Are you interested in other animals as pets besides cats and dogs?

 

Have you heard of or given any thought to owning a more exotic pet?

 

 

How about a small possum? A sugar glider possum is smaller and looks nothing like the Virginia opossum that's more familiar to people in North america. There is also a small opossum that is kept as a pet.

 

Australian 'possums' and american 'opossums' are both marsupials, but only distantly related, and one was basically named after the other. The differences are species history/origin, genetics, and other things that would probably take ages to write down and read through.

 

If you are wondering just how full of character and love these little handful sized critters can be, Mia is a great example of this. If you don't already have a glider, you may want one after reading her story.

 

"What's going on? What am I missing?"

 

Mia also shatters the myth many uninformed people have that exotic animals don't make good pets. Always more than willing to cuddle, giving kisses, and sometimes begging for attention, and, gliders like her can be taken anywhere in public without any problems. With a glider in a pouch around your neck, you are never alone, you're in good company.

 

What Is a Sugar Glider?

 

It is a small marsupial, a gliding possum that originates in Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and Indonesia.

 

Appearance?

 

Its fur is generally gray with black markings and stripes. It's face is pointed with two black stripes going from the nose to its ears which are bare and fairly large for its size. The ears move independently of one another like those of a cat, but they are positioned more to the side of the head and stick out or flop down a little. They're not as floppy as a puppy's but may give a similar impression when down. The eyes are large and black, the nose is petite as a kitten's would be at that size, but more slanted like a squirrel's. In addition to the two black stripes going from that little nose to the ears, there is one going down the back, and one on each leg. The tail is long and fluffy as the rest of the body, and usually tipped with about an inch or two of black. The underside of the animal is usually white. The paws are like those of a small primate such as a marmoset, tamarin or bushbaby, with little sharp claws on each digit except for the hind big toe. The tail is not fully prehensile like those of spider monkeys or some other species of possum. Sugar gliders can not hang by their tails,but instead, may use them to add security when sitting on tree branches by curling the tail around the branch. It also helps with direction during gliding. The hands and feet, equipped with the claws are excellent for maintaining grip.

 

"Got any treats? Huh?"

 

At first sight, people may mistake a sugar glider for any number of animals or at least say they resemble other animals. Gliders have been compared in appearance to chipmunks, raccoons, skunks, bats, bush babies, (a small primate) lemurs, flying squirrels, or even badgers. They are only about 4 ounces fully grown, with the head and body being 5/6 inches long, and the tail at least that if not a bit longer.

 

Sugar gliders are known by that name because of their fondness for sweet things like fruit or nectar, and because, like flying squirrels, they have a flap of skin on either side of the body, running from the wrist of the arm to the ankle of the leg, which they spread out to glide from tree to tree. It is said that wild gliders may glide for several yards in one leap.

 

they live in the wild anywhere from 2 to 8 years, and in captivity anywhere from 7 to 12 to 15 years, depending on which sites and sources you read. Generally, they live twice or three times as long in captivity as they do in the wild.

 

Mia was born into the pouch in February or March 1996, and emerged out of the pouch for the first time in late April or early may 1996. It is usually this second date that is considered their birth. Gliders still have their eyes shut and need to suckle for two more months before they are ready to leave their mother.

 

Sugar gliders eat fruit, nectar, insects, and smaller mammals and sometimes young birds in the wild. In captivity they eat fruit, vegetables, and various sources of protein ranging from baby food, soy, yogurt, to chicken, turkey, cat, dog, or monkey chow, and crickets and mealworms. There are various planned diets as well as commercial glider foods now. They also require vitamin D3, calcium, and a vitamin supplement such as Nekton Lori or Gliderade if they're not getting enough in their diet. Most commercial foods for pets including gliders are already enriched with vitamins and it isn't healthy overdosing them with vitamins and minerals either. Frozen pinky mice may also be given if you have the stomach for taking away the hide or whatever else remains when the glider is done eating and is settled down for the day. Feeding mice is not a must. Egg may also be given as a protein source. But fat intake must be minimal as an excess of fat especially over a period of time may cause obesity and cataracts. too much fat may also cause the tip of the tail to lighten, but that reverses when the problem is corrected. There has been a lot of debate on glider diet, with some claiming gliders can't have dairy, others saying that some dairy won't hurt them. The ratio of protein to fruit/veg is stated to be anywhere from 25% protein in the diet to 50%. I'm in agreement with the 50/50 idea.Some swear by leadbeaters mix, a conglomeration of mushy foods - baby food, egg, rice cereal etc. Others claim a special formulated dry glider diet is all they need. But whatever the case, each owner and their glider will have to pick and choose the options best for them, since not every glider is the same. Much information and tips for feeding sugar gliders can be found all over the internet.

