses. Most were caught in homemade cage traps, using a nosecone cover the entrance hole,

The entrance/exit hole and three squirrels.



A couple more pictures.








Similar to first picture , but can see another squirrel about to exit hole.

Caught them in ground cubbies for marten. Not so much in pole sets using legholds. The black spruce forests in Alaska don't seem to be good squirrel habitat.

Thank you all and informative.

I had never seen any flying squirrels on my farm until this year when the mulberries were ripe. The mulberries were sparse but sweet this year and the best flavored tree was full of them this year at night. I think there was at least a dozen in it the one time. Recently they have been hard on my sweeter apples and pears and are eating some of my apricots. I don't really want to, but I probably should trap them, because they are costing me money. I definitely don't want any more.

Keith

I have found them dead, foundered on chicken feed when I had chickens. Sometimes I can hear them chirping at night when I go outside.

Go to the piney woods here in SWGA at night with a thermal and you’ll see hundreds! Little jokers run up and down trees and sail from one to another. We have no shortage at all. I always seem to snag some in DP’s, especially when using corn or peanuts as bait.

Interesting. I've caught many hundreds of them, mostly in colony traps, and except for one caught in a snap trap and blocking the entry hole, none were cannibalize. I suspect the one blocking the hole was just desperation of the others trying to get out.

Only ever caught one. It was in an attic and fell for peanut butter. Hated to do it, but they played all night long. Others left after one catch.