# Thinking of owning Sugar Gliders. Need some advice.



## Alex004 (Dec 23, 2010)

Hello all,

I live in the Watford area of Hertfordshire and I'm hoping to find some breeders close to my area that I could visit to see firsthand how Sugar Gliders interact as pets. 
I've played with the idea of owning a few for some time now and did some research online but get quite a bit of conflicting info. I'm a straight up person married and in my 30's and don't take well to drama and arses so please do not refer me to any. I have come across AmeyZoo's website but have heard some horror stories about the owner and do not want to go down that road.

In the past I've owned quite an array of exotic pets from Snakeheads and Electric Catfish to Retics and Water Monitors and everything in between. I've always been an animal lover and have owned and fostered too many to count.

Advice and reading up on this one thing but going into the lion’s den for yourself is another. These animals seem to be very intelligent and sensitive and I do not want to in any way have one of these guys suffer at the hand of my lack of preparedness. So if there is anyone out there who could refer some good knowledgeable breeders/keepers or even a rescue (if there are any) I would greatly appreciate the help. Thanks


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## Nell (May 3, 2011)

Hi Alex, glad to see you're doing your research! there is a lot of conflicting information online about suggies. This is caused mainly by glider mills in America, and a certain vet who (sponsored by one of these companies) released a series of YouTube videos on their "proper care". Avoid these and many American help sites like the plague, I have also heard lots of bad things about ameyzoo.
First thing to do is join www.sugar-glider.co.uk as there is a wealth of info from people who've kept suggies for upto 20 years!
Suggies are amazing pets, but they do have complex care needs, the most important of which is their diet - they need a very specific ratio of calcium to phosphate (2:1) as they can suffer from hind leg paralysis unless they get an adequate amount of calcium. On the website I linked you to there are loads of recipes for Suggy food so it's not as hard as it may sound.

They need very large cages, minimum measurements would be 4' x 2' x 2' they are arboreal so height is the most important measurement. They should have lots of room to climb and glide within their cage. You must also keep at least a pair of gliders as they are colonial creatures and can actually die from depression if kept alone.They need about an hour of out if cage play time a day, and they are nocturnal so this can be late. 

Personally for me they are the ultimate pet, if kept well, think of a kitten crossed with a monkey, and that's about the temperament of a tame happy suggie, however if you don't keep them well, or they have not been brought up well I think the most appropriate phrase is a fluffy cobra! :mrgreen:


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## Nell (May 3, 2011)

P.s. I am located in Sheffield however you are more than welcome to come meet my suggies if you cannot find anyone locally. I have 3 soppy tame boys, and a breeding pair of rescue suggies who are going through the bonding process at the moment after being kept appallingly by previous owners so you can see the difference in temperament


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## Alex004 (Dec 23, 2010)

Thanks for the info and the invite Nell!

I've signed up to sugar-glider.co.uk as well.

I'm the type of person who gravitates to rescue animals just for the simple fact that I would rather give an already exsisting creature a chance at a healthy happy life than to help fuel a pet trade. I've heard that with rescuses it can be a bit difficult to bond with though.


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## Nell (May 3, 2011)

Hi Alex, all my suggies came to me as adults, and my boys fully bonded with me in breakneck speed. Regarding rescue gliders, thankfully the suggy phase has subsided somewhat since they featured heavily in the press around 08 so there aren't too many rescues about in the uk anymore. however there are generally quite a few older suggies around on preloved and gumtree -make sure you go see your suggies before agreeing on getting them, to make sure they're healthy and interact well with their current owner (if they can't handle them It's a bad sign!)


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## angiepie (Jul 7, 2011)

Hi 
Thanks Nell you have gave some great information, I have been looking into sugar gliders for a while now and I am pleaed you mentioned them American youtube clips,
whilst doing my research I came across them and it has really put a dampner on things, She was basicaly saying they dont make good pets, but then im told elswhere they make great pets.
I dont have the best neighbours in the world and it was the barking that made me unsure?
I would be devistated if they got took off me x


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## Nell (May 3, 2011)

Hi angie, that actually wasn't the YouTube bid I was referring to - the glider mills employ a male vet who's made about 30 short videos making them seem an easier pet than they are and giving appalling care information.
I've seen the YouTube video you're referring to however and I don't think that gives an accurate representation of gliders as a pet (though they are incontinent, but easy to work out when they're about to )
As for barking that does really depend on the glider, mine don't tend to bark much at all, but I know some people do have a problem with it. I guess it really depends on how thick your walls are, you can find lots of vids of them barking if you want to gauge how loud they can get.


