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]