so you think you got the time and patience?!

[gazza292]

So you have read all the topics and done your research and yes gliders are the pet for you.....

I’m writing this for those who are thinking the above, which may be the case but during this post i want whoever reading to really think about it and take in what I’m saying. Now I’m not preaching and setting guidelines as each owner will treat their gliders differently, as each glider is different, and I personally haven’t had my gliders for long so I’m by no means an expert but from the second you get them they take time, patience, and energy.

There are plenty of posts and topics already stating this but even I would admit you do read them and convince yourself that yeah easy easy easy or that the person who wrote the post is going OTT. that's why I’m adding to the topics from a nubs point of view.

Time and energy...... so you got your new gliders and it's great, you want to spend all the time in the world with them which you will, but are you going to keep it up?  Its easy to say yes but to keep it up can be difficult if you've been at work all day or your tired want to go out etc. I have play time with my gliders for around an 1.30hrs a night, somedays maybe an hour, and really alot of the time I do feel I haven’t spent enough time with them and I love playing with them and usually spend more time with them later especially as they have not fully bonded with me.

Don’t forget gliders are nocturnal which is great if you work in the day but don’t forget that when they get up and its play time it’s up to your glider and this could be LATE I’m fortunate my gliders wake up 8.30 - 9pm but on a odd day they have slept until ten especially as it's longer days at the moment and after play time it's knocking on 11 - 11.30 sometimes 12am.

The smallest of tasks can take up time in your day, food prep, clean water changes, sups, treats, bonding, all of this takes some amount of time. For instance, just yesterday I went out for the day with my mum we had been in the car for about 4 hours had a good day out and had walked alot, I got home at about 8pm was tired and hungry the first thing I had to do was a quick water change and clean out the bowls from the day and get their day food ready, pop my head over the pouch to see they were in and ok. Then got my food ready and ate dinner, a really good film was on but it was play time as if I left it I would have wanted them to go to bed. Would you personally not watch the film and go play with them, its 10pm and you been up since 6am and all you want to do is chill out then go bed, if you could, then yes gliders could be a good pet for you.

Gliders are awesome pets when given the time and patience. Here's a shorter, easy list  that I really want you to take in with no personal opinions or preaching.

U will be bitten, scraped and nibbled

After play time, it may be over for you but may not be for your gliders, getting them back in their cage can take just as long as play time especially if your gliders are not already coming to you.

You will need to spend alot of time bonding with them at the start which is a loon process and can go wrong on occasion, your gliders will not be the cuddly, nice marsupials you have heard about, they can be but until you have bonded you will be crabbed at bitten and may get little interaction on their part or even in some cases you may have bonded and you may still not have a glider that is cuddly and raining to you.

They have no bladder control they will defecate and wee any time anywhere on you, drip out of the cage, on the nice cage you have just cleaned.

They are very messy eaters and around you cage and walls will have food thrown onto so expected to be cleaning alot around the cage.

You're tired and want to go to bed, well your gliders are not!  And, if you want a good glider they need interaction from you and especially if you have a small cage they need access to a larger area to play in.

You will I’m sure run out of food; making and preparing mixes and things take time and money, they may not even like the mix you have (as I know) and that 15 pound you just spent on food is now useless and there goes more money

You will have to get your suggies vet checked, again time and money.

They will break or, in your eyes, ruin the things in their cage from use, so more of that would need to be bought

Time checking pouches for loose threads.

They can be very noisy at night.

Anyway as I said I’m not setting guidelines or saying you have to do everything I put down or the time you spend doing things but really you need to take all of this into consideration. There is alot more I’m sure I haven’t written about but if you’re prepared to do what I have put down and really thought about it, then yes, get a glider.  If you're having to think too hard about whether and when you can fit them in, then I think you need to think about it a bit longer. There is no rush to get your glider quickly the more prepared you are for the responsibilities of a glider the happier you all will be and the longer you'll have the gliders.

[Amalthea]

*karma*

[Rakuen]

Great post!!

After play time, it may be over for you but may not be for your glider's getting them back in there cage can take just as long as play time epically if your glider are not already coming to you.

That bit is so very true, my two seem to actually play a game/torment me! One comes to me, and gets in the pouch, then as soon as the other starts to go in, the other one runs and jumps out before I can stop her, this can go on for a good half hour or longer sometimes, depending on how cheeky they're feeling

[Marie]

Just going to alter a few spelling mistakes (typical man  ) and then I'll sticky it!  Well done Gareth ... you've reached the dizzy heights of stickydom!! 

[roxyandboys]

great post.  karma.

[gazza292]

Yay thank you yeah sad thing is i actally spell checked it Lol but why spell check when marie does all the work for me  for me its getting out the cage but thats when the cat ticxkler us to become handy

[Paulusworm]

A good useful read.

