Hello, i was wondering if you guys would say babies or adults are better for first time glider owners?

I would probably prefer a baby but there doesn't seem to be any available so i was wondering if it really matters?

Is it more difficult to bond with an adult? would the bond be stronger with a baby?? I have the patience and time to give to bond with them but if a baby will end up being more tame/bonded to me i would like to know. Thanks!

Bonding with a glider is NOT age dependent. Its time and patience dependent.
The age thing is a mill breeder lie to get you to buy their joeys and not look for an adult from a rescue to give a forever home to.

I never knew that, it seemed to me that with most animals that if you get them younger there is a deeper bond and since there s actually a bonding process with sugar gliders it seemed the other way around. :) thanks

I have to say its personality of the glider too. I have 2 6 month old girls. From the same breeder but they are not biological sisters. They were bonded before they came home to me at 10ish weeks. One has been sweet as pie since she came home the other was a crabby and lunged! Quite scary even from such a tiny little thing. LOL She is still crabby but no longer lunges.

Agreed.. I've seen 8-10 week old joeys come from a small breeder and they weren't friendly, at ALL. Crabby, bit, didn't wanna be held.. but I've seen joeys the same age from a breeder, or heck, leave OUR home.. friendly, cuddly.. falling asleep in the owner's hands the first time they meet them. A lot of it depends how the glider was brought up. Don't expect that getting joeys will make bonding perfect. I've met lots of adult gliders that are both sweethearts and some that are just NOT hand-tame. It all depends on the suggie and it's up-bringing. But ANY glider with the right amount of time and patience will come around to some extent.

Bonding with gliders is basically building their trust in you. I did not see much difference between gliders I brought home at 8 weeks and those that I received at 4 months or 2 years.

I had one 8 week old joey with 'attitude' that took a long time to stop crabbing at people. She still complains when I wake her up during the day. I have one rescue that was about 1 1/2 years old, maybe older, when she came to me from a rescue. I was at least her 3rd home. She was so anxious about getting treats, as if she had been teased with food, that she would lunge for anything I offered and frequently drew blood in the process. Her two family members, thought to be her father and brother, were calm and gentle taking treats right away.

The personality of each glider, rather than age, will determine how long it takes to build trust and bond with each glider.

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by imbored12368</i>
<br />Hello, i was wondering if you guys would say babies or adults are better for first time glider owners?

I would probably prefer a baby but there doesn't seem to be any available so i was wondering if it really matters?

Is it more difficult to bond with an adult? would the bond be stronger with a baby?? I have the patience and time to give to bond with them but if a baby will end up being more tame/bonded to me i would like to know. Thanks!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">


Such a great question and so many people are wondering this when they first contemplate getting gliders. I agree with the great advice you have already gotten here from the others but I just wanted to add a comment or two...

First, consider the fact that gliders can live up to 13-15 years in captivity if fed properly and cared for properly. OK, so they are only "babies" for about 6 months and then they are sub-adults. So the novelty of them being teeny-weenie adorable babies is short-lived. That's not to say that babies are not wonderful, but most of the fun, interaction, and wonder of gliders is not going to come out of them being babies, but rather a beloved, bonded adult pet that will be with you for a very long time.

Second, it is fairly well established that babies are scared to death, and often crabby and nasty for two or three months until they get over the shock of being yanked away from their family. Poor things. So of course many of them are going to bite, and lunge and run and hide. This is not as prevalent in adult gliders so long as they have been handled and well cared for.

At present, we have 60 gliders up for adoption at our rescue. Out of that 60, I reckon only six of them are mean-spirited. Most are well-adjusted and friendly and will bond with you within weeks. Even the iffy ones probably only need more loving attention. We get those into foster care whenever possible and they always come back much more friendly.

Anyway, please consider adoption. Legit rescue operations will put animals up for adoption who have already been neutered, wellness checked and on a good diet. We do all of that for you at Lucky Glider Rescue & Sanctuary at a cost averaging over $150 but still only charge $50 per glider as an adoption fee. That's what makes this joint a non-profit. We are in Texas so you'll have to travel here if you are close enough since we do not condone shipping. There may be another rescue close to you so please consider looking in to that.

So you see the consensus is age doesn't matter its tempermant and trust but ill give you my story as another example. I have 3 colonies all rescues. Ruth and boaz came to me crabbing everytime anyone even thought about them, lounging at me and frankly I was scared of them. But now 4 months later, they come to the door if they are awake and I walk over to them, take treats nicely, and play tag all over me during play time. But they do still crab and don't love to be touched in their pouch. Mary and joe came from the same place and were not as scared or crabby. I can take them out of their pouch and they willing climb onto my hands when I open their cage. I also have jessi and whizzer and 4 of their male joeys. Those guys were sweet from day one but had health issues to overcome. Now that they are pretty healthy and adjusted they are absolutly awsome. Jessi "helps me" make their dinner plates every night and never wants to leave my side. Whizzer will help but is more of an explorer so I have to pay more attention when I have him out. The boys well they are very crazy and will play and explore anything they can get into so its closed bathroom or tent time for them.

Long and short of my story, I have no young joeys all 8 months and older and they have all bonded to me and are getting better everyday. And I was able to help the rescue world and keep 10 more gliders from living at a rescue for the rest of their lives.