Sugar gliders are beautiful pets, but they require much attention and care. If you’re not prepared to handle all of the responsibilities that come with owning a sugar glider, it’s best to wait until you are.
Sugar gliders can live up to 15 years, so you need to be sure that you’re ready for the long haul before bringing one into your home. Also, make sure you’re prepared for the process of getting one home. Sugar gliders should be at least 12 weeks old before they leave their mother’s side and come to live with their new family.
Before bringing a sugar glider into your home, make sure you’re doing your research. Sugar gliders are brilliant creatures that require lots of mental stimulation to be happy and healthy. So to give them everything they need, learn as much as you can about these little marsupials before taking one home.
Things To Know Before Adopting Sugar Gliders
If you’re wondering about adopting a Sugar Glider, then there are some essential things to know before adopting them. Sugar Gliders are adorable little pets that can be kept in a pocket. But, owning a sugar glider is not an easy deal.
Essential Things To Know Before Adopting Sugar Glider
Diet
Sugar Glider should eat at least 15-20% of their weight every day. Sugar gliders are messy eaters so prepare them a box or a particular to eat freely. They usually eat sap and gum of the eucalyptus and acacia tree, fruits, nectar, manna, plus pollen and honeydew.
As the season changes, their natural diet varies throughout the year. There are diet plans which are very time-consuming and challenging to do daily. Some owners purchase pet food made of sugar gliders, blend all the ingredients, and feed them.
They also eat bird eggs, small birds, lizards, and other small prey items. Peas and corn are good choices but are only best for alternative nights. Do not feed them peas and corn more than twice a week; it can give them a stomachache.
Lifespan
The average lifespan of a sugar glider is about 10-12 years. Captive sugar gliders’ lifespan depends on how their caretaker cares for them. Sugar gliders typically live slightly longer, from 10 to 15 years. Its average life span is about 5-7 years for male and female sugar gliders.
Behavior
As sugar gliders are nocturnal, they are usually active at night rather than day. They make noises like barking, hissing, and crabbing in different situations. If they want to communicate with each other, they bark, similar to a small puppy. They bite you if they find the situation annoying or frightening. While sleeping during the day, they hiss.
Sugar gliders can glide70 m and observe to leap and catch insects. They usually use the flattened tail as rubber while they are in flight.
Sugar glider has cat-like personalities where they do what they want to do. They pretend like they do not hear you if you want them to do something they are not interested in doing.
Training
Sugar gliders can train within 2-3 days, but make sure to talk to them softly. Giving potty training to sugar gliders is pretty straightforward. They can’t learn in a litter box. But before training your sugar glider, make them feel comfortable first at your place.
Try to arrange her homecoming for a time when you have free time. The key to training your sugar glider is from a young age. It’s better to offer treats like yogurt drops while teaching them. It gives you an idea of their confidence.
Health Problems
Sugar gliders commonly suffer from many disorders related to dietary imbalances, including malnutrition, obesity, and mineral and vitamin imbalances. As a result, they can dehydrate and die in a little between 12 hours.
Symptoms can vary from one glider to another, including diarrhea, weight loss, dehydration, and loss of appetite, or sometimes there are no symptoms at all. However, if they directly contact or indirectly contact the pesticides, they can suffer from pesticide poisoning.
Can I Adopt A Sugar Glider In The Age Of One Month Old?
Yes, you can adopt sugar gliders at the age of 1-month-old. However, sugar gliders must be at least 15 weeks of age before being taken away from their home environment. Some people are an advocate for adopting sugar gliders from a young age.
If you want the ultimate pet experience, it’s great to adopt young ones for a better pet experience. However, most people believe that humans/gliders can develop the best relationship when gliders are brought home as babies.
If you adopt a glider over a year, it can be slightly more complicated to handle. The change in colony size of sugar gliders affects the babies and the parents. However, they can feel stressed for a few days after a break-up.
Is It Difficult To Handle Sugar Gliders At A Young Age?
It can be a little difficult to handle sugar gliders at a young age. You have to give them at least 2-3 days to train them. At first, it will be challenging to handle any animals because of environmental change. So give them some space so they can comfort themselves easily.
If you can, then it’s best to keep them in pairs or groups. Sometimes gliders feel lonely even with human interaction. However, you should not provide an improper environment for sugar gliders because it makes them highly stressful and can lead to poor health and shortened life expectancy.
How To Take Care Of Young Sugar Gliders?
First, make sure your baby sugar glider is comfortable in your home environment. A healthy temperature for sugar gliders is 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Remember that any change to a baby glider’s diet can induce significant stress.
Make sure to change the water daily of sugar gliders because they require daily fresh water, fresh food twice daily, and care. But, most importantly, they require routine social interactions to build trust and meet their social needs.
Which Sugar Glider Can Easily Bond With, Either Young Or Adult?
A young sugar glider can quickly bond with its owner, but the bonding process takes several weeks and should have begun before your glider is 12 weeks out of the pouch. Likewise, a sugar glider can perfectly bond with other pets, but it takes some time.
It’s essential to be patient and have realistic expectations because bonding with a baby sugar glider can take a few days or a few months. However, if their caretaker gives enough time and attention to your glider, they can strongly bond with their owners.
First, try to gain the trust of your sugar glider. It helps create a strong bond between the pet glider and the owner. At first, when you adopt a baby sugar glider, they nip or bite after crabbing. However, if a sugar glider is happy with their owner, they grab their owner with their front two feet and curl their head toward their underside.
Can Baby Sugar Glider Bond Easily With Humans?
