Sugar Gliders, Pocket Pets with Attitude.
Ruth S.B.
Sugar gliders love human attention and they love to
play. This is what makes them special.
Many people are searching for different means to have pets. Dogs
and cats are not always the best choice of pets for everyone.
Here is an amazingly different type of pet. A Pocket Pet! A Sugar
Glider.
The Sugar Glider is a popular pet because of its sweet, lively,
inquisitive nature, but is illegal in certain jurisdictions, such
as California.
Do gliders make sounds? Sugar gliders are very social creatures
and make many sounds, including barking, crabbing, clicking, and
chattering.
Are gliders rodents? No. Sugar gliders are marsupials (mammals
that carry their young in a pouch); they are in the same family
as the koala bear and the kangaroo.
I have gathered some information, and done some research. Perhaps
this will be the answer for many wishing to own a different kind
of a pet.
Sugar Gliders make excellent pets. They adapt very readily to
captivity and can develop very strong relationships with their
human keepers. This is why they would be great for people who
cannot have big pets. They are small in size, are very
intelligent and love to play. They are much smarter than a
hamster or rat and have a much longer life-span, most living to
be 10 or older if taken care of properly. Although nocturnal,
this can be of benefit.
Sugar Gliders love human attention. And they really are so cute.
They also develop very strong bonds with their owners.
An adult sugar glider is approximately 11 inches long from his
nose to the tip of his tail, but most of that (6 or 7 inches) is
tail. They have similarities with our flying squirrel. The fur is
very soft. Here is more information I have researched.
It is around 16 to 20 cm (6.3 to 7.5 in) in length, with a
slightly longer tail, and weighs between 90 and 150 grams (3 to
5.3 oz). The fur is generally pearl grey, with black and cream
patches at the base of the pink ears. The tail tapers only
moderately and the last quarter of it is black, often with a
white tip. The muzzle is short and rounded. Northern forms tend
to be brown colored rather than grey and, as predicted by
Bergmann's Rule, smaller.
The most noticeable features of its anatomy, however, are the
twin skin membranes called "patagium"s which extend from the
fifth finger of the forelimb back to the first toe of the hind
foot. These are inconspicuous when the Sugar Glider is at rest it
merely looks a little flabby, as though it had lost a lot of
weight recently but immediately obvious when it takes flight. The
membranes are used to glide between trees: when fully extended
they form an aerodynamic surface the size of a large
handkerchief.
Sugar Gliders can occupy any area where there are tree hollows
for shelter and sufficient food. Their diet varies considerably
with both geography and the changing seasons, but the main items
are the sap of acacias and certain eucalupts, nectar, pollen, and
arthropods. They are difficult to see in the wild, being small,
wary, and nocturnal, but a sure sign of their presence is the
stripping of bark and tooth marks left in the soft, green shoots
of acacia trees.
Sugar gliders love human attention and they love to play. This is
what makes them special. Make sure you bond with the little ones
when you bring them home. Since they sleep in the daytime, you
can bond with them by letting them sleep in your pocket, but
don’t sit on your glider! Sugar gliders will form very strong
bonds with their owners. One article says that they love to play
hide and go seek.
They love it when you come home at night; they are so excited to
see you!
Please buy them from a reputable breeder. You can expect to pay
from $200 to $400 for them. I recommend starting with a baby
since they do form much stronger bonds with you. And as always,
study and gather the right information to have a safe and healthy
pet.
My two passions, health and pets.
Promoting the joy of pets and doing therapy dog work is what I
enjoy to do.
Author's URL: http://www.mimfreedom.com
My name is Ruth Bird, and my passions are people and pet health.
I am involved in Dog Therapy Visiting. I have two registered
therapy dogs, one 5 year old black lab, Benny; and one 2 year old
golden retriever, Nikki. Both these dogs go visiting in senior
homes. We have made wonderful experiences together.
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