Natural and Artificial Sugar Glider Pouches

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Gavin_Mathews]Gavin Mathews
Natural Pouches
The scientific family Petauridae is home to different species of possums. The sugar glider (SG) is a possum, not an opossum (as many are led to believe). Not all members of the family Petauridae are capable of gliding through the air to reach short distances. As we have mentioned before, the sugar glider is a marsupial, no matter how small it is compared to larger related species like the Australian kangaroo.
Contrary to common belief, marsupials are not defined by the presence of pouches. Not all of them develop pouches.
What sets them apart is the way these animals reproduce. We have discussed earlier that marsupials do not gestate to full term. The reason for this is that they do not have well-developed placentas.
Mammals such as humans and elephants have placentas that can nourish a fetus to full term with little or no difficulty. Marsupials only have rudimentary placentas, which are inadequate for the purpose of nourishing a fetus until it becomes fully developed.
Marsupials often give birth to their young after a very short gestation period. After giving birth, they undertake the critical task of protecting their young until the organ systems of the young begin to mature. How small is a marsupial 'baby' compared to its adult parent? Well, an adult kangaroo can give birth to a young joey that is less than one gram in weight!
The pouches act as the natural home for the tiny joels. The sugar bear has 2 pouches and the glider mom can take care of 2 under developed joels at a time in the pouch which are designed to withstand tough climate affecting the soft and delicate young ones.
Artificial Pouches
The pet owners buy the fleece-pouches to simulate the natural one. There are many pet stores that are selling different kinds of them at their shop for a reasonable price. They loosely resemble a cloth purse or a pillow cover.
Here is the way you go about making one yourself.
Cut two square pieces of cloth (color and print of your choice) of size 14" width x 12" height. Let the cloth you chose be thick. Sew a soft liner to each square piece; the soft liner gives the young ones the tender feeling which is very vital in simulating the natural glider bear pouch. Sew the cloth on three sides with one side left open.
Turn inside out such that liner cloth is inside and the printed fabric is outside. Place iron hooks at the top that can come handy for hanging the fleece pillow in the cage.
Ensure that you sew really tight so that the glider thin legs don't get caught between the stitches. Preferably, use a sewing machine instead of hand stitching to get better results.
My name is Gavin Mathews, I am a pet lover and exotic pet enthuses me to go the extra mile. As a sugar glider enthusiast I would like to share some of the knowledge I have gained in the due course.
For more information click [http://www.sugargliderinfoshop.com/sugar-glider-care-information/]Sugar Glider For A Pet
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Natural-and-Artificial-Sugar-Glider-Pouches&id=6586679] Natural and Artificial Sugar Glider Pouches