I read something very similar on RFUK before I bought my monitor lizard. If it stops a few suggies being put up for rehoming or not being cared for correctly then it was well worth writing. Nice one mate. 

[lesleyanne53]

As much as i do agree with you surely we should also be educating people about the positive side of keeping Sugar Gliders the thrill you feel when they bond with you and can trust you enough to let you hold them. There are still alot of people who dont know what they are and what good pets they do make so surely we should be pushing the postive side of them and letting people know that they can make entertaining pets as they are not that hard to keep and the food once you get the hang of it isnt that time consuming.All pets are a tie and take time no matter what kind of pet it is but when people are told all the bad points it can be a put off i know that i hesitated for several years and when i got my first pr i wasnt sure i done the right thing but the feeling i get when i handle them makes up for all the work involved.Ive only been keeping gliders for about a year but i have never once regretted it i love them to bits the only regret i have is i didnt get them sooner.They dont seem to be selling very well at all and i think its due to the fact people think they are so hard to keep i would recommend them to anyone as with the right advice anyone could keep them.In a few years time if no one wants or keeps them we will be missing out a  beautiful little creature who deserves better than that.Thumbs up to the Suggies

[Marie]

Lesley if you look around the forum there is a lot of positivity about keeping suggies, but we also need to educate people that they are high maintenance pets and do require alot more time than the average pet.  One of the main reasons people get rid of them is because they find they don't have the time to give their gliders the interaction they need.  

Personally I think if people are completely aware of the time and level of care they require then less suggies are going to end up in the wrong hands. 

[gazza292]

Great post!!

After play time, it may be over for you but may not be for your glider's getting them back in there cage can take just as long as play time epically if your glider are not already coming to you.

That bit is so very true, my two seem to actually play a game/torment me! One comes to me, and gets in the pouch, then as soon as the other starts to go in, the other one runs and jumps out before I can stop her, this can go on for a good half hour or longer sometimes, depending on how cheeky they're feeling

I know this was posted a while back but after re: reading my post, actally even when they come back to you its actally worse lol, now when its time to go back in the cage one goes in and as soon and the other jumps off the other back on at least when they werent coming to me they ran off me in there cage *sigh* Lol Thank god for yogie drop bribes.

Yeah lesly i agree there are alot of positive aspects to owning a suger glider, but i feel that if someone can see threw the bad points like we all did there going to be a much better owner, if i did think they were a time consuming pet to have and it was all easy i wouldnt have done half the reaserch i did and may have taken advice from a man that told me to feed hamster mix.

Im sure as we all did people will read post like this and if anything at least when they get the gliders after think there really hard work (which they can be) when it comes to the points when there not and things get a bit more simple and easy it will be more of a realese.

"expect the worst, then the worst will never be as bad"

[roxyandboys]

If someone is put off owning a glider after reading a post like this then they were never that committed to owning a glider in the first place, so it can only be a good thing.

[HoneyHeart]

Everytime a person sees or plays with my suggies the reaction is always "they're so cute and well behaved". Sometimes it's even "I want one"! I think these threads are needed so that people wanting sugar gliders based on impulse really understand what it takes. Usually when i explain the type of care they need people are put off because most people want a pet they can feed once a day from a pre made mix, play with them in your own time and have them there to look pretty. Suggies need more than that to thrive, which is why we love them, but not all people understand that.

[Marie]

If someone is put off owning a glider after reading a post like this then they were never that committed to owning a glider in the first place, so it can only be a good thing.

Spot on Rox! 

I think it's a good thing to have the negatives, it's positive for the gliders!  You just have to look at the reasons for selling, not enough time is one of the main ones.  Then there are people that read posts like that and decide BEFORE they've bought any they just don't have the time, lucky gliders!   

[roxyandboys]

yay!  I got something right!

[Rhianna]

I was never put off when i heard about gliders from my mam. she told me they were smelly, vicious little things (hers were mind) and hard work.

i babysat Holly when she was away on holiday and decided to keep her. Now i have 5 super gliders and wouldnt regret a moment.

If someone asks me about gliders, as they often do, they get all the negatives first, and then the postives. tbh, i think there are more negatives then positives, but to those who really care about them, it wont matter, as you wont see the negatives anymore. If you knwo what i mean?

Like, its easier to list the negatives (smells, complicated diet, must be in pairs, bark during the night, can self mutilate, large cage, need to be out every night or every 2 nights, lots of attention, need to be kept warm etc etc etc) then to list the positives (a great best friend, lots of love given back, look cute). But when you have the gliders, the negatives just run out of your mind. I dont even notice the diet, smells, would be lost without the barks in the nights.