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!