Sugar Gliders Emily King

What Am I? Sugar gliders are small marsupials, in the same family as the kangaroo and koala bear They are originally from the rainforests of Australia and Indonesia Within that last 12-15 years sugar gliders have been bred in the U.S. as household pets

Why Am I called a “Sugar Gilder”? The name sugar glider was given to these small animals because of what they like to eat, Sugar! Sugar gliders like to eat sweet things like fresh fruits and veggies They are called gliders because of the membrane that stretches from their wrists to their ankles This allows them to glide from tree to tree

Classification Class: Mammalia Infraclass: Marsupialia Order: Diprotodpntia Suborder: Phalangerida Family: Petauridae Genus: Petaurus Species: P. Breviceps

Rodent? Sugar gliders are NOT rodents and therefore have some advantages as pets They do not chew on things like hamsters or gerbils do They keep themselves incredibly clean and therefore do not need to be bathed Not only this but when they are fed right they have no noticeable smell no more gross smelling cages!

Do they make good pets? Sugar gliders are not rodents with that being said sugar gliders, when cared for properly, can live up to 12-15 years old Also sugar gliders are about as intelligent as dogs They can learn their names and be trained to come when their names are called They can also learn tricks!

Welcome to the Family But this also means they don’t like being away from their family When owners go on trips most of them will take their gliders with them because they’re small and portable They’ll just sit on your shoulder or in your pocket Sugar gliders bond very quickly with their human “family” This is why once they’ve been bonded you can take them out in public without a cage

How BIG will they grow? A sugar glider at full length is about 5 to 7 inches in length Not including the tail A baby sugar glider is called a joey like a kangaroo They are about the size of a grain of rice when they are born Like a kangaroo they spend the first few weeks of their life in their mothers pouch

What’s for lunch? Their diet consists of 25% fruits and veggies and 75% of proteins Gliders get their necessary protein from a special pellet food called Glide-R-Chow To feed a sugar glider is inexpensive and easy! They like to munch on fruits such as an apple slice and veggies

Housing In fact, when sugar gliders are young they are better off in a smaller cage This is because they become better acquainted and familiar with their families when in a smaller cage Adult sugar gliders prefer large cages for them to play around in But it is not a necessity

Do they play well with others? Why yes, sugar gliders play great with other pets! They form bonds not only with the humans in their families but also with the other pets They become a pet for your pets! The reason why your dog or cat does not see sugar gliders as food is because they’re not rodents Therefore they do not smell like food to your dog or cat

Biting If your sugar glider does bite you, the best thing to do is to not put them down The best thing to do is to ball them up in your closed hands This will relax the sugar glider to keep them from biting you again Sugar gliders, when not bonded with a person, can bite This might be because they are scared, self-defense, or because someone is unfamiliar Once the sugar glider has bonded with someone this kind of biting will stop

Illnesses Sugar gliders can experience a number of illnesses for a number of different reasons Stress-related: Self mutilation poor nutrition Poor cage conditions Poor hygiene Increased adrenal glad activity Sugar gliders can also get a number of different worms Roundworms Hookworms Tapeworms They can also get fleas, mites, and lice

Bibliography Page http://www.sugargliderinfo.org/questions-and-answers http://www.smallanimalchannel.com/sugar-gliders/sugar-glider-behavior/aggressive-sugar-glider-behavior.aspx