Sugar Glider 101
What is a Sugar Glider
A sugar glider
is a member of the marsupial possum family. It can be found in
the tree tops of Australia, Tasmania, Indonesia, and the Papua-New Guinea.
They are named sugar gliders because they resemble the flying squirrel and they
have a taste for sweet foods. It has been proven that gliders do have a memory,
because they are capable of recognizing people who handle them on a regular
basis. Gliders have also shown their intelligence level by their
imaginative play. They have been trained to glide down to people on
command. Also, they can show affection or displeasure by means of body
language and vocalization.
They are arboreal and nocturnal, preferring open forest areas. They are
omnivorous, favoring sap, nectar small insects and larvae, arachnids, and small
vertebrates. Nesting is done in groups of up to seven males and females and
their young, most likely all from the same original colonizing pair. Nesting
groups seem to be mutually exclusive and territorial. Two of the most dominant
males protect against intruders and father the group's young. The young usually
leave the group at 10 -12 months of age. A highly developed communication system
relies on individual scents produced by frontal, sternal and urogenital glands
of males and pouch and urogenital glands of females. Scents mark the territory
inhabited by the group and in addition, the dominant male scent marks the other
members of the group.
Sugar Glider can be your new best friend!
Tame gliders love to be near their owner. They will ride on your shoulder,
hide in your head, or nap happily in your pocket as you go about your daily
activities. Sugar gliders are snuggly, playful, funny friends.
If you do not intend to sell your babies, they
should be separated from their parents and siblings of the opposite sex, before
they reach sexual maturity, to prevent inbreeding. In general, inbreeding
should be avoided because inbred animals are often less vigorous and sometimes
have physical and mental defects. When we where introduce to sugar gliders we
bought 2 baby joeys, they were our second & third joeys from a women. The joeys
they were born six months apart and died approximately one year from their
birth. We found out she was inbreeding the joeys. Do some homework on the
breeders, its a shame that they died because the breeder (if that's the word I
use) weren't responsible for for bringing a life in to the world when they just
want money.
Contact us for more info
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