Tell me about your Sugar Gliders!!

[pincess_wy]

All right, all these comments about gliders I've heard in the past (and recently, in this thread,)
Gecko and A Glider
Have got me curious... what's the deal with them? Are they legal in all states? Also, how difficult are they to keep? And what kind of caging do they require...? Are they friendly or shy? I'll stop asking questions now, I think you all get the point... [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
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[savannah_babe]

well, ii think gliders do make good pets. i recommend you get one as a baby, that way you can train and work with it yourself. as for caging requirments, i use a large small wire bird cage..not like the flight cages with big spaces, they will get out. they do need room to play. they are nocturnal. i had a plastic wheel in my gliders cage, and it lit up when he would run on it. pretty cool actually. they eat fruits from strawberrys to grapes and all kinds of good stuff. they like to climb, so i kept repti vines in there for mine..he he and also a couple of pouches im not sure about all the state laws on them. id have to check on that. no they are not hard to keep, but like any other pet do need time and attention. they are very social animals, and do require a lot of attention. they are marsupials(spelling?) like a kangaroo. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] they are cool little pets, and i miss mine terribly. but ohwell, life goes on as they say. they also eat mealies and crickets, which i thought was cool. i used to give mine a couple mealies a day. they also eat pinkies, but they make a terrible mess, if ya get what i mean..lol but i like em, and i havent seen anyone who dissagrees either [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
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[hostensteffa]

I basically completely agree with everything that Savannah Babe says. Just remember they are very hyperactive and require a lot of attention. That is the biggest thing. If you have the time, they can be the sweetest creatures you can imagine, but if not, they can be pretty hateful little buggers too. Also with caging, height is more important than anything. They love to jump around and climb. Size is not too big of a deal as long as the have plenty of toys (i can post some pics, but i have about 3 ladders, a few ropes, a pouch, a swing etc) to keep them busy. Generally any bird cage seems to work pretty good. I also have an excellent list of food for them. Generally you want to feed them a good mix of fruits, veggies, insects and some grain. Generally every night I give mine a meal worm or two, some thawed out frozen veggies, some chopped up fruit (usally apples, plums, peaches and on occasion mango), and a monkey biscuit. Just PM and i'd be more than happy to send you a copy of everything they need and can eat. Another thing you'll want to be sure to have is a supplement called glideraide. It's just a little supplement that you can mix in their water or sprinkle on their food to get them some of their needed vitamins and such. Another thing you'll hear is that you'll have to buy a product called bugs and berries, I have found that as long as you give them some insects (generally mealies) this is not necessary. If you need to know any more information just send me a pm and i'll gladly answer any other questions you might have. Good luck.
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[pincess_wy]

Thank you guys so much for the info! It looks like I've got some research to do-- I really appreciate you all giving me a starting point! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

One more question, too: When you say they are very social, do you mean social in their interactions with humans, or as in it is best to own more than one?

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[hostensteffa]

actually a little bit of both. Once they get used to you, they love to come out of their cage and hang around on you and play with you. One of ours will actually make my wife chase it around the room. It will go to an obvious spot and just sit there and wait for her to tr and get it. Then it will run and go back. Yet at the same time they love to be around each other. If you don't have loads of time to spend with one, you can get two and they will be perfectly fine as they can play with each other rather than you, if that makes any sense. If you decide you want one, there a really good forum my wife goes to. I'm not for sure but I think it's called Glider Central or something like that.
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[pincess_wy]

Hehe, they sound like a handful, but really fun. I was hoping they would be the kind of pets that enjoy human interaction. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] Hostensteffa, do your three live together? If so, what are the measurements of their cage?
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[hostensteffa]

All three of them are in the same cage. They just in your basic bird cage. it's about 1 and 1/2 feet width and length and about 3 feet tall. i've got some pics of the basic setup on my other computer that i'll try to post up for you later so you can get a basic idea.
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[savannah_babe]

maybe this helps

http://www.skinhorse.net/gliders/housing.html
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[pincess_wy]

Wow, that cage is surprisngly cheap, considering the size and all. Seems I paid around twice that for my "rabbit condo," or whatever it is, and it isn't even that big. Oh, well..... depends who you get them from, I guess.

I like the idea of using the pots for them to nest in. Cute! I want one someday, hehe. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
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[Ravnos]

For mine, I bought a budgie flight cage. It has a huge door in the front, and is more than big enough to put tons of toys and climbing implements - plus it has four built in food trays which come in handy for seperating out the various things of the varied diet that the sugar gliders have.



Rav


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[ChrisAnna]

how big do they get i no they are small animals but i was just wondering
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[BWSmith]

OK, Rav's is definately a male [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img] Gotta love the bald spot. Had mine for years, she died of hind leg paralysis. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_cry.gif[/img] Very sweet. They bark like puppies. Mine was unusual. She would only bark when I was having a nightmare and it would wake me up. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img] I miss Kiwi.
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[hostensteffa]

Chris you're right they really don't get very big. At the biggest, really just about the size of the palm of your hand. Probably 3-5 inches in length not counting the tail. The tail will double the length [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img]
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