First of all thank you for asking questions about and researching
gliders as pets Before you get any! These things help all of us rescues
not have to deal with the unwanted critters from impulse buyers -

the very best advice when looking to get any type of animal is to go
visit someone who has that type of animal - then you can see the true
ins & outs of their care-

reading websites devoted to any kind of animal is the same often as
reading a fan site- these folks love their type of animal so much that
they have overlooked the negatives-

i operate critter camp- an exotic pet rescue- where we care for
literally dozens of different types of unusual pets www.crittercamp.biz
so i have first hand experience with their daily care and needs as well
as behaviors etc-

sugar gliders are very cute and unusual- thats about it as far as
pluses ( yes i know there are glider fans & i will probably get flack
for this- but it is absolutely based on my and many others'
experiences)

the negatives are :

they have fiercely sharp teeth and claws- yes way sharper than
ferrets' - needle sharp claws because they are tree dwellers in nature

they generally do not like to be petted or held- yes they can be
trained to sleep in your pocket or a pouch - that is how they
naturallly sleep- just dont wake them up-

there is really no 'playing with them' it is more watching them or
having them sleep in your pocket & hope they dont bite you

they are nocturnal & cannot be turned into diurnal animals like ferrets
and cats can to an extent

they live 10-15 years

the males need to be neutered which means a specialized vet

they are colony animals and can die of loneliness if living solo -
once in awhile one will bond with a human close enough to be fine as
long as that human spends many hours each day with it

a lonley glider will bark ( a yip- like a small dog) all night

they need a huge enclosure to be healthy & happy- our 5 are in a
4'x4'x6' cage - they say that 2'x2'x2' is ok for a single but i really
cant see how they could be ok in that little room- they do need to
glide still-

they also need a specialized diet- the recommended diet is a homemeade
recipe called bourbon's leadbeaters mix - it is usually a combination
of honey, baby cereal, chicken,vitamins, calcium, juice, & egg mixed in
a blender then frozen in cubes and given nightly along with fresh
fruits and vegetables and super worms and crickets to supplement-

they can be messy & throw their food all over - it goes on the walls
behind their cage alot- and they pee on the sides of the cage too- so
clean up is ongoing-

granted there are always exceptions - there will be the super friendly
one that loves its human & likes to play to an extent and maybe even
likes to be up during the day ( not much tho bc the sunlight can
actually cause permanent harm to its eyes)

when one of ours was young we could put a harness on him & he would hop
around on our arm & shirt for abit then go to sleep in the pocket- but
by the time he was over ayear that was all done- and he was neutered
too-

we currently care for 5 of them & they are a very happy colony - they
all sleep together in the same puch all day- its is adorable- we take
one with us out on our shows- we give him lots of superworms to snack
on & that keeps him happy while kids pet his back & tail-

for someone who understands their drawbacks & still really wants them
then they can be fine- but they are definately not for most people-

compared to ferrets they are a million times harder to care for and a
million times less 'fun' to have around-
   
again for any glider enthusiasts - im not putting them down- some folks
really love their gliders & that is great - but the vast majority of
people are just not into them enough to follow through on their unique
care needs -

beth
www.crittercamp.biz 

[Posted in FML 5586]