 

There are special glider and monkey diets available commercially that don't require extra vitamins to be given besides. Others require the food be given with extra vitamins or foods as supplements. Nectar is available commercially in powdered form to be mixed in water or sprinkled on their food. Such specialized products aren't easily come by in your local pet shop, but many online small animal supply shops carry a vast assortment. In fact, online is where I first learned about sugar gliders as pets.

 

Fresh or frozen fruit/veg is fine, but since gliders are so small, the pieces have to be chopped into small enough chunks for the glider to manage. Dried fruit/veg is fine as long as it doesn't contain too much preservative, as with any and all pets, every care sheet will warn you to watch the preservatives.

 

The following sites have glider diets for sale and recipes, as well as many other supplies for gliders and other exotic animals.

 

http://www.animalsexotique.com/

http://sugarglider.safeshopper.com/131/cat131.htm?618

http://sugarglider.safeshopper.com/140/cat140.htm?618

http://www.sugarglider63.com/index.html

http://www.glidersanonymous.com/store.html

http://www.callejean.com/handc/

http://www.centralah.com/NektonProd.htm

http://www.brisky.com/8/338?opt2home3briskypublichtml=c935e5

http://www.sugargliders.org/gliderinfo/diets/diet_index.htm

 

Sugar Gliders as Pets

 

How big do they get?

 

Sugar gliders are the size of hamsters so can't be kept loose in the house. A medium to large bird cage with the wire spaced half an inch apart will keep them from escaping at night. During the day, they can be with their owners, carried in a sleeping pouch.

 

Are they clean, and do they smell?

 

Cleanliness can vary quite a bit between individual sugar gliders. They do keep their own fur clean, but that doesn't mean they don't mess up their surroundings.

If you have more than one glider, they do dirty up each other's fur by scent marking with urine and scent from their cent glands.

 

Sugar Gliders will eliminate if nervous or excited, and a new glider may urinate and mark everything with scent glands frequently. A single glider will decrease this activity a great deal when she's settled and feeling secure in her environment. They engage in this behavior mostly at night during their pique activity periods. This occurs much less frequently during the day, a glider who is laid back and trusting of you should not usually go on you unless something has her too excited or nervous, or else she is just getting too active.

 

Depending on the glider, the sleeping pouch may have to be changed or washed every day, or once every few weeks. Some gliders are cleaner or less highstrung than others. Mia was always a clean, well socialized animal, her carry pouch only needing to be freshened up once every few weeks. She was never one to have accidents in hers very often. Some gliders will dirty theirs more frequently.

 

There are two sorts of smell to address when dealing with pet ownership. One is the question of if holding the animal will make you smell like it. The other question is if their waste will stink up a cage and your living area in a hurry or if having the pet will not be hard on your nose.

 

I haven't had experience with male gliders, some people who've had them complained about the slight musk they sometimes give off, and others say their males don't produce a smell from their glands at all.

 

In my experience with Mia, she never gave off any body odor.

 

Depending on what you give your glider to eat and how well it is cleaned out of the cage and bowls etc. what smells for the most part is their food. Gliders generally don't give off nasty odors the way mice, Guinea pigs, short-tailed opossums and rabbits do when they eliminate in their cages. But a number of gliders in several cages that need to be cleaned out will smell, and they do spray out the bars and chuck food. So to cut down on the mess, place the cage inside a large plastic bin, and vacuum it out when you clean the cage. Or else make or buy a cage barrier. The Exotic Nutrition Company/Sugar Glider Shop sells cage barriers that wrap around your cage to keep mess inside.

 

A drop in pan is much simpler to clean than a cage with a slide-out tray. This is because urine can run down between the tray and the bottom pan, creating a sticky, smelly mess that requires gloves to handle. Not so with a drop in pan. Just remove the wire, take the pan, dump it out, put it in the shower with hot water and disinfectant, put in a pet safe deodorizer, even a little of your own liquid soap should be fine. Leave the cage bottom there for several minutes, then rince it out.

 

Baby wipes are great for a finishing scrub, and also work to scrub down the cage wire.

 

What should I use for cage litter?

 

Aspen, corncob, carefresh or wood pellets are fine for cage litter. I wouldn't recommend Yesterday's News as a litter in a glider's cage, not if you feed chopped fruit and veg as opposed to puray and a dry food. It is made from paper, which stunk after a day in Mia's cage after coming in contact with what fruit and vegetable juice fell on it. Maybe it was just my own nose reacting violently, no one else had any complaints. but I couldn't stand it! Ugh! Since putting her on baby foods and combinations of other things that don't drip so much juice on the cage bottom, I've found Yesterday's News to be okay. So it was probably just the chopped up, juicy fruit that did it.

