I want to adopt a sugar glider, but first...???

Question

I've read up on the care and upkeep of sugar gliders, as well as the diet. I have a pretty good idea of how much time they will consume and what diet I will need to supply. But I still have a few questions..

1. How will my cats react to one and one to my cats? It's a marsupial, but it sure would look like a rodent to them.. Is it possible for them to acclimate to each other?

2. I've heard they have a musty smell like ferrets. Is this true, how strong/unbearable is it, and can you simply bathe them so they do not smell?

3. I would only be able to take care of one. One of my cats is a male, the other is a female. Any suggestions on what sex my sugar glider should be?

4. What's the best age to adopt at?

5. Where can I go to find gliders up for adoption that won't be shipped from the other side of the country (besides craigslist...)

HELP? Thanks! :)

Answer 1

First off:

First of all...sugar gliders make great pets! But, you can't just purchase one because they are cute...or because you want one! Sugar Gliders are only legal in some states..and other states...if you purchase a sugar glider and they catch you..you cant just send it back..they put the glider to sleep. So i suggest you find out if you are allowed to have themfirst. The states that i know are illegal are California, Alaska, Hawaii, Georgia, and Massachusettes. And in Pennsylvania, you have tohave a permit. So research and see if you arein a state that allowsthem

After researching and you find that a sugar glider is the right pet for you..... You SHOULD buyTWO gliders...they will behappier and less likely to bite or be mean. They also get very lonely by them selves.

Thebest sites that i have found are:

http://www.sugar-gliders.com/index.htm

http://www.sugargliderconnection.com/ContactUs.htm



It doesnt really matter if they areshipping from a long way away..because shipping costs the same. So, it depends where you live..so idk if thse are close to you!



They will ship anywhere for a little over $150 dollars.

Sugar gliders run from 150-200 dollars per glider. sugar gliders are some what expensive to own. You have to buy a cage that is big enough...something like this:

which will probably cost you anywhere from $120 to $300..the sugar gliders diet includes things from worms, crickets, and mealworms, to fresh apples, sweet potatoes and oranges. This site carries all the food you willneed.

http://www.exoticnutrition.com/Sugar-Glider-Food-Dept..htm



But, youwill bespending a lot of timepreparing food for the little guys. If you decide to buy..this is what you should purchase from the site i gave to you:

Monkey Buiscuts

Gliderade powder

Crickets, mealworms, ect. (they come in cans..so you wont have live insects in yourhouse...get the pack that comes with

RepCal..vitamin supplement



What you wil need to purchase from the store is:

Honey

High Protein Baby cereal

Veggies- Sweet potatoes, peas, squash, etc.

Fruit- Apples, Bannana, Melons, Pears, Oranges, etc.

Eggs

Yogurt

Seeds and nuts (only to be given for a treat occasionally)



and from the petstore:

Feeders (waterer, food bowls)

Beds (hammock, bird toys, sticks, anything for them to climb)

a pouch (if you purchase a sugar glider from any of those websites..it will include it)





QUESTION 1: I have two cats.. on cat could care less and the other would LOVEE to eat them. Suggies would be fine with the cat..unless the cat tried toattack it..he would be forced tobite.or some way of defending itself. But, i suggest that you dont let the two around each other..because you may think that your cat is fine with it..but on bte..and yoursuggie could be dead.



QUESTION 2: Suggies have a distinct smell..butnot as bad as ferrets. If you feed your glider incorrectly..its smell will beworse. let’s discuss cage cleaning. One thing i've discovered is that if you clean the whole cage, all the toys, the sleeping pouches and every other accessory all at the same time, the gliders will compete with your cleaning efforts by re-marking. So what we you should do is split up the cleaning days. In other words, only clean the cage one day. Pouches and sleeping areas are cleaned on another day. Toys and accessories are cleaned on yet another day. This leaves at least some familiar scent in the glider habitat and it makes them feel more secure and less likely to go “overtime” on scent marking their home



QUESTION THREE: You can buy only one..but it wouldbe a happier glider if you bought two. Neutered males and females have less of an odor than inact males. So i suggest either of those. If you buy a male and a female..they will have babies around twice a year and they are very hard to keep alaive.. (so i would get either two males or two femailes or a nuetered male and a female)



QUESTION 4: when they are Joeys. This way they haven't been trained yet and havent had time to have bad habits. You can then train them when you get them. And adults if you buy them, they might bight...and you have no way of training themnot to because they had never been taught. So you can teach a Joey..but its hard to break an adult of old habitst.







Ihope this helped..

any questions..please email me!

[e-mail]

Answer 2

1. You should keep your cats seperate from the sugar gliders. It has happened in the past, but normally they have to be raised together. Be sure that your cats won't be able to grab the suggie's tail through the bars. Sometimes their tails stick right out of it.



2. They do have a very slight musky smell, but I can't smell either of my girls unless they're RIGHT next to my nose. Even then, it's pretty slight. Males tend to smell a bit more, but you can cut down their smell by a lot if you get them neutered. It closes their scent glands. But you should only bathe your glider if it gets something like mustard on its fur. But it doesn't need a full bath, just get a warm, wet washcloth and gently rub it off of the glider.



3. You should ALWAYS get two gliders. No matter what, plain and simple. They are naturally colony animals and are extremely social. They're nocturnal, so while your gliders are awake, that's when you're asleep. Plus, you can't play with them like they can play with each other. All you can really do is be their bed and their human tree.



4. A younger age. They tend to be easier to bond with. Older is fine though. It just takes a little longer.



5. I don't know where you live, so that one will be hard to tell. You can look on PetFinder.com, Kijiji.com, sell.com, or CL... But I wouldn't recommend Craig'sList... Not only because you asked other than there, but that's where I got my girls. I was told that they were very friendly and loving, but they were FAAAAR from that. They've come a really long way since I got them, though. :)

Answer 3

1. your cat will view it as prey. I've seen videos of cats who stupidly try to attack large birds of prey because they see "bird" and "bird"=food and to them "big bird"=feast. So yes, it they are going to attack a bird that can eat them, then they will attack a little furry sugarglider that their brain is probably calling "squirrel"



2. all animals have an odor. how oderific is your cat litter box? Do you clean it everyday? you make sure your sugarglider is in a clean safe enclosure and you clean it's litter everyday.



3. it doesn't matter what sex your sugarglider is. your cats will find either gender to be tasty.



4. once they've been weaned from mama, just like any other critter that requires mom to care for them (roughly 16-17 weeks after they enter the pouch).



5. They are bred in this country for the pet trade. check your local paper and check with local pet stores for info on locals who may be breeding. Also check your local animal shelter, some exotic pets wind up there and are available for adoption and check for local sugarglider rescue organizations.



FWIW: as long as you have cats, I wouldn't get a sugarglider.

Answer 4

http://www.gomestic.com/Pets/Unusual-Pets-Sugar-Gliders.77597



your cats might want to eat them so make sure you have good solid cage..

best age to adopt is young.. as they bond with one person usually



I see them all the time at odd and unusual livestock auctions.. ask your local livestock feed store if they have those auctions where you live..



sex of the glider wont matter.. BUT they do best in pairs ( I hope your kitties are fixed)...

Answer 5

Here you can get them at exotic pet stores.

Answer 6

petfinder.com has sugargliders.



good luck!