F.A.Q.'s On Sugar Gliders

Bonding And 2 Or More Gliders? Your sugar gliders will bond just as strongly with you, even if there is more than one glider. When there is more than one glider, they get the attention from each other if you become too busy to play. One of the most important items that you need for sucessful bonding is the BONDING POUCH . You will spend hours together by carrying your new best friend along with you if you are just watching T.V., doing homework or even going to the store. But make sure that any pouch you buy has a very secure closure. Buttons, drawstrings and velcro are EXTREMELY unsecure for sugar gliders as they can escape. You do not want your glider getting loose inside a strange building or a car. Back To Top Do Gliders Need Shots? No, sugar gliders do not need yearly shots like dogs or cats. But you do need to take the time to trim their nails at least once a month. Taking care to just clip off the very tip and no more. This helps them to move around with ease in their homes and to keep them from causing little scratches. But you should locate a veterinarian that can treat exotic pets just in case of an emergency. Back To Top Will Gliders Bite Me? Tame and properly handled sugar gliders usually do not bite. But when they first come to their new home, they will be scared and maybe strike at you. This is only because they are scared of that big creature (you) looking and grabbing at them. If they do try to bite, it doesnt really feel like anything more than someone poking at you with a dull toothpick. And in natural surroundings, gliders taste everything so that is usually what they are doing. But most people take it as biting and it is not as they are just afraid. Plus their crabbing noise is very intimidating when you first hear it. When going to handle your glider(s) for the first time and thereafter for the bonding process, just put applesauce or their favorite yogurt on your finger tips. Then they will learn that they are in for a great licky treat when you want to handle them and they will in turn learn to lick you instead of bite. As the saying goes...Her crabbing is worse than her bite... Back To Top How Often Should I Handle My New Sugar Glider ? Handle your new sugar glider at least once a day. Put an article of worn clothing in its cage so that it can grow accustomed to your scent. While you carry it around in your pouch, reach in every once in a while and stroke it to put your scent on it. Then it will eventually learn that it is your hand going into the pouch. Back To Top When Can I Show Off My New Sugar Glider ? When you bring it home, leave it to rest for the first day to get used to the new home. For the first week or so, only expose your glider to the main care giver as not to stress it out too much. Then introduce new family members. Remember a relationship with your glider is based on the purest of trust. Give it the time it needs to learn everyone's individual scents. Back To Top Is There Such A Thing As Too Many Toys? In the world of sugar gliders, there is never too many toys! They are quite inquisitive and need the mental stimulation for their busy little glider minds. If you watch them, you will see that they will use a peanut shell for a hat. And they love toilet paper rolls too! Rearranging their cage is a great way to challenge their senses too! Back To Top What Is A Marsupial? Part of the discription is that they are in posession of a pouch. Marsupial gestation of a sugar glider is only 16 days, then it is off to the pouch for a total of 2 months. Once the baby is inside the pouch, then it is referred to as a joey. It then attaches itself to a mammary gland and it develops by lactation. Back To Top How Long Do Sugar Gliders Live? Sugar gliders can live anywhere from 12-15 years in captivity with the proper diet and care. Back To Top Can I Catch Anything From Sugar Gliders? The answer is yes. It is called O.C.S. It stands for Obsessive Compulsive Sugarglideritis and it is extremely contagious. Once you catch it, then your friends will too! You will notice every other word that comes out will be "sugar glider." Things that you see you will think that they are for your sugar gliders. You will look at shapes and say..."oh a sugar glider." Or you may visit Disney World, see Chip and Dale walking around and say..."Oh look...big sugar gliders." Your computer time, housework, homework, and your TV time will become severely affected by these creatures as you will spend most of your time with them instead. And you will dream about sugar gliders. And there is no cure for this disease so just go with it! Back To Top Male Or Female Sugar Gliders? Sugar gliders like all humans are so very different that this one is a tough call. Females tend to be more relaxed and laid back plus a bit more talkative. Males tend to be more energetic and animated, so depending on the level of energy that you want this can help you to decide. Back To Top Why Is My Sugar Glider So Crabby? Sugar gliders are scared when they first come home and that huge sound is only meant to scare and train you not to touch it. But after it learns your scent you probably will not hear much crabbing anymore. But that also depends on your gliders personality. Plus the crabbing will lessen once you have bonded with each other. The bonding process usually takes anywhere from 1 day to 2 months, but it is the strongest form of trust once this takes place. Pennie my female makes her crabbing noise no matter what is going on around her. It is just her way of talking with me and she has to have the last word ALL OF THE TIME. Even if she makes her little bubbling noises at me, she finishes with a "crab." And if she does not do it I miss hearing her talk as it is her very own unique personality. Back To Top Are Sugar Gliders Smelly? Ok, this is an easy