 

Do they like toys?

 

They like bird toys, ladders, wheels, any play thing to provide them with play and exercise while they are away from their owner inside their cage. With you for company by day and a cage with fun things in it by night, your glider should thrive as a single pet.

 

Sugar gliders don't need to gnaw, since they are not rodents or rabbits, and their teeth don't grow continuously. So plastic toys and food dishes are fine. That doesn't mean some won't nibble their toys, so manzanita branches are good for climbing and chewing.

 

Generally, gliders are hyperactive at play, but calm and snuggly if they trust and like being with you during the day. Some are very outgoing even by day, checking out anything new. I've never let Mia venture off on her own during the day, but made it very worth her while to stay with me. She always preferred not to be held in another person's bare hands, but loved being stroked by anyone as long as it was me holding her. Anyone could carry her around in her sleeping/bonding pouch.

 

Gliders handle differently from hamsters or gerbils too, their claws are tiny but very sharp and curved. So, they have a tendency to catch on everything. This is useful in the wild for tree dwelling but it can complicate things a little when she clings onto your arm or hand, or gets her claws snagged in the carrying pouch, or refuses to give up some little thing you don't want her to have. This is why it's a good idea to play with the glider's legs, paws and toes if she'll let you. If she's used to your hands working about her feet, getting her out of snaggy situations is usually pretty easy.

 

Can sugar gliders learn tricks?

 

They are very intelligent, curious creatures, but very independent. I haven't heard of anyone teaching their gliders tricks, but some gliders come to their names, others don't. Some develop their own cute behavior that their owners unwittingly encouraged. But probably a more accurate assumption is that gliders teach their owners tricks. When they want attention, they bark or do whatever gets us coming to their cage during the night. Or they put their head as far back as possible, exposing as much of their front as possible. In Mia-speak, that means "I need a chest and belly rub please!"

 

Sugar gliders learn well through positive reinforcement. If they like contact but find themselves getting threatened with being ignored whenever they nip, while a lick will earn them extra attention, they can learn to be very kissy. Mia learned that staying with me instead of running off, got her more attention. Escaping only got her caught and put back in her cage.

 

A great time to bond with a glider is while she is grooming herself. She may start grooming your hand too, and welcome your attention the most at that time.

 

Glider and Human Relationships

 

Mia would let me hold her in my bare hands, outside the pouch a lot of times during the day. She would make cute little contented clicky purring noises and give kisses, not only to me, but to other people as well. One of her favorite things, getting her tummy rubbed, and if she could get you to do it and keep you at it, she'd bend her neck real far back so you could get at her chest and front easily. She'd kiss me more frequently than other people and but was never too keen on anyone else trying to get her out of the pouch besides me. Mia was so calm that she'd cling onto my shirt and stay there for a while as I'd move my hands away and let other people stroke her. Her rate of clicks and kisses for me in the morning especially was something else! once I put her in the pouch for the day, she'd often try to grab and lick my fingers before I could get my hand out and shut the pouch. Then she would start with the clicks - with the frequency of a telegraph or typewriter. The sound is of course much softer, like the noises a sleepy puppy makes when being moved, but the clicks come more often than that. The kisses are quick and excited as well. It's cute.

 

In her pouch, Mia would sometimes ask for attention by peeking out. If I put my hand in, she would get comfortable down in the pouch but often if I'd withdraw my hand, she'd get back in this position: head up, sniffing about, body stretched upward, front paws clinging near the top of the pouch on the inside. When out of the pouch, she'd click and snuggle. when she seemed to anticipate getting a treat, she'd make a cute little chatter that's very quiet but somewhat like that of a curious weasel, and she'd squirm and sniff, sometimes her head and shoulders coming out of the pouch. Mia gave hugs too, grabbing hold of my fingers and not wanting to let go. Often this was accompanied by lots of glider kisses. Mia was so affectionate that when I'd share a bit of my drink or piece of apple or pear with her, she'd make sure to lick my hand as much as lap at the contents in the small bottle cap or tiny container I put it in for her. She has also licked my hands when I've given her water melon or anything else that's a bit juicy. That is just too darn cute, I haven't had an animal that took time from chowing down a treat or lapping up something to give kisses. I have heard of some gliders being so possessive with their food that they growl at anything to approach them while they're eating! That definitely wasn't Mia!

 

Communication

 

Along with body language, sugar gliders make some interesting sounds to indicate their mood.

 

A high pitched bark that sounds like one of those toy mechanical dogs or a squeak toy can serve as a warning or just because the glider wants attention.

