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Are you considering purchasing a sugar glider?
Sugar gliders serve as excellent pets for any animal enthusiast. They’re known to be social and curious, perfect for anyone who wants a pet they need to handle often. But you might want to know how to get a sugar glider and prepare for it to come home. What kind of pet owner works best with a sugar glider?
We personally think sugar gliders make fantastic pets and have compiled this guide to keeping one healthy, safe, and happy. Check out our guide below!
What Is a Sugar Glider?
Sugar gliders hail from Australia and sport a similar appearance to squirrels. They’re tiny marsupials that, when full-grown, will fit into the palm of your hand.
Many sugar gliders have either white bodies or gray ones with black markings. They also possess webbing that allows them to glide when they jump, almost as if they are flying.
Sugar gliders often display a very social temperament. They love being around other sugar gliders and often feel comfortable enough with humans to jump into their hands. They also are very nimble and quick and love to climb.
Yet, sugar gliders are nocturnal, so they love to cuddle up in a nest during the daytime.
What Kind of Pet Owner Thrives with a Sugar Glider?
Sugar gliders require a fair amount of owner attention. In general, they have quite excitable temperaments, and you need to handle them frequently to keep them tame. Fortunately, they fit neatly into the front of a shirt pocket, so you can keep them in there and carry them kangaroo-style as you go about your day.
Since sugar gliders require such constant interaction, the ideal owner has a decent amount of time in their schedule to care for them. You’ll also want to carefully consider their schedule. Their nocturnal nature might make them more active at night, which means they may not be ideal for those easily woken by animal noises.
Yet, you can train them to sleep at night instead of during the day, which helps keep them on your schedule.
If you want to buy a sugar glider, you should consider getting more than one. They love being able to play with other sugar gliders and easily become lonely if they don’t have a companion. Yet, they don’t typically do well in a home with other types of pets.
Preparing for a Sugar Glider to Come Home
So, do you think you would make a fantastic sugar glider parent? If so, it’s time to learn a thing or two about how to get a sugar glider and prepare to have one (or several) in your home.
There are a few steps to getting a sugar glider, and we’ll go into all of them in the sections below!
Learn About Their Diet
Sugar gliders aren’t the kind of animal that can eat pretty much anything and be fine. In fact, they have a very particular diet, so before you bring one home, you need to know how to feed it.
Just like their name implies, sugar gliders adore sweet foods. Yet, these are actually very harmful to these little creatures, so it’s important to keep sweet-tasting foods away from them. Instead, feed them insects, mealworms, and fruit. They also can drink nectar and tree sap to satisfy their sweet tooth.
Create a Sugar Glider-Friendly Environment
Sugar gliders require their own environment, and prospective owners should take great care to build them one that suits their needs before bringing them home.
Since sugar gliders have such excitable dispositions, they need an equally exciting environment. A good environment consists of a place with a variety of levels for them to climb on, cozy nesting places, ropes, and a hamster wheel. Most environments also include a feeding and watering station.
If sugar gliders don’t have an exciting environment, they might grow depressed. They do well in cage wire containments, which they can use for climbing. However, you should make sure the latch to their container is secure, as they are intelligent and can figure out simple locks.
Keep in mind that not all apartment complexes allow sugar gliders. If you want to get one, make sure you check with your landlord beforehand to avoid unwanted penalties.
How to Get a Sugar Glider
So, do want to know how you can get a sugar glider and where you can purchase one?
Now that you’re all ready to provide a loving home to a sugar glider or two (or three), it’s time to start looking for places that sell them.
First, consider adopting a sugar glider. Sometimes, people have to rehome their pets when they move or become incompatible with life in the household. Search Craigslist, Facebook, or even Google for sugar gliders, and don’t forget to call your local animal shelter. If you find one you feel will be a good fit for you and your home, arrange to pick it up and carry out any necessary transactions.
If there aren’t any local sugar gliders available for adoption in your area, look at pet stores, flea markets, pet expos, and even mall kiosks that sell domestic animals.
Sometimes, though, people who breed sugar gliders do so to make a profit rather than out of a passion for caring for sugar gliders. Because of this, you might want to research sugar glider sellers to make sure you are supporting a business at which the gliders are well-cared for.
Want to read more about sugar gliders? Click on the link in the previous sentence!
Want to Read More About Getting a Pet?
Now that you know how to get a sugar glider and take care of it, it’s time to make one of these amazing pets your own!
When it comes to sugar gliders as pets, they make for adorable, fun, and social companions. If you learn how to take care of them and invest the time in playing with your sugar glider, you will doubtless have a pet you will enjoy for many years to come!
Want to learn more about getting a pet? You’ve come to the right place. Read the rest of our pet-related articles today!
