Sugar gliders make wonderful pets, but not for everyone
Staff reporter
They're cute, they're cuddly but they're not for the casual pet owner.
Sugar gliders are small, arboreal marsupials that are found in the forests of Australia, and also in Tasmania, New Guinea, and neighboring islands of Indonesia. They are members of the same order that include kangaroos, opossums, wombats, and Tasmanian devils.
Linda Sardou of Marion owns two of the unusual pets. Local people are familiar with her pets because she carries them with her, often in her shirt, as she conducts business in Marion.
Nearly 30 sugar glider owners from several states converged Oct. 19-21 at Marion County Lake for a retreat to learn more about the marsupials and share new information.
Sardou hosted the event with guests staying at her bed and breakfast cabin, The Outdoors Inn, and neighboring houses.
What makes the sugar glider a high-maintenance pet?
"They are very sensitive," Peggy Brewer of Portland, Texas, said.
The nocturnal animals do not like being alone. It is recommended that a person own at least two of the gliders for companionship.
They also are very active animals. Large cages with interactive play areas are requirements for healthy gliders.
"It is absolutely forbidden to keep gliders in a hamster cage," Sardou said. But some people do.
Brewer owns a pet store at Portland but does not sell the unusual animal.
"Never buy a glider from a pet store," Brewer said, "because they have not been properly cared for. Many pet stores promote and sell them as hamsters."
The best way to purchase a glider is from another glider owner or a reputable breeder.
That's what Anita Totty of Tulsa, Okla., does. She's a responsible breeder and rescuer.
"People buy them on an impulse," she said. "These are high maintenance animals that need a lot of care and attention."
She owns 67 gliders.
So how did these people get started with what may seem like an obsession?
"They captured my heart," Totty said.
Each animal has a distinct personality — some are aggressive, some passive. Just like domestic animals, sugar gliders react and respond to their environment. However, they are not like a typical house pet.
"These are exotic animals," Brewer said, which means they require special care.
Sardou takes her two gliders, Choco and Sam, to a local veterinarian for annual check-ups but an exotic veterinarian is contacted as a consultant. Some take their animals directly to the exotic animal experts.
These animals aren't cheap, costing between $150 and $7,500, depending on coloring.
Brewer encourages people not to buy any animal for less than $150 because corners have been cut somewhere.
"They can breed quite often," she said, which could lead to inbreeding and health issues.
Some breeders and pet store owners don't care if there's inbreeding because it just means more animals to sell.
The gliders have an unusual breeding cycle with females being able to conceive and hold the fetus until she's ready to deliver.
Gestation is 16 days. One joey or twins are common and after being born, it only takes about 5-7 minutes for them to find their way into their mothers' pouches. The joeys will stay in the pouch for 11 weeks and three days. They shouldn't be weaned for eight weeks.
There aren't any established pedigrees or lineage for breeding purposes. There are numerous kinds of gliders that are distinguished by color.
Among those breeds are butter cream, lion, blade beauty, cinnamon, mosaic, and albino. Normal gray is the most common.
All have large eyes, delicate nails, and soft, mink-like fur. Typically their tails are as long as their bodies.
They typically weigh four to six ounces and are five to seven inches long from head to tail. In the wild, they can live to be 5-8 years old. In captivity with proper care they can live to be 12-15 years old.
Owners need to be cautious about the environment of the delicate pets. They require a large play area, similar to a large bird cage or aviary, interactive toys and activities, and an environment with nothing sewn with thread because the gliders could catch their toe nails in the thread and injure themselves.
For the most part, the gliders get along well with other household pets. However, it is not recommended that they live in the same area. Gliders should be confined at all times — often being carried by their owners in pouches.
They are nocturnal being more active at night than during the day.
Their meals consist of fresh fruit and vegetables, baby food, scrambled eggs, wheat germ, and other high-protein foods. A special treat for Sardou's pair is meal worms.
"They'll suck the nutrients from the food and leave the remnants," Sardou said.
Sugar gliders are named for their ability to spread their webbed front legs and glide up to 150 meters in the wild. They feed on the sweet sap of trees and plants in the wild, thus the name sugar.
They were brought to the U.S. in 1974, so have been domesticated for more than 30 years.
"They are highly emotional animals," Sardou said, and become attached to their primary caregiver.
The gliders make noises — crabbing and barking — when on the defense or uncomfortable.
"These are my babies," Sardou said with true affection. She's had them for about two years and they are members of her family. She knows and understands the responsibility of caring for them.
"They're wonderful pets but a lot of work. People have got to realize that."
