A PeRfEcT PeT?
have we mentioned how cute
they are?) , awesome gliding skills
DOUBLE TROUBLE
During the day, sugar gliders
snuggle together in groups in
hollow areas of trees, but by night
they are up and active. Their huge,
wide-set eyes are a useful
adaptation for nocturnal life and
help them to spot predators such
as owls, cats and large lizards. As
well as searching for food,
night-time activities include
finding leaves to line their nests,
social grooming, playing, and
marking territory and each other
using scent glands.
You might be wondering what
could possibly be sweeter than a
sugar glider? A baby sugar glider
perhaps? What about two? It is very
common for a female to give birth
to two babies, called joeys, at the
same time. Although you’d be
forgiven for thinking they look a bit
strange. Sugar glider joeys are
actually around the size of a grain of
rice (how many grains of sugar
would that be? Ed) when they
make their way into their mother’s
pouch, using just their sense of
smell to guide them. They have no
fur and their eyes aren’t yet fully
developed or able to open, so the
pouch is a safe place to spend the
next two months as they grow.
and playful nature make sugar
gliders appealing as pets. However,
many animal welfare organisations
warn against this, and for good
reason. In fact, in some countries
such as parts of Australia and the
USA, it’s illegal to own them as pets.
A special licence is required for
ownership or breeding. Unlike dogs
and cats, which have been
domesticated for thousands of
years, wild animals like sugar gliders
are not generally suited to life in a
standard home. Although they are
small, they need a lot of space to
express their natural behaviours,
like climbing and gliding. They are
highly sociable, preferring to live in
groups that replicate the colonies
they would be part of in the wild. If
kept alone, they can become
lonely and destructive,
not to mention that
the noisy nocturnal
activity of a group of
sugar gliders can be
disruptive when you’re
trying to sleep!
Special care also
needs to be taken
with their diet – they can
become ill or
malnourished if
they’re not fed the
correct balance of food.
Despite threats from the exotic pet
trade in some areas, and the
destruction of parts of their habitat
due to agriculture and sometimes
bush fires, sugar gliders are not
considered to be endangered in the
wild. It’s not all good news though.
Unfortunately, it’s recently been
reported that they are contributing to
the decline of another species. The
critically endangered swift parrot
breeds in Tasmania, an Australian
island to the south of the mainland.
Tasmania was free from sugar gliders
until the early 1800s when it is
thought they were introduced by
humans. The gliders eat the female
parrots on their nests, as well as their
chicks and eggs. Situations like this
are a real challenge for
conservationists – what do you think
the solution could be?
FUN FACT TRUMPET
How are you similar to a sugar
glider? As well as being mammals,
sugar gliders have opposable
thumbs like humans. This helps
them grasp trees as they climb and
pick up food and nesting materials!
glider
Their adorable faces (seriously,