Amber’s Sugar Gliders, One Cat, One Dog, and One Horse

Amber’s Sugar Gliders

by Amber Owsiany

Sugar Gliders (Petaurus Breviceps) have been on my ‘to-write-about’ list for some time now.  I’ve had numerous requests from curious people to write something about these little sweethearts.

While doing research one day I came across a Sugar Glider group and left a message there asking if anyone had a story to tell about their Sugar Glider.  Pretty soon, a woman by the name of Amber Owsiany kindly responded, and the following is her contribution to your education (and mine) about Sugar Gliders, in in particular her two lovely pets, Katniss, Cinna and Rue.  If you don’t know what sugar gliders are, then you’re in for a treat.  Be prepared to say, “Aww!”  Meet Amber’s Sugar Gliders.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are thinking of getting a Sugar Glider, or any other Exotic Pet, please do your research FIRST. Their care is generally quite different than what a dog or a cat requires. Far too many of these wonderful animals end up at rescue establishments once the novelty wears off, or the owners realize they’re too much work.

Hello!  My name is Amber Owsiany and I am a proud slave to three sugar gliders! I debated what to write about with gliders but decided to do some basic knowledge!

Sugar gliders are marsupials who are native to Australia. They got the name “Sugar Glider” because they are sap suckers, they like sweet stuff, and they will suck the sweet stuff, or saps, out of whatever it is they are eating. They have a gliding membrane called a patagium that enables them to glide like a flying squirrel. The scientific name of a glider is Petaurus Breviceps.

Sugar Gliders have been in the USA as pets for about the last 10 years, depending on where you are. In captivity, they can live up to about 15 years old!

We feed our gliders fruits, vegetables and an approved staple. I personally feed the Original High Protein Wambroo (OHPW). The staple helps to give the gliders the added nutrients that they can lack living as pets. There are many approved staple diets out there besides the HPW. There is BML, Priscillas, and Glider Gumbo just to name a few. Some are simple to make and you can get everything from your local grocery store others are a little more time consuming where you have to order supplements from online.

Sugar Glider are naturally colony animals, meaning they don’t do very well alone. So if you decide a glider is the right pet for you, you usually want at least two. In the wild they will live with about 10 other gliders! There are exceptions to the rule.  Some gliders just don’t want a friend and will hurt any other you try to put them with. That is fairly rare though.

Sugar Gliders carry their babies in pouches just like kangaroos. Typically the joey will stay in pouch for about 70 days and then will come out of pouch for about 60 more. They typically have twins but singles and triplets can also occur.

Sugar Gliders in the wild will bond with other gliders and can sometimes die when something happens to their bonded friend. It’s the same in captivity. We try to make them bond to us so they see us as their safety net and their friend. Bonding can occasionally occur fairly quickly, or rarely never really happen at all. As a general rule of thumb it takes about a month.  Sugar Gliders who have been abused or haven’t had much human contact can take a little or lot longer. I personally like to bond with joeys better than older gliders.

I have one glider who loves me to pieces and another who hates me. The one who doesn’t like me is a battle.  If I go two days without getting bit I am very happy! And yes, gliders can and do bite! They have different types of bites though. They have the “I’m mad,” or scared bite, which usually brings blood.  The “Leave me alone, I’m in a bad mood” bite, which hurts, but it’s more or less a warning.  There also the “I love you” nip, which is just a nip of affection.

Well I think this a fairly well rounded post of basic information! I hope that you enjoy reading it!

Amber L. Minter-Owsiany

Sugar Gliders are adorable, aren’t they?  The images here are all Amber’s pets.  I’m including pictures of Amber’s cat, dog, and horse.  It sure looks like Amber she has her hands and heart full of these beautiful creatures.

Thank you so much, Amber! 

It was a pleasure to meet Katniss, Cinna, Rue, Penny, Lilly and Bear Bear.

I appreciate you taking the time to write this for us.

Find Amber on Facebook at Amber’s Survival Cord Creations – Paracord creations such as dog collars, dog leashes, bracelets, necklaces, keychains, horse halters, lead ropes, etc.

♥

You might also like, 7 Exotic Pets to Consider if You Want an Unusual Pet

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