People who sell/breed/own SUGAR GLIDERS READ!

For profit!!! Or buy them just to sell them for profit, WITHOUT a USDA license!! This reeeeeally urks me!!

Most people dont know the general exotic diet of the Sugar Glider and think just fruits and vegetables will work...oh, and dont forget the CAT FOOD!!

Cat food is for CATS, not gliders. Gliders are SAP SUCKERS...meaning, they are not designed to eat hard foods, they suck the nectar out of their food, and spit out the pulp. Their salvatory glands can become swollen because of hard foods, also known as Lumpy Jaw.
Fruits, veggies and insects are fine, but the Sugar Glider needs a PROVEN diet fed on the side which provide adaquate BALANCED calcium/vitamins. And not to mention, the veggies and fruits you feed also have to be balanced to proper cal/phosphorus ratios.
I use the BML diet. Its a simple recipe, and it can be found HERE

Other diets can be found HERE

DO NOT MAKE YOUR OWN DIET, unless you are qualified to do so, and have spent many years studying this diet and testing it.

Pregnant or breeding females should be fed extra protein; eg; eggs, chicken, meat babyfood.

I think it is IMPORTANT for many people to know this information, because our glider community is really getting sick of seeing people post gliders for sale, and know nothing about their exotic diet and care!

Do NOT use a sock for your gliders, as toes get caught up in them.
Do NOT use a hamster wheel....same thing with the toes.
Do NOT feed cat food, ESPECIALLY hard catfood. (ive heard of breeders soaking it in applejuice or water, with no ill effects, but I just dont use it period)


And last but not least....it is ILLEGAL to sell or give away gliders in the US or Canada without a USDA license! If you are a good breeder, you can obtain this license rather easily, and have random checks of your "facility", hence the point of the license.

I do believe the USDA will overlook gliders given away or sold on a ONE TIME basis...if it is someone who can no longer care for the animal, and needs to find it a new home...and doesnt intend on buying more gliders!

Sorry, but I just had to vent about this. I hope everyone selling gliders will READ THIS, and see the TRUTH that gliders dont eat just cheerios, or just fruits and veggies! This is why we call them EXOTICS!!! Not as easy to care for as a common dog or cat! Providing the wrong care for these delicate creatures can mean death!

Correction, you dont need a USDA license in Canada, but you DO in the US.

I had thought the USDA thing came in when you're selling mammals above a certain dollar level- I want to say $500. Which wouldn't take long with sugar gliders. Anyway, this is why I have a short tailed possum- all the marsupial with less work! Not half as cute though, unfortunately.

I think this site will help clear the permit issue up- http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ies/smbus.html

Erin B.

Okay first of all not all un USDA licenced breeders are selling "for profit." I too am upset about the condition I've recived some of my gliders in but that is also from USDA faciltys. I only have two pairs. I am not USDA lic and I hand pick every one of my joey's familys before their birth but then again I'm small enough that I can do this. None of my joeys will go to homes that I have not personally checked out and make sure they have proper caging/knowlage/food ect. If anyone that buys one of my joeys has any problems I will ALWAYS take them back and they actually have to sign a contarct that states so. I have been to USDA facitys that have been horid. I don't like to support people like this but for the wellfare of the gliders I will hapily take a rescue (wich is what all my gliders are) from a place like this to get the poor thing out of there. I have personally spent long hours bonding with my misstreated gliders to bring them upto date with human contact. I have seen allot of aweful things since I've been in the world of exotics so I know that we can all expect the worse when buying from anyone you havn't previousely done good businiess with. I did over three years research before I bought my gliders. Did you know that the BML diet is actually to high in fat and isn't really the best thing out there to feed you glider? What makes it fatening is the chicken baby food. BML still works good though and I do recomend it for the "easist to make" glider diet. I'd also like to add that the best thing to feed your pregnant gliders for protine is NOT baby food. Frozen pinky mice is actually the best thing you can feed your mama glider because it's very low fat high protine/calcium. You can buy feeder pinkys frozen off the net wholesale. I know it sounds kind of grusome but we where the ones that decided to purchase these animals and if this is what they need so be it!
I agree with you that breeders need to be more aware of what they're getting into before hand and find out EVERTHING about gliders before they purchase one but allot of times that's just not the case. I also think it's always better to be safe then sorry that's why I'm applying for my USDA this summer when I get a bit more money (I'm always broke after christmas) but at the same time you don't really have the right to say "all unlicenced breeders are just in it for a quick buck." Especially when I have been to many licenced breeders that have the exact same mentality and will do anything to sell you a joey even if you know NOTHING about them! I just wanted to add my two cents being as I am unlicenced and have done my homework and got an A+ on my knowlage about gliders! I have spoken with many vet specialists that say my gliders are some of the healist they've seen! Anyway I just wanted to say that. I do agree that allot of breeders do not take great care of their gliders but that's not just un USDA lic. breeders!

