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chinagurl5I felt it was time to introduce myself to the group and say hi. I'm rather shy and have anxiety but you all seem so nice and helpful and I love seeing that.
Well, where to begin. I started my obsession with sugar gliders before they were even an American pet. While in college, I raised rats and wanted to get into showing. I ended up going to a local show at the petstore and ended up looking through an exotics magazine. That was all it took. I became obsessed. It wasn't just the cute little faces or the size but they were new. I had to read everything about them. I needed to learn as much as I could, even though at the time there wasn't a lot of information and to ship them here was a fairly new practice.
Fast forward to 2011. I lived in a military town with my new family. I quickly found out that the military personnel have money and like to spend it on whatever they want. There was a PP seller who came to the local mall. It just so happened that I was walking around aimlessly, bored. Then I saw them. I couldn't believe it. I rushed over. I stood there listening to the "show". Lots of potential customers were there oohing and aahing, but there just was something wrong with the whole thing. Not to mention $800 is a bit steep for a family of 4 just to spend recklessly. I decided to do more research. Of course, I had to bring the kids by to see their reactions but I knew this was something I wanted to do for me.
Months more of research and reading forums and other owners thoughts. I liked at breeders in my area. Then I came across craigslist. At first, it seemed every once in awhile I would come across a glider to be rehomed. Maybe because I hadn't completely made up my mind yet, and wasnt stalking CL at that point. Then, it became an epidemic. Or at least from my viewpoint. It made me sad, it made me irate. These poor pets being shuttled from hand to hand, but I knew it was no different than any other pet nowadays. My mother runs a rescue in MI, and we've always rescued pets. This was no different.
I finally took the plunge. I contacted a local man, who "rescued" unwanted gliders off of CL and tried to rehabilitate them. His colony grew too big and wanted to give one of his joeys a new home. I wrote him and couldn't wait to see my new "baby", a 12 week white faced female. I named her Banshee and she was my little joy. I knew she wasn't as hand tamed as he claimed. I knew the cage he sent her in was too small. I knew she needed a companion. I wanted to help. A week later I found her a cage mate. A dark grey (possibly bb) who was a week younger than Banshee, she was an impulse buy and the owners didn't have as much time. Luckily she had a 4 foot cage and had been hand tamed. She not only helped Banshee adjust but I began falling deeper and deeper in love.
I've always been a night person. Most of my jobs have all been 3rd shift so I had the time to bond. A month later, Banshees breeder, for lack of a better word contacted me about a 3 yr old female he got in. He had been trying to tame her, she had come from am awful situation where she was neglected and banished to a small hampster cage for getting out of a breeder cage. She was nippy and wanted nothing to do with him or his colony. I gladly agreed. I knew she was going to be more difficult than the other two but I was determined. I've now had her almost a year and though she still is a bit skiddish my Nyx now greets me at the cage door with her younger sisters.
I can honestly say I couldn't be more happier. Ive since then added a lineaged Leu, (my little Loki), a rescue boy from a shelter,(Vlad), and Atlas, a neutered male who's cage companion died. I love all my babies and even though on paper I am still a newbie at this, I feel great. I'm happy with my decision and of course there are days where I want that minute more of sleep or have a migraine that is pounding, but it's about the pets. I treat all my pets like family and would do it all over again. Maybe later in life Ill run a sugar glider rescue out here on the east coast, as it looks like we're in desperate need. Until then, I want to provide as much help as I can for new owners and a stable and happy home for all that are here with me smile
Sorry for it being so long!
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