How to Breed Sugar Gliders

Sugar gliders are small nocturnal marsupials, of the same family as kangaroos. They're only 11 to 12 inches long, and the females have pouches in which to keep their young, as do all marsupials. Sugar gliders are quite friendly animals and can be fun to have around, if you have time to care for them. Breeding sugar gliders is like breeding any animal, albeit with a few differences. If you decide to breed sugar gliders, there are a few factors to consider.

Things You'll Need

• State license
• Male and female sugar glider
• Large cage
• Nesting box

Instructions

1. Make sure it's legal. Check with your town, city or state to ascertain you're allowed to have a sugar glider as a pet. Find out if you need to obtain a breeding license from your local department of agriculture in order to breed sugar gliders. In the U.S., this would be the local USDA office.

2. Buy at least one female and one male sugar glider. The safest way to buy healthy sugar gliders is to go through a breeder like the one you're aspiring to be. The female sugar gliders will have a pouch on their abdomen, and males will have a furred scrotum and two scent glands, the most obvious being a bald spot on its head.

3. Get a large enough cage to house two sugar gliders and anywhere from one to four babies. The larger the cage, the happier your sugar gliders will be. Sugar gliders like to climb and have lots of energy, so go bigger if you're stuck between two options. The cage should be at least 20 by 20 by 30 inches, and should be taller than it is wide.

4. Put at least one nesting box in the cage. You can buy one or make it yourself out of cardboard, paper shavings and a blanket. If you buy a nesting box, make sure it's open and large. This is where your sugar gliders will sleep and where your female sugar glider will nest when she's pregnant.

5. Put the two sugar gliders in a cage, and they will mate on their own. Sugar gliders start mating at around 8 to 14 months, so wait until they are mature to start expecting babies. Younger sugar gliders won't try to mate with each other, so you can keep them in the same cage as soon as you bring them home.

6. Wait for the babies to be born once your female sugar glider is pregnant (about 16 days). The baby joeys will remain in the mother's pouch for another 2 months before they come out. It takes 5 months for the babies to stop clinging to the mother and be able to exist on their own.

7. Tame the babies after they come out of the female sugar glider's pouch. Then start looking for new homes for your baby sugar gliders. Sugar gliders will breed two or three times per year, so wait a while and you will soon be breeding your pets once more.

Tips & Warnings

• For a fun trick, teach your sugar gliders how to glide using the extra skin on their bodies. This is how they get around in the wild. Put your sugar glider up high and make him glide to you. Always give treats at first as a reinforcement.

• Sugar gliders are pretty high-maintenance pets, so don't think about breeding or keeping them if you don't have plenty of time to commit to playing with them and caring for them.