New Age Sugar Gliders
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Phone: [352]628-0645
E-Mail: daddyglider@tampabay.rr.com
E-Mail: teddybearokay@tampabay.rr.com
We will be happy to help you in any way we can. If we can not help. We might be able to send you to those who can help.
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Here are some articles written by daddyglider
Fact’s about Sugar Gliders
1) Sugar gliders are high maintenance pets compared to other small animals.
2) They require a companion of their own species as they are colony animals.
3) Suggies can and do bite if scared. They also groom and nip, as they would do to another suggie. They also communicate what they want through nips to their human parents.
4) Since gliders nip, groom and bite they are NOT a good pet for children. They can be a family pet if the PARENTS take full responsibility for the care and welfare of the gliders.
5) They should have a vet check once a year, as with other animals, to make sure they are healthy. It should be with an exotic vet, but if one is not available, a fecal test can be done by any vet.
6) Sugar gliders will and do use humans as their toilet. They pee and poop on your shoulder or on your hand, usually after they just wake up. They also can scent mark humans as belonging to their family group.
7) Sugar gliders need a diet that is widely varied. They need protein, veggies, fruit, and some type of vitamins and calcium. The controversy comes in how much vitamin and calcium supplement is needed.
8) Suggies need interaction with humans to become tame, they usually don’t come as a ready-made pet like a cat or dog that you can play with the first day you bring it home. They have to trust you and be tamed or bonded with you. There are different degrees of trust or bonding which depends on how much time the breeder has spent with the baby suggie and their parents, and on the parents' temperament.
9) The babies are not fully weaned until 10-12 weeks beyond what we breeders call the out of pouch(oop) date.
10) They need a large cage to play in when they are not with their human companions. At least 3-4 feet tall and 2 feet wide. The taller the cage the better for climbing and exercise. They also need a safe exercise wheel,
pouches or a nest box with fleece blankets to sleep in, and enrichment toys in their habitat. Also, at least one water bottle - if not two bottles so one is a back up. Young sugar gliders need a water dish as they lap up their food first, then as they get older they pick it up to eat it. Babies also eat food out of their parents' mouths.
11) After they have started to bond or calm down and trust their human parents, they should have out of cage play time at night. I personally don’t like to take a scared glider out of their home and put them in a tent or glider proofed room to play until they have some trust or bond with their new owners. It just would scare them more when you have to chase and catch them after play time. Also, if the glider is still scared in their cage and scared of you, then you are stressing and scaring them more by making them interact with you in a strange environment.
12) Sugar gliders are arboreal animals, which means that they like to be high up in the tree tops. Therefore your glider will try to get as high up as it can - which is usually on your head. Gliders can be trained NOT to go on your head by gently taking them down every time they attempt to get up there. Be consistent and they will learn what behaviors are acceptable to you.
Written by: daddyglider (Art)
Things Not To Do to a Newly Acquired Sugar Glider
Things that I would not do to a newly owned suggie and some things that are so dear to my heart that even a crying joey from Suggie's first joeys, made me change my approach to taming young joeys. Hopefully it will help people in bonding and/or taming suggies and give them confidence to not scare themselves or the sugar glider. Some things listed I would NEVER do to a wild glider or to a bonded glider.
Don’ts in handling sugar gliders:
1) Do not chase your glider around the inside of the cage.
2) Do not grab your suggie or press the glider up against the side of the cage in trying to pick your sugar glider up.
3) At first do not reach over the top of your glider to pick them up.
4) Do not laugh at your glider loudly or talk loudly around them, or yell at them or raise your voice at your baby suggie.
5) Do not chase your glider if they get loose outside of the cage unless they are headed toward life threatening danger.
6) Do not use any electrical appliance on the inside of the cage such as a heat rock or a heat lamp. The glider can chew the cord and get an electric shock.
7) Do not let your suggie play with any other animal species.
8) Do not let children play or grab your glider. Only let kids interact with the glider after it has calmed down and/or bonded with an adult first.
9) Do not take your suggie outside until it has become familiar with you and only then in a zippered carry pouch.
10) Do not have friends over to see your new pet, as to many new faces and hands reaching for him/her will just scare your baby.
11) Do not bother your baby every five minutes because he/she is so cute you just have to look at the baby. Get your glider on a routine and stick to it.
12) DO NOT stick your thumb, finger or any object in your gliders mouth to stop them from biting. You could seriously injure your baby.
13) DO NOT press as hard as you can to try and stop the baby from crabbing or biting through your bonding pouch, sleeping pouch or carry pouch. The baby sugar glider is just scared and you could break the gliders spine or kill him/her because they are small and can be fragile at a young age.
14) Don’t be scared of your baby. Be very calm!!
15) Don’t make jerky or sudden movements with your hands.
16) Don’t jump or yell if you get bit.
17) Try not to put your glider in the position of biting you. Don’t push him/her so they have to protect themselves by lunging and biting your finger or hand.
18) Recognize when your glider may nip or bite and avoid doing the things that will cause your baby to bite. Do not take the bite.
19) Try not to scare your glider into crabbing at you, move slow enough that you don’t scare the baby. He/she will probably crab at the beginning of bonding but learn what makes him/her crab and try to avoid in making them crab. You want everything to be non threatening and calm when you interact with your new pet suggie.
20) When approaching a sugar glider at night when they are awake, do not move forward if your glider crabs, raises his/her hands or runs away from you. Just stop and be still until your baby relaxes.
21) Don’t take a wild scared sugar glider out of their cage for playtime. Wait until the suggie is use to you being around or until you can approach them at night and they aren’t scared. The best way is to wait until they make the first move by coming toward you at night, this shows that they are starting to be interested in you and are not scared and running from you, but are curious about you.
22) Do Not pick your glider up by the head or by putting your hand around the gliders neck. Try to scoop them up or let them sort of walk up on your hand as you slide your hand underneath them from the front, raising your hand up as they are climbing up and sliding your hand toward their rear end.
23) Don’t use a suggie leash to keep your baby on you. It can damage their gliding membrane.
24) Don’t pick your sugar glider by the tail, you can dislocate the bones in it or break it.
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daddyglider (Art)
