These people need there heads read!
http://desmoines.craigslist.org/pet/1625813152.html

This guy ^^ needs some serious information, I would email him but I'm blocked from sending emails at work... I was wondering if someone like Ed could give him the run down on what his "reputable breeders" do to gliders...

http://desmoines.craigslist.org/pet/1592151956.html

And these people... 8 WEEKS????!?!?!?!?! There is gonna be a slew of dead joeys from this person!

People make me so mad...

This upsets me something awful...

I see nothing wrong with the first ad you listed. It cautions against impulse buying, and cautions against thinking gliders are an easy pet. What's wrong with that?

And what's wrong with 8 weeks? Most joeys are sold at 8 weeks.

I'm not sure what your concerns are!?

they are not technically weaned from mom till they are 10-15 weeks OOP that is why the 2nd link is bad

I wish it were a minimum of 10 weeks but yes, most joeys ARE sold at 8 weeks.

That 8 week number came from nowhere; well, breeders most likely. I see no reason that we cant change it. I personally feel that 14 weeks is a better minimal number. I've seen the difference that interaction with family makes for young ones. This interaction often prevents biting and also prepares the animal for life.

But - regardless of opinions, the "accepted" age for weaning is 8 weeks.

Which means that Craigslist ad isn't bad. If you personally want your joeys to spend a longer time with their parents, you can request that from your breeder, and see what kind of feedback you get. I think the current "push" is towards 10 weeks. But, as of now, 8 weeks is the accepted "norm."

Just to point it out it also used to be an accepted to beat women with sticks as big as your thumb and to force blacks into slave labour...


Accepted means nothing. Norm means nothing. It's also currently the "norm" to be obese in america, is it a good thing. Nope. Should we change it? Yes.

Get the point? Just to clarify: Because it's "norm" doesn't mean it's "Good"

I love my glider and the so called "drawbacks" of owning a glider don't bother me. But I agree with the first ad in relation to learning about them before you get them. I did my research and I made the right choice. But what if someone else doesn't do the same research and give the glider the wrong care or decides it's not the right pet for them? I don't want that to happen and not everyone loves sugar gliders. So even though I disagree with the first ad that these pets are not good pets or whatever point he was trying to make, I do, however, agree that no one should get gliders thinking they're getting a hamster for their 5 year old son or daughter.

I don't know enough about joeys to have an opinion on the second one but it does sound very young compare to what I've read. Could it be he meant 8 months instead? I don't know but I hope it's not as bad as it sounds.

Sadly it most likely means 8 weeks. I have seen many ads for people selling joeys at that age.

Puppies are sold at 8 weeks. Kittens go at 8 weeks. 8 weeks is pretty much when animals are weaned.

We can certainly change it. But complaining that it is being done now - because it is the way it has ALWAYS been done - doesn't make the people who don't share your opinion wrong. It is even in the laws. They state baby animals cannot be sold before EIGHT weeks. It may not be "right" or "good" ... but you can't claim someone's ad is "bad" because they are going by what are pretty much national standards.

I also don't see anything wrong with the first ad. Maybe I'm missing something...

As a breeder myself, I can assure you that MOST of my joeys are full weaned by 8 weeks. However, I keep mine a MINIMUM of 10 weeks and sometimes longer.

quote:

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Originally posted by valkyriemome

Puppies are sold at 8 weeks. Kittens go at 8 weeks. 8 weeks is pretty much when animals are weaned.

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Puppies and kittens are a lot different than sugar gliders. And many animals take longer than 8 weeks to be fully weaned.

Love2Read Posted - Today : 03:56:37 AM
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I also don't see anything wrong with the first ad. Maybe I'm missing something...

As a breeder myself, I can assure you that MOST of my joeys are full weaned by 8 weeks. However, I keep mine a MINIMUM of 10 weeks and sometimes longer.



I would like to see some scientific data to back that.

What sort of "scientific data" do you want??

My joeys almost always completely stop nursing by 6 weeks. If not by then, then by 8 weeks. I've observed that to be true. How would you like it made into "scientific data"?

quote:

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Originally posted by valkyriemome

What sort of "scientific data" do you want??

