Flying squirrel found in Cornwall home
Atlantic Veterinary College says it’s rare for people to encounter them
Christine Gordon Manley has seen squirrels in and around her house before, but this was a first for her and her family.
This past Wednesday night, what turned out to be a flying squirrel ended up inside their Cornwall home.
“We’re used to squirrels getting in our house due to being surrounded by trees, but this was the first time we’ve had anything like this in the living area of the house, rather than inside our walls,’’ Gordon Manley said.
“One of our dogs cornered it under the lazy Susan (cupboard) in our kitchen. Once we got the dog out of the way and used a flashlight for a closer look, we didn’t recognize what it was.’’
It didn’t look like any squirrel she had seen before, so
the family took to Twitter to ask anyone if they knew what it was. Guesses ranged from a northern flying squirrel,
chinicilia, degu and sugar glider.
“Since we didn’t know what it was and since part of us wondered if it could be someone’s lost pet that had somehow found its way into our home, we decided that the best place to turn was the AVC for identification.’’
After catching it, they delivered it that night to the
Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown, where it was identified as a northern flying squirrel.
Fiep de Bie, a wildlife technician at the Atlantic Veterinary College, said they’re not rare on P.E.I., but it isn’t often people actually see them.
“They are very shy and nocturnal. We just don’t see them,’’ de Bie said in an interview with The Guardian on Friday. “We got a call that it was in someone’s house. That was definitely a first for us. People often have squirrels in their house, but we don’t have this kind of thing happening.’’
Flying squirrels aren’t actually capable of flying the same way as birds or bats, but they are able to glide from one tree to another with the aid of a patagium, a furry, parachutelike membrane that stretches from the wrist to the ankle.
De Bie said they can glide up to 90 metres.
“It’s incredible. In comparison with the red squirrel, they have a really flattened tail that functions like a rudder, so they can turn in the air and land on their feet. I have seen some around my (bird) feeder in Tea Hill. It’s amazing when you see them actually doing their gliding behaviour. It is a very interesting species.’’
This particular flying squirrel, a juvenile adult female, was a rare patient at the vet college. The interns performed an examination on it just to make sure it was in good health, fed it some nuts and seeds and released it the next day.
“It was released in a suitable area with large, mature trees because these animals like large trees with cavities. They like to huddle together (for warmth) and they make a nest in a tree cavity, so they need a fairly good-sized tree for that. They make a good food cache like other squirrels do.’’
Flying squirrels don’t hibernate. They remain active in the winter, but they do have the ability to lower their metabolic rate and body temperature to conserve energy.
De Bie said some people reading this story may wonder what all the fuss is about a flying squirrel. However, she noted that educating people on wildlife is always important.
Gordon Manley said the little adventure served as a great learning experience for her two young daughters about respecting living creatures. One of them even wrote a story about it.
“We’re just happy that it’s safe and healthy …,’’ Gordon Manley said. “But we also hope to not see it in our kitchen ever again.’’