Sugar Gliders

At the Cincinnati reptile show they were selling sugar gliders and we really fell in love with them. We have spoke to the breeder twice, researched for a week on-line but I wanted to ask you all also. Do any of you own a sugar glider? What do you think of them as pets?

I don't have one myself, but a family member did. They were super adorable but even when kept in pairs, they're noisy at night. She eventually had to ger rid of them. They make enough noise for animals five times their size.

I've also heard of single ones getting extremely attatched to their owners and requiring them to sort of "call back" all through the night so they don't feel lonely, but I'm not sure how common that is.

If you're already a night person, though, it wouldn't make a difference at all.

All in all, I think they're cute and would love to have a bonded animal, but their dietary requirements and noise just isn't worth it for me. :-/

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Go on you tube and search "sugar glider bark". Turn the volume on your computer speakers as loud as it will go. Then try to go to bed lol.

They are loud. They are messy. They are demanding. They are expensive (in initial purchase price AND daily costs).

They are cute. They are unique. They can bond STRONGLY.

You'll either love the lifestyle you'll have with a sugar glider or hate it. I'm not able to care for one at this point in time, but look forward to the day when perhaps I might be able to.

I don't really know of anyone that has had them and would recomend them to others. That says a lot.

My opinion is that someone into snakes (the easiest pet in the WORLD to take care of) probably doesn't have the personality to deal with these little monsters!

Buy a little stuffed teddy bear instead.

We have them and they are all that anybody has said above. Though ours are downstairs and honestly don't make a whole lot of noise, though there are those nights when we can definately hear them upstairs. We do have a whole family group though so that may be why they are quieter, I know that when we only had 2 they were much noisier. As for messy YES they are, any fruit they will spit little chunks all over. We have put some plastic around 3 sides of thier cage to contain the mess a little bit. And they do have their own odor, especially the males, but females can as well.

All in all they are great pets if you get a couple young ones and bond with them. Though like someone said they are high maintenance, almost like a ferret or a parrot. Also if you can't be there alot it is best to get at least 2 because they can get very lonely and are said to be able to die of loneliness. I've never experienced that, but when we got our first one she was very lonely, despondent until we bought another one.

Hope this helps and if you have anymore questions feel free to ask.

Well I am stay at home right now and my husband works 2nd/3rd shift swing. So he is up at late hours and he is the one that wants to bond to the glider. He usually gets home around 3 am and is up until about 4-5 am. Even on his nights off he stays up to about 3 am. My kids (3) and I get up around 6 am so around here someone is just about always up or around.

We did watch a LOT of video on You tube about them and they seem to go both ways. You either love or hate them. We also have the dog and the 3 snakes currently. The dog bonded strongly to me, and he wants a pet he can bond with and hang out with sleeping in his pocket while he watches TV and play with late night when he is up.

The Vet on the videos says the smell is also based on their diet. High protein diets make them smell bad. And although they need protein, if and when they start to smell very bad feed them less. The smell is from too much protein coming out as waste.

Thank you for all your comments. :) It is very helpful to think of things I haven't yet.

Ever heard the term "Imprinting"? Be absolutely sure you want them for the rest of there life because they will bond with you like nothing else!

In honesty I have both snakes and sugar gliders.. they are NOT hard to take care of at all!!! I do understand that they can be noisy but this is ususally when they are lonely or if you only have one.. these animals bond like dogs do to peopl. so the like to be held and played with as often as they can.. thye ARE more responability than snakes and lizards but no more care than your dog... honestly the health requirements are much easier than people think.. the hardest thing to deal with is getting the food because you have to order it on line.. but that's it..
the calcium and vitamin requirements are the same as snakes and lizards infact you can use rep cal and the reptivte for them as well... If you decide to get into sugar gliders they are better kept in pairs of 2 and you can keep 2 males together with no problems since they are colony animals the more the merrier!!

As for noise they do bark and can be a bit messy but if you are a light sleeper it it recommended that you put their cage in a common room or living room not a bedrroom... this way they can make nooise without waking everyone but when you have them in pairs you probably wont experience the barking at all.. mine RAREly bark...unless I forgot to feed them LOL. hope this helps !!

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Originally Posted by MoshBalls

At the Cincinnati reptile show they were selling sugar gliders and we really fell in love with them. We have spoke to the breeder twice, researched for a week on-line but I wanted to ask you all also. Do any of you own a sugar glider? What do you think of them as pets?

