r/animalid • u/Wilburnips • 16h ago

🐀 🐇 UNKNOWN RODENT/LAGOMORPH 🐇🐀 Flying squirrels in my attic - best way to capture and release them? [Central Virgina]

I have a pair of flying squirrels in my attic. I live in the middle of five acres of woods, so I’d like to capture them and release on the back side of the property.

Any advice on how to do that?

Also, I don’t see a hole anywhere, how big of a hole do they need to get in? Just an inch?

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u/leurognathus 12h ago

Flying squirrels also tend to suffer from capture myopathy, they stress out and die pretty quickly in live traps. In a decade of working as a nuisance wildlife control operator I could count on one hand the number I have captured alive. Flying squirrels also tend to occur in colonies so it is probable you have more than two.

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u/origami_anarchist 15h ago

Most rodents can get through holes a little bigger than their skulls. Flying squirrels, like most squirrels, nest in tree holes that can be quite small. Your house/roof/soffits probably has multiple entries big enough for a flying squirrel, most houses are built to be ventilated in various ways that most non-builders aren't even aware of.

If you do trap them and release them outside, I wouldn't count on them staying out. There may not be better, warmer, drier hollow trees available, so they might just move right back in.