Sugar glider advice. . . To get or not to get

[tay_boe]

Ok I have wanted one of these little cuties 4 a while but I just bought my own home so now I have the opportunity. Of course I'll do my homework before buying, but does anyone have any advice?

 

[Teach97]

They need early and often socializing to make them good pets...They have a tendency to mess-up walls that are near their cages...knew a gal that just put linoleum in the corner where the cage was...walls and floor

I don't think they make very good pets but most don't think snakes do and I love mine...

 

[Junkmanme]

Having grown up and presently living in an area where the only snakes are rattlesnakes and bull-snakes (that resemble rattlesnakes), I think that anyone who has a sleazy snake for a pet is undoubtedly a candidate for the "FUNNY-FARM".

INSANITY !!!

-Junkmanme-

P.S. Pets are supposed to LIKE and APPRECIATE you (except cats). WHY have a snake?

 

[chickbea]

Just do your homework first:
1. In some states it is illegal to own them as pets
2. They are nocturnal
3. You may want to check if there is a vet in your area who is familiar with them.
4. Know your source - be sure you aren't buying wild trapped stock.

 

[ranchhand]

My SIL had sugar gliders- she cleaned the cage every day and the whole house still stunk. She had hopes of breeding them and selling the extras. They bred plenty- but she couldn't even give them away. The fad has passed and people aren't as interested.

I'd suggest doing more research and thinking on it first.

 

[shelleyb1969]

I used to have them before my son was born. Definitely do your homework. They need a specialized diet that requires a little more effort than most pets. Also, their excrement has a VERY bad odor, more so than your common pet. With the right diet, the odor can actually be minimized, though. Since they are nocturnal, they're very fussy if you disturb them during the day. If you want to "play" with them, you need to plan to do so at night. Since they are so inactive during the day, a lot of owners find them boring and end up getting rid of them.

 

[tay_boe]

Wow thanks 4 the advice! They are legal here. I had no idea the poo was so bad. Hmm I dk if I can handle that. I had a squirrel that my brothers gave me. I think it fell out of the tree but I hand raised it and it was the coolest pet ever! It's poo didn't stink though lol. I could let it out and it would follow me through the house. I guess that's kinda what I expected out of a sugar glider.

 

[Sjisty]

I had a sugar glider for about 3 years. She was a really neat pet. My only problem was I didn't do enough research on the diet and she ended up with health problems because I didn't feed her right. I cleaned the cage every day and never noticed a problem with smell. I used take her everywhere in my pocket.

 

[TeamChaos]

I had sugar gliders for many years, even ended up taking in a lot of little ones that had fad owners that didn't understand that an exotic animal takes WORK. Yes, they need a special diet (I fed a modified ledbetter/ taronga zoo diet) and they can be stinky (males have scent glands on their heads and will rub their "perfume" on everything- I managed it with Nature's Miracle, good smelling branches in their cage and I never ever cleaned a cage completely as they will superstink up an environment that doesn't carry their mark) but I also found them to be very intelligent, strongly bonded and well worth the effort. They are nocturnal and can be pretty wicked with their claws and 42 teeth if you push their buttons. They can live up to forty years and yes, they can breed far beyond one's ability to rehome- another reason why I ended up taking in so many... oh, and they can breed between cage bars, heh.

 

[tay_boe]

Oh wow productive little guys! How bad are the females with odor? Do both sexes bond as easily?