Discover What It Is Like To Own A Sugar Glider As A Pet

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Mike_Brennen]Mike Brennen
For the caring and educated person, sugar gliders are a great match, regardless of the age, lifestyle or experience of the prospective owner. These mammals from the continent of Australia are of the marsupial species, most closely related to their fellow natives the kangaroo and koala bear. Sugar gliders have amazing qualities as providers of comfort, playful behavior and companionship to humans. Give one as a present to a senior citizen for company or to a child 6 years and older (with adult supervision) as the perfect low maintenance pet.
The steps to take as an owner in nurturing the process of bonding as your new sugar glider enters your care is of the utmost importance. Although they are small mammals, gliders have a much greater natural ability in bonding with humans than other common pets such as gerbils or hamsters. The age of your glider is the first thing you should consider before bringing it into your home, there is an important period in their early development which marks a period of their instinctive social need and activity. They begin the process of bonding with other gliders in their native wilderness at about 2 to 3 months of independently emerging out of their parent's pouch. Take advantage of this period to allow bonding to begin between you and your glider as owner and pet, it is the natural period of bonding between other creatures which occurs in a glider's life. When they become fully bonded with their owner, they develop a strong desire to remain closely and will continue to do so through their 12 to 15 year life span. Feel free to safely tuck and travel with your glider carefully placed in your pocket without concern that it will ever try to escape, this is a common form of care and bonding practiced by owners. Their loyalty and instinctive nature can be attributed to their strong mental capabilities, they have the same intelligence as a dog which is surprising for their small size. If you teach them tricks and give your sugar glider a name they will follow your requests, just as a dog does except gliders have the ability to fly and glide rather than just walk.
The low maintenance requirements in caring for a sugar glider is another benefit for owners, their medical and grooming needs are comparatively much lower when compared to more common household pets. Sugar gliders are unable to develop diseases so they do not need regular vaccinations or frequent visits to the veterinarian. They have an astonishing ability to maintain themselves by staying clean and do not require bathing. As long as you maintain a proper diet for your glider, they do not carry a noticeable smell.
Like all living creatures, sugar gliders have a normal routine of waste excretion. With a little experience and observation, it will become easy to anticipate your glider's bathroom cycle and allow you to take the necessary steps when it comes time for your pet to relieve itself. Most rodents have a weak bladder and excrete their waste frequently, but the sugar glider is of a different species and has a cycle of excretion which is more normal and easy for us to anticipate. Keep in mind their cycle occurs on about a 3 to 4 hour basis and they decide upon relieving themselves after a long sleep, similar to our bathroom cycle. Now, once you have this schedule in mind and the time comes, pick up your glider and place it in an area which is comfortable and allow it to relieve itself. This is the best method of avoiding accidents when handling your sugar glider, by keeping their schedule in mind. Another tip to keep in mind is they will never defecate or urinate in the same area which they sleep, this is a good fact to bear in mind in case you happened to carry one closely in your pocket on a frequent basis.
You may be concerned about the teeth and potential chewing habits of sugar gliders as a threat to your home. Do not worry, they don't have the constant need and instinctive behavior to chew like rodents. This is because their teeth do not grow on a continuous basis, unlike rodents who have to constantly chew to wear their teeth down as they grow. Sugar gliders are a safe and reliable addition to your home, when left to roam free they are very playful and carefree animals.
Mike Brennan is a sugar glider expert. For great information on [http://thesugarglidersolution.com/sugar-gliders-as-pets/]sugar glider as pets, visit [http://thesugarglidersolution.com/]http://thesugarglidersolution.com/.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Discover-What-It-Is-Like-To-Own-A-Sugar-Glider-As-A-Pet&id=6556634] Discover What It Is Like To Own A Sugar Glider As A Pet