Sugar Glider

[maryschnur]

Hi!
I have a sugarglider that needs a companion, the pet shope i bought him from could not tell me wether it was male or female so my sons call it petey, this is my sons best friend, my son has a disability. so if anyone in houston texas is looking for a good home for an unwanted sugarglider you found it our baby is very spoiled and my son hates to leave him alone while he is at school we do not care how old or what sex. so long as petey can finally have a playmate

[FemaleCheetah]

If you see a slit/small opening where the belly button should be then it is a female, this is her pouch. And if there is a bald spot on the forhead then its a male, another way to tell is if there is a pom pom looking ball on the underside near where the belly button should be then its a male.

[maryschnur]

its a boy my son is so happy thank you for the help he was worried he did not want to be calling his pet petey if it was a girl thought it was insulting his petagain thank you.
If you see a slit/small opening where the belly button should be then it is a female, this is her pouch. And if there is a bald spot on the forhead then its a male, another way to tell is if there is a pom pom looking ball on the underside near where the belly button should be then its a male.

[FemaleCheetah]

No problem I am always glad to help :0)

[Rubi2uzday]

Hi, be careful about getting a same sex playmate! unless they're from the same families same sex gliders will often fight, sometimes to the death.

[maryschnur]

Hi, be careful about getting a same sex playmate! unless they're from the same families same sex gliders will often fight, sometimes to the death.
Thank you no one ever even mentioned this to me, and i know it would matter to petey because he is very spoiled sleeps with my son when my son is sick too, again thank you very much, by the way how can i tell how old my glider is like i said the pet shop we got him from could not even tell us what sex he was

[FemaleCheetah]

I have no idea how to tell the age of a glider but if you sign up at www.glidercentral.net they will tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about gliders from housing, feeding, to bonding and breeding... this site has helped me SOOOOO much you have no idea so I would definently sign up, its kinda like petshub but only for sugar gliders. Might I ask what you are feeding him?

[maryschnur]

I already have an account to glider central but since you are the only one who answered back swiftly i tried here first. well we feed petey fresh fruits (cantlalope, apples,kiwi,pears,1slice of orange a week,grapes,pinapple,honeydew,passion fruit) and he gets fresh vegatables (brocolli, carrots, peas,corn, sweet potatoes) he also gets these in baby food form. and honey,yogurt,hard boiled eggs with the shell, cherios plain, we have tried to give him meal worms and crickets but he looks at us like we are crazy and does not eat them. and chicken and turkey in baby food form, and of course his vitamins. now the petstore we bought him at sold us these vitamins and to tell you the truth I am going to switch them out because the package the powber is in is a small ziplock bag no label or anything on it i do not even know what type of vitamin it is,the petshop we got him at should not even be allowed to sell gliders the information they told me was all wrong. when i got petey over three months ago he was so thin. they told my sons that they needed only two slices of apples a day, i thought this was ridiculous so i got online and visited every website i could to learn more(petey was a spur of the moment purchase) well petey is so plump now we have to laugh about it, though it is not funny that people treat these animals that way. I find myself at the grocery store on a daily basis just to get this spoiled brat food. next we will be trying to see if he likes raisins. I choose a natural diet for him because i would not like to go threw life eating pellets or the sort evryday. and we have our first vet appointment next friday. I am sure he is going to love that LOL! I think petey was truamatized living in that petshop because he will not let anyone near him besides my two sons and i and when he is with one of us he does not like to be in his pouvh he wants to be in our shirts and to tell you the truth we like it that way. my father is a welder and is making petey a specially big cage that will fit into one corner of my sons room should be ready net week. well thanks for listening and caring

[maryschnur]

hi i just had to ask someone about this you know i am looking for a glider for my sons petey, well there is a new post with someone giving some away, but i am disturbed because a lady by the name of karina thomas said she ahd one to give away then asked me to email her directly. i did well to make sure there was no charge for the glider i asked what she wanted for them (i would have to have them flown to me) well now she says 175.00 a peice akay i refused now she is writting to the guy who is giving his away. isnt she just trying to turn around and sell them? isnt this wrong?

