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The Sugar Glider
(Petaurus
breviceps)
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NATURAL HISTORY
The Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps) is a
gliding possum from the genus Petaurus,
belonging to the family Petauroidea. Petaurus
(pronounced pet-or’-us) means rope-dancer and
breviceps (pronounced brev’-ee-seps) means
short-headed. It is intermediate in size, found in
between the tiny Feathertail Glider and the much
larger Greater Glider. The Sugar Glider occurs in
most of northern and eastern mainland Australia
and Tasmania. Their habitats consist of forests
and woodlands, especially when they have access to
dense pockets of Acacia. They can thrive in strips
and patches of forest that remain on cleared
agricultural land.
The
diet of the Sugar Glider in the wild primarily
consists of pollen, nectar, insects and sap. Sugar
Gliders are locally common where tree hollows are
available and they can tolerate a wide range of
temperatures. In extreme conditions they can
conserve their energy by huddling together with
others.
CAPTIVE HUSBANDRY
Cages can be placed inside or outside. If kept
inside, regular cleaning will be necessary to
avoid unacceptable odours (usually scent marking
by the dominant males). Cages for keeping two or
three Sugar Gliders can be as small as 1800 mm x
900 mm x 1800 mm. The standard 12 mm square weld
mesh (light gauge is strong enough) is
recommended. Young gliders can squeeze through 2.5
cm wire mesh without any trouble.
Numerous internal branches, nest boxes, etc are
required. Fresh eucalypt branches with leaves are
necessary for providing nesting materials. Care
must be taken with outdoor enclosures to avoid
extremes of temperatures and adverse winter
weather conditions. Thus, the use of thick-walled,
natural hollow logs, placed under some cover from
rain, are recommended for these animals.
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Click on
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HANDLING
Avoid handling these animals by the tail as the
fur will strip off after which the tail will die,
wither away and drop off. Gliders have very sharp
teeth and claws and are capable of inflicting
quite painful scratches and similar injuries.
Thus, inexperienced handlers may care to wear
gloves.
DIET
Gliders need a varied diet and will do very well
on a feeding regime consisting of various fresh
and dried fruits, vegetables and nuts, such as
apple, pear, fresh sweet corn, carrot, cucumber,
sunflower seed, sultanas, banana, rock melon,
watermelon, peanuts and almonds. In addition, some
form of live foods, such as mealworms, crickets
and moths, plus fresh branches, leaves, flowers of
eucalypt and other native trees and shrubs are
highly recommended. An excellent supplement which
can be added to the above diet is a glider
mixture, which consists of honey, water, hard
boiled egg, Sustagen
(optional), pollen, Wombaroo Small
Carnivore, Wombaroo High Protein Supplement (go
to
Healthy Bird link for products details ) and high
protein baby cereal.
Fresh water should be available at all times.
HEALTH
If not given a regular supply of fresh eucalypt
branches, or a sufficiently varied diet, some
animals will develop teeth problems. If this
problem is noticed and Veterinary attention is
sought early enough, it may be possible to prevent
it from becoming fatal. Inbreeding, an
unfortunately common practice for nearly all
native mammal species in captivity, appears to
exacerbate the incidence of teeth deformities in
older (i.e. over 4 years of age) animals.
Fighting will sometimes occur within a group of
gliders. Such fights may result in the loss of
toes, tails, ear tips, etc. Usually such injuries
will heal themselves. Some animals will prove
incompatible, and will require permanent
separation. Be aware of your animals reactions to
each other, and be prepared to separate animals if
and when required. Avoid housing separate colonies
of gliders in adjacent cages where animals can
bite each other through the dividing wire.
Whenever possible, use double-wired divisions.
SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
Gliders have very strong social bonds and members
of a colony know each other intimately by their
scent. Males mark their territory by scenting
from head glands and both sexes regularly mark
(using urine) practically everything in their
enclosure. Consequently, it is extremely difficult
to introduce new animals to an established colony.
Males will fight to the death in some cases.
Females have been known to fight quite viciously
also. Members of a colony will gang up on new
animals. Always introduce new animals to each
other in neutral surroundings, and never attempt
to do this too quickly. That is, start with
animals in separate cages, side by side. Swap over
nest boxes after a week, then wait a few days and
place both animals into a neutral enclosure with a
new nest box. This usually works quite well. If
bad fighting occurs, separate the animals and
repeat the procedure at a late date.
BREEDING
When breeding, Sugar Gliders are best maintained
as pairs or trios (i.e. one male with one or two
females). Mating generally occurs in late autumn
or early winter and one or two young form the
litter. Young stay in the pouch until they are
around 3 month of age. After that, they are left
in the nest for a further month, often in the
protective custody of the male while the female is
out searching for food. During the first few days
after leaving the nest, the young don’t venture
far by themselves and are frequently seen riding
on the female’s back. Given appropriate conditions
and diet, some females can have a second litter in
autumn. Gliders can live for 6 -7 years in
captivity. They breed best in their first 4
years.
GENERAL COMMENTS
No matter how hard you may try, gliders rarely
adapt to diurnal (i.e. daytime) activity.
Consequently, they are an animal that is commonly
kept but rarely seen. Gliders will breed well in
captivity, but only if kept in appropriate
enclosures and carefully maintained on a proper
diet.
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