The Southern flying squirrel has an exquisitely beautiful face accentuated by large dark eyes and a featherlike tail that the animal curls up behind itself in the familiar question-mark pose. This beauty, combined with the squirrel's miniature size (between 4 and 5 ounces when fully grown), is truly awesome. However, it is the squirrel's interactive, loving bond with people that has endeared it to pet lovers through the centuries.

Just how lovable are these animals? There comes to mind the story of the husband who told his wife that she could have the squirrel but that it was her pet, and he was not going to clean up after it or feed it. She agreed. Several weeks later, while the squirrel was still a baby, they inadvertently left the cage door open. During the night, the squirrel found his way to the couple's bedroom, crawled up in bed with them and made a nest in the man's beard. When the man awoke the next morning and found the squirrel, it suddenly became his squirrel, and the wife had to purchase another baby for herself.

Author(s): Curt Howard

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