[FemaleCheetah]

Wow it sounds to me like you have everything under control. We need more people like you who will actually sit down and read/learn what is needed to properly care for an animal. If you go to www.toandfrogliders.com they sell the repcal and herptivite vitamins/supplements that are needed in some of the proven diets. I currently feed Judie's BML diet which can be found also at http://www.toandfrogliders.com/FileHierarchy/InfoPouch/NewJoeyOwners/WhatTheyEat/WhatTheyEat.htm
I was also in a similar situation such as you, my two gliders came to me from a man that fed them corn, honey, and pellets not even meant for gliders the WHOLE year that he had them. I saw them in the paper because I had been wanting to buy a pair for awhile and when I saw them in the paper for $150 for both I jumped on it and after telling me the story about how he "took care of them", if u can even call it that, I simply purchased them. They both were so thin and fragile and now after being on the BML diet and tons of research by me they are nice a plump and I have only had them since December 24th, 2005... boy am I glad that I got these little ones! They are such a joy to have.

But anywas, maybe u should give them BML diet a shot... it is a proven diet and made so that the gliders get all of the nutrients that they need, that way u know they are getting the proper diet and the proper calcium/phosphorus (sp?) ratios... to much or to little of something can cause problems.

Well if u have anymore ?s just feel free to ask, I am still a newbie but spend HOURS researching and I know a TON of info already.

[FemaleCheetah]

maryshunr - I personally feel that its wrong but then again maybe she just wants to rescue them and find new homes for them... I dont know her story.

[maryschnur]

i guess your right but after seeing how petey was being treated i wish i could stop evryone from abusing these babies, i will never buy a glider from someone who doesnt really care about them, i wonder if there is something that can be done if i ever come across a petshop like the one i bought petey from. don't they have regulations for petshops you know how they care for each specific breed?

[maryschnur]

Wow it sounds to me like you have everything under control. We need more people like you who will actually sit down and read/learn what is needed to properly care for an animal. If you go to www.toandfrogliders.com they sell the repcal and herptivite vitamins/supplements that are needed in some of the proven diets. I currently feed Judie's BML diet which can be found also at http://www.toandfrogliders.com/FileHierarchy/InfoPouch/NewJoeyOwners/WhatTheyEat/WhatTheyEat.htm
I was also in a similar situation such as you, my two gliders came to me from a man that fed them corn, honey, and pellets not even meant for gliders the WHOLE year that he had them. I saw them in the paper because I had been wanting to buy a pair for awhile and when I saw them in the paper for $150 for both I jumped on it and after telling me the story about how he "took care of them", if u can even call it that, I simply purchased them. They both were so thin and fragile and now after being on the BML diet and tons of research by me they are nice a plump and I have only had them since December 24th, 2005... boy am I glad that I got these little ones! They are such a joy to have.

But anywas, maybe u should give them BML diet a shot... it is a proven diet and made so that the gliders get all of the nutrients that they need, that way u know they are getting the proper diet and the proper calcium/phosphorus (sp?) ratios... to much or to little of something can cause problems.

Well if u have anymore ?s just feel free to ask, I am still a newbie but spend HOURS researching and I know a TON of info already.
do you find it weird theat petey will not eat insects? i kinda worried about that early on we even gave him freeze dried ones so they would not move and he still will not have them?

[maryschnur]

do you find it weird theat petey will not eat insects? i kinda worried about that early on we even gave him freeze dried ones so they would not move and he still will not have them?
oh and i will try the diet you suggested it is better to go with something suggested by an informed source than trying to figure it out for myself

[FemaleCheetah]

Yes it is MUCH better to go witha proven diet.. the diet is made so that everything is balanced.

No its not weird that your glider will not eat insects, my female didnt eat them for months until I ripped a live mealie in half and she started to lick its guts and decided that she really liked it and ever since then she eats them now. My male has always LOVED them so no problems with him... I would try live mealies again and maybe dipping one in some yogurt baby food or some other sort of baby food and seeing if she will eat it that way or rip one in half and try that... those are a few suggestions, oh yeah and mine wont eat frozen ones only live :0) Something else I wanted to tell you is not to give anything with garlic or onion in it... this includes any baby foods because if given to ur glider he will die... also no nuts period they are dangerous as well. Also stay away from crickets that u buy from a petstore... a lot of petstores keep their crickets in corn bedding and this can cause the crickets to have aflaxtoxins (sp?) which will kill your glider.

