by Jamie Crouse

Created on: January 13, 2007   Last Updated: April 22, 2007

I've been the proud owner of a female sugar glider named Koko for almost a year now. For those of you not familiar with the sugar glider, these beautiful animals are usually 6-8 long and weigh 5-9 ounces. They are most famed for the flaps of skin under their arms that enable to glide and their long and graceful tails that allow them to steer themselves during "flight." Most are grey with a white stripe running from nose to tail. The are nocturnal and play and eat during the night hours. However, while many people agree that sugar gliders are absolutely darling, several overlook how difficult it is to care for an exotic animal. Owning a sugar glider is worthwhile, but difficult, endeavor and there are many important considerations to make before investing time and money into these wonderful little marsupials.

First, sugar gliders are expensive by traditional pet standards. A standard grey and black glider will set a new owner back a couple of hundred dollars. More exotic colors such as cinnamon and coffee will cost significantly more because they are less commonly bred. Because it sugar gliders are community-based animals, many reputable breeders will not sell gliders individually. Most will only sell gliders in pairs, making the initial purchase cost much more expensive.

Second, a prospective glider owner must consider several elements about his or her own lifestyle before committing to a sugar glider. Gliders live 8-12 years and need specific living and social arrangements. The owner must consider if there is room in the home for a glider cage. Gliders have flaps of skin under their arms that allow them to glide several hundred feet at time. The glider cage needs to be tall and wide enough for the glider to have adequate room to glide and frolic about. Koko's cage is 6" high, 5" across, and 4" wide. Proper cages will take up a considerable amount of room. The prices of cages can vary considerably. Raw materials to build a cage can be inexpensive, but buying a pre-built cage can cost several hundred dollars. Gliders need nesting material such as tee shirts or towels to wrap themselves up in to keep warm. As mentioned before, gliders are also very social animals. While it is recommended they are kept in pairs, a glider can be kept alone if the owner is willing to spend significant amounts of time with their new pet. During the early stages of a glider's life, the owner needs to spend many hours a day with the glider to ensure bonding between animal and human.

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