by Susan Overbey

Created on: March 02, 2009

The Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps) is an adorable little creature belonging to the same order that includes kangaroos, opossums, wombats and Tasmanian devils. It is a possum thought to have been around for 1.6 million years and counting. It is a small arboreal marsupial that native to the forests of Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea and in neighboring islands of Indonesia. .

Sugar Gliders tend to weight between 90 and 150 grams (3 to 5.3 oz) and their soft fur is usually a pearly gray, with black and cream patches on its belly. The ears are often black or gray. However, other color variations include leucistic, decreased pigmentation, and albino recessive traits. Northern Sugar Gliders tend to be brown colored rather than gray and smaller. The Sugar Glider is around 16 to 21 cm (6.3 to 7.5 inches) in length. Its tail is almost as long as its body and almost as thick as a human thumb making its appearance quite striking and unique. They use their tail for balance and steering when gliding. Perhaps their most distinguishing feature is the gliding membrane they have which is used much as a flying squirrel does. Sugar gliders can amazingly glide as far as 150 ft., if high enough. They posses qualities such as opposable finger and toes as well as forked genitalia. There are also wide ranges of sounds that Sugar Gliders make which include chirping, barking, chattering crabbing, etc. They can live 10 to 15 years as long as they are well cared for.

Sugar Gliders were introduced into the United States about 20 years ago as domesticated house pets and have since become extremely popular with an estimated 1.1 million domestic Sugar Gliders in homes around the United States. They are very social creatures and require a considerable amount of attention when keeping one as pet. Letting them run in a glider-proofed room, finger wrestling, and letting them ride on your shoulder or in your hair are some examples on ways to give a domesticated Sugar Glider the attention they desire. Lack of attention can cause depression in Sugar Gliders, as with other pets, thus shortening their life span. I myself play with my two Sugar Gliders for at least two hours a day. It also helps for there to be two so they do not get lonely. Sugar Gliders are not the type of pet that can be just left in a cage and forgot about. If you cannot devote an appropriate amount of time to your Sugar Glider, it may be best to either consider another pet or get a second Sugar Glider for socialization.

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