After you figure out the answer to the questions “How many should I buy?” and “What should their sex be?”, there are a couple of other things to consider:

o How old should the sugar glider be? Some sugar glider experts recommend picking out a recently-weaned pet, because it will probably bond with you more closely. However, many sugar glider owners report that older gliders will bond closely with their new human owners, if given enough time and attention.

If you decide to go with a recently-weaned glider, make sure that it can easily eat on its own. The minimum age at which a glider should be separated from its parents is 8 weeks out-of-pouch (OOP). An easy way to determine if a sugar glider is old enough to leave its parents is to look at the sugar glider’s tail. If its tail is fluffy, the glider is most likely old enough. If its tail is covered with short, smooth hairs, then the glider has probably only been out of the pouch for less than three weeks and it is not yet ready to be weaned and leave its parents.Note: Be sure to ask your breeder how they determine the age of your sugar glider. Some breeders base age on the approximate date that the joey was born, while most others base the age on when the joey emerged from its pouch (also known as OOP, or out of pouch).

o How do I know if the sugar glider is in good health? You should look for:

Bright, clear eyes

No protruding bones that might indicate malnutrition

Thick, soft, clean fur

No diarrhea. If a glider has diarrhea, it may appear as poop stuck to its tail or hindquarters.

The sugar glider should be alert, and it should be active (moving around its cage) if it is nighttime.

The glider may be at least somewhat hesitant when you see it, because you will be unfamiliar. Watch it interact with its breeder/owner to make sure it is accustomed to humans.

Finally, there is the Love Factor. This is a creature that you will be spending much time with in the coming days, months and years. You should feel an immediate attraction to your new Sugar Glider. If none of the joeys you look at steal your heart, be patient and wait until you see one that does!

© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. Excerpted from Sugar Gliders: The Ultimate Guide. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

Regardless of which breeder you decide to contact, there are a number of important questions to ask:

o How long have you been in business?

o Do you have the proper license(s) to breed and sell sugar gliders?

o Do you have references and/or testimonials from other people who have bought sugar gliders from you? (Be sure to go ahead and check those references!)

o Will you be willing to take my phone calls and/or emails regarding questions I have, once the sugar glider is in my home?

o Do you have a health guarantee? How long is it? Can I have that guarantee in writing?

o Do you guarantee your sugar gliders’ ability to breed (only important if you are planning to breed them, too)? Can I have that guarantee in writing?

o Do you handle your joeys a lot once they are out-of-pouch? How much time do they spend interacting with humans?

o Was this sugar glider permitted to leave the pouch naturally, or was he removed from his mother’s pouch early? (It is always best to leave sugar gliders in the pouch until they are ready to leave, unless Mom is sick or deceased.)

o What is this sugar glider’s personality like? Is he or she shy or very outgoing? Does he or she get along with other sugar gliders?

o What diet have you been feeding him or her? This question is important because you’ll want to continue giving your sugar glider the same diet he’s used to, for at least a while after you take him or her home. If you don’t, you could end up with a sugar glider with digestive upsets.

You should also expect that a breeder will have a lot of questions to ask you! If the breeder does not ask you questions, it could be a sign that he or she is only interested in making quick money, not in providing proper, loving homes for their sugar gliders.A breeder may ask you:

o Why do you want to buy a sugar glider?

o Have you considered all the pros and cons of a sugar glider? (They should be able to tell you the pros and cons.)

o Are you willing to make the time commitment that a sugar glider requires?

o Are you willing to love and take care of this pet for up to 15 years?

o What kind of housing/cage are you going to provide?

o Are you willing and financially able to provide veterinary care?

o Are there small children in your household, and if so, how will be they be supervised around the sugar glider?

o Are there other pets in your household? What preparations have you made to insure the sugar glider will be safe from these pets?

o What kind of food are you going to provide for your sugar glider? Can you provide it with the sort of well-balanced diet I have been feeding it?

If you don’t feel comfortable with the breeder, then find another one. It’s important that you feel comfortable with the breeder, so that you won’t hesitate to contact him or her for advice on caring for your new suggie.© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. Excerpted from Sugar Gliders: The Ultimate Guide. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

Always buy a captive-bred sugar glider! Captive-bred sugar gliders are fairly common now, and their genetic lines are quite robust. Fortunately, the chances of your being offered a wild-caught glider are small, due to the large captive-bred population. But some countries, especially Indonesia, still export wild-caught sugar gliders.

