Hello

[Elaine67]

Hi,

My name's Elaine (no suprise there!)  I'm a 40-plah-year-old married mum of 4, who's youngest is now of an age to graduate from stick-insects to something more challenging.  I know a lot of you are thinking "So buy her hamster - job done!"  M lil' lass would love a hamster, but as the person who makes sure all our animals are cared for properly, I like to look at all our options.  Don't get me wrong, one of my boys had syrian hamsters as first pets.  They each lived for overf 3 years so all the reading and the subsiquent care regimes obviously worked.  I admit to being the family's pet supervisor - overseeing day-to-day and taking responsibility for maintainance issues - grooming, claws, first aid etc... Well, if someone can't care for themselves without help - they can't be expected to take responsibility for another living thing right?

We all share our lives with a Samoyed dog named Casper, Lhasa Apso named Oscar, 2 ferrets named Ollie and Charlie Bear (all those are rescues - coming from various rescues)  a Barn Owl named Pharoah, an African Eagle Owl named Bo and a tank of Stick-Insects named Sticky-01, Sticky-2, Sticky-3... you get the picture!

Anyway, I'm not saying that I'm about to buy a couple of Sugar-Gliders soon.  I'm here to learn about them, what their needs are and whether our family is a suitable enviroment for them.  I'm looking forward to learning from your excellent forum - and picking your brains!

Thanks for reading.
Elaine

[helen88uk]

Hi! That was a great introduction, I love reading responsible messages like that!
Have a read through as many of the topics on here as you can and from them YOU will be able to decide whether your family environment is suitable

The only thing I could say from your post is to make sure your ferrets will NEVER get anywhere your suggies (if/when you get them). They have a very high prey drive as I'm guessing you know and a few people who keep both have lost suggies to escapee ferrets.

But have a good ol' nosy around, so much to read and learn on here. Best advice is just to read EVERYTHING, it's amazing how many questions that other people have asked (even from years ago) I've ended up needing answers to in the first few months. Good luck x

[Emma9383]

Hello,and welcome to the forum. Helen's pretty much covered it. Have a good read through and it should help you make a decision either way.
The diet section was extremely useful to me, as I really struggled with the ratios etc they need.

[Marie]

Hi, welcome to SGF 

[Amalthea]

That was a brilliant intro!! Like they've said *points up* have a good nosey through the forum and pay special attention to the stickies

[Nell]

Wow, great intro -welcome! I'd love to see pics of your current menagerie!

[munshkin]

Hello 

[wjohnw]

Hello and welcome. Great intro!! what species of stick insect do you have -- I used to have a combination of indian, thorny, pink-winged and macleay's spectre. and as nell says, I'd love to see pics of your menagerie!!! 

[Usha77]

Welcome! 

[hday]

may be worth finding out who is local to you so alongside youre learning you get to meet some gliders!

I suscpect if you do youll be hooked, but worth seeing the reality of the alleged smell, mess, and claw marks!

I breed russian hamsters for 8 years when I was younger!
and after no pets for about erm 9 years got suggies!
(parents still had dogs and friends had cats so got my fixes that way for a while!)

very potted history - as I am sure you will find more on forum and reading through topics!

negatives as a family pet - nocturnal - could keep family members awake if they are light sleepers, and for children maynot see them if you get gliders who decide night doesnt start til 1 am (mine had a phase of doing that in the summer)

work - prep food for family... prep food for gliders and find freezer space for it if you doing batches!
small thing but does add up with other demands

having time with them - if they only (as is possible) bond well to one of the family members, can the rest of the family cope with maybe being booted out of the room for a few hours every night!

pros as a family pet
erm!
shared cleaing rotats,
shared joy of seeing and enjoying animal
family snuggle times (if you have gliders who will join you on sofa/ whereever!)

ok so maybe I need to leave this post to someone with a family rather than a housemate!
as my housemate is scared of them and the gliders know it so they have before now deliberately run up to nibble her toes
or launch across the room at her to freak her out!

I guess tbh the pro/cons are similar for everyone its just family could magnify them!

[hday]

sorry I think I woffled there... need some dinner!
and dont know how to delete!
hope it makes some sense/helps!

and I am based in midlands!