Sabrina and Scooter are "working squirrels", which means they assist their handler in teaching young and old about flying squirrels, and their connections to and interactions with the plants, animals and fungi that live within North American forests.

Sabrina is a northern flying squirrel. Her scientific name is Glaucomys sabrinus sabrinus. Can you see where she got her name from? Sabrina was born and raised in captivity by a specially-licensed breeder in the state of Indiana, USA. Her date of birth is May14, 2004. Sabrina weighs an average of 140 grams, but when we picked her up and brought her back to Canada, she was only 6 weeks old and weighed in at 24 grams! In the picture of Sabrina on the right, she is holding onto a grape, so you can see how small she was.

Scooter is a southern flying squirrel. His scientific name is Glaucomys volans volans. Scooter was so-named because he scoots all over the place like a whirligig, at least compared to Sabrina. Scooter was born and raised in captivity by a specially-licensed breeder in the state of Ohio, USA. His birth date is April 2, 2006. Scooter is about half the size of Sabrina. Scooter weighs an average of 85 grams, and when we picked him up to bring him back to Canada when was almost 7 weeks old, he weighed only 20 grams!

Of all the squirrel species in North America, the nocturnal (nighttime-active) northern flying squirrel and the diurnal (daytime-active) red squirrel are the most common. Most of us know and have seen the red squirrels, but this is not the case with flying squirrels - probably because flying squirrels  are small, arboreal (spend most of their time in the trees) and only come out at night.

In the wild, flying squirrels, (if they live past the most dangerous first year of life), may live to the age of four or even five years. The usual cause of death is predation (another animal ate them in order to survive), however, other causes of death can be internal parasite infestation (directly or indirectly), exposure to cold weather for long periods, and starvation due to mast (i.e. acorns) failure, lots of competition for food sources, or malocclusion (tooth problems).

Because Sabrina & Scooter are captive and properly cared for, they may well live 10 to 15 years, or perhaps even longer. We have one report of a captive southern flying squirrel living to the age of 20 years!

Flying squirrels are wild animals. They always will be. They are not domesticated animals like cats and dogs. Therefore, they act like wild animals - you can't train them at all and they don't use a litter box. They are a LOT of work to look after properly.

\We do not keep Sabrina and Scooter for "fun" and they are not our "pets", either. We have a special government permit to keep Sabrina and Scooter for educational purposes. Sabrina and Scooter even have special computer ships implanted under their skin (for identification).

Flying squirrels should never, ever be kept as so-called "pets", no matter what you hear to the contrary. We can tell you from experience, they make lousy pets! Reasons NOT to?

• They live 10 to 15 years. That is quite a commitment you would be making.
• To ETHICALLY house them, they must be housed in cages large enough for them to glide in.
• They have special dietary needs.
• They require constant care and attention.
• Try finding a veterinarian who has experience with flying squirrels.
• They are asleep when you are not/they are active when you are asleep.

Even though most folks have great intentions, the sad truth is the large majority of flying squirrels kept as "pets" live shortened, lonely lives in small dirty cages. Think about it, please. And thanks!