ORIGIN AND NATIVE ENVIRORNMENT:
A Sugar Glider ia a small Arboreal (Lives in trees) Marsupial from Indonesia, New Guinea, and Australia. These little animals rarely ever leave their trees to move about on the ground except to cross open areas to reach another forested area. They nest together in colonies but there is usually only one dominate male.
TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION:
Order: Marsupial
Family: Petauridae
Genus: Petaurus
Species: Breviceps
DESCRIPTION:
Adult Sugar Gliders are about the size of a Southern Flying Squirrel (6" from nose to base of tail) and likewise have a gliding membrane from their wrists to their ankles. A Sugar Glider is gray to brownish in color with a black stripe down its head and back. The tail is furry and is not prehensile, although they do seem to curl the lower third often. Sugar Gliders are an animal with similar enviromental requirements of small mamals and can be housed in the same area. If you like small mamals and would like to diversify, these animals are a viable possiblilty.
CAGE REQUIREMENTS:
Sugar Gliders should be kept in wire cages: minimum 1' x 1' 2' high, 1/2" x 1" wire mesh. Finch cages work very well. Two food dishes may be used (one for fruit and one for dry food), give your glider a water bottle for drinking. NEVER let the water bottle go empty, this could be a fatal mistake. As for the bottom of the cage, news-paper, pine shavings, or aspen shavings are all good choices. AVOID CEDAR SHAVINGS. Keep the cage in a warm non drafty area about 75 to 80 degrees. Clean about once or twice a week. I recommend the use of a bonding/sleeping pouches for the gliders but I have also used plastic cups. I have found that Sugar Gliders have a tendancy to protect wooden boxes or bird nests. The problem is that to get them out, you must come straight at them and they sometimes consider this an act of agression. With the cups, you just dump them out in your hand. With the Glider Pouches, you just open the pouch wide enough to slide your hand into it and they don't feel so threatened.
FEEDING:
Sugar Gliders eat fruit, nectar and sap in the wild as well as small insects, and a few vertebrates. They need about 25% protein and about 75% fruit in their diet. We recommend the following diet: Dry Food daily.
Fresh fruit every day if possible. (Aples, pears, peach, cantaloupe, melon, corn and etc.) DO NOT GIVE SUGAR GLIDERS Banana's or citrus. Gliderade once or twice a week. - Use 1/2 tsp. Gliderade to 2 1/2 tsp. of water per. Pour mixture over fruit and serve in a small dish, or just spinkle a little on their fruit DO NOT PUT GLIDERADE IN WATER BOTTLE: The water bottle will stop from working, and your pet will dehydrate and die.
Rep-cal - A Calcium supplement can be given once a week. This supplement can be dusted on fruit, treats, or just added to Gliderade. Give about 1/4 tsp per animal.
Other foods and treats that can be given are: boiled eggs w/shell (mashed), boiled chicken on the bone, crickets, mealworms, sunflower seeds (raw and unsalted), peanuts (unsalted) and honey. Give seeds and nuts sparingly, because they are high in fat and calories.
THINGS TO DO FOR YOUR NEW BABY:
Keep it warm (about 80 degrees)and in a non drafty area. I also recommend that you feed your new pet(s) apples or corn on the cob, for a couple of weeks. I have found that they have less trouble with their diet. After a week or two you can start giving it different foods to eat. If you change their diet to much at first they can get sick. Remember that the sugar glider is a baby and will spend a lot of it's time sleeping. That is fine. Just hold it and spend as much time as possible with it. (Referred to as bonding). Some breeders recommend that you can give it Gliderade from an eyedropper or syringe a couple of times a day, mixed as above, but I do not really recommend it.
BONDING:
Sugar Gliders will bond to humans just as they bond to other gliders in the colony. I do however recommend buying two animals if you do not have at least a couple hours a day to spend with one. Keep the young glider on your person as much as possible. In a pocket of a T-Shirt, (or in a bonding pouch) is the simplest way to do this. If you are planing to carry your new glider for an extended time period, then please place a piece of apple or grape or any fruit that will give your glider moisture. If you don't then your glider might dehydrate and die. If you glider keeps coming out, safety pin the pocket shut. This will keep him close to you and your smell. He will usually just go to sleep. Ignore all screaming cries that he uses. Do not be afraid of getting bit. It will sometimes happen, but it will only be a test. Just scoop up the little fellow and go on with the bonding process. Soon he will not scream or do any thing but jump all over you with joy. Offer food from your hand (fruit or nut is best), or Gliderade from an eyedropper. All of these things will speed up the bonding process.
HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS:
Sugar Gliders are pretty hardy if you keep them properly fed, watered and warm, about 80 degrees at first. You should however, check for internal and external parasties and monitor their health closely. They can get paralysis in the hind legs which may be due to a Vitamin E, or a Calcium deficiency. Be sure to use a supplement in the food or water. (Gliderade, and Rep-Cal are the supplements we use and recommend. Sugar Gliders have been know to live up to 22 years in captivity.
HEALTH GUARANTEE:
We guarantee the health of our baby Sugar Gliders for 3 DAYS. We will replace a baby if it dies during the 3 days unless the death is do or is the results of mishndling, neglect, or abuse. Freeze the animal and call us immediately if it dies. If your Sugar Gliders dies after the guarantee, call and we may be able to arrange a veterianarian exam to determine the cause of death. We will use our own judgemnt on replacement of the pet.
BREEDING:
It is not necessary in most states to have a license to keep Sugar Gliders as pets, but it is necessary to have a U.S.D.A. (United States Department of Agriculture) licence in order to breed, sell or broker Sugar Gliders. The U.S.D.A. is concerned that the animals are adequately housed and cared for and inspect our premises prior to issuing a license and periodically thereafter.
Please feel ftee to call us for any questions or problems you may have with your new pet.
Doris or Ronald Rex (936) 894-3337
U.S.D.A. Licensed Breeder #74-a-1198
Additional information is available on the internet at:
INTERNATION SUGAR GLIDER ASSOCIATION: Http//www.isga.org.
My wife and I are in the process of building a web site for us to display pictures and information on the care of our animals that we sell and raise. Please bear with us as this is our first attemp at web page building.
