Recently, my mother and I have been looking into getting a pair of baby sugar gliders. We have done research to answer our questions, but as with most new pet owners, we still have a few unanswered questions/concerns.

Last weekend we went to an exotic pet store. Unfortunately, it is illegal to sell sugar gliders in the city they were located in so they didn't have any we could touch or hold. The pet store did have some knowledge from previous selling and personal ownership, and this was when we came about a few horror stories that are making us unsure if this is the right decision for us. We feel strongly you should fully research owning any kind of pet before making a commitment you're not ready to keep.

At the pet store, we were told that a woman had two sugar gliders hand-raised from 8 weeks from their OOP date, and they were the most loveable pets she had ever had. One day, she came home to her sugar gliders hissing and spitting at her. They were barking and crabbing when ever she tried to get near them and would bite if she tried to touch them. Eventually, she noticed one of the sugar gliders were constantly over-grooming to an extreme point that the skin became raw, started to bleed, and the sugar glider displayed cannibalistic behavior. This caused the other sugar glider to join in on this bizzare behavior, as it started to eat its own sibling, as well as over-grooming itself.

This, between the awful stories of people requiring stitches from sugar glider bites, is giving us hesitation.
We were told from everything we have read, and every person we have spoken to, (We avoided the "sugar bears" people) that if hand raised from 8-12 weeks OOP, they will become bonded to you and shouldn't display any unexpected behavior.

How often have you heard of this happening, and if you know of ways to prevent it, it would be very appreciated.
Thank you so much for your time.

- Molly & Shannon H.

Hi minji... i personally have never heard of such stories. If it were true my only guess is that the sugies were sick (sugar gliders hide sickness very well)... I have a small colony of 4 rescues. My first is a male tripod (3 legged) suggie named Buddy, who after a such traumatizing start was very scared and skittish. But after some patience and dedication he's now such a sweet boy! My girls on the other hand are very loving and so sweet from the beginning!

I mean don't get me wrong they can and probably will bite or nip but thats just how animals are! My girls love to nip but never to the point for stitches... there are horror stories out there for every animal. Its just a chance u have to take. But plz remember these animals have a life spand of about 15 years. So if u think this is not the right animal for u then i wouldn't buy them. But if u do the key is lots of TLC and most of all patience!

Keep us updated... good luck

Hm.. Will keep that in mind. Thanks!

- Molly H.

Welcome

I have four suggies and three are rescues, yes mine bit at first drawing blood, but they were scared and not very loving at all. Now it as been almost two and three years they are very loving and still nip every now and again. I had five at one point but Shela passed almost a year ago from pneumonia. I have no idea how she got it, but she hid it very well til I took her to the vet and apparently it was to late. She was very mean and bit from the begining, and she may have been sick from the get go. Everyone has their own horror stories, but I don't think I have ever read one that someone had to get stitches from them biting. Patience is everything and just remember they are just as scared as you are at first. Show them love and they are the most loveable and fun animals anyone can ask for. Good luck

I'm wondering what kind of toxins were on the food they ate, or if her home or neighborhood were sprayed. How sad :-(

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if hand raised from 8-12 weeks OOP, they will become bonded to you and shouldn't display any unexpected behavior.

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Getting your gliders young is NOT a guarantee that they will never have any unexpected behavior. My biggest trouble maker is a glider I brought home at 8 weeks. She is always getting into trouble because she is an explorer. She could care less about staying with me. She finds holes in the cabinets to sneak in (and went back to that spot night after night once she found it) She once went under a pocket door through a small metal bracket - and into the wall. I was able to coax her out with meal worms and then plugged the hole.

I have gliders I brought home as joeys that bit - hard for quite a while before they finally stopped and I have had 3 year old rescues come to me sweet as pie.

Each glider is different and each has a unique personality.

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Unfortunately, it is illegal to sell sugar gliders in the city they were located in so they didn't have any we could touch or hold.

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Check to make sure it is LEGAL TO OWN gliders in the city where you live.

Be sure to find out if there is a local vet near you that has experience with Sugar Gliders as well - a well check up is recommended for all gliders new to your home. You will then have a vet that knows your glider's health in case you should need care for an illness or injury.

Cannibalistic behavior is sometimes seen when gliders that are not well nourished have a joey and they cannot care for it, or if a joey dies and the gliders do what comes naturally to many animals - disposing of the dead body to prevent it from attracting predators.

I have never heard of such behavior in healthy adult gliders. There can however be mating wounds if you have an intact male and a female because the male often grips the female with his teeth on her shoulder.

I just had my sweetest male(Sugar Daddy-Dexter Sr.) to the vet this week with a wound(a bite to his shoulder)and I had to take him to an emergency vet(during normal clinic hours too) because my vet clinic who has 3 vets, only 2 of them see gliders and they both had that day off...urrgghhh!!!

Even though I didn't consider this an extreme emergency, I really wanted him at least on antibiotics and pain meds right away and the one vet there at his regular clinic couldn't help him.

The colony he is in is his mate(Princess) and son and daughter(oop last July)and there is not any bickering or dominance issues with this bunch...so it is very surprising to me it was him who would end up with a shoulder wound. And it was a good thing I looked closely at what I thought was just a little bald looking patch and it turned out to be a hole. I separated him immediately into a quarantine cage so his family would not groom it and make it worse.

My theory is his daughter likes to ride around on his back still(like they do when they are joeys) and chomped on him to hang on. I have seen her ride him many times.

I had to spend $275 at the E vet and then take him to his regular vet the next day to have necrotic tissue removed and be sutured for another $250

Plus this Emergency vet was 44 miles round trip. My regular vet for my gliders is less than 3 miles.

So have a Vet fund AND a good glider vet AND a back up plan.

My vet will see gliders if it's an emergency on his off hours but this didn't qualify.