The sugar glider is a small marsupial from Eastern Australia, Papua New Guinea, and parts of Indonesia. It has become a very popular pet in parts of Europe, Japan, and the United States. In fact, there are an estimated 1.1 million sugar gliders that live in the United States as pets. This makes this exotic and still fairly new pet more popular then the Guinea pig. But what is it?
The Sugar Glider.
The sugar glider (scientific name Petaurus breviceps meaning "tight rope walker" with a "short head") is a small marsupial. It gets to be about 5-6 inches, but has a long tail that is about the same length as its body. It weights in at 4-5 ounces. For the most part the sugar glider is shades of gray. Its face is often lighter and it has a dark gray to black marking that goes down its body. The tip of the tail is usually black. Dark markings are on also on the face and legs. Other colors do exist, but this is the most common one.
What's In a Name.
The sugar glider gets its common name from two descriptive elements. The first is "sugar" which it gets from its sweet tooth. In the wild sugar gliders eat a wide variety of sweet foods. This includes gum, sap, nectar, and honeydew (a sweet substance secreted by insects that eat nectar). While they also eat insects, small animals, and eggs, it is for their love of sweets that give them the name sugar glider.
The second potion of their name comes from what they can do. They have a furry membrane that stretches from their wrists to their ankles. This membrane, called a patagium, allows them to glide from tree to tree and branch to branch. During the gliding process their tails act as a steering device and their large opposable thumbs on their feet help them to grip branches. They get term glider because they are able to glide, similarly to flying squirrels (though they are not related).
Males and Females.
Males have a diamond shaped scent gland on the tops of their heads. This area tends to be bald. Other scent glands are located on the chest and genitals. The female has a pouch which the young are grown in. There is also a scent gland near the pouch.
Reproduction.
Sugar gliders breed and produce offspring once a year in the wild and two to three times (sometimes even four times) a year in captivity. Usually they have one or two babies each time. Very rarely it will be seen that they have triplets, but more then three babies is extremely rare. While they do not mate for life, they do form strong bonds and are difficult to introduce to one another as adults. Therefore keeping them in pairs works best. In the wild it is one female who lives with six males. There will be an alpha male who will breed with the female most often, however the other males usually have the chance to breed. All of them are unrelated keeping the gene pool open.
The babies are born at a very early stage of development after about 16 days gestation. The mother will lick a trail from her cloaca to her pouch which the babies crawl up. In the pouch they spend 63-70 days developing while attached to a nipple. They will crawl out of the pouch with their eyes still closed and very lightly furred. In the next few week they will develop more fur, open their eyes (usually about 10-14 days out of pouch), and begin to explore. These babies, called joeys, will stay with their mom and dad. The father will babysit when the mother needs a break, wash his young, and help keep them warm. After five weeks the joeys will be weaned and after 8-10 weeks it will be time to separate them from their parents.
Companionship.
Sugar gliders are very social animals and as such they need a lot of companionship. They bond well to their owners and do best in pairs or small groups. They can be kept as breeding pairs, a female and a neutered male, or in same sex pairs and do well. However, if they don't get enough attention from their owners and or they don't have a cage mate they can become lonely, depressed, ill, and even die. Companionship is very important for their health.
In the wild small groups, usually consisting of 15-30 animals. However, in times of good feeding they may be seen in groups as large as 50 animals. All the animals sleep together in a nest, usually found in wholes in the trees they live in. They are seen playing together, eating together, and spending most of the nights together in the trees (wild sugar gliders will rarely touch the ground, if ever).
Captivity.
This exotic animal can make a great pet, as long as their owners understands their needs and has the extra time to take care of them. They need a complicated diet of pellet foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, lots of protein and live bugs whenever possible. Their dietary needs are part of what takes time, but their companionship needs are also important. They should be gotten out of the cage each day and should spend an hour or two (minimum) with their owners. Part of this can be during the day hours while they are sleepy, but at least some of this time should be in the evening or night hours when they are awake. They also need a large cage with lots of toys, branches, perches, and things to do. This is to keep them entertained and allow them to get the exercise that they need.
Sugar gliders are fascinating animals. With large eyes and small furry bodies they spark the "awww" in a lot of people. It is easy to fall in love with them and to desire one for your very own. However, it is important that you learn all you can about sugar gliders before you go out and buy one. With their special needs many families and adults find that they don't have what it takes to raise a sugar glider. With a lifespan of 8-12 years in the wild and 10-15 years in captivity it is important that people make long term commitments to these wonderful little creatures before bringing them home. Sugar gliders, beautiful animals from down under.