question. Females have almost no odor as they do not have testosterone unlike the male sugar glider. Males have what I call "flower power", if you surprise them they will let off a puff from their scent gland. The odor they give off strongly depends on their diet. Its kind of musky and pungent. If you own 3 or more males you will have a stronger odor as they rub their scent glands on items as territory marking. If you end up rescuing many gliders, it will take MUCH more time in care, feeding and cleaning (thus causing an odor problem due to way too many pets being in the home) so be sure to consider this before adopting more than you can handle. This does result in posts of gliders being hard to care for as the humans get overwhelmed with too many pets when they are easy to care for. Just as if you get too many dogs or cats, same thing. Caring for 2 Gliders really is easy once you get used to the schedule. Owners of MULTIPLE gliders find it harder to care for them. You should have a cleaning day once a week all noses should remain happy and healthy. Having an odor control product such as Cage Clean Deodorizer Or PureAyre Odor Eliminator coupled with regular weekly cleaning will keep everything odor free. This will cut down on odors also as urine and droppings are not puddling up in pine shavings. Plus you can look at it this way...if you have a cat you cannot leave the litterbox full or it will smell awful. Plus if you have a puppy and it wets on the floor, if you leave it then it will also smell. Personally I do not find my 5 sugar gliders to be smelly critters at all if cared for properly with the proper diet and cleaning. The same as humans having to shower each night, we all need a good cleaning! Back To Top What Kind Of Noises Do Sugar Gliders Make? There are many different noises that sugar gliders make. Of course the very first noise that you will hear is the infamous crabbing noise that is mentioned. The description for this is like hearing an electric pencil sharpener or a huge swarm of bumble bees. You will almost belive that by the time your glider stops crabbing at you, your house will be filled to the ceiling with newly sharpened pencils. The next is a hissing noise used for location of each others and their mothers. It sounds like they are saying PSSST to each other. They also bark at each other and this is one of my favorite noises as they sound like miniature micro puppies. They also make a slight gurgling noise while they hang out on your shoulder and play in your hair. I think that this is a happy and content noise for them. Another is while they are sleeping, it is almost like they are snoring by making sounds of little popping bubbles. And of course you could hear them jumping and running around the cage at night. Try to keep from having the cage in your bedroom as they will keep you up with their nocturnal activities. Plus stay away from toys with bells if you would like to get your sleep at night. Before you know it, you will be sleeping through any noise that these critters can dish out, which isn't much! Back To Top How Do I Choose A Breeder? There are many things to know about choosing a breeder. These are important questions for choosing the best breeder. How long have they been in the sugar glider buisness? Do they have a state and U.S.D.A. license for selling gliders? Do they have testimonials or references? What is their policy if you find the sugar glider is mean and not sweet as promised as in their advertizing? How much knowledge do they have about sugar gliders? Will you be able to ask a million questions about your glider, even after you have purchased and brought your glider home? Does your glider come with a health guarantee? Plus the responsible breeder WILL ask a lot of questions of you also. They will want to know why you have chosen a glider? If you realize the level of commitment that goes into the care of gliders? And how long that you will be providing this type of care... 12 to 15 years of your life for these special critters. Plus breeders will strongly urge you to purchase 2 gliders for their health and well being if you find that you will not have 3 to 4 hours a day EVERY DAY just for 1 glider, which will happen as we all can get quite busy. Back To Top Can I Take Flash Pictures Of My Glider? Sugar gliders eyes are extremely sensitive to bright or blinding light. Flash pictures of your gliders can actually damage their night vision that they rely on. If you have a good camera, just turn on a regular light and take your picture without the flash feature on your camera. Then you can use a photo program on your computer to brighten up the pictures. Back To Top Can I Litter Train My Glider? Your sugar gliders cannot be litter trained. At least this is what the belief used to be. If you are willing to take the time, some gliders can be trained to "go" in a Corner Litter Tray. Litter Box Train Your Suggie They usually do their duty while hanging on the side of the cage right away as they come out of their pouch. This is why some humans have been successful at litter training their suggies right when they take them out for play time. Remember their nature is to be hanging out in trees doing what they do. So they will go on you sometimes. Back To Top Which House Plants Are Safe For Gliders? Silk Plants, they can play in them safely and no need for water. Back To Top What Dangers Should I Watch Out For With My Gliders? The most important thing to watch out for are dangerous sugar glider supplies. Such as any Sugar Glider pouch lined or made out of FAUX FUR Of Any Type! What happens when this fabric is used is that when the FAUX FUR is washed it starts to frey along the edges. The freying exposes the filliment type threading used to create the FAUX FUR. These exposed threads can cause GREAT damage to a sugar glider's