In some materials on the internet, confusion can be caused by the fact that advice is given for both wild and tame sugar gliders (in bonding discussions, for example). Some captive-bred sugar gliders may not be tame (because they were never treated properly by a former owner), but that does not mean they are “wild” in the sense of having been wild-caught. If you are offered a “wild-caught” sugar glider, the person offering it is either lying to impress you (the most likely scenario) or is involved with people who export and import wild sugar gliders. Most often, these wild-caught sugar gliders wind up in pet stores, where they may be impulsively bought by someone unprepared to take care of a sugar glider’s unique needs. Don’t support the capture of wild sugar gliders!

You should choose a sugar glider breeder carefully. A breeder should be able to tell you a lot about the particular glider(s) you’re interested in (lineage, any health issues, etc.). Most breeders will also be able to answer any questions you have after you bring your sugar glider home, which is very important if you are new to sugar gliders!

Before you buy a sugar glider from a breeder you find on the internet, read their website and ask others about their experiences with this breeder. There are several sugar glider forums and chat boards on the internet, and you can post your questions there. In fact, some of the best-known sugar glider breeders answer questions on those forums!

The majority of breeders you will find on the internet are wonderful people, concerned with raising quality, healthy sugar gliders. But there are some sugar glider “breeders” on the internet who spread misinformation about what is required to keep a healthy, happy sugar glider. Their general attitude indicates that sugar gliders are simply a commodity.

One tip-off to an unscrupulous breeder is a very cheap price. If you see a breeder offering sugar gliders extremely cheaply, it is a sure sign of a sugar glider “mill”. Breeding a healthy, quality sugar glider is not an inexpensive task! Another tip-off is a breeder who imports and/or breeds everything from anteaters to penguins to tigers. Those breeders do not specialize in sugar gliders and cannot possibly fully understand the species and its needs. They are much more likely to sell you a sick or inappropriate sugar glider. Avoid those kinds of breeders and choose a well-run breeding facility whose first concern is raising quality, healthy sugar gliders.

Avoid buying your sugar glider from a pet store, where impulse buys are encouraged. The same goes for trade shows and flea markets. Buying a sugar glider should be a carefully-considered action. Frankly, many of the sugar gliders at pet stores, come from “sugar glider mills”. And bear in mind that the minimum-wage help at most pet stores will be unable to answer your questions about caring for your new sugar glider.

If possible, choose a local breeder. That way, you can visit the breeder’s facility to actually interact with the sugar gliders before you buy. Also, by buying locally, you avoid having to have the sugar glider shipped. Transportation and shipping are stressful for any animal, and sugar gliders are no exception. That said, there are reputable breeders who are very skilled at shipping sugar gliders, so if you cannot locate a local breeder, contact an out-of-state breeder.

You can find a list of sugar glider breeders who are also members of the International Sugar Glider Association (ISGA). You may not want to necessarily restrict your search to breeders who are ISGA members, but that is a good place to start. Additionally, entering the search term “sugar glider breeder” into Google’s or Yahoo’s search box will yield the names and contact information for many breeders.

(To be continued…..)

© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. Excerpted from Sugar Gliders: The Ultimate Guide. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

If you’ve already decided whether you want a male or a female sugar glider, here’s your next question to think about:

How many sugar gliders?

Remember, sugar gliders are social creatures. That means that they prefer to live in groups of their own species. In the wild, they live in colonies and forage at night in little groups. If sugar gliders don’t have social interaction, they will get depressed and depression could possibly lead to illness.

However, it is possible to have just one sugar glider, as long as you are willing to take it out and play with it each and every day for a substantial amount of time. If you have only one sugar glider, you must be absolutely committed to spending lots and lots of time with it. In essence, you will become the sugar glider’s “colony” if you only have one glider.

If at all possible, get at least 2 sugar gliders. And since it is easier to bring up 2 sugar gliders together than it is to introduce a new sugar glider to an existing one in your home, the best possible solution is to get at least 2 sugar gliders at the same time. Some sugar glider breeders do not encourage a first-time owner to purchase 2 gliders right away, however. They tell the owner to make sure sugar gliders are right for them, and then get a second one. Talk to the breeder you choose and see what he or she recommends.

If you decide to get more than one sugar glider, either because of time considerations or because you would simply like to have multiple gliders that can occupy each other while you are at work all day, two females or a male-female pair work well. If you want a male-female pair but do not want them to reproduce, you can get the male neutered.

Some glider owners say that two male sugar gliders will fight (especially if they are already adults), while other owners report no such problems. Neutering the males beforehand will help reduce or eliminate any fighting tendencies. In general, it is not recommended that you spay a female sugar glider. It is a much more complicated operation than the male neutering is, and will require a longer recovery time.