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Your kidding right?

http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/wildlife/pdf_files/outreach/fact_sheets/opossum.pdf 80 days
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-wombat.html 12-15 months
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-tasmanian_devil.html 6 months
http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/animal-bytes/animalia/eumetazoa/coelomates/deuterostomes/chordata/craniata/mammalia/diprotodontia/koala-fs.htm 12 months

In the wild, at what age are sugar gliders fully weaned?

I don't think the Connecticut department of wildlife, the San Diego Zoo, or SeaWorld has conducted that study yet. A quick search on google reported that they are weaned anywhere from 4 weeks to 5 months.

Why would you be unwilling to go by what people who own them have observed?

I still saw mine nursing at well over 10 weeks. Not trying to get in the middle of a debate but that is honestly what I personally observed. Is it possible most breeders don't observe their joeys nursing after 8 weeks because they already sold or separated them? Honest question, not sarcasm.

Marsupials seem to take longer than dogs and cats to become fully weaned.

http://mc2.vicnet.net.au/home/msov/web/indexfront.html 110-120 days .
Sure some might be quicker than others but like kylah said when they are pulled at 8 weeks(and accepted) its impossible to see them nurse anymore.

I own and observe mine too.

I noticed that my gliders nursed at least 10-12 weeks.

I noticed my friend's puppy nursing at over a year. Why? Because she wasn't separated and the mom tolerated it! Some babies will nurse as long as they can get away with it. A friend of mine had a sheep who would sneak in nursing her mother every time the mother had another lamb.

So - that doesn't mean the animal isn't weaned.

And - that isn't even THE POINT of this thread. The point was that "it is bad to advertise joeys for sale when they are only 8 weeks old." NO! It isn't bad! It is the current standard. If you want to change the standard - then go for it! But you can't condemn the standard when it is all anyone has to go by! If you want to contact the person who posted the Craigslist ad and recommend he keep the joeys with their parents longer, that would probably be FAR more helpful than just posting "This is horrible!"

3Ps sells joeys at 3 and 4 weeks. THAT is something I can get worked up and alarmed over!

I'm not going to chime in about the weaning part but I wanted to point out something about the first ad.

I 'think' what Essika had a problem with was probably the fact that the person said you should ONLY buy from an established breeder. Meaning, you shouldn't adopt from rescues!! I agreed with pretty much everything the person said in that first ad, EXCEPT that gliders should only be bought from breeders. I personally got all of my gliders from craigslist and/or Kijiji.com. I believe in rescuing/adopting/buying a rehome.

Anyway. Some people were still confused about what may have been an issue in the first ad. So there's my thoughts on that.

Here's "scientific proof": www.hilltopanimalhospital.com/sugarglider.htm

Scroll down and you'll see a chart with glider info in it, including the weaning age: 110-120 days after BIRTH, which would be around 7 weeks(6.5-7.5) OOP.

I retired a pair of gliders and let the last joey stay with them and she would still comfort-nurse sometimes even after she was full grown. I had a kitten that nursed off her mom as an adult as well. Nursing is something they do as a comfort at that age and is not for nutrition.

quote:

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Originally posted by tisha

I'm not going to chime in about the weaning part but I wanted to point out something about the first ad.

I 'think' what Essika had a problem with was probably the fact that the person said you should ONLY buy from an established breeder. Meaning, you shouldn't adopt from rescues!! I agreed with pretty much everything the person said in that first ad, EXCEPT that gliders should only be bought from breeders. I personally got all of my gliders from craigslist and/or Kijiji.com. I believe in rescuing/adopting/buying a rehome.

Anyway. Some people were still confused about what may have been an issue in the first ad. So there's my thoughts on that.

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FINALLY! I was waiting to see how long it would take til someone caught on!

And just to interject about the weaned thing again... even if they DO stop nursing at 8 weeks, they still have important social and survival skills to learn from their parents. Although I still am skeptical that they would stop nursing that early.