limbs. These threads wrap around the feet or little hands and cut off circulation and create the need for amputation of the very needed limb. The time that takes for permanent damage is meer minutes of entanglement in these threads. DO NOT purchase anything created with FAUX FUR or you will have to go through terrible heartbreak. Only purchase Cage Pouches for sleeping that are made of fleece fabric as it keep the sugar gliders at their proper temperature. Plus fleece does NOT frey. Try not to purchase a sleeping pouch with any cotton fabric on the outside as they could get stuck. This is why Fleece is so imprtant to look for when purchasing pouches. You must take care in keeping those nails trimmed so they do not get stuck. Some gliders are natural constant chewers and will chew items that others will not. If they are a chewer, be sure to check these gliders more often as they can get themselves into trouble. REMEMBER: We are taking exotic animals and making them adapt to our world, we must be responsible pet owners and take the time to properly care for them in order to have a long and healthy life. Do not use Gerbil wire wheels as the Wire Wheels WILL break sugar glider legs due to the limbs slipping through the wires and breaking while the wheel is spinning. Only use WODENT WHEELS , the only wheel approved for sugar gliders by the ASPCA! Keep toilet seats down and jacuzzi's covered as gliders drown instantly. As with any pet, you must BE SURE to keep your gliders nails trimmed to keep them from getting stuck in any type of material. Gliders nails if allowed to become too long will grow into a severe C curve and WILL get stuck into almost anything, not to mention the fun scratches that you may get. You can use one of these safe and fun nail Trimming Toys to keep your gliders nails at the desired length: dot Manicure Manager Nail Triming Track For Wodent Wheels dot See-Saw Nail Trimming Interactive Fun Swing dot Sit + Snack Nail Trimming Station And no matter where you purchase your pouches, be sure to inspect them closely for ANY loose threads that need to be trimmed off. Any product WILL have normal wear and MUST be replaced accordingly to prevent any injuries. These are exotic pets and owners MUST take all proper steps to keep them safe since we want them to adapt to our human lifestyle. Back To Top Can I Keep More Than 1 Sugar Glider In A Pouch? Sugar Gliders are colonizing critters, so yes you can have more than one suggie in a pouch. For proof of Sugar Glider Togetherness CLICK HERE And If you had 2 pouches in one cage, when you look in, they will be in a cozy furball in only 1 pouch. Back To Top Sugar Glider TEETH And TRIMMING Them A Harsh Look At Trimming Your Gliders Teeth This is a HUGE subject about sugar gliders and their teeth. You should read this carefully and find out what actually happens if you decide to get your sweet little sugar gliders teeth Clipped, Filed Or Floated. This is a Clear no brainer for caring humans that love their pets. First sugar glider teeth do not grow, nor need to be clipped, filed or floated as called depending where you are. I have 6 sugar gliders and their teeth have never been trimmed in 5 years. People are having their suggies teeth filed down, even to the gums to stop their gliders teeth from growing or the people are afraid that they will be bit. Sugar gliders ONLY nip at you when you first bring them home because they are very scared. Or while you hold them, some will try to "taste" for a flavor as they bite plants in the wild, hence creating the name "Sugar Glider" for trying to get a taste of something sweet. This information is found in ALL bonding sections on web sites and easy bonding instructions should be followed as directed. Your Glider(s) will not bite you once the bonding process is complete. You cannot rush the bonding process as strongly suggested on all web sites. You have to earn their trust! If you would like to provide natural dental care, just give them raw peanuts IN the shell occasionally. They will chew eagerly through the shell to get to that yummy peanut. You can even provide gnawing goodies for them to chew on that are made for hammies if you are going to worry about their teeth. Clipping, Filing or Floating your gliders teeth means that you are giving someone permission to file their teeth down, thus exposing the nerves in the teeth and causing a life time of never ending pain! They can also be exposed to tooth decay and serious infection that can quickly travel through the blood system and kill your glider. It can be compaired to just cutting their feet off so they can't jump or climb anywhere. What you can do to understand this process is to make an appointment at your dentist office, have your teeth filed to the nerve endings and then leave. You will not be able to eat let alone function because of the pain, even just opening your mouth to talk and air hitting your teeth will cause horrendous PAIN. Also think about that painfull cavity that you had and had it fixed so that you could eat properly. This is a harsh description but this is exactly what you will be doing if you think of having this done to your sweet little sugar glider! These pets have the very same feelings as we do (they just can't speak in our language) and this should NOT be an option at all if you are a true animal lover. If you are afraid of getting bit and consider this option which in a glider owners opinion (The Gliding Room) IS NOT an option, then please do not purchase a glider as your pet as this is inhumane and is not acceptable and causes a LIFE TIME of pain. It is as bad as purchasing a leash for a pet that jumps and glides. Once again, when they are bonded to you, they will stay with you as you are their new human tree! PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS, It is Totally NOT Necessary