[FemaleCheetah]

A lot of petstores are just misinformed... one petstore here in town had a glider and he didnt even know if it was a male or female so I told him and not to mention he was only feeding him corn and nothing else... Im not sure if there are any laws or regulartions but Im sure there are, I know that u have to keep the animals in proper housing with food/water and in good sanitation but every state is different so I really couldnt tell you.

Your glider may never eat insects and this is normal for gliders in captivity...some gliders like them and some hate them with a passion... you may just have one of those gliders that wont eat one no matter what. But like I said try covering the mealie in some kind of baby food like turkey, chicken, mango, yogurt, fruit baby foods... anything that he really loves.

[maryschnur]

you really know your stuff when it comes to gliders, i read and read and the more i read the more concerned i am some articles conflict with each other but my sons will have to tear the meal worms for him because i dont think i can stomach it. I feel so guilty for purchasing petey, now that i know him and how lovable he is i could never purchase another one from a pet store and i would really have to research a breeder before i would buy one from them to make sure they do not neglect them because then i would only be helping them abuse the babies. I don't rea the posts anymore because i get upset when i think someone is just breeding them for profit. today we founf this toy used for birds it hangs from the cage and looks like a baby mobil we made sure it was well made and non toxic to all animals well we had the time of our lives watching the little guy crawling all over it and swinging on it it was funny but he seems to like it alot. what types of toys do you have ?

[FemaleCheetah]

If you go to ebay you can find TONS of sugar glider toys super cheap from barrel of monkeys to chains. I currently have a few bird toys in their cage and the egg full of bunnies which are like the barrel of monkeys but bunnies in all different easter colors. I also have a 7 pc cage bedding set in their cage. I will take a pic of their cage later for you, I am moving this afternoon to a new house so I might not be on till late or tomorrow. My cage is not the biggest because my female glider is disabled, she only has 3 legs, no tail, rips in her ears, messed up front right wrist, and is missing a few toes on her left front paw...she was like this when she came to me. So she cant climb or glide she can only crawl so I have a smaller cage with ledges and ladders that she climbs up and down but my gliders ride in a bonding pouch for 4-6 hours a day so they arent in there cage all the time. Also at night they come out to play for 2-4 hours. I also have those hard plastic cat balls with bells in there cage for toys which they sometimes roll around.

[FemaleCheetah]

here is Baisley
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/FemaleCheetah/100_1645.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/FemaleCheetah/100_1582.jpg
1st day I brought her home
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/FemaleCheetah/100_1125.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/FemaleCheetah/100_1123.jpg

And Duke
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/FemaleCheetah/100_1642.jpg
1st day I brought him home
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/FemaleCheetah/100_1131.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/FemaleCheetah/100_1127.jpg

Here is a pic I found of there cage, its not set up like this anymore though.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/FemaleCheetah/100_1484.jpg

[FemaleCheetah]

Here is a link to a the proven diet website, just in case u want to try something different besides the BML but the BML diet is the most popular and commonly used... I like it because I can get everything at the grocery store (besides the vitamins which I order super cheap online).

http://www.glidercentral.net/links/pages/Glider_Care___Information/Diet___Nutrition/index.html

[maryschnur]

Yes i tried the bml and petey would not touch it either that is why i try my best to get him the widest variety of fruit vegetables and i do check the baby baby food baby food is always 100% organic and never with any spices or anything added. i made so much of the bml the first time because i was so excited but after three days of adding it to his feedings i realized he would not touch it so i had to go into the fridge and throw the rest away. you have an awesom setup for Baisley. Did she do this to herself ? or did another glider do this to her? I need to know because you know we are looking for a playmate for petey and I have just learned that some gliders self mutilate or other gliders attack and I am scared now. if i get another glider i was thinking that i did not care wether it was a boy or a girl then a gentleman on this same thread told me to beware because same sex gliders can be hostile with each other. and if this were to happen i do not htink my son could handle it. yoou see he suffers from severe migraines and siezures that result from the migraines since he got petey the migraines have reduced drastically his migraines are triggered by stress and this boy stresses about everything. so petey has been a godsend. that is why i need to keep him as happy and as healthy as possible, but as spoiled as he is ( he practically runs our life ) I am afr

