Sugar Gliders

Hi T.,

Honestly I don't know much about sugar gliders BUT I know that with prairie dogs and other animals when the male get's to a certain "puberty" age they get "mean". Do they neuter sugar gliders? That might help.

M. A.

I have had up to 6 at a time (rescues). You will have to spend a bit of time working on getting your gliders used to being around you and your children.

The horrible sound is called "crabbing" and he could be doing that because he is still scared of you, or isn't comfortable with his new home yet. As you bond with your gliders this will become less of an issue.

There are several places to get good information online and through breeders. I have not found any local veterinarians who are really specialize in gliders. The most knowledgeable one I have foudn is: Sue Chastain,DVM,###-###-####, 6060 LBJ Freeway, Dallas Tx 75240

Good sites for information (especially about bonding) are:

Glider Central: http://www.glidercentral.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ub... They have good information on a variety of topics and it's a great place to ask for help.

The Gliderpedia: http://www.sugarglider.com/gliderpedia/ It's a wiki, so there are obvious drawbacks, but most of the information is really good.

The International Sugar Glider Association (ISGA) http://isga.org/ They have a wonderful mailing list that has a lot of breeders and experienced owners who can answer your questions.

Burbon's page: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/sugarglider/index.html Great links to more information.

SunCoast Sugargliders: http://www.sugar-gliders.com/ They are a store, but if you go down the links on the left, they ahve an awesome mailing list, they have a vet who writes for their articles, and they have wonderful information.

We raised flying squirrels, which are very similar. Sugar gliders are a tad larger and more sociable.

But to keep a sg more social, you have to play with them often. They are more independent creatures --unlike a dog. You are not really training them so much as gaining their trust.

We also let ours climb around in our shirt. Mine loved to sit on my shoulder under my long hair--like he was hiding and watching the world from there.

They are more active animals, so they are not going to be cuddly for long. They want a little attention and they are ready to run around. You just have to accept that and let them play and come to you as they learn to trust you.

Good luck

We had sugargliders in the past, and they are wonderful little pets, but they do require lots of attention. It's really good that you got more than one as they don't like to be alone at all. You can put a shirt that you have worn over the cage during the day where they can get used to your scent so they will not feel threatened by you when try to pick them up. Make sure it's one you've already worn (don't wash it). If they try to bite you at all or anything along those lines blow just a bit in the face and say No when you do it. They don't like blowing in the face so they will get the picture pretty fast and learn to recognize that as their command. They don't like loud noises so try not to yell at them. They have little ears and our big voices hurt. Hopes this helps. Oh and on a side note, they like meal worms as well and you can buy those live and feed to them. It's like a treat!

D.

Obviously I can't help you, but what is a Sugar Glider??

(Be careful to always know where they are. I had a friend who had one. It disappeared one night in some tiny opening in the wall and got trapped behind the drywall. What a nightmare!)

I don't know much about them as I've always had dogs and cats - but a close girlfriend of mine had 2 before she had her daughter. I remember her making pouches made out of fleece (like the kind your pullover or blanket is made out of) so she could carry them in it and tuck it in her shirt. Because they're nocturnal, she took them to work in the pouches and they slept all day. Her male was like yours and took some time to warm up to her, but with the pouch, it was faster.

Also, I'm pretty sure she fed them a steady diet of fresh vegetables. Beyond that, I don't know. Good luck!

I also have a male and female who is about to have babies (i didn't want babies, but didn't get the male neutered in time!). Anyway, the males are usually a bit more aggressive, especially when they are trying to protect the female. I have a pouch hanging in the cage and mine sleep in it during the day. You can do this and then wear the pouch around your neck and under your shirt. They will get used to your smell while in a sleepy state and stay warm and comfy by your heartbeat. Make sure to drop in little bits of fruit if you wear them for extended periods so they don't get dehydrated.

