6 days to go!!!

[Psycho]

My wife and I were discussing what animal we wanted to get next and she really wants a Sugar glider. So she's gettin one. We're gettin the little guy (or girl) on friday.... Wife's very very excited. Woulda had him (or her) this week but like everyone else we had rent to pay and all that other fun stuff. So wife's lookin forward to friday!!

~~~Psycho~~~

Ps. I was told that Phil? keeps sugar glider(s). One question. Is it really that important for them to be in pairs or groups?

 

[Valael]

I only have minimal glider experience, but I've done lots of reading.



Having them in pairs isn't essential, but it works best if you can't devote a lot of time to them. Unless you can handle them for a couple hours or more a day, they can get depressed and eventually die from it.


I just hope you're buying a glider from a respectable breeder that hand raised it and sold it young...I made the mistake of buying one from the first petstore I could find one for sale. I eventually found a guy selling hand raised gliders in the area and he checked my glider out for me. He was GUESSING it was a WC glider. Mine was a brownish colored glider and the only brown gliders he has ever seen are WC ones.

So yeah, it was also about two years old and never handled a day in it's life. It was vicious. And their teeth really, really, hurt after the 4th or 5th bite

 

[Psycho]

To tell you the truth Im not sure where its coming from except the pet store guy said they come from the same place he gets his birds from. I'm hoping its a baby too.

~~~Psycho~~~

 

[Valael]

It's still possible to tame them, but it can take a really long time.


And a lot of biting.


Some people use gloves, but some people saying if you use gloves, they'll be nervous once they DO calm down and you stop using them..

 

[Psycho]

Biting really isn't a problem. My wife was bittin by both the rabbit and the cockatiel yesterday.... musta been a bad animal day We also have a juvi iguana with an attitude.... and we own a tokay gecko (nuff said). She's just lookin forward to havin the cute lil guy around. Gotta do some shoppin for the lil guy's special diet. I swear we're gonna spend more feedin him and the iguanas than we do ourselves!!

~~~Psycho~~~

 

[Valael]

A lot of people use this food:


http://www.angelfire.com/nb/sugarglider/diet/leadbeat.html



It's kind of costly to buy the initial stuff, but I'm sure you have the more expensive stuff because you already have reptiles.

One batch can last for up to a month or more.


Toss in some grapes or something for a little extra, but I don't think you have to give them fruit if you give them that.

 

[Psycho]

The rule of thumb per glider is..
1 Tablespoon of the BML basic mix,
1 Tablespoon of fruits,
1 Tablespoon of veggies
Insects


That's the exact site I got the recipe off of!! but thanks

the thing that's lucky about us is that my wife works a grocery store in the produce dept so if she needs greens she can just take the trimmings from just about anything (mustard greens collard greens any kind of leaf lettuce.... anything that's a leafy green) and bring it home for free. I'm sure she could throw in a few "bad" ( not meaning rotten of course) fruit and veggie items to bring home as well lol

and as for insects.... i think we're probably gonna use super worms... i kinda like those guys and if the glider isnt used to eating insects their guts are easy enough to squeeze out lol;P

~~~Psycho~~~

 

[Phillip]

The best diet for Gliders is BML and I'm glad you have already decided on that part.

Next up wild caught haven't been around for a long time as exports from their native habitats ceased long ago. They have been captive bred in good numbers since the late 80s here in the states. The brown coloration can come about simply due to individual coloration as well as improper diet. Also some staining will occur from them marking one another.

Unless you can devote a couple of hours or more every day then yes a pair is best as the dying from lack of attention does indeed happen.

Not to knock on your pet store but pet store Gliders are rarely cared for properly and are usually in bad shape with most of them being beyond the point of repair. The fact is that metabolic bone disease is the main problem with Gliders and without the correct diet it sets in quickly. By the time symptoms are noticed it is often too late. Personally I would never buy a pet store Glider as I have seen and heard too many horror stories to trust any pet store with their care. Find a reputable breeder ( USDA licensed) as you will get a far healthier and better adjusted animal.

Lastly these are not animals to be purchased on a whim so please read up before buying and consider that this is a commitment of a dozen years or more to a highly social animal that will suffer if you lose interest later down the road. Properly kept they can be wonderful companions but sadly far too many folks get them on the oh how cute whim only to later ignore them or send them bouncing from owner to owner. Your best sources for all the info you could ever need on feeding, bonding, care, etc are Sugarglider.net and Sugarglider.com

If I can be of any help feel free to drop me a line as I truly love these animals and hate to see any harm come to them. They deserve nothing but the best and when treated right can be an incredible pet as well as one of the coolest and most unique exotics you will ever have.

Phil

 

[Inuleki]

yeah, that's exactly why i don't have one.... I love the little guys, i think they are wonderful, but I'm a full time college student, and when I'm not in a class, i'm doing homework.... I have time to spend on my T's, and my cats won't let me ignore them, (pushy as hell).

But, a couple of hours for just one of my pets, is really a time constraint that I just don't have... that and my girlfriend would FLIP if I came home with a sugar glider.. (she thinks they're fuzzy demons) apparently she got chased by one of them making their chittering noise, and hates em to this day...

 

[Psycho]

Alrighty... on correction, we're not getting him from the pet store. He'll actually probably only be AT the pet store for like 2 days. We're getting him from a breeder through the pet store. Second, my wife and I have plenty of time for many many more animals lol. She only works 4 days a week and only for about 5 hours, so the rest of her free time can go for the animals and the kids.

~~~Psycho~~~

 

[Psycho]

3 days to go!!! lol =D =D

~~~Psycho~~~