Holiday advice and vets

[Angi]

Im weighing up the pros and cons of keeping Sugar gliders as pets.
One of my concerns is what to do with them whilst Im away on holiday for 3 weeks. How do they react to being moved for boarding at someone elses place for a few weeks, then being moved again 3 weeks later? Just how stressed are they likely to get? I could possibly get friends to visit each day, or maybe even stay at our house if necessary. Just wondering what others have experienced.
Whilst Im posting, I also need to find a suitable vet in the south west UK - before I consider keeping them. Ive seen the vets area but there are no posts - yet I know a couple of members at least live within 90 minutes drive of me - can anyone recommend a vet near here?
 Im sure I will come up with a whole load more queries to bug you all with

[Cerian]

It's true that gliders aren't the best pets to have if you're someone who's likely to be away a lot - not only do they need a lot interaction, but they're more complicated to look after than your 'average' pet, and so finding a sitter you'd trust is a serious business.

However, SL is hoping to make that easier by setting up the BSGO (British Sugar Glider Organisation) which will contain a database of willing and checked sitters around the country. It's still in its early stages though, so depending on how soon you're going away, we may not be ready by then. 

As for being moved around, my girls cope very well with it. Every few months I go up to Wales to visit my folks, and the girls come along with me on the train journey and everything. I have to say though, I seem to have ended up with two of the most laid-back gliders I've ever met, so it's likely to be different for other gliders, especially if they've only recently been added to the 'family, and have yet to settle in/only just bonded.

As for a vet, I'm not sure - but if you DO find one, make sure to PM me so we can add it to the vet list! I really want to get that up and running properly.

[jungleflockmom]

Having a knowledgeable glider sitter is good because, as a prey animal, they conceal any illness until they are very ill and, if someone is not very tuned in to the gliders small symptoms or differences can be missed and they can die quickly.

[Marie]

I've not had a holiday for over 5 years - with the exception of the odd jaunt to Holland and that's only for 1 night!  lol

An experienced Glider sitter is definately a good idea, as for vets, well there's the problem, there are very few vets that have any suggie experience unfortunately which is why it's vitally important to research so that we can eliminate any areas that may cause harm (like wire wheels for example), and also to find what you feel is the best diet to avoid any nutritional problems.

[Angi]

Luckily I have loads of friends who love animals and some that keep gliders. So Im not worried about who will look after them while Im away, more concerned for the gliders becoming stressed.
I have a couple of reliable knowldegeable people in mind who I would introduce to the gliders well before I  desert them for a few weeks.

[Marie]

Gliders cope better than some would make out, they're fairly robust animals when healthy.

[loulou]

Mine come with me sometimes when i go to see friends overnight and they are fine, it might be different if you are not the person they are going with as although they are moved location for a night they are still with me and i smell normal to them.
introduce them to the person before hand let the gliders know they are ok and make sure the person they are left with knows all the signs of an ill or hurt glider as they hide their illnesses really well and when they finally show it, it can be too late.

but same as marie said they are not made of glass they are quite hardy little animals

[jungleflockmom]

Mine travel with me all the time, several times a month for the weekend. They also go w/me to hotels, etc and are fine as long as they have their own stuff.

[Angi]

Thanks for the replies. Not having had much interaction with gliders makes it a little difficult to work out how they will react to different situations and having experience with reptiles makes me more aware that it is important to get things right and not just take things forgranted. At least I feel I dont need to worry about the holiday side of things too much now. Although Ive yet to find an experienced vet in my area, so I will keep up the search.