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As pets

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Current section from article:
Male sugar glider. The forehead bald spot is the frontal scent gland, the eyes are adapted for night vision and the ears swivel.

Around the world, the sugar glider is popular as a domesticated exotic pet. It is also one of the most commonly traded wild animals in the illegal pet trade, where animals are plucked directly from their natural habitats.[1] In Australia, sugar gliders can be kept in Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory but not Western Australia, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, or Tasmania.[2] The public[who?] see them as cute and friendly but there drawbacks to owning one: upon waking, they are likely to urinate along your arms and they require you to be awake during odd times at the night, seeing as they are nocturnal[citation needed]. Removed

Sugar gliders are popular as pets in the United States, where they are bred in large numbers. Most states and cities allow sugar gliders as pets, with some exceptions including California,[3] Hawaii, Alaska, Massachusetts[4] and Minnesota. Some other states require permits or licensing.[5]

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Additions welcome here

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Sugar gliders as companion animals can be both rewarding and challenging. They are very personable animals with the ability to be very bonded and loyal companions, which also adds a level of responsibility to the owner to provide enough social time with the glider to meet its needs.[6]
Some special considerations include:

  • Sugar gliders are nocturnal. Their nightly activity can be disruptive for some owners, and they need undisturbed sleep periods during daytime.
  • They are highly social animals. In order to thrive, they need companionship from members of their own species. Solitary animals can develop serious health problems without sufficient social stimulation.
["mental illness", self-mutilation, etc.]
[second]
[etc.]
  • The unusual biology and anatomy of these small marsupials can make finding qualified veterinary care difficult.
  • For a small animal, they require a relatively large enclosure, which should be at least 2 x 2 feet, and 4 feet in height.
  • As an exotic pets, these animals retain their wild nature [etc.]


"Sugar gliders can make good pets as long as the owners understand that it is difficult to convert them to a diurnal schedule and meet their housing and nutritional requirements. Sugar gliders benefit from a large amount of socialization; at least 2 hours a day is recommended. They can be playful and cuddly and can develop strong bonds with their human companions under the right conditions."

— Conclusions[7]

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Common Diseases

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Nutritional Osteodystrophy
 A very common disease among captive Sugar Gliders. Often caused by feeding a Sugar Glider a low calcium and vitamin diet that is high in phosphorus. The effects of this can be an acute onset of hind limb paresis or paralysis.

Trauma
This is more common among the wild Sugar Gliders rather than the pets. Although cats and dog attacks have been known to also cause this.

Obesity
Often the cause of poor owners, Obesity comes from an inappropriate diet for Sugar Gliders. Not enough exercise can contribute.

Stress-related Disease
This can be any number of things specific to the Sugar Gliders environment. Some signs of this are Cannibalism, hyperphagia, polyruria, pacing, copropgagia, self mutilation and alopecia.

Neoplasia
A form of tumor that is common with Sugar Gliders.

[8]

Sugar Gliders should not be kept in a cage any smaller than 2 meters by 2 meters. For a creature that usually has tree tops to run around in a smaller cage is borderline cruel.[9] There should also be a nest box to recreate a tree hollow that the Sugar Glider will nest and feel secure in. There must also be a door to the cage that allows the owner to feed and change the water from the cage. Since Sugar Gliders feel safest at higher distances, there should be items to simulate tree branches hanging in the cage for the Sugar Glider to rest and feel safe on.

~Eric F 74.60.29.141 (talk) 03:20, 5 November 2012 (UTC) Last modified:74.60.29.141 (talk) 01:06, 9 March 2013 (UTC) [reply]

References

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  1. ^ "Insider the Exotic Pet Trade: Fatal Attractions". discovery.com. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  2. ^ "DixiGliders".
  3. ^ "Illegal pets in California". Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  4. ^ "MassWildlife Keeping Captive Exotic Wildlife". Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  5. ^ "Summary of State Laws Relating to Private Possession of Exotic Animals". Born Free USA. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  6. ^ Larkin, Steve. "Considerations in Buying a Sugar Glider". Tropical Attitude Pets. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  7. ^ Franklin DVM, Jennifer (05). "Natural History of the Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps)" (PDF). Journal of Exotic Mammal Medicine and Surgery. 3.2 (AEMV Newsletter 5-05). Veterinary Learning Systems, Yardley PA: 9. Conclusions {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  8. ^ Cheek, R., & Ballard, B. (2010). Exotic animal medicine for the veterinary technician. (2nd ed.). Ames: Blackwell.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Booth, R. 2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

Sources / Further reading

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Contested deletion

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This page should not be speedily deleted because... (this is a workpage for section: 'As pets' of 'Sugar glider' article; and relates to discussion on that article's Talk page. Perhaps it should be renamed accordingly?) ~Eric F 74.60.29.141 (talk) 19:53, 5 November 2012 (UTC) — Note also, at the very top there is an auto-generated link to "an existing" page:[reply]

Resolved

74.60.29.141 (talk) 00:18, 6 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]

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