what do you know about sugar gliders?

[n2dzny]

My friend got one this week & I have never heard of them. Anyone out there have one? Know of someone who does?



Sorry, I tried to insert a pic, but I couldn't figure it out.....

 

[Cantw8]

OMG, aren't they adorable???? I had looked into getting one but it looked like they are way too high maintenance for me. They are nocturnal and from what I have read, they need a big room all to themselves so they can "fly". I wish your friend the best of luck with it.

 

[John VN]

Niece has had one for a number of years. Also a cat and as of this past weekend a new German Shepperd.

Cute little big eyed bugger but not for me.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

There were some people at our mall back before Christmas selling those things. My kids were enamored so we stopped to look at them and listen to one guy's spiel. He said how they were great pets, that they are not recognized as prey by cats or dogs (although I can't see my cat *not* chasing some little critter that's flying through the air), and are really low maintenance, like they only pee once a day and poop once a week or some such. And he kept saying how cheap they are compared to dogs and cats because they don't need to go to the vet, as they're not susceptible to rabies or other illnesses and eat very little. I flipped through the brochure and noticed there was no price anywhere in it so I asked. Turns out one costs $589 and you could get a pair for something like $750-800. We quickly left!

 

[FredinFL]

LOL...think of THAT coming out you in the night.

 

[Cantw8]

There were some people at our mall back before Christmas selling those things. My kids were enamored so we stopped to look at them and listen to one guy's spiel. He said how they were great pets, that they are not recognized as prey by cats or dogs (although I can't see my cat *not* chasing some little critter that's flying through the air), and are really low maintenance, like they only pee once a day and poop once a week or some such. And he kept saying how cheap they are compared to dogs and cats because they don't need to go to the vet, as they're not susceptible to rabies or other illnesses and eat very little. I flipped through the brochure and noticed there was no price anywhere in it so I asked. Turns out one costs $589 and you could get a pair for something like $750-800. We quickly left!

That's the other thing I read about them...they need company or they get lonely

 

[n2dzny]

I knew ya'll wouldn't disappoint

They look like bats to me. I am scaredish about pets that I don't know & she has warned me that I might be afraid of it @ first. They have had it a few days & are already talking about getting it a companion. They have a dog & a cat, not sure how it will fit it with the other animals. They also have three small kids too, so we shall see.....

 

[low-key]

They look like bats to me.

Me too, if I had one would be wearing garlic around my neck

 

[FredinFL]

It 's like a flying chipmunk, but in grey.

 

[Cantw8]

Me too, if I had one would be wearing garlic around my neck

and a bag on your head?

 

[katesorad]

All I know is that they're illegal in a lot of places.. and when something is illegal, it's usually for a reason.

 

[TheColtonsMom]

We looked into these too but ended up with Chinchillas instead. We got our Chinchillas from a rescue that does exotic pets and the care instructions for sugar gliders were insane plus I am sure MY CATS & DOGS would think it was edible or at least something to play roughly with and the rescue agreed.

My sister may be adopting a pair of them though! The flying pic is pretty scary but they are actually adorable.

The exotic pet rescue had some really cool pets let me tell you! If I didn't have dogs and cats I would have been mom to a hedgehog! Talk about cute and bonus they eat bugs! But they are scurry around on the floor guys that my other animals would def have had for lunch!

She also had Llamas, miniture horses, 2 ostriches, a baby buffalo, standard colored and all white peacocks and myriads of other cool critters my DS6 liked it better than the zoo!

 

[Snoopymom]

At my office Christmas dinner, one of the wives asked about them. One of the other wives said they were given one...it was evil, couldn't let the kids near it....don't get one, etc, etc. and after a few minutes of trying to convince her that it was a bad idea, the lady who wanted one said, "but they told me you could train them to go to the bathroom in the sink" just as the whole table got quiet. My honest to a fault dh said, "and that's a good thing?" She wasn't embarrassed at all and really thought it was great thing.

 

[FredinFL]

My dh had a friend who had one for 6 months. It died of stress because of the cats and dog in the house. I would say it's a crapshoot on whether or not you get a good one and/or have a good experience. Remember the prairie dog debacle. I'm betting there's good reason they aren't a regular household pet.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

There were some people at our mall back before Christmas selling those things. My kids were enamored so we stopped to look at them and listen to one guy's spiel. He said how they were great pets, that they are not recognized as prey by cats or dogs (although I can't see my cat *not* chasing some little critter that's flying through the air), and are really low maintenance, like they only pee once a day and poop once a week or some such. And he kept saying how cheap they are compared to dogs and cats because they don't need to go to the vet, as they're not susceptible to rabies or other illnesses and eat very little. I flipped through the brochure and noticed there was no price anywhere in it so I asked. Turns out one costs $589 and you could get a pair for something like $750-800. We quickly left!

Okay, maybe they don't need vaccines, and really most completely indoor animals don't, but who doesn't take their pet to a vet? I've seen one sugar glider in person and it was at the vet I used to take my ferrets to (they specialized in exotics). So not only would you have annual vet bills, but you'd likely be visiting a specialist doc.

All I know is that they're illegal in a lot of places.. and when something is illegal, it's usually for a reason.

Sometimes the reason is someone erroneously thought they were a bad thing. For instance, ferrets, which are illegal in CA and some other places. Generally the fear is that these fully domesticated animals, which for the most part are sold in a neutered/spayed state, would escape from their homes and form rampaging colonies to destroy native wildlife. This has not happened anywhere. Point of fact, colonies of wild ferrets (for instance, the Black Footed Ferret) have to be protected to keep them alive. Sugar gliders are non-predatory, so my guess as to why they were made illegal in some places is to prevent illegal importation of exotics. Of course, they're no longer classified as that and most you would obtain in the US are born and bred right here. Thus, there's no reason for them to be illegal, but it's still on the books.