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We have a single glider now and I really enjoy her. She is not the friendliest but is coming around slowly. We are hoping to get a second after Easter so she can have a friend. They are great pets and easy to take care of. We feed fresh fruits and supplement with dry food. There are tons of recipes on the internet to make fresh food for your glider with little effort. The noise does not bother us and my wife is a light sleeper. She will bark rather loudly when she runs out of food or doesn't like what we give her but that's pretty much it. Toys are noisy but if you have dogs the noise most likely won't bother you.

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Originally Posted by MoshBalls

Well I am stay at home right now and my husband works 2nd/3rd shift swing. So he is up at late hours and he is the one that wants to bond to the glider. He usually gets home around 3 am and is up until about 4-5 am. Even on his nights off he stays up to about 3 am. My kids (3) and I get up around 6 am so around here someone is just about always up or around.

We did watch a LOT of video on You tube about them and they seem to go both ways. You either love or hate them. We also have the dog and the 3 snakes currently. The dog bonded strongly to me, and he wants a pet he can bond with and hang out with sleeping in his pocket while he watches TV and play with late night when he is up.

The Vet on the videos says the smell is also based on their diet. High protein diets make them smell bad. And although they need protein, if and when they start to smell very bad feed them less. The smell is from too much protein coming out as waste.

Thank you for all your comments. :) It is very helpful to think of things I haven't yet.

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It sounds to me like a sugar glider will be finding a home with you soon and should fit in well.

Make sure you get a cage big enough for a couple of them buggers to climb and jump and play and run. They are feisty and love to play.

Good luck and get us pictures when you get your new friend home.

Mike

We are planning on starting out with a smaller cage as it was preferred for babies to help the bonding process so they can't get out of your reach. However in a few months we will likely get another sugar glider and a bigger cage for it to Rome around in. I am really starting to look forward to it!

I agree, you have GOT to take pictures of these cuties for us!

Id love to have them but I love my peace and quiet too much.

I did not even know what a Sugar Glider was until I read this. I looked them up and they look awesome so I started researching them. I highly reccomend you watch some of the youtube videos by Dr. David Brust you can search sugarglidervet. He seems to know more about them than anyone else I found on the internet and it looks to me like he has done more with them than some people think is possible, and he makes things a lot simpler and explains them so they are really easy to understand. I did not link a particular video because he has a whole library of them on there.

I would MUCH prefer "flying squirrels" over sugar gliders. For one, I think they are far cuter looking, and then they don't have the "smell" plus they seem to make better pets for other reasons as well.

Seem to be kind of hard to find, though...

Here is just one small article with comparisons, but there are many more out there ;)

http://www.examiner.com/pet-scene-in...s-a-better-pet

Flying Squirrels might not be as "exotic" but for all the above mentioned reasons, make a GREAT alternative to a glider ;)

just my 2 cents...

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Originally Posted by TomC

I did not even know what a Sugar Glider was until I read this. I looked them up and they look awesome so I started researching them. I highly reccomend you watch some of the youtube videos by Dr. David Brust you can search sugarglidervet. He seems to know more about them than anyone else I found on the internet and it looks to me like he has done more with them than some people think is possible, and he makes things a lot simpler and explains them so they are really easy to understand. I did not link a particular video because he has a whole library of them on there.

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Actually we did watch his videos :) I agree he seemed to know a lot about them and portrayed them in a much better light. It was funny because in one video he did mention that although you can't "house break" them if you are observant you can tell by their behavior that they are about to use the restroom and you can assist and carry them around all day without incident. When we were talking to the breeder I noticed on of her personal adult sugar gliders showing the signs that he need to "go" and sure enough he pooped everywhere. It made me think of my dog. She always tells me what she needs, I just have to pay attention.

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Originally Posted by zina10

I would MUCH prefer "flying squirrels" over sugar gliders. For one, I think they are far cuter looking, and then they don't have the "smell" plus they seem to make better pets for other reasons as well.

Seem to be kind of hard to find, though...

Here is just one small article with comparisons, but there are many more out there ;)

http://www.examiner.com/pet-scene-in...s-a-better-pet

Flying Squirrels might not be as "exotic" but for all the above mentioned reasons, make a GREAT alternative to a glider ;)

just my 2 cents...

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Interesting, however I think I like the bonding that comes with the gliders. According to the vet mentioned above they are the more like dogs than any other animal. I know if I so much go into a room and shut my dog out she will whine until I let her in. She follows me everywhere I go (at home) and will even get up at night and follow me to the bathroom and wait outside the door until I come back out. I know that might annoy some people but I very much enjoy her company. :)