Expectations vs Reality | Sugar Gliders as Pets

Many Sugar Glider Owners soon find that the expectations they had about having sugar gliders as pets do not match the reality of what it is really like. Hopefully this video will help you feel less alone, or ideally educate you before you get the exotic pets.
Amazon Storefront:
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00:00 Intro
How to Handle Sugar Gliders Video: • How to Handle Sugar Gl...
Original "Expectations vs Reality Video": • Expectations vs Realit...
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01:52 Snuggling / Handling Sugar Gliders
03:02 Sugar Glider Poop & Pee
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Do sugar gliders poop and pee on you video: • Do Sugar Gliders Poop ...
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05:22 Sugar gliders are really addictive
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Sugar Glider Diaries Merch Store:
sugarglider.deco-apparel.com
items typically take two weeks to arrive at your doorstep. (U.S. only)
Thank you for your support!
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Can I Have Just One Sugar Glider Video: • Do you REALLY NEED mor...
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09:45 Sponsor of today's video: Jessica's Attic: She sells safe toy parts and talks about how to make toys safely / 376799442861115
Website: jessicas-attic-sugar-glider-a...
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Toy Making Videos: (Toy Safety: • Sugar Glider Toy Safet... ) (Pulley Toy Tutorial: • Making Simple Pulley T... ) (Toy that was in this video: • Foraging/Pulley Toy Tu... )
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13:03 Buying Safe Sugar Glider items is hard
Cage Items Safety Video: • DON'T BUY Cage Items f...
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The Breeder I am currently using: Lisa Newman ( aka Lisa Spence)
Lisa's Facebook Page:
Legendary Sugar Gliders: / legendary-sugar-glider...
Lisa's Facebook Group:
Western Canada Sugar Gliders: / 1310301762644928
Email: [e-mail]
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14:22 Sugar Glider health issues
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19:23 Sugar Glider Nail Trimming
Nail Trimming Video: • Untamed Sugar Glider N...
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20:44 Do Sugar Gliders Eat Bugs?
Dubia Roach Video: • Sugar Gliders Hunting ...
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22:48 Outro/ Bloopers

[@miketheless8167]

Thank you for being so informative. People take this so lightly and don’t realize that these animals are not meant to be pets for I would go as far to say a majority of people. They require a lot of time & attention

[@ericaphillips9386]

❤ I am so glad you are still posting videos, honestly you have been the biggest help for all of my suggies!! 😊

[@Exoticpetsupply]

I hope she continues to make videos ❤❤❤

[@loritrine1737]

So glad I found you on here! We just got our 1st 2 little guys and I have been binge watching your channel for the last 2 weeks!

[@erikzaniadelvillar5825]

Excellent content Kimberly 👍🏾☺️

[@gentelmenschannel5028]

14:19 exactly here when you said don’t just think if it’s on Etsy it’s safe . An Etsy advertisement popped out I didn’t it so funny 😂

[@keenyaBKraftHappy]

Thanks for ur post. Absolutely adorbs! I stumbled upon ur post bc I'm reading a book that tells a bit about having 1 and the hilarious interaction at the pet store. I was curious so I did some research. I am probably not a good candidate but who knows what the future holds. I will try my local zoo to see if I can "adopt" one or 4! Or initiate a visiting sugar glider event. I love Jessica's attic toys. They were amazing. Oh the book is Cleopatra and Frankenstein. Again thanx!❤🎉🎉❤

[@cathyandfam9364]

Great video!! ❤

[@LisaGGuinness]

I love your videos!!! I feel like Im sitting right there with you. I stubbled upon sugar gliders and so hooked but want to really do my research before committing to getting them. I have a local sugar glider breeder within an hr drive and a vet thats 5 minutes away. I have 3 kiddos that no doubt would love them (3 girls-3,5, and 8) but with sugar gliders being nocturnal I have my concerns because I know my girls would want them out all day and thats not best for sugar gliders. I love to cuddle and very much a tactile person so I know I would love the constant cuddles. Im learning so much from you, thanks for helping to educate myself and others before committing to having them in our home.

[@chiftamago]

I always get some insights with your video and I am very happy.

[@tylergreenwood9689]

I just love your videos and personality so much! You are the perfect person to be making these! Where do you buy your suggie safe vines?! I have wanted to make my suggies cage appear a little more natural!

