I got a Sugar Glider

hi guys sorry I haven't been very social I just got a new pet - it's a male sugar glider named Zink he is a lot of work but is sooooooo much fun to play with will have pictures soon xxxxxxxxxxx!

[souffle]

Wow. I imagine they require specialist care. We don't have them in the UK but I have seen pics and they are very beautiful. Does he need a large outdoor pen? Looking forward to pics :lol:

[SnuggleHam]

I don't know much about them, but the impression I get is that they are still considered pretty exotic and do require some specialized care. I believe they require fairly large cages to, similar to that of a ferrets.

I saw a show once on TV called Emergency Vets where someone brought in a sugar glider to the veterinary office and I recall the vet talking about how not much is know of them and they can be fragile creatures. So I don't think this is much known about them medically, I cant be sure though.

But Ive always had an odd feeling when I have seen them for sale as pets. Something tells me these critters should have been left in the wild and not put out for domestication. I suppose I should do some research on them for my own interest.

[sai12]

My dad had sugar gliders. They had a really huge wire cage so they could run all over. And a tree branch to hang onto. Oh oh and a dark nesting box.

Very cute little critters, just not very friendly, at least from my experience.

yeah the cage is four feet high and 3x3 side to side it has so many toys and branches he is soooooo sweet .diane had babies it of topic but yay her i will put her cage in a card board box and lid open obvously. i would guess around 7-9.yayayayayay

pic ofhim sorry i took it its bad http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r109/iloverobs/_MG_8874.jpg

[Justine]

Congrats on the new addition. He is very cute. Does he have a friend, I've been led to believe they are social?

i'm working on that a want to get a female for him.

[SnuggleHam]

i'm working on that a want to get a female for him.

Jesse, after what just happened with Jack, I think the last thing you need to be doing is asking for more pets. Your family really needs to stop and rethink on this stuff. Further more, you just got your new sugar glider. Why don't you get to know your new pet first, get use to your sugar glider, do all the research you need to do before you even consider a cage mate for the one you have now, let alone a female! I think you should just focus on your robo hamsters for now.

i know they are a lot happer with a friend and i will accually get a male cage mate.

[souffle]

Sugar gliders require a huge amount of social interaction between their 'human' family and animals of their own species. I have been researching them and if they do not get sufficient they become depressed and simply die. They sometimes even require carrying around in a pouch to keep them from becoming depressed. I hope you have time to attend to his needs and give him care for life (they can live to 20yrs) as this is a major commitment. Sugar gliders are marsupials and spend much of their time in the trees in family groups in the wild. They are omniverous and feed on both plants including nectar (hence the sugar!) and small insects and even small rodents. The bigger the cage the better so they can use their natural climbing and gliding skills. Do not let him suffer when the novelty wears off. He is too beautiful for that and deserves a long and happy life.

i carry him in the pouch for 2-4 hours a day and play with him and hold him for about 6 hour so i do spend a bitt of time with him not to mention my older brother ryan is very fond of him and holds and plays with him for hours to so he gets about 10 hours of undevided atention a day. he eats meal worms fresh fruit and veggies and sugar glider mix even my parents love him while my mom does her chores he sitts on her sholder and my dad plays with him in the living room by pulling a little cat toy string just in front of him and he chased and finally he gets it and jumps around with it like he just won a prize.

[babyboos]

there are a few in the UK and sadly you often see them being dumped in rescues up here in Scotland, many people try to sell the joeys for hundreds of pounds thinking they are going to make a fortune on them like they are the new chinchilla and quickly find they aren't actually that popular probably due to their really intensive care requirements, sad as not their fault, but lovely though they are can't say I have any great desire to have one (or two :wink: ) as pets.

[sai12]

Yeah, I didn't mention this before...but my father's sugar gliders died.

The mother one died of old age, I assume. But the two others that were in there with her ...I think died of depression. They were healthy as can be...then just passed away. At least that is how I remember it. Was quite awhile go. But it didn't take long for all three to have died.