rec.pets: Sugar Glider FAQ (2/4) - Breeding, Health Care, and Other Information
Tim Hussey
Last-modified: 26 Jul 1995
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Version: 1.1
URL: http://www.nd.edu/~thussey/pets/gliders/faq/
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Sugar Glider FAQ [4/4] - Breeding, Health Care, and Other Information
Compiled & Maintained by Tim Hussey
This document is copyright 1995 by Tim Hussey and Ruth Grove.
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Subject: TABLE OF CONTENTS
6. **** Breeding Sugar Gliders ****
(6.1) Are Sugar Gliders difficult to breed?
(6.2) Overview of the birthing process
(6.3) How do I feed the newborns?
(6.4) When should they be removed from the parents?
(6.5) Do I need a license to breed Sugar Gliders?
7. **** Health Concerns ****
(7.1) Watching fat & protein intake
(7.2) Vitamin deficiency
8. **** How to find other information ****
(8.1) Information sources near your home
(8.2) Information sources on-line
(8.3) Information in print
(8.4) Contacting me
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Subject: (6.1) Are Sugar Gliders difficult to breed?
Not at all, mainly because they spend most of their infancy
in their mother's pouch. The whole group can be left together
during the pregnancy and birthing. The mother seems to lose
interest after giving birth, but the male kicks right in and
does most of the feeding from then on.
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Subject: (6.2) Overview of the birthing process
Most Sugar Gliders will begin breeding somewhere between
7 months to a year, with some waiting until they are 13 to 14
months old. They will mate year round, provided they have enough
protein. They usually have 2 babies at a time, 4 to 6 babies
a year, if weanlings are removed after independent. The gestation
period is short -- about 16 days. Once birthed they are carried
in the maternal pouch for 2.5 to 3 months. The male may remain
with the female throughout the entire birthing process, but it
is best to simply leave the mother alone during this period.
When they are out of the pouch, covered with fur, have their eyes
open and have been eating solid food for 3-4 weeks they are 3/4
grown, independent and ready to ween. At this time, they can be
gently handled for short periods of time. Just be sure that they
are getting plenty of fruit & protein and are handled gently. Be
sure not to remove them from the pouch before this time because
once they are removed from the nipple, they cannot reattach
themselves. When they are weaned, they should be gently handled
frequently and gently, if they are to be pets.
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Subject: (6.3) How do I feed the newborns?
The newborns should be eating semi-solid foods such as low-
fat fruit yogurts and baby foods until they are around 3 months
old, when they can start gradually recieving solid foods.
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Subject: (6.4) When should they be removed from the parents?
Usually between 2.5 to 3 months of age is the best time. The change
in the colony size affects the babies and the parents, so they may
be stressed for a few days after the break-up. Females usually
are aggressive toward female babies after they are older than 3 months,
but males are usually ignored.
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Subject: (6.5) Do I need a license to breed Sugar Gliders?
If you live in the United States, yes you do (I have no information
regarding this in other countries, so if you do, let me know). Write
to either:
US Dept. of Agriculture
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Regulatory Enforcement and Animal Care
Central Sector
P.O. Box 6258
Ft. Worth, TX 76115-6258
OR
US Dept. of Agriculture
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Regulatory Enforcement and Animal Care
Sector Supervisor
2568-A Riva Road, Suite 302
Annapolis, MD 21401-7400
and ask for information on how to get licensed to raise and
sell exotics.
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Subject: (7.1) Watching fat & protein intake
Too much fat or protein is a very bad thing for these little
animals. Too much protein can lead to obesity and reduced
activity in your animals. You can remedy this with more --
you got it -- fresh fruit and vegetables.
Too much fat can lead to serious problems regarding breeding.
It seems if the mother has too high a fat content, the babies
will be born with fat rolling in their eyeballs. This can be seen
as small white spots in the babies' eyes. This can be remedied
with an ultra low-fat diet (which you should be feeding them
anyway).
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Subject: (7.2) Vitamin deficiency
Vitamin deficiency is a serious problem that can lead to death.
The first signs are a glider that is dragging their hind legs.
Eventually, the glider can lose the use of its hind legs and die. This
can be remedied by putting a liquid vitamin supplement in the gliders
water bottle or sprinkling vitmain supplement on moistened food.
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Subject: (8.1) Information sources near your home
The best near your home is your local newspaper or breeder.
Try to find other glider owners and pool information. Once again,
just try and you might be suprised at what you find.
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Subject: (8.2) Information sources on-line
There are currently two sources of information about gliders on-line
(to my knowledge) -- myself and Ruth Grove (reg...@bihs.net ).
You can e-mail her or me with your questions or visit our www pages.
Her page (which is presently much better than mine) can be found at
http://www.rtis.com/nat/user/regrove/.
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Subject: (8.3) Information in print
I have only found one book that has information on gliders as pets:
Small Exotic Mammals (Aardvark to Zebra Mice) by Pat Storer
(privately published, thus no ISBN #, but good anyway)
Its available from
R-Zu-2-U
Country Storer Enterprises
P.O.Box 160
Columbus, TX 78934
Send them a SASE for prices or info.
However, I have found various biological studies done on them in
zoological journals. Try a college library.
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Subject: (8.4) Contacting me
Please feel free to contact me at Timothy.L...@nd.edu at any time
with your comments, criticisms, and suggestions....
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== End of Part 4 ==
--
- Tim Hussey e-mail: Timothy.L...@nd.edu)
Gliding the Web Homepage URL: http://www.nd.edu/~thussey/pets/gliders/
--
Timothy.L...@nd.edu
http://www.nd.edu/~thussey/
See my Sugar Glider & Gecko Homepages:
http://www.nd.edu/~thussey/pets/
Got gliders? email me...