Someone on Instagram started following me and liking the pictures I post of my boys. So I checked out their profile and it made me sick. They have videos of an extremely obese glider and letting it eat right out of a dish FULL of mealworms. He should be on a diet he's so unhealthy, and I've never seen more yellow fur. Poor thing had boobs he was so fat! And the comments were laughing and thinking it's funny. Another video of a young glider "after his shower", the things soaking wet, you don't bathe suggies!!!!! Just disgusting, some people make me want to beat them. I love my boys so much I almost felt like they were violating them just liking their pictures!

I don't know how instagram works but I would just comment "This is sheer animal abuse" and let that soak in for them. Do you think SPCA or ASPCA would do anything about it? You could try reporting it. They'd have plenty of video evidence.

It's sadly a lack of education. There are a so many people who get sucked into buying their babies at flea markets, malls, garden shows, etc. We all know the glider mill's I'm talking about. Unfortunately, these places also give terrible information.

Other people probably just don't realize that gliders are not like hamster, or guinea pigs, or bunnies. They probably think if they bathe them, it will get rid of the stink. The rest of us know that 1)gliders smell when the cage needs cleaned and 2)males will stink if not neutered.

It is sad and I find myself commenting on these videos to try and tell people, no, it's not funny to watch your glider scrambling to get out the water, he's not swimming, he's drowning. And no, it's not funny when they run in circles and do backflips, he's not playing, he's going crazy from boredom and loneliness. I saw one where this young guy was taking his glider and throwing it into the air and catching. He was laughing because he thought it was funny how the glider would put out all 4 limbs and spread his little flaps out. My comment wasn't very nice. I think I said something like, "WTF is wrong with you?! He's not flying, he's terrified. Gliders have a fear of falling, what you are doing is abusive and cruel."

I was pretty ticked off about it.

That literally makes me so angry/sad just to hear... I really cannot stand when people don't take proper care for their suggies ... Or any animal! We are supposed to be there to care for them and protect them... keep them healthy .. and to see things like that where people find a obese/unhealthy sugar glider cute just makes me shake my head because they just find it as such a joke, Meanwhile that suggie can be having a million underlaying health problems But I try my best to educate them.. Unfortunetly some are disgustingly rude people and refuse to hear that they are doing wrong by their pet! People always tell em I spoil my pets but I could care less they deserve the best of everything!!

When i got my first sugar gliders they told us, "oh you only have to give them kibble, they dont need alot of space, they dont smell at ALL!" Well I was sucked into getting 2 that were pitiful looking. I got home and did ALOT of research. I had no idea what i was getting myself into when i bought them. I love them to death and would not trade them for anything in the world, but i hate the people that lie to get sales because that is how you end up with a bunch of sick sugar gliders on creigslist! I am happy to say I did not listen to her at ALL! I give them fresh food and i got them a BIG cage! Im just saying, thats probably the biggest reason for uninformed suggie owners...

I agree with cathylee14.
shannonlcorum, I've seen all of the videos on YouTube you're describing and they too made me sick to my stomach :( So cruel.

What is "yellow fur"?

I agree. And, I too can't help but sometimes look to see what people are posting and then get upset and try to post good information. I'm sure it does little to nothing in 99% of the cases...but even if it helps one, you know?

Sigh.

Glider love~

It makes me so sick to see animals abused, but even more I see children that are not dressed decently, greasy hair, and not taken care of what so ever. Brought in deathly ill, and if they were brought in sooner, things might have been different. I work in the medical field and unfortunately there are people that treat their children like this.

So sad!!!!

I did comment on various videos telling them it wasn't funny and that glider is seriously ill. Being that obese he most definitely can't glide, and he needs to be on a diet pronto!! I also commented on the one of the suggie being bathed and said that it was cruel and tried providing the correct information. Then I deleted them from my instagram. I was so upset I went to my boys cage and gave them some love to mend my broken heart for the other less fortunate suggies out there. Thanks for all the comments and support, it's nice knowing there are many people out there who DO take proper care of their suggies.

it really hurts when i see animal abuse:( especially to my favourite animals like suggies :( it sad we cant really do much about it, the only thing we can do is educate them.

That is miserable, but reality. What's even more depressing is when we try to help, but they accuse us saying we act like we know everything. Or when they get offended, because we try to correct how they take care of their pets.