 

A ferocious growl that has been likened to the sound of an electric pencil sharpener, a broken toy, or miniature chainsaw, is a great way of scaring off creatures much larger than the glider. This includes humans! But Mia's growl was always worse than her initial defensive nips when she first arrived. A scared glider can act very defensive and intimidating. But Mia was handled by people from the earliest time possible, before she came to my home.

 

Do they bite?

 

An untame glider can and will bite very hard. But in my experience, a young glider is much easier to socialize than an adult that is not accustomed to human contact and will not bite as hard.

 

A defensive glider may cower, but lunge at your hand with teeth bared, growling furiously to frighten you off. A sleeping pouch made of fleece or shirt material, hung in the cage can give her a place to settle down for the day. Then, take the pouch out of the cage with the glider inside, making sure you have it done up so she can't get out or bite you, means she can growl all she likes but she should eventually settle down. If you carry her around daily in this pouch, worn around your neck so she is up against your body, she'll learn to see her pouch as a secure place, and you as her friend. This can help cut down the mutual fear so bonding can begin.

 

The growl, also known as 'crabbing' and the bark are the two loudest and frequently made sounds of a new glider in the home.

 

Crying is a distressed sound a young glider may make when moved to a new home, missing his glider family. Mia didn't do this, she just barked and growled.

 

Hissing is another sound they make in varying lengths and intensities. Mia's hisses tended to be a bit shorter than what's in this sound sample of another glider, and either it's a friendly, curious sound, or the stern "shh" sound that means "Don't bother me."

 

Purring consists of a series of clicks that can sometimes be heard in a very quiet room. They can be felt a little if you hold a very content glider. The clicks can be slow, if she's dozing and purring, or very quick when she is eating something she loves. The clicks sound something like Morse code at a rapid rate. Mia purred whenever she ate, groomed, or received human contact.

 

Chattering sounds a bit like purring, only louder and quite a bit sharper. I hadn't heard Mia do this very often, not enough to manage to record her, so this is Akina chattering and hissing. Mia usually made this sound in the presence of another glider or other animal she was curious about. It's very similar to the sounds our neighborhood squirrels make when unsure of something in their environment.

 

Chirping, this isn't like a song bird, it's a contented little grunt/cluck/squeak type noise that's very quiet and is an expression of extreme pleasure.

 

Fighting and mating sounds are similar, and rather like a combination of crabbing, crying and annoyed hissing.

 

Various gliders barking

Mia would bark insistantly when there was upset in the house, and barked moderately when she just wanted attention.

 

One day in March 97, I got my wisdom teeth out and was feeling pretty rough that night. i was in my room lying down, and Mother brought me some ice packs for my face. As she was trying to help me get remotely comfortable, Mia began to bark and she just wouldn't quit until mother went over to the cage and talked to her.

 

A little while later, Mom went to feed her since I was feeling so lousy. But she put her arm all the way in the cage and put the food on the floor - I needed to get a new food dish at that time.

 

Mia jumped on her arm and ran up it, and onto her back. Mom likes gliders at a distance or when they are calm during the day, but not crawling on her thank you very much. She screamed, my ice packs went flying and I had to rescue this poor scared person from that tiny 5-inch long creature who probably couldn't figure out what was up with this human.

 

It is very likely Mia wanted to get to me, sensing I wasn't well.

 

A week later, my uncle Cory had died of cancer. :( When I got home from work, me and my parents sat around the table and cried. We stayed like that for a long time it seemed, even though Mia was barking incessantly upstairs. Only when we had regained some composure and I went up to my room did Mia quiet down.

 

Another time in the middle of the night, she barked, and she wouldn't quit, no matter what.

 

The next morning, I found out my dad's truck had been stolen! It has been recovered thank goodness.

 

Mia dream-barking not as crisp sounding as a bark when fully awake, and then she got spooked into growling a little when I went to wake her.

Cute stuff

 

Escapes

 

Having returned home from Sask, I hadn't put Mia back in her regular cage yet - she was still in her travel cage. I was going to clean the regular one first. Unfortunately the lid to the travel cage broke but not enough, I thought, to allow her to get out. it was a little plastic piece broke off when I accidentally bent the lid back too far. Easy to do with those things.

 

that night I was awakened by barking. So I let Mia know that yes I was still alive, just sleeping now and wasn't into playing at this hour.

 

:) She went quiet.

 

I Dozed off again and moments later, I was awakened by something landing right on my chest! you guessed it, it was the little furry curious lovable critter that barked at me minutes before.

 

I had to get up, put her food and water into the big cage and move her back in there. It would be cleaned the next day anyway.

