This thread is a prime example of, the answer will differ depending who you ask, many glider related questions are this way. Which doesn't really help with decision making or clarifying confusion. But it is what it is.
Personally I feel it depends on the glider. Some gliders do well on there own and others do not. As the caretaker it is your responsibility to learn your gliders behaviors, then you can see what the glider is telling you his or her needs are.
Codz post is sort of standard response many in the community would say. And there is some validity in that advice. It is a costly venture when first starting out even for one glider maybe especially for one glider because they do need a stimulating environment meaning a good wheel and plenty of toys to occupy them because they are alone while you are sleeping.
Does that make it wrong to start out with one? Lol depends who you ask, would it make you a bad owner? Not in my opinion. Many of us started out with one. Hell I started out with one because we couldn't afford a second right at that time. We could however afford the food cage and accessories n vet care. Then a few months later we adopted a second feom a local rescue.
Now here is something no one else has mentioned you dont HAVE to buy an expensive glider from a breeder, There are other ways cheaper ways to get a Pair of gliders and other single gliders.
There are legitimate glider rescues, Craig's list and other similar sites and rehome groups on Facebook. I have access to many rehome gliders and even have gliders surrendered to me (free) on a regular basis then I find them a good home. Just yesterday I had two neutered males surrendered that need a new home here in fla that are literally 10 minutes away from me.
Seriously there is no shortage of gliders in need of a good home that are affordable and yes sometimes free. If the person can provide vet care food and a decent cage and environment And I feel its a good home I have no issues giving them the surrenders at no charge.
For those of you with one glider already I do urge you to use some of these recourse if you are looking for cagemates. Join some groups on Facebook The Sugar Glider Guardians group is probably the largest nation wide rehome group there is.
As mentioned above there is no guarantee that your glider will get along with a new glider so if you do go that route be prepared to have two cages two sets of accessories if they dont get along you end up with two single gliders. This is mainly the reason I think its suggested to start out with an already bonded pair. Its a lot less stressful on a new owner who is inexperienced in glider introductions.
In my experience with new owners if they have a bad first experience they are likely to feel overwhelmed and rehome the gliders fairly quickly. This is what we dont want to see. We want new owners to have a great experience and to keep their gliders for the duration of the gliders life.
So if I have one piece of advice to give the owners on this thread it would be this. Go-to Guardians and request a mentor. I wish I had had the benefit of a mentor when I started out instead of muddling through all the conflicting and confusing information on my own. This is also an educational group loaded with resources and a great place to ask questions
https://www.facebook.com/groups/sugargliderguardians/