Sugar gliders right for me?

[smellati]

Hi guys, not been writing much, but I still read everybody elses posts.

I saw these sugar gliders for the first time on the web and man, their freakin cute! I was considering getting a hamster for my sis, but after seing these guys I think I want one of them. Of course I will be taking care of them. And no, my sisters are not children...just not responsible. I have read a lot about them, and most of the their requirements I can handle. Don't know about those purses..eh.. bonding pouches though. Don't think I'm confident enough as a man to walk around with a purse..I mean bonding pouch.
However this is not my biggest concern. I find their diet pretty overwhelming, and intimidating. I've read a lot about their diets, but I still don't feel confident enough about their feeding. Any of you guys own one of these wonderful animals? What is your opinion as to their feeding requirements? Is it really as difficult as it seems? Any advise you can give me as a potential owner and expectations, if I choose to get one? Well, actually I'll get two, if any.

[herp_chick]

I have one. Their diet is pretty specific. They need protein, which you can give several ways. I like chicken baby food. I give that, everyday. They also need fruit, I use fresh and baby food fruits. They cannot have any type of citrus fruits, they will go into shock. You need to be careful with the baby food. Get the kind that only has the ingredient and water. Like, applesauce and water listed in the ingredients. additives and preservatives are not good. I mix the fruit with yogurt every other day, for calcium. They also can get good protein from eggs, you need to hardboil and crumble them.
Now, about their temperaments. They are quite shy and take a good bit of time to get used to someone. They usually choose one person with whom they bond. If you aren't going to bond with them, make sure one of your sisters is. If not, they will essentially be wild animals in a cage. They make a very loud chatter when they are frightened or angry that causes most people to be afraid of them. They will bite, but it's not a bad bite, just a hard pinch. It takes awhile for them to trust a person, so it is a gradual thing. It's not like you can bring it home and reach in and grab it and hold it. Also, if it is out of the cage, they are very fast and will climb up as high as they can get. Can't think of anything else right now, just that they are pretty specific with regard to diet and handling, and maybe your sister would be better off with a hamster. Good Luck.

[smellati]

Thanks for your long and detailed reply herp chick. I got to be honest with you. My interest in sugar gliders is 99.9% for myself and maybe .00000000000001% for my sisters

But regarding their feeding, do you feed that on a regular basis? I thought you needed to feed insects as well? I have even heard that you should mix up their diets. What is the simplest way for me to feed a healthy diet? I wanna get some experience with them before I complicate their diets. Good thing you told me about the citrus. I did not know that.

I am also aware of their need to be handled. But is their such a thing as too much handling? I know that their nocturnal, I would imagine handling them all day would be stressful. After trust is gained, is it ok to take them places, or are they strictly a house pet?

What do you think of having two gliders? Will it be harder to bond with them?

And please, if you have anything to add, which you feel is important, feel free to educate me. I haven't found many glider owners out there, so now that I found you, I won't let you go I hope you don't mind. By the way, how come there not so many owners of these beautiful animals? Or am I just looking the wrong places?

[herp_chick]

I think alot of people are turned off by their diet. You can go to google and get a print out of their dietary needs. They can even have pinkie mice......haha. They love it, but it's messy. You can have 2, but it probably will be harder to bond. They will most likely want to hang out with each other and not you. I've known people who take theirs with them everywhere once they are bonded. Mine wakes up around 11:30pm and usually goes back to sleep around 9:30 am in the morning. My time with him is some late at night, and then more in the morning.