[maryschnur]

afraid that he will not accept another glider or the other glider will not accept him and if that happens and petey should be injured my son will freak out.you see we have gotten him several pets he has had hamsters but both died of old age and this was awful for my son he mourned for over a month. migraines increased now he has 3 ducks but they live outside and i limit his exposure to them because they carry bacteria, and we had one boxer he was poisened by our neighbor (bad people ) that was how we came about getting petey (impulse purchase) we were looking for a guniea pig or some type of pet we could keep inside. and then we saw him and my son was unbendable he wanted this glider. so now i find myself in a biind. to get another glider or not. to tell you the truth i would be devestated also if another glider would hurt petey. any advice?

[FemaleCheetah]

Thanks and no Baisley did not do this to her self from what the previous owner (bad people) told me another glider (he had 14 at one time before) mutilated her when she was just a joey so she couldnt really defend herself or anything being small and all that.

Its alright to get same sex gliders but if u get a male then you should get both boys neutered and if u get a female to prevent unwanted joeys (there are soooo many in the US already) you need to neuter petey... please please please dont breed because so many gliders are left without homes just here in the US alone thousands are still looking for that perfect home. Anywas I would get him a friend/cage mate but get him neuter either way. A neutered male and an unneutered male can live in perfect harmony together and if u get both neutered the smell will cut down dramatically. Introducing the two will take several months because u dont want to rush into it so that none of the gliders get hurt. 1st thing u do is keep the gliders in seperate cages in the same room (get one neutered 1st) or if u get a female just keep them in the same room on seperate sides of the room in different cages, do this for 1 month. 2nd you will need to put the cages next to each other but not close enough that they can reach and grab each other, do this for 1-2 months perferably 2 months. And then last but not least clean the cage that they will be living in thoroughly so there is no glider smell and place them in there, keep thick gloves on hand just in case but after 3 months they should be use to each other. Thats how I would do it anywas :0)

About the diet, u MUST get him on a proven diet.
Here is a diets link you need to read through the other proven diets and see if u can find one he likes.
http://www.glidercentral.net/links/pages/Glider_Care___Information/Diet___Nutrition/index.html

It is a big no no to make ur own diet because he will be lacking something that he needs to prevent diseases and illnesses.

[maryschnur]

the peshop we got petey from said that he was neutered already. and he has never smelled that i can tell so he might be but htis friday is his first vet check so maybe the vet will be able to tell for sure. no I will not breed petey. i have no desire to have to be responsible for baby gliders. i told you about thehamsters we had right? well they were a gift from my cousin to my son for christmas he picked my son up about three days before christmas saying they had a guys day planned well, they came home with two hamsters and a whole hamster home condo it was enormous. well christamas day arrives and my whole family is enjoying the evening when my son starts screaming bloody murder one of his hamsters is bleeding, we all come to the room to inspect and in the wood shavings we find Oh about 9 baby hamsters. this hamster was already expecting and we did not even know. unfortunately i was not well informed on the mating of hamsters so i left hte little ones with their parents. to make a long story short. we ended up with 28 hamsters when i could no longer control them (i could not tell who were boys and who were girls) we went back to the petshop my cousin bought them from asked that we keep the oldest male (original purchase ) and another male companion they were more than happy to take the rest. so no I am not interested in taking care of babies. but i responded to a ad placed in glider express inregards to gliders in louisianna and she has a father and son glider up for adoption and I just recieved the information from her i need to adopt them. so i think i may have found peteys roomates and they are all boys, oh i forgot to tell you i never buy female animals, its a thing i have about them giving birth I don't like it. but your information makes sense petey calls out at night sometimes i think he is checking to see if any other gliders are in the area. or he might be doing it on purpose because every one in the house including my elderly parents come to see if something is wrong with him . if the latter is true then he is very smart. we will be having an extra cage soon. my father started to build one for petey (he's a welder by trade) but hten i read a cage with plastic covering the wiring was better because gliders apparrently mark thier territory and a metal cage would rust so my dad had to go buy the right type of grid this weekend . so he will start all over again. but my dad does wonderful work so i cant wait. and we have plkenty of leather gloves (welder dad) so thats not a problem i just hope they get along. what do you know about self mutilation and why they do this to themselves?

