Getting a sugar glider for a kid or young adult is usually not recommended for a number of reasons. A sugar glider is an exotic animal and does require exotic care. Everything from diet to daily care must be be overseen by a responsible adult. Too many sugar gliders are rehomed each year due to lack of knowledge or care requirement. Many people are first introduced to sugar gliders at a local flea market, trade show, or pet store where their care is overly exaggerated as "easy" . Please continue to research before buying a sugar glider for a child or young adult. Some of the top reasons sugar gliders are not recommended for children/young adults:
- Bonding; with some sugar gliders can take a matter of days while others can take several months. Patience and persistence is extremely important. Sugar gliders can bite, and many will bite or "taste" fingers while going through the bonding process. Many children become afraid once bitten, and will avoid further interactions. Kids or young adults may lack the patience and time required to allow a proper bond to form.
- Diet; They are not the type of animal you can run to the store and pick up a bag of "glider food". Of coarse you may visit your local pet store and see "sugar glider food" however this is usually nothing more than repackaged bird or reptile pellets. There are no standards or minimum requirements for sugar glider food, which means any company can put whatever in a box and label it sugar glider food. Proven diets are homemade, and prepared fresh each night. Preparing fruits, veggies, protein source, and staple need to be changed out daily which can make those nights and weekends out, or family vacations extremely difficult. Chopping fruits and vegetables can be dangerous for younger children. Also most proven diets require some cooking (ex. boiled eggs), and the use of a blender.
- Nails; Some young adults/children with sensitive skin may break out in a rash when handling sugar gliders. Trimming nails will help the condition, but not eliminate it for some people. Nails need trimmed often for their safety. Not all sugar gliders will allow you to easily clip their nails. They will wiggle, and some may even bite to get free. Often times this is a two person job for even experienced adults.
- Smell; Young adults/children also have a keener sense of smell than most adults. It is important to note that sugar gliders do have scent glands and do mark what is theirs. Some people do not understand that while the females do not have head or chest glands, they do have scent glands in their anus. While females don't tend to smell as musty, they do still have an odor that some people are sensitive to.
- Noise; Sugar gliders are nocturnal and do tend to get a bit noisy at night. Wheels spinning, sugar gliders barking, the occasional toy bell that makes noise. It can be difficult for some people to sleep with all that going on in the same room.
- Nocturnal; You must consider the animal's sleep patterns. Sugar gliders sleep during the day which means loud music, video games, and TV's can interrupt their sleeping patterns causing them to become stressed. Stress can ultimately lead to illness, over grooming, or in severe cases self mutilation. On the other side, sugar gliders are up all night. They make can make quite a bit of noise running in wheels, barking, or playing with toys while your child is asleep. Children or young adults in school may not have enough time in the late evening hours to spend with their new pet while awake. While it is true that sugar gliders can be carried while they are sleeping, they also need attention in the evening when they are awake and socially active.
- Life Span; Sugar gliders have an extensive life span of 10-15 years in captivity. It is extremely important to consider where a sugar glider will fit into your family as life changes. Kids and young adults have major changes within the next few years of their life including school, graduation, boy/girl friends, drivers licenses, moving out, going off to college. Sugar gliders consider their human family as part of their colony. Rehoming a sugar glider can be detrimental to the future trust and human bonding within the sugar gliders lifetime. While no one ever knows what the future holds for them, it is important to take into consideration what you know will likely happen within the animals lifetime and how it would affect the happiness of the animal.