[@starmoalitiny]

15:20 I love your editing😂😂

[@veta91]

Your video is so similar to my own experience with gliders its almost scary! The buying safe items and the vet parts especially resonated with me. I got sugar gliders over 8 years ago and was largely lied to by the vendor about their needs (especially vet wise). Maybe lied isn't the right word, but certainly misled. I did my 'research' but not in the right places and at the time there wasn't nearly as many good resources as there are now (most of the information available was people actively fighting over who was right and who was wrong on what they needed). I also got the 'oh, buy from etsy or breeders! Don't trust vet stores or big companies!' spiel and very quickly realized a lot of the toys and stuff I was buying didn't line up with what I was reading safety wise and had to go in the trash. A wrongly constructed pouch from a very well rated etsy store cost one of my babies a foot (he lived a long normal life like he didn't even notice it was gone). So much time and energy goes into finding safe toys now and many new owners don't realize that just because something says 'sugar glider' on it, doesn't mean you should expose yours to it. Many of the items are in fact 'small animal' toys that are being repurposed for gliders but are not actually safe for them at all. We had to drive almost an hour as well to an exotic vet for that surgery and any check up or exam from a specialty vet is usually gonna be at least 100 dollars more than what you'd expect from a 'traditional' vet. Other than that, we were very lucky vet wise for many years, like what was told to us... until we weren't. Over the course of a year for two gliders, both of which we sadly lost in the end, probably spent 3k on vet bills. We spent 500 on diagnostics for one where they found what was wrong just to be told there was nothing that could be done. we took him home where he passed away within the week because they are so hard to treat being as little as they are. We were going to have him put to sleep that upcoming monday because watching him struggle to breathe was so heartbreaking, it would have been selfish to let him keep suffering as he was. I don't know if the people who tell you about the vet thing just expect you to watch something you've loved for nearly a decade or more die without doing anything about it, but that isn't us, so vet bills out the wazoo it is. This is the kind of stuff I tell friends when they ask me if I recommend gliders as pets. Maybe next time I'll just send them this video

[@vickilancaster6713]

I originally purchased 3 gliders just because I felt like having three gave me a bit of a safety net for a longer time to where I didn't have to worry about being down to only one glider. I agree, a lot of times I have thought it would be super easy to add one more and thought about doing it. But I have not wanted to mess with the dynamics of them.

[@veta91]

I really liked hearing you talk about the concern with a glider passing away and leaving the cage mate alone. We dealt with that recently in two very strange ways. We rescued a one year old male from what turned out to be a very bad situation for him for a lot of reasons (one example is they had bird cages on top of his cage??? And the poor boy was so stressed out he had given himself scabs on his head and overgroomed a bunch of his fur. Also very poor diet) back in march that they were only rehoming because the other glider with him had passed away (they claimed from old age but the cage they gave us with him that we didn't keep was vile and majorly unsafe construction wise). We had four in our colony (two were 8 and the other two were rescues that we could only guess were about the same age, maybe older). So I was immediately worried about the huge age gap but it became a more pressing concern when we suddenly had two loses of our babies in a single month (one very suddenly deteriorated over a months time from perfectly healthy to gone because of a mass in his lungs and the other had to be put down after a long health battle resulting in quality of life concerns). So we now had these two 8+ year olds and this one year old who had already been in that very stressful situation once (the night and day difference between him being by himself in quarantine and getting neutured and then him integrating into the colony proved to me that no matter how attentive you are as an owner, they NEED another sugar glider to be happy). So we made the decision to get two joeys to prevent that from happening to him again. I hope our two live to be old crones of course, but they're so little and their health can be so fragile. As you said, you can really lose them so suddenly and then you have this poor lonely baby who suffers because of it and I've never seen sugar glider material talk about this particular subject. You need to have a plan for that eventuality, especially as they start getting up there in years.

[@braelyndarby7340]

I’m always on your TikTok live lol I have two female sugar glider I love them sooo much

[@psy365ru2]

Thank you ! good topics are discussed in your video. oh yes...., I also can’t refuse them in their favorite food and now I keep and breed crickets, larva of black soldier fly, Dubia Roaches at home :))

[@Exoticpetsupply]

I LOVE Jessica’s attic as well ❤

[@paulcuadra2464]

pls continue doing videos were always waiting

[@monkefoahead]

I admire your dedication.i thought my bengal kittens were high maintenance untill i learned about sugar gliders.❤

[@hookywookywithmalarkyman704]

These crazy critters are for those that love a challenge & eventualy you may be rewarded ey ! 🤣

[@Exoticpetsupply]

Oh! And where can I find a link for the safe foliage and vines you have in the cage? (not the fleece ones)

[@starmoalitiny]

Hey Kimberly!! I’ve been watching a lot of your videos and had a few questions as someone who wants to become a sugar glider mom😊 How much money would you recommend setting aside for buying toys, pouches, etc on the outset, how much for their diet (let’s say monthly), and how much for an emergency fund?

[@JasdxMoney]

I've done a lot of research on Sugar Gliders and here is all you need to know: $200-$500 to buy them depending on the breed of the glider, Fixing a male is around $400, for the cage I would get a Brisbane cage which is around $170, for the toys/pouches and accessories its totally up to you, but make sure they have a wheel to run on, and $40 a month for their food. In total, you should set aside $1,410. I hope you get your gliders!