If you decide to get a whole group of sugar gliders in order to breed them, make sure there are at least two or three females for each (unneutered) male. (Getting a group of sugar gliders for breeding is not recommended unless you are already an experienced sugar glider owner who has carefully made the decision to become a breeder.) Otherwise, the males may fight over breeding rights with the scarce females. In a colony situation, one male may monopolize all the available females.

Remember that sugar gliders will breed if sexually-complete males and females are left together. Don’t be an “accidental breeder”! Breeding should be done carefully, with an eye toward creating healthy sugar gliders. Talk with experienced breeders before you make the decision to breed. Breeding is a time-consuming, expensive process that requires considerable devotion to and understanding of the species.

There is always a small chance that if you get two gliders, they will prefer each other’s company and will actually bond more strongly to each other than to you. This doesn’t mean that they won’t bond to you at all, but that one or both of them will simply bond more strongly with the other. This does not usually happen, according to most knowledgeable sugar glider breeders.

One way to get around this potential problem is to keep any new sugar gliders separate for a month, while they bond with you. Then when you introduce them, they are more likely to have the strongest bond with you and not the other sugar glider(s). But you might want to ask yourself this: Is it really such a bad thing if two sugar gliders are strongly bonded together? That is, after all, what they do naturally in the wild. They bond to each other. It’s not as if they are not going to bond to you at all! They will bond to you, provided you spend sufficient time with each of them.

© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

So you’ve decided, after careful consideration, that a sugar glider is the right pet for you. Now what? What do you think about before making the buy decision?

A male or a female sugar glider?

The answer to this question depends on who you ask! Caroline MacPherson states in her 1997 Sugar Gliders book that she “[has] not noticed a link between behavior and gender.” She suggests you evaluate each glider on the basis of its personality.

However, as previously noted, male sugar gliders have more scent glands than the females, and unneutered males sometimes give off a little burst of musky scent. Other sugar glider aficionados have definite preferences for males or females. For example, some breeders say that males are more quick to bond and less likely to be moody or cranky. Others say that females bond more strongly.

Ask other sugar glider owners what they think, and decide for yourself. If you don’t know any other glider owners, post a message on one of the internet sugar glider forums. Of course, you might just see an adorable sugar glider, fall in love with it and take it home. And then it wouldn’t matter if it were male or female, would it?

My next post will be about how many sugar gliders you should buy.

© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

This is the third part of a 3-part series on deciding whether or not a sugar glider is the right pet for you.

Cost considerations:

The initial cost of purchasing a sugar glider is about $150 to $250. (Unusual color variations can cost considerably more.) Shipping the sugar glider, if necessary, will add to the cost. Do you have enough money to buy a sugar glider and properly house and feed it? Do you have enough money to buy two sugar gliders, since they do better when there is at least one other sugar glider in their environment?

Do you have enough money to cover an occasional emergency vet bill? Can you even locate a vet who will be willing to see your sugar glider? Many vets are not knowledgeable about sugar gliders, so you may have to do some searching to find a vet. It is advisable that you find a vet long before you ever need his or her services. You don’t want to be frantically dialing veterinary clinic phone numbers when/if you discover that your sugar glider needs medical attention! You may also want to consider buying a veterinary textbook, such as Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery Includes Sugar Gliders and Hedgehogs (be sure to get the second edition, published in 2003, because that’s when they added the sugar glider information). Then you can help educate your vet if he or she isn’t familiar with sugar gliders.

Other members of your household considerations:

If you have young children, they will need to be supervised when playing with the sugar glider(s). In fact, if your children are very young, you may want to forbid them from handling the sugar glider(s). Young children might panic if the glider scratches them, and that might lead to pandemonium! Even if you have teenagers, they must be willing to handle the sugar gliders responsibly. If you have other pets, such as cats and dogs, can you keep them separated, or at least insure that they can’t mix unless/until you are absolutely sure your other pets won’t harm the sugar glider(s)? Remember, to your cat or dog, a sugar glider will initially look like a furry, active bit of prey!

Allergies:

Do you or other members of your household have allergies to pet fur? If so, how will you handle the possibility that you or someone else might be allergic to you sugar glider?