Baby sugar gliders instantly can’t bond with humans. It takes a few days or a few months to connect with humans. Baby gliders are just like human children; they need care and love. To bond with them, you have to give them great attention and be consistent.
As a first-timer being a sugar glider owner, it will be harder for you to bond with them because the baby gliders are inexperienced with this type of situation. However, they will quickly connect when you carry them around you and the house.
Some people say that it’s better to adopt both mother and baby sugar gliders. When a mother glider feels comfortable with their owner, the babies think relaxed too in your hands, and likewise, they help bond with baby gliders.
Can Children Take Care of Baby Sugar Gliders?
Though sugar gliders are affectionate animals who enjoy company, they have small and delicate bodies. Baby gliders have super tender bodies than adult ones, so kids six years or older can enjoy and play with gliders. However, younger children are OK with adult supervision.
If you misbalance the diet of sugar gliders, they can suffer from serious health problems; that’s why you don’t let your children feed gliders. Sometimes gliders can aggressively bite or scratch the skin of children.
It’s better not to have sugar gliders if you have children; it’s risky. Kids can give chocolates, popcorn, noodles, or other slang, leading to serious health problems for baby gliders. Though kids do accidentally, it will hamper the glider.
Which Sugar Gliders Are Easy To Handle, Either Adult or Young?
Every animal is easy to handle when they are young. Young sugar gliders can learn things more quickly than adults. Some adult gliders are well-mannered and make their social interactions predictable and enjoyable.
Baby gliders usually don’t follow the rules and do whatever they like as a result, it is not easy to tame an experienced, mature sugar glider; however, it’s easy to tame baby gliders by holding them for several hours.
Sugar gliders eat sap, insects, nectar, eucalyptus gum, and honey, whereas baby gliders eat bananas, apricots, apples, cantaloupe, cherries, berries, grapes, and many others.
Can Young Sugar Gliders Learn Things Fast?
Baby gliders bond with their caretaker quickly, so they learn things more efficiently than adult gliders. Sugar gliders are predictable in their bathroom habits. Therefore, they can be trained in potty training more rapidly than the rest.
By their nature, sugar gliders are a cleanliness freak type of animal. They will not relieve themselves where they sleep. It’s better to train them in a small room; it helps to keep the sugar glider close to you.
Seal the plug and put a towel under the door to prevent baby gliders from accidents. They can chew the wires, so remove all the cables you train them with.
Do Young Sugar Gliders Make Good Pets?
Baby sugar gliders make excellent pets for people who take the time to learn about their needs. Thus, they are not such a wonderful pet for families with young children. Sugar gliders are highly social animals that can get easily depressed when housed alone.
As you know, sugar gliders usually sleep during the day and are active at night; people who can wake till midnight can surely enjoy their petting. However, if you don’t have enough time, pet sugar gliders are a terrible idea.
Due to their small size, you can travel them along. Therefore, sugar gliders’ travel supplies don’t take up a lot of space. However, remember that sugar gliders can get messy while handling them.
Are Baby Sugar Gliders Playful?
Yes, baby sugar gliders are very playful and curious animals. They enjoy cuddling and often curl up in the safety of a shirt pocket. If the caretaker gives attention to them, they will strongly bond with the owner.
Sugar gliders love to climb, explore and are very active. They bond profoundly and enjoy spending time with you by engaging in fun activities.
Which Sugar Glider Love To Explore, Either Adult or Young?
Both adult and baby sugar gliders love to explore things. But adult sugar gliders explore more because they are mature than baby gliders. As a result, adult gliders have more extra knowledge of things and the capacity to understand.
Sugar gliders usually explore at night because they are active at night and sleep in the daytime. Also, these small animals have superb night-time vision. They also can travel long distances while in the air.
What Is The Age Limit Of Humans To Adopt A Sugar Glider?
If you are six years old, you can take care of a sugar glider, but you have to properly take care of the sugar glider. That is because they have a very delicate body. Also, they are high-maintenance creatures that live about 10-12 years.
Sugar gliders are highly social animals that get easily depressed when housed alone. That’s why it’s better to adopt free people most of the time. They quickly bond with humans if you can win their trust.
FAQ
Should I Adopt A Young Sugar Glider?
If you’re thinking about adopting a sugar glider, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. Sugar gliders are illegal in some states, so be sure to check the laws in your area before you decide to adopt one. Sugar gliders also require a lot of attention and care, so be sure you’re prepared to take on that responsibility. Finally, sugar gliders make great pets for children, but only if they’re old enough to understand how to care for the animal properly.
Are Adult Sugar Gliders More Active Than Young?
In the case of humans or animals, young ones are more active than elders. Likewise, younger sugar gliders are more active than adult sugar gliders. Baby gliders learn faster and can explore more than adult sugar gliders.
Do Adult Sugar Gliders Eat More?
Yes, adult sugar gliders eat more than young sugar gliders. They have to eat about 15-20% of their weight every day. Therefore, they need extra nutrients from sugar glider pellets found in pet stores.
Experts recommend that you need to feed them low-calcium and low-oxalate green like bibb lettuce, radicchio, arugula, or dill. Also, you can give your glider some corn or mealworms as a treat.
Conclusion
Sugar gliders are playful, energetic, and social pets. However, they require a great deal of specialized care. Children who are older than six years can handle sugar gliders. Younger kids can hamper them by holding them tightly.
But sugar gliders make excellent pets for people who take the time to learn about their needs and have patience. Humans can bond quickly with a sugar glider by giving more time to gliders and winning their trust.
It’s better to adopt sugar gliders at a young age; that is when they are 15 weeks of age. Adopting a young sugar glider will be more fun. You can train them efficiently and travel with them as they are small and easy to carry in pockets.