Sugar Gliders as Household Pets - but Wait!

Sugar gliders have been around for years, but just recently they are catching on as the "must have" household pet. These fury squirrel-like creatures are adorable, but there is much more to the care and ownership of a sugar glider than simple admiration.

Paris Hilton has a sugar glider called "Bridget Bardot," named after the sexy Italian actress of the '60s. While she has the means to hire a caregiver for her pet if the need arises, the regular folks will have to devote a good deal of time to these tiny pets.

These fast-moving little creatures are hard to tame and not easy to care for. The owner will be spending a good deal of time with their new pet. They are marsupials that hail from the rain forests and coastal forests of New Guinea and Australia. They carry their young in a pouch, like a kangaroo.

The name "sugar glider" comes from their ability to glide up to 150 feet by the use of skin flaps that extend from their front paws to their ankles. They extend their arms and legs out and use their skin flaps to glide from tree to tree in search of food.

While their diet's formulated so that it closely resembles what they eat in their natural habitat, it is still not close enough to stop the problems with their nutritional intake, which are quite common while in captivity.

This problem can cause malnutrition in your tiny pet. This is causing a rise in sugar glider visits to veterinarians, according to Dr. Brian Moore in an interview that he did recently with the Nashua Telegraph.

These beautiful little creatures bond with the humans and pets in the home and even when taken outside, they are not likely to run away once they have created that bond. They are social creatures and can become lonely being the only sugar glider in the home. For this reason, experts on the sugar gliders suggest you get two or more if you plan to have one as a pet.

When they are let out of their cages they run and explore all over the house, very similar to what they would do in their natural habitat. They enjoy going places in your pocket, but be careful not to forget they are there. If they get out of your pocket they will most likely just climb on your shoulder, they usually to not make a break for freedom.

The sugar glider can live 10 to 15 years, so it is a pet you can expect to have for a decade if you get one that is young. Before getting a sugar glider as a pet, do your research; it is not a pet that you leave in a cage and it expect it to entertain itself on a gerbil wheel.

Reference: Nashua Telegraph