04/10/2021
Happy Sugar Glider Monday: While sugar gliders look like flying squirrels, they are not rodents. Sugar gliders are in the marsupial family, like kangaroos. And like kangaroos, they have a pouch in which females raise their young. They are called sugar gliders because they have a fold of skin stretching from their wrists to their sides which enables them to glide from place to place when their arms are outstretched. Gliders are nocturnal (active at night) in the wild and are very social animals, living in groups of 6-10 in New Guinea and Australia.
Other anatomical features that make them unique are their very large eyes, the scent gland atop the male’s head used for marking territory, the presence of a cloaca (a common chamber into which the re**um, bladder, and reproductive system empty before reaching the outside via the vent opening), a fork-shaped p***s in males, and the existence of two uteruses and two vaginas in females.
Adult males typically weigh 100-160 grams (0.22-0.35 lbs.), while adult females weigh 80-130 grams (0.18-0.29 lbs.). Average lifespan is 5-7 years for both males and females.
Wild-type or classic sugar gliders have gray fur with a black dorsal stripe and a white under belly. Captive sugar gliders, however, have been bred with a variety of fur colors and patterns.
Sugar Gliders as Pets:
Sugar gliders are available from shelters, breeders, and pet stores across the country. They make excellent pets for people who take the time to learn about their needs before acquiring them.
As they are extremely social animals that get depressed when housed alone, sugar gliders should never be kept singly as pets but rather should be housed in pairs. Males and females may be kept together, as long as the male is neutered after 5-6 months of age — a relatively simple procedure that is commonly performed by glider-savvy veterinarians. If not neutered, the male will mate with the female to produce 1-2 babies (called joeys) after sexual maturity (about 8 months in females and 12 months in males).
Sugar gliders are playful, curious animals that typically love to hang out with both their cage-mates and their human caretakers. Given their natural affinity for pouches, they generally love to curl up in a shirt pocket or in a fabric pouch. Pouches designed for sugar gliders are typically available in pet stores.
They must be handled daily by their owners to become tame or they tend to be nippy. Thus, they are not great pets for families with very young children. Since they are nocturnal, they are best for people who have time available to handle them at night. Given their quick movements and inquisitive nature, they must only be allowed out of their cages while closely supervised, in pet-proofed areas free of electric cords and other dangerous objects on which they might chew. "Please Like, Follow & Share my page for many interesting funny & interesting facts about many of our worlds creatures."