Breeding Sugar Gliders
Sugar gliders, marsupials native to the South Pacific that are about the size of hamsters, can make for interesting and endlessly entertaining pets. They are fairly easy to breed due to their easily acquirable diet of fruit, vegetables and insects or other protein, minimal space requirements and short gestation period (16 days). This doesn't mean that just anyone can breed them well or successfully. There are many things you need to know before you get started.
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Instructions
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Research. Before you start breeding any type of animal, it's important to do some heavy reading about their temperament, shelter and food requirements, social and exercise needs, and mating habits (see Resources below). Also, you need to find a veterinarian that is willing to treat exotic pets. A good place to start is by talking to a current breeder.
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Get a breeding license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. You will not be allowed to breed for sale without it. You can request an application package on the Department's website (see Resources below). Be sure to do this several weeks before you start your operation.
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Buy a male and a female sugar glider. You can tell them apart because the male will have two scent glands: one on the head that looks like a bald spot and one on the chest. Also, the female has a pouch near its belly.
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Let the gliders get to know one another, so to speak. It may not be obvious to you when the female becomes pregnant, but the babies are born after a little over 2 weeks, so you will surely know sooner rather than later. Once they're born, they spend the next 8 weeks in their mother's pouch. Most litters are small (2 to 3 gliders).
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Start advertising your gliders in the paper or online, but do not sell them until they are weaned. They need the nourishment of their mother's milk in order to develop properly. Weaning will happen about 5 or 6 weeks after they emerge from the pouch and have fully opened their eyes. Then you can feed them the same food you give to their parents. Just make sure it is soft enough.
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Set your sights on another litter. Sugar gliders can have two or three per year.
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Tips & Warnings
Be careful not to overbreed your sugar gliders and put too much stress on the mother. Breeding animals may be illegal where you live due to local ordinances. Contact local government before you start your business, or you could face hefty fines.
