The internet is a great place to gather infomation and research…. but then many are spreading the wrong information about sugar glider care. I was really sadden, shock and disappointed with the way people are keeping and selling sugar gliders these days. The suppliers and glider mill sellers, not to forget the stubborn middleman sellers are spreading the wrong information to newbies.
I know a sugar glider is a hard to resist pet to keep. The heart can melt once our eyes lay upon the cute innocent face with huge dark eyes. Underage joeys always look very babyish and fragile and that just makes us buy them on impulse.
Here are a few samples of the WORST cages and habitat set up for a pair of sugar gliders. I really pity their health.
A sugar glider is NOT a hamster or mouse. It should never live in a hamster cage and use a hamster wheel.
They should never be kept in a glass tank like that. They are not show animals. They need freedom and stuff to grab for climbing. They are aboreal, need cage bars and perches.
They are 100% NOT REPTILES!!!!! Honestly, this kind of set up makes a glider depress and uncomfortable. The UV light here can destroy the glider’s eye sight. It is very hot and strong too. I know coz I use the same light for my snakes. And look at those wood shavings….. this causes respitory problems. Come on people, do not just follow what pet shops suggest. Pet shop people normally have no interest in doing research or reading, they are only trying to market their products. When a newbie sees this, automatically they would buy the same tank, same items from the shop that is displaying these items for gliders. Don’t be like the saying “Monkey see, Monkey do”.
Then I came across 1 advertisement in mudah.my and it made me laugh….. the advertiser tried to sell a sugar glider as a petaurus australis, saying that his glider is different from normal sugar gliders coz it is the smallest sugar glider species. Let me just copy and paste:
Dikenali Sugar Glider
Mempunyai 4 jenis baka..
Sugar Glider Petaurus Australis paling kecil dalam dunia dan paling jinak.
Berbeza Dengan Sugar Glider yang terdapat dalam pasaran malaysia, besar mcm tikus hitam..
Petaurus australis ni kecik je.. sebesar 4 jari..
Oh my gawd….. this guy says it is only as big as 4 fingers….. How about the picture of it?
Underage joey….. typical. You see, it is all just a marketing gimmick to get newbies or clueless people to fall into a trap of buying a glider.
Again, my article here is for the public to read and educate themselves. Please do not be fooled by price and marketing skills of sellers. These days people (as in the suppliers, glider mills and middleman sellers) are trying to compete with each other, as well as hobbyist breeders. It is disgusting, the way they are selling them. Price of course very cheap and attractive, but I would advice not to buy from these people because the breeding gliders suffer alot and never get to live to their senior years. A pity for those gliders because they will die from sickness and hind leg paralysis by the time they are 4 years old or younger.