Stage 6 — Juvenile Development & Weaning

Reduce formula only as the juvenile reliably eats a balanced diet and maintains weight. A flyer that nibbles a favorite nut is not necessarily weaned.

• Weight is stable or increasing appropriately as formula decreases.
• Normal urine and well-formed stool.
• The juvenile eats the balanced foods, not only the richest treats.
• Strong climbing, normal grooming and good coat condition.
• Regular nocturnal activity with restful daytime nesting.
• Healthy body condition without a distended abdomen or prominent bones.

Human interaction should be decreasing sharply. Feed and clean efficiently, avoid carrying the squirrel around for entertainment, and stop rewarding approach to people. Give branches, bark, safe natural nesting material, hidden food and problem-solving opportunities. The next stage depends on a squirrel that is physically confident and increasingly uninterested in humans.

Flying squirrels are vulnerable to nutritional disease when fed an unbalanced captive diet. Avoid building the juvenile diet around peanuts, sunflower seeds or mixed nuts. A sound rehabilitation diet must supply appropriate calcium, vitamins, minerals and protein while natural foods are added for release preparation.