Sugar
Glider Information
Sugar
Gliders (petarurus breviceps) are small, arboreal marsupials
which originate from New Guinea and Southern Australia.
An adult sugar glider is about the size of a hamster
or flying squirrel, approximately 5 to 7 inches long
from tip of nose to base of tail. Adults in proper body
condition weigh between 3 and 4 ounces. The tail is fluffy,
often curls on the end and usually is longer than the
body length.
As
their common name entails, they possess a gliding membrane
(similar to that of the flying squirrel's) that stretches
from their wrists to their ankles and allows them to
glide from tree to tree. As with all marsupials, female
sugar gliders also possess a pouch, in which they raise
their young. Sugar gliders are nocturnal animals which
spend almost their entire live in trees. In the wild,
they live in colonies of between 6-10 gliders and spend
much of their time foraging for food.
Sugar
Gliders make excellent pets. They adapt very readily
to captivity and can develop very strong relationships
with their human keepers. They are small in size, are
very intelligent and love to play. Although nocturnal,
this can be a benefit, in that they want to play in the
evening, which is when most people are home. Most gliders,
if handled well and given time, learn their owner's scent
and have absolutely no fear of them. In fact, they love
human attention and can develop strong bonds with their
owners.
Most
people prefer baby gliders to adults because babies are
more willing to bond with you. Most breeders will handle
the babies when they emerge from the pouch so the baby
glider is accustomed to the human touch. Adult gliders
don't have this luxury and are usually very terrified
and difficult to handle. Adults can come around with
lots of patience, but if they aren't handled much, it
can be an uphill battle. Most wild-caught gliders will
not tolerate handling at all. Many exotic animal importers
can get wild gliders drastically cheap and sell them
at pet stores for captive-raised prices. The consumers
see a cute, small animal that they want to take home.
Instead, they get a screaming, unmanageable creature
that hates them and the situation that it has been placed
in. It is always best to find out if the glider you are
buying is hand-raised or captured from the wild. While
the price is cheaper in the pet store for the wild-caught
glider, you get what you paid for and it isn't often
fun.
In
the wild, sugar gliders have a high energy diet that
has a fairly high level of protein. In captivity, they
should be offered a wide variety of fruits, vegetables,
animal protein (from farm-raised insects and commercial
diets made for insectivorous pets), and possibly a vitamin/mineral
supplement. Water is critical to sugar gliders; if they
are without it for more than a day, they can dehydrate
rapidly and die. Properly fed and exercised, sugar gliders
can live between 10 and 15 years in captivity.
A tame
sugar glider has plenty of personality and attitude,
and makes a wonderful, loving pet. Though this social
animal lives in groups in the wild, it does well as a
single pet. Thoroughly gentled animals do well in pairs,
too, and will maintain their bonds with their human caregivers.
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