 

I thought that was so cute - many animals that size such as hamsters and gerbils are more likely to get out and look for a place to hide such as in the walls. Not Mia, she headed for me. When i caught her to put her back, she walked up to my hand and gave it a few kisses before I picked her up and put her in the big cage. What a rascal!

 

Mia got out another time when I thought I had latched the cage securely.

 

I was sitting at my computer at 6 AM when I felt this thing crawling on my foot. Thinking it was just a bug, I wondered what it was doing in my room in the month of February.

 

Then I felt that besides the tickly feeling, there was something soft and furry, and too big for a bug rubbing against my foot! Little brat! She scampered a little when I moved my foot as well and that makes a cute noise.

 

Chow Time

 

One day, my cousin's kids were over, and for a very special treat, they got to give Mia a little of their ice cream. Of course I don't let this happen often. I had been getting ready for work and when I came up from the basement, the kids told me that Mia had climbed out of the pouch in broad daylight, found the dish of ice cream, had her front paws gripping it, just about to dive in! They had to take it away on her. Lol! Where's a camera or camcorder when needed?

 

You couldn't be making or eating things that would get Mia's attention because she'd squirm in the pouch until she'd get a treat, or was removed from the environment. I could not make a vanilla capuccino with Mia around, she'd want it so badly. And one day, Mother had chicken frying, and I leaned over the pan to have a good sniff. Mmmmmm. I had put Mia off to one side so she'd be out of the way, and she was still in the pouch. But as I was enjoying the wonderful smell of frying chicken, I became aware of something moving at my left side, and a little nose nudged my hand through the pouch. Drat that possum, now I couldn't even have her about me when smelling fried chicken! Had to go get her a treat and then put her upstairs so I could at least eat in peace.

 

As she got older and more secure, Mia would also waste very little time climbing out of the pouch to steal my French toast. It makes a good snack at work, but Mother makes the best French toast, it's good and crusty around the edges and not soggy or overly egg tasting - probably because the eggs are beaten well, which they have to be to make it good. But it smells as great as it tastes, and unfortunately Mia never missed that, she always noticed! Lol. So she got it as a treat now and then, and the other times, I'd just have to bring along her own treats, and hope she'd settle for them.

 

One Pet Expo, I was having pizza, but forgot to close her pouch. Soon I felt something strange just under my hand that was holding the plate. It was small, a little wet and cold and wiggly. I had to get someone to hold the pizza plate so I could put the rascal back in her pouch and shut it! Of course I gave her a treat after sitting down so she'd be satisfied and I could eat in peace.

 

Once a month she'd get spoiled at the care center when my friend would take her around to visit the residents.

 

"I like you. I really like the icing"

 

Gliders seem to have a memory that lets them associate people, places, sounds and smells with good or bad things. In this case, the care center and my friend meaning lots of attention and some treats Mia didn't normally get at home.

 

"Cake! Yaaaaah! Gang way!"

 

Mia eating and purring Cute video of an owner's first 15 days with his new glider http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJy-O4YYetM&feature=related Funny barking (they called it 'chirping' but it's barking) and it's so cute it makes me laugh. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvchGSugt44&feature=related Chirping, happy sound! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hqe7op9OWzY&feature=related Purring and hissing (they call it 'soot sound') also very cute! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsKJBlWz_8w Baby sugar glider crying, and this is obviously a very young one, awww! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGdrXgMn6UA&feature=related Gliders with new owners http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxein_E2lAA&feature=PlayList&p=C67596513BB4B867&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=31 Sutton purring (sounding just like Mia) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWX6bjbPEVM Hammy eating a mealworm and loving it, some purring and CHIRPS GALORE! Hahahahaha, too darn cute! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgKwzdLp9Fg Sugar gliders "singing" to their babies. Hmmmm, well...? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvl1FvQ2Mdc&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwLZU2j1Gug&feature=related The singing and this sound are said to be contented, but Mia used to make sounds like these when she was grumbling and threatening to launch into an all out growl. One such case was during work when she kept fiddling with a hole in the lining of her pouch and I kept trying to get her to stop and go back to sleep. My employer got a kick out of it and so did the class, but I was a little embarrassed.

More Cute Stuff

 

taking her pouch into bed for a morning cuddle, when she'd be settling down for the day and I wasn't ready to get up. I'd stroke her a bit and she'd lick the heck out of my hands, and then I'd close the pouch so she couldn't wander off if I dozed off. Then I'd put the pouch on the pillow with my hand underneath it, right near my face and she'd roll around in there, groom herself and pur like mad. She purred a heck of a lot, even during the times I wasn't carrying her around. If I had her pouch on my bed or on the door because I'd left her there while going down to eat and forgot to pick her up again afterword and went straight to my computer instead, I could often hear Mia purring from the door or the bed, wherever I happened to leave her pouch. Of course, once that got my attention, I had to go and pick her up again, she was so contented and darn cute!