-Kiki

It Is Amazing That Someone Who Makes A Few Babies Of Something Is An Exprt .just Remember That Ag Permits Are Not Under Fed Regs It Is All Up To Individual States To Implement Regulations For That State. Read Rgulations ,educate Yourself Before You Make Foolishness Of Yourself To Real And Honest Exotic Breeders.

I have only had my sugar gliders for a couple of months, and have not bred them (don't care if they ever breed actually). The male I have was in at least two other homes before he came to me (he is 14 months old), my two females are 13 months old and I am their third owner all of them are incredibley sweet and inquisitive. I did quite a bit of research before I got my gliders, and discovered that these animals are passed from home to home quite frequently, and also given up to rescues a lot. In my opinion gliders are not difficult to care for as long as their proper needs are met. These include-

1.) A minimum cage size of 3'x2'x2' (the bigger the better)
2.) lots of toys, ropes, branches, a "Wodent Wheel"
3.) at least two pouches to sleep in (per two gliders)
4.) fresh food and water DAILY
5.) a good VARIED diet consisting of mealworms/superworms/crickets, fruit, vegetables
6.) calcium and vitamin supplementaion
7.) IMO sugar gliders should not be kept singly. They are very social animals.
8.) at least a weekly THOUROUGH cage cleaning

Some other random facts I have learned-

-the law does not require a USDA license to sell sugar gliders unless you have four or more breeding females
-Sugar gliders are very intelligent animals and each one has a distinct personality
-As long as sugar gliders are being fed a varied diet consisting of 50% protein (mealies, supers, crickets, pinky mice) and 50% fruits and vegetables, there is no reason at all to feed BML or any of the other premade diets.
-Cat Food should never be fed to a glider
-Gliders Do have a distinct odor, especially young mature males. Weekly cage cleaning is a necessity (thorough washing of cage, toys etc)
-Sugar gliders can live up to 15 years in captivity!

These little furballs aren't for everyone, that's for sure. I would urge anyone thinking about getting some to do a ton of research, and also visit a sugar glider rescue or possibly a breeder in your area, so that you can see what is required to properly care for them.

I also have a rescue glider, she's about 6 and I am her 3rd or 4th owner.

for a couple years and i just fed it pre made food from brisky products ,and fruits for a treat and to switch up its food, always seemed healthy and happy for the three years i had it.

Perfection, I never stated I was an expert. Just saying what I have expirianced with gliders so far. You don't have to be snooty about other people opinions. I was just stating the fact that not all un licensed facilties are bad. I do take extreamly good care of the now four sugar gliders that I have. Now, I am getting my USDA this fall and applying for my class C USDA next spring. But I was just making a point,

-Kiki

Maybe , but if you are selling these at a exotic animal show, how do you prove you only have 4 female breeders when USDA comes up to you and ask for your license ? What i was pointed to was pairs of sexed animals constituted the license upon selling ( me as a breeder ). They told me if I was to sell only one or the same sex then the prospective buyer didn't need the license where I did. I have seen more than several breeders/sellers asked to leave reptile shows and exotic animal shows upon inspection of the USDA agency visiting the shows.