by Danelle Karth

Created on: February 23, 2009

Exotic animals of so many sorts draw a lot of people. There is something cool and fun about owning something unique. If that something is cute, furry, and tiny the appeal goes up for many people. The sugar glider is definitely cute, furry, and tiny. This tiny little pet could fit in the palm of your hand, but does it make a good pet?

Yes.

Sugar gliders bond very readily with human owners. They love cuddling and will enjoy playing with their humans. When handled with care, they will come to be friends with the whole family. On some levels they are more fun then a cat because of their playful nature, and much smaller then a dog. This offers a whole new group of people the opportunity to enjoy a special pet.

However...

While sugar gliders can make great pets, there are a few things that potential owners must know. They are more work then some pets. For example, your cat doesn't care if you are gone for a few days or if you are busy and can't spend an hour or two a day with them. The sugar glider can get depressed if left alone. Additionally, your cat has a bowl of food that you put down. You have to make sure it is full, but feeding the cat is easy. The sugar glider's diet requires food in a dish similar to that of a cat, fresh fruits and vegetables chopped small, live bugs, and vitamin and mineral supplements added. In other words, it can be a lot more work.

Oh, and the Nocturnal Thing.

Plus sugar gliders are nocturnal. They spend most of the day sleeping and get up to eat and play at night. This can make it hard for busy people to spend time with their sugar gliders. It can also make sugar gliders a bad pet for children who have bed times and need to go to bed and won't get to see the sugar glider awake, active, and fun much.

On top of some finding it hard to spend much time with their sugar gliders it is also possible that their sugar gliders will make a lot of noise. Sugar gliders love to climb, jump, and run all night long. This can mean squeaking parts (exercise wheels are notorious for squeaking in the middle of the night). Things can rattle and scrapping noises can be common. All this commotion can be difficult to sleep through depending on how far the cage is from your sleeping quarters and how hard you sleep.

Two, Not One.

It is recommended that you keep two sugar gliders, not one. This is because they need companionship and can even get depressed, sick, and die without it. So, instead of taking care of one cute, furry, but needy little guy you will need to have

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