In Reply to: Help! My parents think Gliders are too much work for me! posted by Aimee on February 05, 19100 at 12:08:26:

Is a sugar glider right for you? Take this quiz and find out...

1. Do you have 2+ hours per night (each and EVERY night) to play WITH and time EACH day to bond with the gliders? (you won't have just one, almost none of us do.)

2. Will you not mind when they bite you?(which they will, and often times quite hard)

3. Will you be able to NOT stop handling/touching them when they do bite?

4. Will you NOT be upset when they claw or chew (and leave little teeth marks)on your
favorite shoes, brand new cell phone buttons, camera bag, hair brush, jacket, speaker covers,
pillow case, toes, plants, curtains, keychain, expensive toy you just bought
them, your toys, the erasers off your pencils... (all these happened to me but I saw it as my
fault for not putting it out of their reach)

5. Will you buy them only the best food you can find? (Easily $20/month per glider in some places)

6. Will you clean up their stinky cages every couple of days (at least) and NOT
every week or two? Will you do it even when you really don't feel like it?

7. Will you take them to the vet immediately upon suspecting an illness or problem and
NOT a couple of days later when it's still a problem?
(my vet's always shocked when she asks me when I noticed the problem and I reply "this
morning". This tells me most people wait until the problem can't be put off any longer
without the animal dying which is deplorable)

8. Will you love them and let them love you back in their own glider way and not get
upset when you want to snuggle and they want to glide and run around the
room for an all night?

9. Will you continue to research and ask questions and for help?

If you have answered YES to these questions, then YES a sugar glider is definitely for you.

If you have answered NO to one or more questions, then you should think a little longer
about what you really want.

Don't forget, a glider can be a 15 year commitment. That's a very long time.

I hope this helped. If it sounds a little harsh, it is. We've all heard about or met people
who either ignored and mistreated their gliders or gave them away. Some have let them
go in the outdoors to starve to death alone and cold. I just want to make sure you know
what you could be getting into. Some gliders are wonderful and rarely get into trouble.
Some are little demons. Like I said previously, you won't be able to have just one. Good
luck on your quest. :)

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