Please do not buy a sugar glider on a “trial basis,” or assume you will be able to adopt him out “if things do not work out.” There are too many sugar gliders up for adoption as it is. And please do not assume you can just drop it off at the local pet store if you decide a sugar glider is not for you. Pet stores in general are not good places for sugar gliders; their workers are usually not familiar with the glider’s unique needs. Either adopting him out or leaving him at a pet store means you will cause your sugar glider a great deal of stress, unhappiness and possibly depression and illness. A quick search on the internet will turn up more pathetic stories of sugar gliders who were abandoned or dropped off at the pet store than you stand.

Buying a sugar glider is a commitment to love and take care of him properly for as long as he lives. Period. If you are unsure whether you can do what is necessary to see that commitment through, then hold off on purchasing a sugar glider. And never buy a sugar glider as a surprise gift for someone, unless you are absolutely sure that that person wants a sugar glider and is well-prepared to care for it.

© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

This is the second part of a 3-part series on deciding whether or not a sugar glider is the right pet for you.

Clean-up considerations:

Sugar gliders are not messy by nature. In fact, they groom themselves and others in their colony. But they do require frequent cleaning of their cages, and they are known to be virtually impossible to litter train. There are ways to minimize their “accidents” when they are outside of their cage, but if you recoil in horror at the idea of an occasional sugar glider pee or poop outside of the cage, then sugar gliders may not be the right pet for you.

They have also been known to fling their food around. You can minimize this problem by buying or constructing a “Critter Hut”. A “Critter Hut” is usually constructed of wood; it is about 8″ x 8″ x 6″ with a 4″ hole cut in the front. There is no bottom, so you can simply set the hut over your sugar glider’s food bowl to contain the mess.

Odor considerations:

The male glider has scent glands on his head and chest for marking his territory. Most sugar glider owners feel that the scent is very mild or not very noticeable, especially if you keep your glider’s cage clean. The scent is not as strong as the scent of a ferret. But some people do object to the smell. If you have a very sensitive nose, be sure to check out the scent of sugar gliders in person so that you are sure the scent doesn’t bother you. Odor considerations are greatly diminished when male sugar gliders are neutered. If you have your male sugar glider neutered, his territory-marking will usually decrease, as will the amount of scent he spreads around.

Oh, those glider nails!

Gliders have claws that are like sharp little needles. In the wild this helps them climb, jump and land after they glide. But in a domesticated setting, those needle-like claws can be a bit painful. Gliders love to run up and down their owners’ legs, arms, etc., which can leave small, superficial scratches on the skin. Are you willing to learn how to trim your sugar glider’s nails on a regular basis? Are you willing to accept that occasionally you or someone in your household will be scratched by a sugar glider? This is an especially important consideration if you have very young children.

Long-term considerations:

Sugar gliders can live up to 15 years in captivity. That is definitely a long-term commitment! Are you willing to commit to owning a pet for so many years? Do you move around a lot? If so, consider that frequent moving could be stressful for your sugar glider.

If the main caretaker of the sugar glider is going away to college in a couple of years, it is probably not advisable to get a sugar glider. Even if someone else can take over the care of the glider, the glider may grieve the perceived loss of a human he has bonded with. Some sugar glider breeders discourage teenagers from getting sugar gliders, because they have seen far too many examples of sugar gliders being put up for adoption once the teenager goes to college. Few if any colleges will permit students to keep a sugar glider on campus. If you are a teenager considering sugar glider ownership, you must consider what will happen if and when you go away to college! It may be best to wait until you graduate college before purchasing your first sugar glider.

(To be continued…)

© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

Yes, sugar gliders are adorable! Yes, they can bond strongly with their owners. But they also require a certain level of day-to-day and long-term care. Buying a sugar glider is a big commitment of both time and money. There are several things to consider before you decide that a sugar glider is the right pet for you:

Legal/Regulatory considerations:

Sugar gliders are considered exotic pets. They are not permitted to live in every state. For example, they are not legal to own in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Georgia, Maine (where you would need a Wildlife Propagator’s License to own one), Massachusetts and the 5 boroughs of Manhattan. This is not an exhaustive list and it should be noted that some other states require permits in order to own and/or breed a sugar glider. Double-check with your state Department of Agriculture or Department of Wildlife before you purchase a sugar glider. Laws change all the time! Additionally, local municipalities may choose to make ownership of a sugar glider illegal. Even homeowner associations may have a regulation regarding exotic pets. Check with your town and your homeowner’s association after you check with your state. If you rent your home or apartment, be sure to get your landlord’s approval before you purchase a sugar glider.

