Just a page about these adorable little creatures. None of the pictures are mine, I will do my best to put the source of each picture.
Some Facts about the Sugar Glider
Life Span: Sugar gliders live about 10-15 years in captivity.
Size: The sugar glider'd body is about 5-6 inches long, and the tail adds another 6 inches. They weigh only 4-5.5 oz (100-160 grams).
Natural Distribution: Sugar gliders are native to Australia (Eastern part), Papua New Guinea and parts of Indonesia.
Description: Sugar gliders are marsupials; the young are born very immature and grow in a pouch on the mother's abdomen. Sugar gliders have furry membranes that extend from their wrists to their ankles (the membrane is called a patagium) that allows them to glide through the air. In the wild they move from tree to tree by gliding. Their hind feet have a large, opposable big toe that helps them grip branches, and the second and third toe forms a grooming comb.
Temperament: Sugar gliders are very social and need and crave lots of companionship. This makes them bond well to their owners, and if you can provide a lot of attention and spend the necessary time with your glider, keeping a single glider can work. Otherwise, consider keeping more than one glider, ideally a same sex pair (or a female and neutered male) to prevent repeated breeding. Introducing adults is difficult though so it is best to raise them together from a young age.
Habits: Sugar gliders are nocturnal so they will be most active during the night. They will usually be happy to spend time with their owners during the day though - sleeping in a pocket or bonding pouch.
Diet: In the wild sugar gliders eat a variety of plants and insects. During the summer when insects are abundant, insects make up the majority of diets. In the winter when insects are less abundant they rely more on plants such as acacia gum, eucalyptus sap and various nectars. Sugar gliders will also eat manna, a sugar left behind from sap flow, and honeydew, a sugar left behind by insects. When kept as pets sugar gliders are commonly fed fruits and vegetables, pellets, vitamins, calcium supplements, mealworms and crickets by their owners. Diet is one of the biggest challenges to a sugar glider owner as it is hard to simulate the exact diet that sugar gliders get in the wild. It is one of the reasons that sugar gliders are somewhat rare as pets is many people would rather not store live mealworms and other insects in their homes. HTML,BODY{cursor: url("http://downloads.totallyfreecursors.com/cursor_files/sugarglider.ani"), url("http://downloads.totallyfreecursors.com/thumbnails/sugarglider.gif"), auto;} A:hover{cursor: url("http://downloads.totallyfreecursors.com/cursor_files/heartani.cur"), url("http://downloads.totallyfreecursors.com/thumbnails/heart-ani.gif"), auto;}
Morning Fluff: They say the Sugar Glider is so named for its preference for nectarous foods and ability to glide through the air, but the truth is it got its name from using its sweetness to glide into your heart.
[sayomg.]
We used to own a few sugar gliders. They really are this cute.
