Sugar Gliders As Pets

These "pocket pets" are fun to own and interact with, but I caution anyone thinking about buying one to do their research.  I would not recommend them for young children.  Gliders are nocturnal which means they are active at night and sleep through the day.  They should never be kept singly as they will get lonely and depressed.  They require a good, balanced diet, lots of attention, and a big commitment because they live up to 15 years in captivity.  They tend to go through the "terrible twos," a period in which they bite and if they are not handled during this time it becomes a habit that will last a lifetime, making them hard to handle.  Even if you purchase a hand-tame glider it will take time to build a relationship.  Once they accept you, however, they see you as big sugar glider.  They will fall asleep in your shirt or pocket, groom you, and the males do push-ups on you scent-mark you.  It's very cute to see.



Sugar glider on the washer.




Joeys Noisy and Squirmy being camera shy.






Still shy.




A big disadvantage of these cute little guys can be the "barking, " a sound that resembles the bark of a small dog.  They make this sound when frightened or calling for other gliders.  It can be very loud in the middle of the night.  Another sound they make when unhappy is "crabbing."  Hard to describe, this sound can be very annoying, it leaves no doubt that they are unhappy.  The best comparison I can come up with is trying non-stop to unsuccessfully start an engine over and over again.  They do have cute sounds, though.  They chatter to each other, the mothers will "sing" to their babies and if they are really happy some have been known to purr.




Glider mom Jasmine taking a break from singing to eat a snack.




Gliders live in colonies of up to seven adults in addition to any joeys.  They must be separated at before they become sexually mature to avoid inbreeding.  These animals are sweet, intelligent, curious and nocturnal.  They sleep all day and want to play when they wake up.  Even provided with a large cage and plenty of toys they need to be taken out and left to roam a bit.  I call this time their gliding practice because they tend to jump from me to any piece of furniture and then climb back up me to do it again.  Their cages should be large and equipped with food dishes, wheels, a water bottle kept full and clean, toys, and fleece pouches for them to sleep in.

There is controversy surrounding the diets of sugar gliders.  The diet available in the US that most closely resembles that which they would have in the wild is Modified Leadbeaters Mix.  This is made from hard-boiled eggs, honey, wheat germ, Apple juice, baby cereal and vitamins.  They also need fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables that are high in calcium and low in phosphorous.  Never use canned food.  Improper diet can cause several problems ranging from a strong urine to more severe blindness from fatty deposits in the eyes and rear-leg paralysis.