Time considerations:

Sugar gliders require a major time commitment from their owners. You will need to clean their cages and chop fresh fruit and/or vegetables every day. If you want to properly bond with your sugar glider, you must be willing to take it out of its cage, play with it or at least walk around with it for 2 to 4 hours per day. (I will write about bonding with your sugar glider in a future post.) This is even more true if you only have one sugar glider. They are social animals by nature, and if they don’t have other sugar gliders to keep them company, they will look to you and/or your family members for social bonding.

Gliders will return your love by the boatload, but you must be willing to give them the time and attention they require! If you lead a very hectic life, with little time for yourself or pets, a sugar glider is not the right pet for you.

Space considerations:

Sugar gliders require a sizeable cage. (I will write about housing your sugar glider in a future post.) Typically, their cages are equal to or bigger than the size of a large parrot-type bird cage. The taller the cage the better – remember, sugar gliders glide from tree to tree in the wild. It is not advisable that you buy some of the smaller rabbit-caged sizes cages available, as they will not permit your glider to follow its natural instincts. Certainly, sugar gliders can be kept in apartments (if your landlord OKs it), but their cage will take up a decent-sized “footprint” in your home.

(To be continued…)

© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

Sugar gliders have fixed teeth, incisors, molars, and premolars. You should not trim your sugar glider’s teeth. Unlike some species, such as guinea pigs, their teeth do not continue to grow once mature. If a tooth falls out, it is not replaced. Wild gliders chew on branches and in the process, clean their teeth. Gliders in cages will also chew on branches.

Sugar gliders have 5 toes on their front feet. Each toe ends with a very sharp claw that helps them land when they glide. Those claws also make gliders very agile climbers. Their hind feet also have 5 toes, but one of them is an enlarged, clawless opposable toe. An opposable toe means that they can use that toe to grip things, much as humans’ opposable thumbs allow us to do the same.

Why are they called “sugar gliders”? In the wild, sugar gliders eat, as part of their diet, manna (a crusty sugar left where sap flowed from a tree trunk or branch) and honeydew (an excess sugar produced by sap-sucking insects). In captivity, sugar gliders have a fondness for sweet foods. They will eat too many sweets if allowed, so sweet foods must be rationed.

In the wild, sugar gliders nest in holes of trees in colonies of 7 to 15 members and have been observed gliding as far as 300 feet! The ability to glide is one of the most amazing features of sugar gliders, and one of the things that makes them such special pets.

Sugar gliders are social animals, which means they live in groups. They get along with and love the company other sugar gliders, and many sugar glider owners choose to have more than one glider. It is their social nature that allows them to develop strong bonds with their human owners. But it is also that social nature that creates their need for attention from their owners. Sugar gliders are not the kind of pet that can be left for long periods of time without any attention from their owners! The more time you spend with your sugar glider, the more he will become bonded with you. Many sugar glider experts and breeders recommend spending at least two to four hours a day bonding and interacting with your glider.

© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

Do you own and love one or more sugar gliders? Or have you recently become smitten with them and you are researching the possibility of purchasing a sugar glider as a pet? In either case, you already know that sugar gliders are wonderful! Their small size, their plush fur, their large eyes, their agility and their ability to bond closely with humans have made them a very popular pet in the last decade or so.

What is a sugar glider and where did they originally come from? Sugar gliders are small marsupials and members of the possum family. They are found in Australia, Tasmania, Indonesia, and New Guinea. Their scientific name is Petaurus breviceps.

Like their larger marsupial cousins, kangaroos, sugar gliders have a pouch where their infants grow and develop. Their young are called “joeys,” as are the young of kangaroos.

Sugar gliders are approximately chipmunk-sized, measuring about 9 to 12 inches long (including their long tail), and they weigh about 3 to 6 ounces as adults. Their normal color is steel gray to brownish with a black stripe down the back, but selective breeding in captivity has brought out other color variations.

One of the most distinguishing features of sugar gliders is a thin membrane, called a patagium, that stretches between their front and rear legs, much like the more familiar flying squirrels of North America. This is what allows them to glide from tree to tree. When they glide, the skin spreads out, making sugar gliders look like furry kites! When the sugar glider is sitting, the patagium looks like ruffled furry skin, shaped somewhat like the edge of lasagna noodles.

Their tail is not prehensile, unlike their more familiar American opossum cousins. That means that sugar gliders cannot grasp, grip and hang from their tails. Instead, the tail is used as a balancing and stabilizing tool, especially while gliding.

Sugar gliders are nocturnal, which means they are active at night. They have very large (relative to their size) eyes, which help them see at night. They also have large ears, an obvious benefit to an animal who is both preyed-upon and a predator. Those big ears allow them to hear even the smallest sound.

© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.