 

Sometimes she and I'd play this game through the pouch where she'd seek out part of my hand, usually where a finger was curling around the pouch, and she would butt it with her nose. I'd fingerbutt back, and she'd do it again.

 

Other times, either with my hand in the pouch or else with her and my hand in the cage, she'd get carried away with the affection and begin to nibble gently. She learned pretty quickly how hard was too hard and could be trusted not to start out rough at all. She'd begin to nibble, I'd push her mouth away playfully with a finger, she'd come back and gently put her teeth on my finger to get shoved again. Of course if she went back to licking I'd just stay put and give her a rub.

 

There was also the flashlight game, where you shine a flashlight, making shadows on the wall, and she tried to chase them. She loved trying to catch string, or cat grass, anything that seemed a little wormy I guess. Inside the cage, I'd move my hand to one part of the wire, she'd follow. I'd move away, and she'd find me again.

 

And everywhere she went, if the pouch was open, she'd sometimes peek out, and that tended to attract attention from curious and love-struck people. Mia absolutely thrived on the attention and was so calm and gentle with anyone who wanted to get a closer look or to touch her.

 

Glider Tantrum

 

the only time Mia nipped me deliberately out of anger was the night I wanted to give her food or refill the water bottle and I didn't have the travel cage handy to put her in while doing this. That meant getting her out of the cage and shutting her in the pouch for a few minutes. I got her in the pouch with no problem, but once I closed it, she crabbed and crabbed!

 

There was absolutely no reason for fear, she was just mad. She wanted to run around and now she couldn't.

 

When I got everything done in the cage, I went to open the pouch and take her out. But she greeted me with a crab and a little nip. So, I got quite firm with her at that point and just shut her in again and repeated the procedure again. Only when she was calmed down did I let her out and back into the cage.

 

How Socialized Can They Be?

 

Although Mia could be stubborn and sassy, she was amazingly calm and interactive for a creature her size, and the calmest glider ever seen by the shops where I'd take her to get her nails clipped. She never cared much for having it done but didn't freak out either. She would stay put fairly well as long as I was there to hold her and give her strokes and rubs while the staff clipped her nails. The most she'd do is yank her paw away and make it into a tiny fist. But she always got crickets after having her nails done, so, probably knews it paid to sit and be good. That has never been hard for her to do anyway as long as she got physical contact from me.

 

she'd even sit still during her play time in the cage when I'd reach in to check her water bottle. She'd sit and let me stroke/rub her for as long as I wanted, and of course, she'd give kisses too.

 

Mia was my first sugar glider pet, so it took me several months learning her communications and how to handle her. By one year, I could hold her out of the pouch, in my bare hand. By two, I could hold her like that and walk around, and allow other people to come and stroke her while out of the pouch. By three, she was starting to give licky kisses outside the pouch as well as from within it, and she had learned how to come out and try to steal food from me that same year. By four, she let me pull her out of the pouch, tail first. Just a great big tail massage to her. By six, I could take her out of her pouch by her head and shoulders. If I put her back, she'd replace her head into my palm to have it done again. Sometimes when we got the positioning just right, I could take her out of the pouch by her head and shoulders. I've done this and gently moved my hand up, down, and around, and petted her with my other hand. It looks cruel but she loved it. Otherwise she would struggle, hissing, growling and biting to get away. There have been times when I'd go to put her back after this game and she hadn't had enough. She'd try to reposition my fingers when I began putting her back in the pouch. She'd use her front feet and head to get her head and shoulders back into my grip and then just sit there waiting to be lifted out like that again.

 

By seven, she would sit still and give tons of kisses out of the pouch and in my hand. She also licked other people, especially little kids, causing them to squeal with laughter. She could also be carried around and gently lifted up and down in my hand like a kiddy ride. I could walk around the house with her in my hand, without having it near either the pouch or my chest.

 

By November 2006, Mia was ten and a half years old and still cute and funny as ever with her antics.

 

When the bedding was being washed, the heating pad I use at this time of the year was placed on the top of Mia's cage, to be put back in my bed once it was ready again.

 

Mia had decided to use it in the mean time. She was discovered warming herself, belly up, right beneath the pad lying just above her on top of the cage wire! I got quite a giggle out of that!

 

One glider or two?

 

There are gliders that do better on their own because they have a good relationship with humans and don't like other gliders invading their living space. Mia was one of those.

