Photo from terrispettingzoo.com
The Sugar Glider is around 6 to 7.5 inches in length, with a tail almost as long as the body and almost as thick as a human thumb, and weighs between 90 and 150 grams (3 to 5.3 oz). The fur is generally pearl grey, with black and cream patches on the underbelly and black or grey ears. Other colour variations include leucistic and albinorecessive traits. The tail tapers only moderately and the last quarter of it is black, often with a dark tip. The muzzle is short and rounded. Northern forms tend to be brown coloured rather than grey and, as predicted by Bergmann's Rule, smaller.
The most distinctive features of its anatomy, however, are the twin skin membranes called patagia which extend from the fifth finger of the forelimb back to the first toe of the hind foot. These are inconspicuous when the Sugar Glider is at rest – it merely looks a little flabby, as though it had lost a lot of weight recently – but immediately obvious when it takes flight. The membranes are used to glide between trees: when fully extended they form an aerodynamic surface the size of a large handkerchief.
The gliding membranes are primarily used as an efficient way to get to food resources. They may also, as a secondary function, help the Sugar Glider escape predators like goannas, introduced foxes and cats, and the marsupial carnivores, such as quolls, the Kowari, mulgaras, and antechinuses that foxes, cats, and dingos largely supplanted. The ability to glide from tree to tree is clearly of little value with regard to the Sugar Glider's avian predators, however, in particular owls and kookaburras.
Although its aerial adaptation looks rather clumsy in comparison to the highly specialised limbs of birds and bats, the Sugar Glider can glide for a surprisingly long distance — flights have been measured at over 50 metres (55 yd) — and steer effectively by curving one patagium or the other. It uses its hind legs to thrust powerfully away from a tree, and when about 3 metres (3 yd) from the destination tree trunk, brings its hind legs up close to the body and swoops upwards to make contact with all four limbs together.
-Wikipedia
Our first Sugar Glider a white face boy
Being nocturnal sugar gliders are sleepy all day. They will nap in your cupped hand or in their pouch all day. This makes them great for people with office jobs, just wear the pouch under your cloths and the will sleep all day. They will tolerate being pulled out and played with for 5 min every hour or so, but any longer and they get crabby.
Properly Bonded Sugar Gliders Make Great Pets, Not properly bonded sugars make bad sometimes mean pet. As soon as the sugar joey is “out of pouch”, i.e. old enough to come out and be handled (about 1 month old), to bond properly you should make frequent visits to get the young glider used to your smells and sounds. This will ease the shock of being brought into a new environment. When they are two months old they are old enough to eat on their own, and old enough to separate from their mom. This is the time when they are ready for their new home and will form a tight bond with their owner if proper bonding techniques are used. Some bonding techniques include: Caring them around in a bonding pouch(Above), also when in the pouch cuddle up with them with your hand (this makes them less "pouch defensive"), letting them use you as a jungle gym, feeding them treats (sweet fruit at first then meal worms or crickets) and just plan spending time with them and talking to them. When they are young and scared they my bite. This can be very discouraging but don’t let them scare you away. If they think that biting gets rid of you, they might keep doing it, so show them who is boss by continuing to try and cuddle and play with them even after a bite. Never Hit, Flick, or Yell Loudly. Try making hissing noises every time they bite, or I even heard of ringing a bell every time they bite. There are many anti-biting techniques suggested all over the internet. And always do your research before getting a non-domesticated pet.
I pull Rocky out of his cage around 10PM, his morning, plop him on my shoulder and play video games on the computer. He will sit on my shoulder for any where from 10 min to 2 hours, depending on his mood and how awake he is. Treats help to keep him comfortable.
When sugars are young, not yet bonded, and if they feel cornered they can get defensive and noisy. This can be very disheartening when you’re trying to play with the little guys. But if you have a young one you just keep playing and cuddling and bonding and they will form an unbreakable attachment to you. The following video is Rocky getting defensive in his wheel.
A miss informed preemptive strike was taken by the St. Paul city council the day after Christmas 2008. The city council was mislead by the head of the animal control in St. Paul who claimed sugar gliders are “high maintenance, smell” and have the potential of becoming an invasive species, a misnomer that is laughably erroneous. Sugar Gliders originate from the tropical and subtropical regions of Australia and surrounding islands to the north. Acclimating to a MN winter is not something tropical species are able to do. If we are to start banning animals for their smell, there are a lot of other pets that smell worse than a sugar gliders. And there are numerous pets that take more time and effort than a sugar glider, a dog to name one. Sugar gliders are smart, cute little creatures that need an average amount of attention for pets. That being said, if you live in St. Paul, no sugar for you.
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