Question:
HELP!!! We want a pet sugar glider!!!?
2009-01-04 17:29:46 UTC
We are getting a pet sugar glider, but we can't find any breeders and I don't know if any pet stores around us sell sugar gliders. I live in Richmond, Virginia and I want to know if there are any reliable sugar glider breeders near the Richmond area or in Virginia. Please help!
Seven answers:
Ruby
2009-01-04 17:48:01 UTC
Please, NEVER buy a sugar glider from a pet store. As with pet store puppies, pet store gliders come from "glider mills" where joeys are mass-produced and taken from their mothers too early.



Many great breeders ship their joeys. http://www.thejolleygliders.com/ This is my favorite breeder. She's located in CT but she has fair prices, beautiful gliders that come hand-tame and sweet, and she's a respected member of the glider community.



Sugar gliders can be good pets for the right people. A standard grey glider will cost around $150 on average. Color variations such as white face, lion, white-tip, ring-tail and leucistics will cost more.



Their diets must be prepared at home (as sugar glider diets in stores come as a dry kibble, and gliders can very easily choke on it as they suck nutrients from their food rather than chew it.) I feed BML- http://www.angelfire.com/nb/sugarglider/leadbeat.html



Gliders sip from a water bottle that should be cleaned daily to remove bacteria.



In addition to complicated dietary requirements, they also need extremely tall flight cages (price of which can be more than $150), along with toys, a specially made exercise wheel and daily socialization. Bonding to a new sugar glider can take months and involves wearing the glider's sleeping pouch on your body so that the glider becomes used to your scent and movements.



Gliders should be housed with another glider or more. They're incredibly social animals and live in large colonies in the wild. These are nocturnal animals. When you're in bed at night, they're up and partying.



They can have a smell. It's a very faint smell, but a smell nonetheless, and it's a mixture of maple syrup and pee. You have to be standing right next to the cage to notice, but still.



Gliders make a variety of noises. The two main ones are barking and crabbing. Crabbing is bizarre and sounds like a party noisemaker; they do it when you've disturbed them or they're upset. Barking sounds exactly like what a six week old puppy sounds like when it barks. These noises can get rather tiresome because gliders are nocturnal and get very loud at night.



Finding a vet that will treat sugar gliders can be extremely difficult. Should you decide on a glider as a pet, be sure to find a vet first. Gliders can suffer a multitude of medical problems including vitamin deficiencies, which is why diet is so important.



Gliders will urinate and defecate when they please, where they please. They cannot be litter trained. It's just a fact of life. I don't mind being covered in trace amounts of pee, but some people..



They also live to be quite old; 15 years.



I've got a colony of four and they're absolutely amazing to watch. I have a strong bond with them, they're all very sweet. But I wouldn't recommend them to just anybody.



If you think you're STILL interested in temperamental, moody, curious little acrobat who barks in the middle of the night and requires a very intricate diet and intense bonding, check out http://www.sugarglider.net - It's a forum filled with knowledgeable, dedicated people who can help you decide if a glider is for you.



Good luck!
2016-04-11 04:52:04 UTC
For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/aymeD



Gotta back Angelica up on this one...I have a colony of four sugar gliders, and although this is more of an expense than keeping the usual one or two, I still spend at least four hours a day playing with them. I do not feel a cage is enough for them...mine have a converted boxroom...they require a LOT of space, and they are extremely messy. Mine do not bark but they do bounce around lots at night and you can hear them even in my room due to the thin walls. I Probably spend about £20 a week on my guys, you could probably keep a pair for £12-15 a week, but be warned finding a suitable vet in Britain is extremely difficult, and yes the males do have an odour to them. I love my gliders to pieces but they have taken over my life. They live a long time and are demanding. Please please do your research, they are not simple pets to care for. There are other longer lived exotics which might be good for a start before you get into sugar gliders.
2013-08-15 13:28:49 UTC
Do you still want a sugar glider?text (408) 471-7028
2014-11-06 11:08:48 UTC
i know think was 6 years ago.. but sugar gliders do NOT take that much money to take care of people!!!

http://youtu.be/c5xOvvv5AOk

if you really want to know what is going to take look at this guys video he is a vet. and i'd take his word before anyone elses.
Robin
2009-01-04 22:18:48 UTC
I totally agree with everything Ruby said! Completely! Expensive, they CAN smell, they can bite, they need their nails trimmed, diets can be complicated, the whole bit!



But... they are so enchanting, I just love my fuzz butz! And there is a wonderful community online that will answer any of your questions. If you do decide to get gliders, PLEASE do your research first.



http://www.glidercentral.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=cfrm
2009-01-05 09:28:39 UTC
i just would like to like to add...



i worked at a locally owned pet shop for 3+ years out on Broad St. we sold sugar gliders that local breeders brought in (typically they were customers of ours), we rarely got them from our distributors. the pet store is Perfect Pets, but i was in there the other day, and i don't believe they have any at this time.



not all animals come from these mass breeders that people refer to.
The Mighty Yosh
2009-01-05 14:47:37 UTC
Why do people want exotic pets? They are not simple animals to care for. Go to an animal shelter and rescue a dog or cat. They will more than happy to live in captivity.


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
Loading...