![]() They have a gremlin-like aversion to bright lights. They can't swim, which means they can drown easily in, say, a toilet bowl if the seat is left up. They can't be kept by themselves - they need the company of at least one other sugar glider "or they lose their little minds," Boyé said. "They go straight to their hips," she said. As special treats, they get mealworms, hornworms, and beetles. Boyé keeps plastic trays full of live bugs for this purpose. To start, there's their diet: a special goulash of yogurt, eggs or chicken, applesauce, calcium and other vitamins, fresh fruit and veggies. Sugar gliders are peculiar little creatures. While she adores the little guys, she said, they're definitely "not for everybody." OK, why not? Depending on their markings and whether or they've been fixed, the price tag ranges from $300 to $500.īoyé has also helped re-home some 30 gliders that were surrendered by their owners when the demands of the little animals became too much.īoyé is sympathetic. Since she started breeding them four years ago, Boyé has adopted out more than 100 sugar gliders to homes across Canada, from Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia. They're freaked out by the noises the sugar gliders make. Her two big dogs - a Saint Bernard named Dazey, and Tesla, a Bernese-lab cross - tend to steer clear. One thing would-be owners might want to consider is 'what might do to the smell of your home.' (Julia Wright/CBC) The species's more unique traits include loud nocturnal barking and "crabbing" (a weird sound, like metal caught in a paper shredder) when annoyed.ĭid we mention that they have sharp teeth and claws and can't be house-trained?įluffer, a two-year-old sugar glider, waits expectantly for a tasty mealworm treat. The owner "called him Demon, because she thought he was possessed," Boyé said. Gwynn Boyé runs Fundy Sugar Gliders, one of the few breeders in Atlantic Canada.Ī lifelong fan of exotic pets, she got her first sugar glider from an owner advertising him on Kijiji for re-homing. Those big eyes looking at you, with the big space between them - it's pretty hard to resist that."īut sugar gliders are sweet by name, not necessarily by nature.Īs the animals become more popular as pets, breeders, vets, and owners want to get the message out: while they can be rewarding pets, they're not for the faint of heart. "They have the potential to become more popular here. "They certainly are an up-and-coming exotic pet," he said. But don't be suckered in by that sweet face: for such a small animal, the marsupials are a huge commitment. Buying any animal funds this international network of suffering.A sugar glider, nicknamed Bailey, nestles into the clothing of breeder Gwynn Boyé. Untold numbers of sugar gliders and other small animals are stuffed into tiny containers (sometimes even plastic water bottles) and shipped all over the world to be sold to unwitting consumers. In the international pet trade, they’re bred in hellish facilities similar to puppy mills. When kept as “pets,” they are denied everything that’s natural and meaningful to them-the companionship of their own species, fresh air, the outdoors, and the opportunity to climb or do almost anything other than pacing or sitting and peering out of a tiny cage. Many people who buy sugar gliders on a whim come to realize that their home is simply an unsuitable environment for this type of animal. But their arboreal lifestyle means that they have sharp claws for climbing and grasping, which can make it uncomfortable or even painful for humans to hold them in their bare hands. They are also tree dwellers, avid climbers with a furry membrane spanning from wrist to ankle that allows them to glide from tree to tree-similar to a flying squirrel. As nocturnal animals, they are commonly subjected to bright lights and loud noises while their human guardians are awake during daylight hours, which can make sleeping difficult for them. They enjoy grooming and interacting with each other. In their natural habitat, they live in large family groups. Sugar gliders are tiny marsupials native to Australia.
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