Down sides to owning Sugar gliders?

[Emmie]

Hiya,

Owning any animal is commitment to be taken seriously, especially an animal with an unusual and complex diet compared to most average household animals and they can live 10-15 years +

I'm still researching at the moment and as much as I think they are cute, interesting animals that I have wanted for 5/6 years, I really want to see if they are actually for me

This might seem a strange post but I want to know all the down sides to owning Sugar gliders or things that could put me off owning them

[wjohnw]

The only thing I can think off is that they are obviously nocturnal animals so unless you interact with them in the evenings/during the night then they may not be the pet for you, as it's unfair on them to get them out during the day due to their light-sensitive eyes. Possibly also, that they're sociable animals, so you will need at least two gliders as well as putting in social time yourself. They can be messy, flicking food all over the place. Also, they obviously cannot be trained - toilet trained etc. so when you have them out to play, they will pee/poop on your furniture etc. But for me these are a really small price to pay.

[Rhianna]

for me, its the preparing of the food every night. i cut mine fresh every night, and its a pain at times, but one cage doesnt like mush and i like the idea of fresh fruit and veg going into them.

Also, nails! i hate thier nails! they dont realise that i dont like my back scratched very much.

But thats it really. Most of the downsides are nothing to do with them. The hardest part of being a glider owner for me is seeing other gliders in poor condition.

[lou]

The barking at stupid O clock, and full moon chaos. Everything else is just them but those two things.................worse than kids 

[helen88uk]

They can smell abit if you don't keep on top of the cleaning. It's not terrible, its like a funky musky smell. I don't think it's bad but my parents seem to notice it a lot.

They can and will ruin your walls if you don't cover them. They will also throw/spit food onto the floor about 3food around the cage, so maybe no cream carpets.

They are nocturnal, some more than others. So you may have to be prepared to be awake until 1am to give them attention some nights. They sometimes bark in the middle of the night for no reason at all.

Some may always nip, some may draw blood, they can bite down to the bone if they want to. Because they are uncommon in the UK, vet bills can be very expensive, and getting a vet to treat them can be hard.

Some bond immediately, some may take months to bond. As in 9/10 months of 2hrs a day bonding time, it can be a little offputting for some people when they realise the amount of effort they might have to put in to be able to hold these guys, they are often described as being 'pocket pets' who crave human attention and love to hang out in your pocket all day, that really isn't the case and some people quickly lose interest.

You need to buy two, so it can be quite costly to begin with. As well as buying a large cage, kitting it out, Stealth Wheels can knock ya back about £50. Suppliments, food. Time to prepare food, making a batch and freezing is the easiest, cutting fresh every day can take a while.

If you let them out the cage when they aren't bonded it can be hard to catch them again. They aren't like other pets, you can't really corner them, they will run straight up your body and jump off your shoulder. They are very fast, very squirmy and could give a nasty bite if you try to grab them when they are scared. It took me almost 4 hours once to get mine back in their cage. Very stressful for all 3 of us!

Thats all I can think of right now x

[wjohnw]

sounds like they're the bain of your life helen lol I'm sure they're not though!!

[helen88uk]

Reading what i'd just written ... why do I even own these guys?? LOL! Cos they're worth every bit of it!x

[Amalthea]

Their nails are a pain... Literally. *lol* their sleep patterns can be difficult.

[Emmie]

I'm normally awake until around 4am every morning with work  so letting them out on the night is great for me

I was thinking of getting 3 or possibly 4 females, I'm planning on building a 7'x3'x7' (LxWxH) viv, well sealed with a non-toxic sealent so it will also be easier to wipe down and keep clean, I can give it a wipe down with a damp cloth whenever I see any mess

I have vinyl floor so any mess when they are out should be simple and quick enough to clean up, I can always put a waterproof sheet over my bed so they can't poop/pee all over that, lol!

I don't have any wallpaper on my walls its painted with a gloss like paint so its easy to wipe down, so I don't think they could climb on that?

I love fruit and veg myself
Every night I prepare myself little fruit pots for the next day to keep me from snacking on crisps and things so that won't really be any different for me but I was thinking about blending it into a mush and freezing it for them

I don't mind being scratched, my cat has got me use to being scratched lol!

I am quite a deep sleeper too, not much can wake me up when I'm asleep which has always been a pain lol!

With bonding, I'm kind of expecting the worse so then anything better is a bonus, if that makes any sense?

I think its just the nipping/biting thats slightly off putting because I'm not sure how painful it is

[helen88uk]

My puppy bites harder if that's any help lol x

[wjohnw]

don't necessarily go just for females. neutered males are also perfectly fine and don't upset the status quo *sings rockin' all over the world* lol

[Emmie]

don't necessarily go just for females. neutered males are also perfectly fine and don't upset the status quo *sings rockin' all over the world* lol

I thought keeping males with females can cause fights? or is that just males that haven't been neutered?

Do neutered males still scent mark everything? I thought they might smell more than females as well?

[helen88uk]

Intact males will fight each other to be the alpha. Neutured males wouldn't. They'd get on fine with females. You can't house intact males together at all, even without females they will still fight x

[wjohnw]

*what she said*

[lou]

Intact males will fight each other to be the alpha. Neutured males wouldn't. They'd get on fine with females. You can't house intact males together at all, even without females they will still fight x

I am just gonna correct this

Intact males can live together, but they need to have grown up together (ie brothers) and you need to be prepared to neuter at the first sign of aggregation which is not just your standard I am boss you are not aggression.

If you add a female to the mix then yes neutering is a must, and again you will really struggle to introduce to adult or sub adult intact males together that were not together before as it could end up with the death of one glider.