 

Many glider owners keep more than one, but a single glider will thrive if she likes human contact and receives a lot of attention. Having a glider in a pouch around your neck during the day, provides her with the company and security she needs, and you with many opportunities to reach in and give her some loving.

 

But for the glider who doesn't gentle down and continues to refuse to interact with humans except by biting or fleeing, that glider may have some problems and just isn't cut out to be a human friendly pet. If a glider friend can be found for her, and they get along, in that case, two is better. But as a rule, gliders when gotten young, should learn to trust and like their owners, so will thrive as a single pet.

 

It's the popular opinion of animal welfarists and some breeders that two is better than one, and it works out better for whoever is selling you a glider, if they can sell you two instead of one, though sometimes they will sell you a second glider at quite a reduced price. I have seen a few people who absolutely won't sell single gliders and would rather sell one and give you a cage mate for free because that's how strong they believe in the two is better than one theory. It isn't easy getting a single glider these days, because so many people are only selling pairs, or they won't sell to you unless you promise you will get him a glider cagemate.

 

Gliders are not cheap to purchase, running anywhere from $100/$2500 Canadian, the more expensive being the leucistic or other exotic colored gliders. Leucistic is a pure white glider with black eyes, so, not an albino. This means if you buy a cage that's over $100, a pair of gliders will be an additional $300 minimum in most cases. If you initially buy one, and decide you'd like another one, you'll have to get another cage, so, another $100/400, cages don't come cheap either. So, the fact of the matter is, unless a pair is specifically sold together because they are already bonded, you will have additional costs for introduction cages over and above the double expense it is just to get the two animals. If you can't afford two gliders but one won't break your budget, no one should make you feel you shouldn't go ahead and get that single joey.

 

If you want a pair but don't want to breed, get two same sex litter mates if possible, or two young unrelated animals of the same sex, and introduce them slowly. Or else have the breeder introduce them before selling them to you. This is assuming you just want pets and not breeders. I never recommend a first time pet owner start with keeping breeding animals. That brings on a whole set of responsibilities and possible complications you might not be ready for as strictly a pet owner.

 

Too many people are so quick to assume that gliders need other gliders because they are social animals - like humans. No other animal should be compared with a human in order to dictate who keeps what where. Animals are animals and humans are humans, and it isn't right or safe to blurr the line. Gliders live in troops in the wild, yes. But if a troop encounters another troop, the war is on. Thank goodness that is not the case with human strangers that cross paths.

 

Another thing to consider is that while animals give us a kind of love that we often just can't seem to find in the human race, so do we benefit our pets. They don't have to get all defensive whenever a new human enters our house or even touches them. They don't have to show submission in order to avoid a confrontation with new humans, as they might with a strange member of their own species. There are no hierarchy struggles, no dominant/subordinate role and no competition. A glider is a glider, a human is a human, and both are happy to live together and let live without those problems.

 

I've seen the "What if you were kept alone all your life?" mush too many times and it is animal welfare/rights rhetoric designed to tug at our emotions and control what pets we own. It simply doesn't wash.

 

In the first place, a glider with a human owner is not alone unless the human doesn't pay attention to her. In Mia's case, she was always with me all day, to be put back in her cage, her own space to play, eat, do what she needed to on her own while I'd get some sleep. If she'd bark for me at night, I was always there anyway, my bed right next to her cage.

 

But more to the point, if we were raised as single humans among another species, we would be happy as long as we were not being mistreated, we were getting enough food, shelter, things to keep us occupied, and we would thrive in the affection of that other species. We wouldn't miss humans because we wouldn't know any different.

 

However, yanking us away from our current world, family, friends, etc. as we are used to them now, and forcing us to live in isolation is a totally different thing and cannot be compared with raising a single glider from babyhood.

 

Suffice it to say that gliders are not tiny little people in fur coats, and what they don't know, they won't miss.

 

For those who think it's cruel to separate a weaned baby from its parent, every ofspring separates from its parents eventually, and in the case of gliders, the mothers have been known to mutilate or fight with their older female joeys once weaned...especially if the mother has new joeys coming or newly in the pouch. Males may not tolerate their male ofspring around after a while either. And in the wild, gliders will change troops, leaving the troop of their parents to join new ones. Sometimes they leave on their own, sometimes they are kicked out, not all leave the parent troop, but some do. Separation is all a part of the scheme of things in the animal world. It is designed to keep down inbreeding, which would weaken the species.

 

Also, one cannot just throw two gliders together and hope they'll get along. It isn't safe to do that with any animal, and if it's a great one-on-one bond with your pet you are looking for, you'll have a better chance of it with a single glider. Sure, two might like you and whatever treats you give them, but they'll likely bond with each other more than to you.

