What is a Sugar Glider?

Series Summary

Sugar Gliders are small marsupials related to the American opossum but often compared to flying squirrels. Sugar Gliders, as the name suggests, like sweet foods (eating sap, fruits, and insects in the wild) and have a membrane connecting their forelimbs and back legs that acts as a hang-glider or parachute for navigating tree canopies. As pets sugar gliders require constant handling and bonding time and make larger messes than animals five times their size! They enjoy pouches and crawling beneath clothing, which illustrates their social nature and marsupial affiliation. Sugar gliders are more work than one might guess and should not be adopted lightly.

In this free video series, expert sugar glider handler Elizabeth Cantu teaches you all about sugar glider care and health. She will show you how to handle, feed, bond with, and house your new sugar glider. Elizabeth also covers the importance of nutrition, household dangers and safety, how to setup and accessorize a cage, and what to expect from the pet. You will learn about male and female sugar gliders, neutering, how old they should be before adoption, and how to ensure a happy, stimulating environment.

Video Transcript

"Elizabeth is speaking on behalf of Expert Village. This clip is about sugar gliders, what they are and where they come from. They are little marsupials that are native to Australia and are most related to the American possum, at least as far as we know. They are more related to other things in Australia. They are not rodents, so they don't eat nuts, they are "insectivores". They eat mostly insects, but they'll also eat gums, fruits and vegetables and tree saps and the like. They were introduced into the United States in the early 1990's and very slowly entered the pet trade. They are not considered domestic animals. They are still wild and only a few generations removed from their wild Australian counterparts. So when you get one of these guys, you're not getting a tamed fluffy hamster that has been in the pet store for the last thousand generations. These guys are fairly wild little creatures."