They are great marsupials! We had one several years ago. He was really tamed and seemed to like our family. We spent ALOT of time training him and he was a great pet. It does require CONSTANT attention to keep them "tame". The thing that seemed to work was to put on a shirt you have worked out in the yard (or whatever just so it has sweat on it). Over it put a regular shirt, and put the Sugar Glider down your shirt between the two shirts. They will wander around and won't feel threatened by your fingers or be scared. They will get used to your scent and learn to trust you. We had both of our kids do this and both my husband and I did it too. Do it for a while every night and hand-feed them apples, or their treat food afterwards so they associate you with food.

A couple of years later we had 2 more, but they were less loving towards our family. I really think it had to do more with that they didn't NEED us as much because they had each other. It could have also been that our kids were a couple of years older and we had busier lives and didnt devote as much time...who knows.

Either way - Good luck to you! THey are great pets, if you have a lot of time and energy to devote to caring for them (and cleaning up after them too!).

Our male sugar glider took about a month to adjust...just continue to contact him...with favorite foods...mine loved him sum grapes,but he cant have to much...I didnt get mine in a pair,had the boy first and after he was used to us I bought the girl...I love that noise they make...sound like them kiddie toys...lol...well..good luck with them 2...they masters in escaping by the way...

I don't know how to train them, but I had friends who had 2 and ended up with many more. They didn't say anything about training them, so I don't know if it's possible. I'll ask.

If you don't want a bunch of babies then you should get them fixed. And fast. They reproduce quickly.

Personally, they grossed me out. They were dirty, messy critters. And they are nocturnal, so playing at night is difficult when you have kids that need to sleep.

There are some good suggesting already. Here are some other things you can do.

1) start by giving him his food and stay close by the cage til he goes to eat...after days he should come right away to the food dish like you weren't even there...then it is time to get closer.

2) getting closer...keep the door open when you give the food dish and keep your hand just inside the cage.

3) Bring a real treat to lure him in as close as you can...even onto your hand (but stay as still as possible until he is obviously comfortable being on your hand). (treats include insects...crickets, worms, nuts...a pet store owner will know).

4) Play together...when he gets to where he doesn't mind sitting on your hand to eat his treat...bring out the tent! Sit very still in the tent with him...like 10 min/day (at night of course). At first he will run around frantically trying to escape. After a few times he will start to play...then he will start to play on you...jumping from one leg to the next...then bring in some live crickets and he will think that you are his best friend.

5) You can take him out with you...walk around the house with him on your shoulder. If you don;t want him jumping down or peeing...then when he does you have to put him back in his cage...If you notice that he wets, after he's been out for a couple of minutes...then when you first take him out, put him right back in till he wets...this should help reduce messes.

Good luck!

A veterinarian who specializes in exotics and pocket pets could help answer all of your questions correctly. -jm

I used to own gliders. When my house burned several years ago, and I lost my baby glider, it was too hard to go and get another glider. I was very attached to him. By horrible sound, you must mean that he is "crabbing" at you. It often sounds worse than it really is. This is his warning sign that you are getting too close to his territory. Since scent is a big deal to gliders as a means of identification, one way to get your gliders used to you is to put something that smells like you in their nesting box or sleeping pouch. An old sock that you've worn for a day, a t-shirt, etc are all possibilities and be sure to change it daily so that it will always have your scent on it. Treats are another good thing. Mine use to love insects, especially grasshoppers, and this is normal since they eat lots of insects in the wild. You can buy baby crickets and mealworms, although do not overfeed the worms because they can be fattening. Your glider should have a good diets balanced with fruits, vegetables (frozen mixed veggies are great) and protein (such as cooked chicken or even baby food chicken). I suggest the Ledbetters diet or a sugar glider feed (can't remember the name, but go to www.isga.org and they have lots of resources). Contrary to what their name would suggest, they should not have an excessive amount of sugar or sweets in their diets. I also have to state here, that while they are very cute and furry, you will need to supervise your son with them because they are not ideal for small children as they cannot tolerate rough handling. They are absolutely wonderful pets when well-cared for. Once they get to know you, you can train them to jump from a bookcase to your shoulder or head and to sleep in your pocket. Again, get them used to your scent because that is the key that opens the door to them getting to know you and making you their preferred "tree".