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Getting a sugar glider for a kid or young adult is usually not recommended
for a number of reason. The care and bonding of any animals, especially an
exotic animal such as a sugar glider would be required to be overseen by a
responsible adult. It is important to make sure an adult can
and would be willing to step up and care for the animal should the child/young adult not be able to.
The responsible adult should also oversee the daily care of the animal to ensure
the sugar glider is cared for properly. Too many sugar gliders are rehomed each
year due to lack of knowledge or care requirement. Many people are first
introduced to sugar
gliders at a local flea market, trade show, or pet store where their care is
overly exaggerated as "easy" and "low maintained pet". Please
continue to research before buying a sugar glider for a child or young adult.
Some of the top reasons sugar gliders are not recommended for children/young adults:
- Bonding; with some sugar gliders can take a matter of days while others
can take several months. Patience and persistence is extremely important.
Sugar gliders can bite, and some actually will when going through the
bonding process. Often times kids or young adults may lack the patience and
time required to allow a proper bond to form.
- Diet; They are not the type of animal
you can run to the store and pick up a bag of "glider food". Of coarse you
may visit your local pet store and see "sugar
glider food" however this is usually nothing more than repackaged bird or
reptile pellets. There are no standards or minimum requirements for
sugar glider food, which means any company can
put whatever in a box and label it sugar glider
food. Proven diets are homemade, and prepared fresh each night. Preparing
fruits, veggies, protein source, and staple need to be changed out daily
which can make those nights and weekends out, or family vacations extremely
difficult. Chopping fruits and vegetables can be dangerous for younger
children. Also most proven diets require some cooking (ex. boiled eggs), and
the use of a blender.
- Nails; Some young adults/children with sensitive skin may break out in a
rash when handling sugar gliders. Trimming nails will help the condition,
but not eliminate it for some people. Nails need trimmed often for their
safety. Not all sugar gliders will allow you to easily clip their nails.
They will wiggle, and some may even bite to get free. Often times this is a
two person job for even experienced adults.
- Smell; Young adults/children also have a keener sense of smell than most
adults. It is important to note that sugar gliders do have scent glands and
do mark what is theirs. Some people do not understand that while the females
do not have head or chest glands, they do have scent glands in their anus.
While females don't tend to smell as musty, they do still have an odor that
some people are sensitive to.
- Noise; Sugar gliders are nocturnal and do tend to get a bit noisy at
night. Wheels spinning, sugar gliders barking, the occasional toy bell that
makes noise. It can be difficult for some people to sleep with all that
going on in the same room.
- Nocturnal; You must consider the animal's sleep patterns. Sugar gliders
sleep during the day which means loud music, video games, and TV's can
interrupt their sleeping patterns causing them to become stressed. Stress
can ultimately lead to illness, over grooming, or in severe cases self mutilation.
On the other side, sugar gliders are up all night. They make can make quite
a bit of noise running in wheels, barking, or playing with toys while your
child is asleep. Children or young adults in school may not have enough time
in the late evening hours to spend with their new pet while awake. While it
is true that sugar gliders can be carried while they are sleeping, they also
need attention in the evening when they are awake and socially active.
- Life Span; Sugar gliders have an extensive
life span of 10-15 years in captivity. It is extremely important to consider
where a sugar glider will fit into your family as life changes. Kids and
young adults have major changes within the next few years of their life
including school, graduation, boy/girl friends, drivers licenses, moving
out, going off to college. Sugar
gliders consider their human family as part of
their colony. Rehoming a sugar glider can be
detrimental to the future trust and human bonding within the
sugar gliders
lifetime. While no one ever knows what the future holds for them, it is
important to take into consideration what you know will likely happen within
the animals lifetime and how it would affect the happiness of the animal.
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