Sugar Glider Breeders
Sugar gliders are cute and adorable, so this makes it easy to buy one of these little pets on an impulse from a pet store or off the web. However, if you don’t buy from reputable sugar glider breeders you may face problems with your pet in the future.
Bonding to You
If you buy your sugar glider from a pet store or from a website on the Internet you could have a problem with the little guy or gal bonding with you. It is always a good idea to buy a baby glider (called a joey) rather than an adult because of this bonding process your glider will go through. Baby gliders (joeys) cannot be taken away and weaned from their mother for 7 to 9 weeks. As soon as they are fully weaned they automatically begin to bond with whatever or whoever they are regularly exposed too. This bonding process can take up to two months and sometimes longer.
Although older gliders are capable of bonding if they are socialized (handled by humans) during the two months after weaning. By getting your glider from a good reputable breeder and as long as you get them right after weaning your glider will become bonded to you. Remember though these little guys live to be 10 to 15 years old. Once they bond to you they aren’t going to bond to someone else meaning you have a real commitment to this pet. If sugar gliders are not handled enough when young -- this is often what happens when they are sold out of pet a store – this makes it very difficult for you to get them to bond to you and he/she may never bond to you at all.
Buying and Shipping a Healthy Glider?
It is very important to buy a healthy animal. You want to assure the glider is active and can tolerate handling. More things to look for as signs of good health are bright black eyes and a muscular physic. Common sense tells us this will be very hard to do if we are buying a glider off the Internet. The sugar glider breeders selling on the internet will ship your glider to the airport nearest you where you will pick it up. Transporting these little guys this way can be very dangerous to them and their health. Good and reputable breeders will not ship gliders in less than 3 or 4 together at a time.
Shipping single or paired glider babies in the cold and dark hold of an airplane can be very stressful for the animal. Although most of these breeders will guarantee to replace any animal that dies during the shipment. Even when the baby glider survives the trip, it may take many weeks for it to recover from the stressful experience. This could cause ongoing medical complications for your new family member.
Federal License Required!
In order to sell baby sugar gliders in the US a federal license is required! Check with the breeder you deal with and ask for a copy of his exotic pet license with the US Department of Agriculture. If the breeder you are dealing with doesn’t have a license, walk away and don’t look back. Look for a local breeder in your area or one that is willing to travel to deliver your new baby glider. With that said, it’s always better for you to travel to their breeding facility so you can see how they breed and care for their sugar gliders.
Any reputable breeder honestly looking to find good homes for their baby gliders will welcome you with open arms and getting the chance to show off their facility. Good sugar glider breeders will give you great advice about the care and rising of your baby. This advice can give you a lifetime of awesome memories with your new glider. So it’s really worth putting in the time and effort to get started on the right foot with your relationship with your new baby and with the right breeder.
Here is a video on true cost of ownership:
Presented by: Dr. David M. Brust, DVM
President ASGV™
For more information go to:
www.ASGV.org
www.thesugarglidervets.org
Sugar Glider Breeders
Rich Allyn