'She runs around me like I'm a big tree': Adorable photos of a man and the pet flying squirrel he rescued and raised to become a member of the family



A Florida man who found a tiny newborn flying squirrel clinging to life in the searing Florida sun took a risk and beat the odds by successfully nursing it into adulthood.

Now the adorable little critter is a part of Jeff Longo's family after he found her on a hot Tampa sidewalk and named her Biscuits.

At three months old, Biscuits' recovery is complete thanks to Longo's dedicated rehabilitation. But not everyone believed the St. Petersburg man could do it.

A man and his flying squirrel: Florida man Jeff Longo found a newborn flying squirrel half-dead on a sun-baked Tampa sidewalk and decided to nurse him back to life

Back when he found Biscuits, she'd somehow been separated from her mother and would almost certainly have died without a helping hand.

That hand came along in the form of a kindly guy with a bushy red beard.

Longo described the day he found Biscuits on Reddit, where he goes by 3sgtejeff:



'I found her half dead, lying on the sidewalk in the Florida sun, I posted pictures on Reddit that day and had a bunch of know it alls tell me she would die, because I am not an animal rehabber.'

Uncertain times: After finding the tiny flying squirrel, Longo posted some pictures to Reddit. a bunch of know-it-alls tell me she would die, because I am not an animal rehabber,' he said



Awkward years: Slowly, Biscuits' health improved (along with his looks) slowly but surely and she just as assuredly was becoming a part of the Longo household Undaunted, Longo began learning everything he could about the furry nocturnal rodent. For two months, he took Biscuits with him to work every day and fed her a bottle filled with puppy formula mixed with heavy cream. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Next They've been friends since they were babies, now Savanah the... The rise of Surburbia: Photographer examines the uniformity... Share this article Share Before long, it was clear that Longo had proven his critics wrong. Biscuits had become a full fledged member of the family. Serious improvement: Longo fed the baby flying squirrel a mixture of puppy formula and heavy cream and took him to his office every day for two months

Then, TADA! Biscuits matured into a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 3-month-old flying squirrel



'She has a big cage and semi free reign of the house when I'm available to supervise,' Longo said. 'She wouldn't last 5 minutes in the wild now.'

'The dogs love her! I just have to watch them so they don't accidentally squish her,' Longo joked

'She has a big cage and semi free reign of the house when I'm available to supervise,' Longo said. 'She wouldn't last 5 minutes in the wild now. She is super friendly to people and not afraid of animals.'

Even Longo's dogs love Biscuits. 'I just have to watch them so they don't accidentally squish her,' he said.

And that wouldn't be the first mishap to befall Biscuits.

Jungle gym: Longo said he's covered much of the house in cloth in order to give Biscuits something to crawl on

Southern flying squirrels are found from Canada to Florida. Nocturnal creatures, the squirrels live in trees and chirp at night like birds

Biscuits spends most of the day sleeping in a pouch (right) and comes out at dusk to play. Longo says her favorite food is pecans



'When she first started becoming mobile, she escaped...I found her in the bathtub in the morning,' Longo said.

Flying squirrels are nocturnal creatures and live in trees. Biscuits is forced to make do in Longo's home.

'She runs around me like I'm a big tree...then jumps on things and then jumps back...gets excited...starts chirping...rinse and repeat,' he said.

Now, despite the chirping and mischief making, long said Biscuits is there to stay.

'I'm stuck with the little fluffball.'