[FemaleCheetah]

If he still has a pom pom looking ball of fur on his underside where his belly button should be then he is most likely not neutered although some vets keep this pom pom on the males when they neuter them but if its not there he is neutered.

Congrates on the new gliders if u do get them.

self mutlilation is caused by many things one being stress and another being malnutrition. This doesnt happen to ALL gliders but to some it does. Males will sometimes overgroom their bald spot and some will loose the fur from their tails etc. If you follow the introductions like I suggested then you shouldnt have a problem. Since you might be getting two I would introduce one at a time so that the other two males dont start ganging up on petey although I have never heard of this happening but who knows.

[Emylee]

here is Baisley
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/FemaleCheetah/100_1645.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/FemaleCheetah/100_1582.jpg
1st day I brought her home
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/FemaleCheetah/100_1125.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/FemaleCheetah/100_1123.jpg

And Duke
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/FemaleCheetah/100_1642.jpg
1st day I brought him home
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/FemaleCheetah/100_1131.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/FemaleCheetah/100_1127.jpg

Here is a pic I found of there cage, its not set up like this anymore though.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/FemaleCheetah/100_1484.jpg

aww! what cuties!!! :) Baisley's torn ears are adorable! :) Poor bebe though, how'd it happen? *edit* nvm I just read your post. Poor sweetie! Well she's lucky to be with you now. : )*/edit*

Do you breed? I noticed Duke isn't fixed.

maryschnur, try Darceys Diet. It's a good diet and I have never heard of a glider that didn't like it.

Also, feel free to register at WSGN (http://www.worldwidesugarglidernetwork.com/board/index.php)

all your questions will get answered right away. : )

Good luck with your baby. BTW, he's more likely to die at an early age without a friend, so I would get him one for sure. He'll be much happier. : )

[maryschnur]

he still has a pompom, well now i'll have to have him fixed for sure poor guy. when they do this they do not keep yhem over night or anything do they? I don't think we would like that very much, but i think the gliders we get from sugargliderexpress come nuetered already at least that is what is said on the adoption fee page .

[Emylee]

nuturing should only take a few hours max. :) My guy did not have to stay over night. He did VERY well.

[FemaleCheetah]

Emylee - I dont breed but I think Baisley has a joey in her pouch but Im not 100% sure.

[maryschnur]

Female,
I don't know what is going on but twice petey has made a sound like he is sneezing when we put him back in his cage. he goes to the vet day after tomorrow but should i be concerned ? or is this sound normal? I have read a couple of articles but i am still confused because they say that gliders only make this sound when they are eating or grooming theirselves, but petey is doing this when we put him back in his house. then i read on one website a story from a girl who said that her glider was making these sounds and she woke up the next morning and her glider was dead. please answer soon i am starting to freak out. should I take him to the vet immediatley ? everything else seems normal he eats fine he has only sneezed when we are attempting to put him back in his cage!! help

[maryschnur]

emylee please read post to female cheetah I need help> I am hoping one of you will respond by tonight

[melissabigler]

i have gliders an i give them dry food as well as fruit veggie vitamins an juices, i recomend going to www.animalsexotique.com and talk to Cliff hes my glider expert an my gliders love his sweet success dry food his bugsn berries an his yougurt drops, tell him i sent you melissa you might gett a better deal, i have a new baby oop normal grey male an my wf femals preso with twins and my wf joeys getting a new champagne demale joey as a friend biglermelissa@hotmail.com 603 630-2705

[hoot924]

I am a stay at home mom who's childern have all grown up. I love animals and am looking to adopt a couple of sugar gliders to spoil and spend lots of time with. I have the time to give lots of love and play time. If you need a loving home for you glider or gliders I am very willing to take them in and love them very much.
Thank you
Tina