I would like to take a moment and share with you the story of how sugar gliders became a part of my family.  It all started about ten years ago.  I was newly married and living far away from the place I always called home.  One day, I wandered into a local pet store on the advice of the veterinarian I was working for at that time.  Toward the back, in one corner, I spied a tall glass aquarium with several branches inside and seemingly no inhabitants.  The aquarium was labeled “sugar glider “.  Never before hearing of one, I asked one of the sales girls what one was.  She pointed to a small ball of fur curled up in a hollowed out log at the cage bottom.  Looking so small and so perfect, it was almost chipmunk-like in resemblance to me.  

I instantly wanted to hold it, but knowing that I could afford neither the price tag or the time to take care of another pet at that time, I was too embarrassed to ask.  However, answers were free and I pumped the poorly educated sales girl for any knowledge I could get on these little creatures.  I walked out of that pet shop vowing that, someday when I was settled for good, I would make one my own. 

The years passed and after my second move, my marriage fell apart.  As I searched to find myself, I revisited old friends and places I had lived.  My travels lead me back to the same pet shop where I had seen my first sugar glider.  I was dismayed to find there were no sugar gliders in the store.  The shelf where the first one I saw was displayed now only held product.  Feverishly, I searched the store for the tank that had housed it so many years before.  It was all to no avail as the tank too was gone.

With a divorce pending and my grandfather’s passing I was sure I would be returning to my small hometown shortly.  This intensified my worry that if I did not find a sugar glider before I left, I would never find one.  After checking every pet store I passed in a three state area, I still came home empty handed.  Although very discouraged at the time, I never forgot that sugar glider.

A year after moving back to my hometown, I stopped into the local pet store I frequented to pick up some routine items.  Much to my surprise, I accidentally noticed a tank marked sugar glider as I was rushing past the rabbits.  (I am very allergic to rabbits.)  At the checkout counter I calmly asked the associate if the glider was healthy and available for sale.  The answer was “yes!”  My heart was racing as I jumped into my car and rushed to discuss it with my mother. 

I was shaking with excitement by the time I arrived at the house and climbed out of the car.  My mother met me in the driveway anxious to discover what aroused such enthusiasm in me.  “$200 for something how big?” was her reply. This issue did not daunt me but she would not be sidetracked.  “That’s an awful lot of money for something that could die on you.  How long do they live?”  My mother, forever the optimist!  This time I listened though, the word “die” being a real attention getter for me.  I had to admit, how much did I actually know about these little creatures?  Would it die one me?  I didn’t even know how to care for it.  What would I do if it got sick?  How would I even tell if it was sick? 

It was then that I made a resolution to myself that I would research everything that I could about gliders before I returned to the pet store to but it that evening. Taking a seat in front of my computer, I searched the Internet for hours on the topic of sugar gliders.  I read lists of pros and cons, made note of dietary concerns, and listened to sound clips.  I never returned to the pet store that night or the next night either. 

You see, I learned a lot in that afternoon of intense research.  I discovered that gliders are very social creatures and live in colonies in the wild.  As far as living conditions went, I also determined that the glider in the pet store was being housed improperly and was not only at risk of respiratory complications, but probably well down the road to developing depression.  Now I wanted a glider pair.  I wanted to actually see what I was getting into as well, so the search was on for local breeders or people trying to find homes for their suggies near me. 

I contacted one sweet girl in a nearby state with a young sugar glider pair who was concerned that she could not take her sugar gliders to college.  As I thought more about bonding issues with older gliders, I became concerned that it might not be such a good idea for me to start out with a pair that could potentially never fully bond with me.  I wanted this to be the best experience possible after waiting so long to get a glider.  The closest breeder I could find that had young out of pouch joeys with pictures readily available was located four hours away. I contacted her and quickly arranged a trip out to see her sugar gliders that weekend.

Not knowing what to expect when I arrived, I was shocked and surprised when the breeder plopped the smallest baby in my hand and allowed me to hold him. The joey’s eyes were newly opened and it crabbed as I held it.  I marveled at the little bundle of fur with cinnamon markings as it tiny fingers clung tightly to me.  (Fingers… Oh my gosh!  It even had fingers!  And toes!  The tail seemed to grip me as well.)

I was in love.  I stayed there for four hours in awe of these tiny little creatures.  I left only after I had asked the breeder to accept my entire payment in full to secure the two I had chosen.  Of course, I had to wait for them to be weaned, but that would give me time to get prepared and order the supplies that I would need.

More research, more thinking.  Who was I kidding?  My only thoughts were of sugar gliders.  I began to wonder, with a big enough cage, why couldn’t three or four gliders live almost as cheaply as two (excluding vet visits of course). Wild sugar gliders live in colonies not pairs.  Besides, I wanted more colors anyway.  However, this posed a problem. I needed to find a reputable breeder with joeys around the same age as mine.

            I checked some of the larger educational sugar glider sites on the Internet and located a list of preferred breeders.  The last breeder’s site that I clicked on had exactly what I had wanted.  Unfortunately, the breeder was located half way across the country.  Everything that I had read discouraged the shipping of sugar gliders.  How would I get them home?  I started investigating different ways of shipping and asked the breeder which method she used.  She explained the entire process to me and put me at ease.  Her sugar gliders were shipped by plane with a special program designed for animals. I needed to drive three hours to the nearest participating airport to pick the sugar gliders up, but I didn’t mind because it allowed me to have a glider within a week’s time.

            Since I had already purchased a male and a female, I knew that I could only add a female.  The breeder inquired as to whether I had intended to breed them and informed me of some tragic outcomes resulting from breeding trios.  I still wanted another sugar glider, so I asked her if there were any other suggestions than isolated pairs or neutering.  The breeder informed me that she had experienced no problems when housing three female sugar gliders and one male sugar glider together.  Needless to say, I purchased two more little girls that day. 

When my girls finally arrived, they appeared larger than the other two joeys I had held; yet they were still smaller than I had imagined.  I had purchased one black beauty and one brown beauty.  Both girls were stunning.  Again, I fell in love instantly. I spent every spare moment learning more about and bonding with my new sugar gliders.  By the time my original gliders were weaned and ready to be brought home, it seemed like I had become a pro.

The introduction period between my four sugar gliders went smoothly and only required three days.  My joeys flourished under the loving care I lavished upon them.  The progress that my gliders made and the trust in me that they displayed was more rewarding that I had initially expected.  By accepting me as a part of their colony, my sugar gliders had not only become an integral part of my family, but had found themselves a lifelong home in return.  And so began my future with sugar gilders…