Though the Southern Flying Squirrel may seem like a relatively uncommon pet, it has, in fact, been kept as one for hundreds of years.

The Southern Flying Squirrel has absolutely no problem bonding with their owners if the proper steps are taken at a young age. If this creature is obtained around the age of eight to ten weeks, and carried around in the shirt pocket of their owner, or kept in a bonding pouch for a few hours a day for several weeks, an indestructible bond will assuredly form. During this crucial time of the bonding period, the squirrel will learn the voice, heartbeat, body odor, and warmth of its owner and will look for these qualities in later years as a sense of security. It is also important to pet them during this time. Once these creatures have sufficiently bonded, they become quite sociable and will often want to play on or very near their owner, even going as far as racing through the clothes of their owner, dodging through shirts, shirt pockets, leaping from shoulder to shoulder, and sometimes scrambling onto their head to play with and inevitably mess up the hair. The Southern Flying Squirrel is a nocturnal animal, which means it is mostly awake during the night hours, though it will happily join its owner in day activities, so long as a pocket is provided for leisurely naps. Most Flying Squirrels do not require much training to be housebroken and will usually go in a corner of the cage

The Southern Flying Squirrel is smaller than the average squirrel. Mature adults reach an average length of 9 to 10 inches; this includes the tail, which is approximately two inches in length. The average weight of an adult is around two to four ounces. The normal color of this particular squirrel is a grayish-brown topside, with an off-white underside. Most would believe that this creature would have coarsely textured fur, but the truth of the matter is that they have very soft, silky-smooth coats. The Southern Flying Squirrel has extremely large eyes that are accentuated by black ring-like markings. The body of this animal also has black edging along the gliding membrane, which is a fold of skin that stretches from the front leg to the hind leg on each side. By spreading its legs apart in mid-air, this membrane is used as a wing-like extension when the squirrel jumps long distances. The tail of this squirrel looks like that of the average squirrel, but is actually a stabilizing tool during gliding. This squirrel also uses its tail as a kind of helm, steering with it while gliding. Utilizing both their gliding membrane and tail, the Southern Flying Squirrel can glide up to 50 yards, flying nearly three feet horizontally for every one foot it falls. For this species, it is uncommon for their fur to shelter pesky parasites, such as fleas, ticks, lice, etc.

The Southern Flying Squirrel is a native of North America, and has a close relative known as the Northern Flying Squirrel. The Southern Flying Squirrel is also known as a Glaucomys Volan or an Assapanick. In the wild, this creature makes its home in the forests that range from southern Ontario on to the Gulf Coast. Though these animals mainly eat nuts and fruit in captivity, they are known to be semi-carnivorous in the wild, eating insects and their larvae in addition to berries and acorns.

The Southern Flying Squirrel is commonly known to experience a calcium deficiency because of its fragile bone structure and it nocturnal nature. Providing the animal with sufficient amounts of vitamin D3, usually three drops to every ounce of water, or foods enriched with this vitamin, can prevent this deficiency. If your squirrel experiences any form of paralyzation of the hind legs or extreme shaking, a veterinarian should treat it. These conditions can be life threatening if left untreated.

This type of squirrel requires an exceptionally dedicated owner to provide a sufficient amount of attention and bonding time to these very sociable creatures.

This squirrel's diet should consist of parrot food that is mixed with seed, nuts, and fruit, in addition to fresh fruits and vegetables. Parrot blocks are not recommended as a substitute for the seed. If you choose not to use parrot seed, a variety of nuts, such as walnuts, almonds, etc, along with fresh fruits and vegetable should be just fine, though the nuts are very high in fat. This flying squirrel likes to eat insects, but it is not required.

The Southern Flying Squirrel loves to enjoy pecans as a treat, but it is not recommended that they be provided as normal food because the animal will begin to only eat those particular nuts and may suffer nutritional deficiencies.

Water is recommended to be placed in a bowl rather than a bottle. If the ball in the bottle's tip becomes stuck, the squirrel will tend to give up trying to loosen it and may become dehydrated, which could eventually lead to death.

The bigger the cage, the better off the squirrel will be. These animals extremely enjoy height, so the cage should be quite tall to provide sufficient room for their climbing and jumping necessities. The cage should also have climbing implements, a food dish, a water bottle/dish, a salt spool, a nesting box with nesting materials, such as toilet tissue, sting, cotton, etc, and a calcium block as well. The bedding of the cage should be non-irritable. Pine shavings have been known to work fine, as well as corncob littering. Cedar shavings should not be used, as they can be detrimental to their breathing.

A Southern Flying Squirrel becomes sexually mature at around one year of age. The male will detect when a female is in heat and will pursue mating. Once pregnant, the gestation process lasts for around 40 days. The average litter contains two to four pups, but can produce up to seven or eight. As with most rodents, conditions of the cage should not become overcrowded because tension will occur and could possibly cause cannibalism or extreme fighting. Unweaned babies should be fed Esbilac until they take solid food. To help babies bond with people, some hobbyists suggesting keeping them in bonding pouches and carring them close to the skin while also petting them occasionally. Southern Flying Squirrels live between 10 to 15 years in the captivity, but most only live five years in the wild.