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## klair328 (Nov 15, 2006)

they stink..males anyway.. have a certain aroma to them..


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## Nell (May 3, 2011)

I think that also depends on the suggie klair, I have 4 intact males and only one of them smells at all! Also you can get your males neutered which stops them producing the oils they use to scent. In my experience they aren't particularly smelly at all though, and are much nicer than a dog. They are very clean animals washing themselves like a cat or hammy


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## angiepie (Jul 7, 2011)

Hi NEll yes i know who you mean now they were appalling,
thanks again for advice. I am still unsure whats best but i will keep doing my research x


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## Ash (Sep 18, 2009)

Hey,
we are looking at taking on a 15month old suggie. She has been kept alone, And Im not sure how much interaction she's had with her owner. 
What should we be looking for when we go to see her? And can we still expect her to bond with us after this time being alone?
Also, If we take her on. Should we be looking to get her a friend or again, after being alone for so long. Would she be better off on her own now?

:flrt:


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## L&M (Feb 8, 2011)

*Company*

Hi There,

Absoloutly 100% the suggie will need a freind its imperative that they have a playmate. There are too many stories of gliders who are alone self harming and displaying very destructive behaviour. These are the most social animals and although introducing them can be noisey in my experience it has to be done and monitored but usually works out well if its done in stages. 

You do need to try to match the ages of the gliders as best as you can and i would recommend a neutered male for the easiest transition.

Next to socialising them with other gliders diet is the most important thing in there lives.


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## Axy88 (Feb 25, 2010)

I have worked with gliders for the last 3 years and they are possibly my favourite animal! We currently have a breeding pair and two babies. They are very affectionate when they bond to you and love nothing more than climbing all over people and darting around their enclosure.

Would definately recommend them to a keeper with plenty of time and space!


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## Miss Lily (Oct 3, 2008)

I used to love watching mine wash - their feet move so fast as they make full use of those grooming toes of theirs!! Here's a video of my sweet male Ziggy doing his washing. Sadly he is no longer with us.


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## glidergirl (Nov 27, 2006)

Alex004 said:


> Thanks for the info and the invite Nell!
> 
> I've signed up to sugar-glider.co.uk as well.
> 
> I'm the type of person who gravitates to rescue animals just for the simple fact that I would rather give an already exsisting creature a chance at a healthy happy life than to help fuel a pet trade. I've heard that with rescuses it can be a bit difficult to bond with though.


Hi Alex, have you been accepted on SGF? If not join again, we get sooooooo many spam members joining which is why we made it so that new members needed accepting. It could be that I deleted you by mistake :bash:. 

It's good that you would rather take rescues, but sadly, most people want money for their animals whatever condition they are in! I've paid £100 for a female with incredibly bad hind leg paralysis, but I just couldn't say no!


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## Nell (May 3, 2011)

Ash said:


> Hey,
> we are looking at taking on a 15month old suggie. She has been kept alone, And Im not sure how much interaction she's had with her owner.
> What should we be looking for when we go to see her? And can we still expect her to bond with us after this time being alone?
> Also, If we take her on. Should we be looking to get her a friend or again, after being alone for so long. Would she be better off on her own now?
> ...


Hi Ash, definitely get her a friend, suggies need company. I've recently had to do a few intros and (in my experience) they've not been that hard. Though it may be different if your girl has been alone for a while. Generally you should be able to introduce a glider of any age provided that there is no more than !/3 weight difference between the two (i.e. the smaller glider is more than 2/3 the weight of the larger one) age is not so much of an issue, unless you get a very old suggie who is not long for this world. As they live up to 15 years this isn't really an issue though 

If you need any help on intro-ing when you find a partner for your suggie just get in contact -I'd be happy to help


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