Sugar Gliders - Cortlandt Manor,NY

I had one. Not a good idea for a 5 year old. The tiny nails, scratch you all up and they also like to "mark" you every so often, so that inflames the scratches.
You have to fix the food for them in ice trays and go out picking crickets ( THEY LOVE THEM). They will rip off the little legs and eat what is left, but they tend to throw the leftovers all around the outside of the cage. ( frozen pea skins, cricket heads and legs, etc...)

Don't get me wrong, I love the little guy and carried him everywhere with me in his pouch, but not a good idea for kids

I hate to be a Debbie Downer but here goes: My daughter's friend has one. She is 19 and got it when she was 17.

They are extremely fragile animals and if they aren't fed a special diet, they can go blind or die. She makes all of his food and freezes it in ice cube trays and he gets a cube every day. She also has to give him certain vegetables. Not sure which are good for him and which are not. But he can only have a certain amount.

He smells bad -- or at least his urine and poop do. The people who sell them outright lie to you. Trust me, I've smelled him. We have taken care of him when they are gone. You have to clean the cage every day or it will reek.

They are very difficult to socialize. You almost have to wear them in a pouch every day and play with them constantly when they're up or they will screech at you, bite you and run from you. Hers does all three and she has tried really, really hard to socialize the darn thing. (They've lost it in the house for hours at time because they run very fast and prefer to be climbing.)

The one thing that's really bad about them is that they are nocturnal. Hers wakes up every night about 7 or 8 p.m. and is ready to play for the night. She was in high school when she got hers so she could stay up late and work with him. Your daughter probably couldn't do that. And they really do sleep all day.

How about some fish instead?

I had one in college, a female. My roommate had a male. Mine was much friendlier but still not all that interested in people. I wouldn't recommend it. The reason being is they are a tremendous amount of work. They need fresh fruit and veggies daily. They can have a musky smell. They are nocturnal so not much fun to watch during the day and can be annoying at night. Even though we kept ours in separate they did play together and the female got pregnant. We ended up giving them away to a pet store because they were so much work and we felt like we were not filling their needs and we were adults. I would say they are more work then most small animals and certainly more work then a cat.

Sounds good on paper. Unfortunately from what I understand, they are fragile and not very social. I don't really think it would be a good pet for such a young child. Yes, they're cute but you should probably research something that might like being handled more. Can't think of anything off hand, but I wouldn't go the Sugar Glider route.

They are illegal in some states so you might want to check that out before you go any further.

I would think that they are a little too fragile for a 5 year old... but i wouldnt know Ive never owned one. I looked at one at the pet store and the guy was telling me that a good diet is very important in their health. I would do a lot of research.

Ive never heard of them but after googling them & reading the wikipedia, I want one too! makes me think of little kangaroos, with them living in mamas pouch & being called Joeys as babies... OMG, CUTE!!!

This is an interesting question... very interested to see your responses... my son has asked about them too...

if you research them, it says that they are very needy and they require alot of attention and you need more than one. I was wanting one till i read about them and found it would be a full time job. Not to mention that they are up all night and sleep all day...

Sugar gliders are a lot harder to take care of than most people realize. They are social animals so it is recommended that you have more than one and you often have to have a male/female combo. They are nocturnal creatures so for the most part they will be sleeping while your daughter is awake and vice versa. They can bite and often do especially when they are bothered. They are small and very fragile. Not really the ideal pet for a 5 year old.

I do not have one but the people next door do. I take care of her while they are gone. She sleeps all day and I leave her in their home in her cage. She really is not real trouble at all.