 

Another concern I would always have is what if the mate dies? Getting a replacement might work out, but chances are good it wouldn't. So no, two is not always better than one.

 

If you want gliders just to look at and aren't the hands on type, or circumstances are preventing you giving the glider the one-on-one he needs, then by all means, get him a glider friend if you can afford it and are prepared for the possibility of them not getting along in the end. but always consider this decision carefully so you won't end up with two separately kept gliders that you have to divide your attention with, or unexpected babies that'll need new homes. It isn't always easy to find homes even for more common animals right when they are ready for them. Sugar gliders are well known among exotic pet enthusiasts, but the general pet owning population consists of people who, for the most part have never even heard of these creatures.

 

Unfortunately, some people staunchly believe that gliders should never be kept singly, claiming they won't thrive or survive.

 

This erroneous school of thought may have already resulted in too many cases of unplanned breedings and unwanted babies, or people having to give up their gliders, unwilling to separate them, but not wanting the responsibility of more babies, all because they were told that when getting a glider, keeping a pair = okay, keeping a single glider = cruel.

 

One is entertaining to watch playing in its cage, so two playing together would have to be cute out of this world! But it's not what I'd recommend for a first time owner who needs to get to know their pet and what generally to expect from owning a pet sugar glider. Each one is different, with different preferences and needs. If your glider is kept singly and she looks and acts healthy and happy, she is, and a well bonded glider is very easily kept happy.

 

So, don't ever let anyone pressure you into getting two as opposed to a single glider, or make you feel bad for having just one, because Mia has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that a single glider who receives a lot of attention from her human, does indeed thrive. And yes, hanging out in the pouch, being carried around and coddled by a human during the day definitely counts as attention. Contrary to what some people claim, a well bonded pet glider will thrive on attention, given at any time, not just being left alone during the day and let out loose in a room at night for a couple of hours. Go ahead and snuggle your glider through, in, or out of her pouch during the day. You won't be depriving her of sleep or disrupting her sleep schedule. It's not like her sleep patterns never change anyway, and, there is nothing sweeter than a glider falling asleep in your hand. When all is said and done, it is no one's business how few or how many pets you keep.

 

What about play time, can gliders be let loose in the house?

 

Many people let their gliders loose in a room of their house, but under close supervision and probably for about one or two hours at a time.

 

This is not manditory if she has toys and room in her cage to play, and you to play with her at night, (not all night) and hold her during the day. I don't recommend letting your sugar glider loose in the house at all until you and she have bonded. A glider who loves and trusts you is much easier to catch and put back in the cage than one that isn't so familiar with you. She'll even come to you for attention or a treat, or when she's ready to be put back. However, if you're going to let her loose in the house, be prepared to clean up crap and pee spots, gliders do go frequently when playing and are not mindful of where they go.

 

On the Job

 

Mia has always been a good pet to take around care centers and places where people can't get out on their own. She became a real little star at the care center I volunteer my time as a musician at, as well as at the bank, the hair stylist's, the Back to Nature store, some pet shops, as well as my work. She has even helped out on the job, by cheering upset children. It has happened several times now, where a child didn't want to participate in ballet class or else just got frustrated. But a little time taken to see Mia, and they usually forgot what they were crying about, so class could go ahead a little sooner and run smoothly.

 

Mia was also a good motivator for children not on their best behavior. A reminder that bad behavior meant no visiting Mia after class, and the children would stop fooling around and do what they should.

 

Mia was so good with people in general, and cooperative with getting her nails done because of getting so much one-on-one contact, and since she was so used to getting her feet, tail, even the gliding membranes on either side of her body examined, caressed, played with, itwas very little or no problem having her nails done and having others touch and look at her.

 

As the years went by, Mia became sweeter in character, not mean or aggressive. Sugar gliders are born and bred in captivity as opposed to being wild caught in the past. It takes some patience and perseverance to raise a sugar glider, but the result can be amazing and very rewarding.

 

Mia died on Dec. 29th 2006. She was so loved and will be greatly missed by so many people, most of all by me, and she'll continue to be talked about for years to come. She brought so much happiness to not just me but a lot of other people who were also lucky enough to see such an unusual pet up close and personal, one that thrived on all the contact and attention she got.

 

One extensive online resource for exotic pet info and products of all kinds: http://exoticpets.about.com/ Another way to find information on exotic pets is to go to: http://www.google.com/ and type in "exotic pet" or even "small pets" "pocket pets" "small mammals" anything like that will bring up so many sites on different kinds of animals you probably didn't know were kept as pets anywhere.