Taxonomic Classification
Class: Mammalia
Subclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Suborder: Phalangerida
Superfamily: Petauroidea
Family: Petauridae
Sugar Gliders (Petaurus breviceps) are marsupials from Australia or
Indonesia. They are tree dwelling, nocturnal creatures often living
in groups of 20 to 40. They are soft grey animals with a black
stripe running down their back, and a gliding membrane they use
much as a flying squirrel does. If high enough, a sugar glider can
glide as far as 150 ft. Adult gliders weigh about 120 - 135g and
are about 10 - 14 inches long with about 6-8 inches of that being
tail. Their tails are used for balance and steering when gliding,
but not much else. Gliders have odd qualities such as opposable
fingers and toes and forked genitalia (in both male and female.)
They also make a wide range of sounds such as chirping, barking,
chattering, crabbing and other odd sounds that are hard to
describe. Gliders can live 10 to 15 years if well cared for.
Since they are social creatures, sugar gliders need lots of
attention. This attention can include running around in a
glider-proofed room, finger-wrestling, and riding around on your
shoulder, or in your hair. If you have a single glider, you need to
pay attention to it at least two hours everyday. If the sugar
glider becomes lonely, it will become depressed and eventually die.
They are not the kind of animal you can put in a cage, feed &
forget about. If you can't always play with them everyday for at
least two hours it is essential to get another sugar glider for
company. Mine got depressed even though I played with him every
night for more than two hours, and I had to buy a friend. He is
MUCH happier now. Since they live up to 15 years, you have to be
willing to take care of it for that long. You also have to make
sure you have someone to take care of them when you go on vacation.
If you are buying a sugar glider for your children, remember that
you will have to take care of it if they lose interest. Please make
sure you can handle this kind of commitment.