[@alexbaker6435]

Hi! I have watched most of your videos to help me take care of my sugar gliders. My female passed away as a joey recently due to unknown reasons, and my male has been struggling by himself for obvious reasons stated in your video. I think that he would benefit from being socialized in a larger group of gliders and misses his friend; however I cannot afford more than one more glider since I did not expect her to pass away so young as they were both barely past joeys. I also may move and think its bests to rehome him instead. He is an amazing, confident, and independent glider. From your videos I know how awesome you are to your gliders, would you be interested in him? I really want to find him a good home. He has spent time socializing with my service dog and loves running in a hamster ball with my foster animals, but he really needs to be with his own species.

[@alexbaker6435]

Haha mine doesn't care for mealworms, but goes CRAZY for live crickets. He climbed in the cricket jar and refused to get out until he ate all 50 crickets. I have a couple shorts of him on my channel

[@malerihickman9535]

hey kimberly! your channel has saved me the past couple of weeks! i’m hoping for some help from this awesome community. i have one glider (my first, he was alone at a pet store which was so sad, i’ll save the details) and i know i need a second one. my problem is this guy is NOT tame. i’m working so hard on him, it’s been rough, but i know he needs a friend. i’ve heard you need a female if you have one male, which means i need him neutered first (i assume) but he isn’t even bonded with me and i’m worried that will make him regress with scary human contact(aka the vet). he’s only 4.5 months old. do i get a female first or neuter him first?! halp 😭

[@MELSTEPSIN]

I don’t have a sugar glider but, I can help! So it’s through maybe some depression from the pet store and he needs to adjust to the new home, start by petting him softly and try feeding him by your hand! Comment me back if it worked! ❤

[@malerihickman9535]

@@MELSTEPSIN i actually ended up getting a second one shortly after this comment and it has helped my original guy SO much with bonding :) new guy was much more tamed and i think that has been helping my og guy warm up. things are going well and they are happy boys together! (new guy is a neutered male, original guy will be going to get neutered soon!)

[@MELSTEPSIN]

@@malerihickman9535 awesome! Did my comment help you at all? ❤️❤️✨

[@veta91]

Sugar gliders are very monkey see, monkey do! They absolutely will follow the example of another one, so I'm not at all surprised to hear he's being more friendly because your other boy is. Neutering him will also make him a much better pet for you as intact males can be a little aggressive and territorial (not all of course). I would definitely do that as soon as possible, which it sounds like you already are on top of that! We rescued a very scared, very stressed out intact male back in march and after getting him snipped and finally being able to put him with our colony, its a night and day difference with his 'attitude' in such a short amount of time. The other gliders 'trust' us so he's realizing he can too. Your little guy most certainly has trauma from the pet store, much like ours did from his very bad previous home, so you'll have to be extra patient with him. We rescued two males something like 7 years ago and it took about 6 of those to warm up to us beyond accepting treats by hand. A lot bonding is two steps forward, one step back too so he might be chummy one day and distant the next. You just have to be patient and kind and eventually he'll be so thankful you saved his life!

[@SihaSage]

Hello Kimberly! I am getting a pair of sugar gliders in 5 to 6 weeks and I've been reaching out to the trusted vendors you have recommended and I am getting a critter nation cage as well. I have been watching your videos because I'm trying to learn all that I can before having them here. I did have a question for you, however. Do sugar gliders need to be given baths? If so how often and what's the best way to give them one properly? Thanks for the amazing content!

[@alexbaker6435]

I randomly just saw this but no baths, water can damage their fur. My glider threw a tantrum in his travel kennel and managed to unscrew his water bottle (that was outside the kennel🤦‍♀). Poor baby was shaking for the next couple days no matter how much I cuddled him up in warm blankets and his fur has never been the same.

[@SihaSage]

@@alexbaker6435 thank you for sharing this information with me! I appreciate it!

[@veta91]

Fully agree with alex, no baths at all! They can also drown very easily in only a little bit of water (toilets are especially dangerous and any standing water in your sink). If they get gross somehow (who doesn't love to roll in honey?) just try to 'spot treat' with a damp warm wash cloth or something similar instead of getting them thoroughly wet. Like cats, they largely keep themselves clean.

[@kregeckert8351]

Great video. I have a question. I want to take your advice and have 3 rotating ages. my question is, 2 males and 1 female? or 2 females and 1 male?

[@sugargliderdiaries]

I would personally recommend 3 female or 2 female 1 neutered male ❤️

[@hazalamy2486]

Hi, it bites when I try to take my sugar glider out of its cage or pick it up from a narrow and dark place. It feels very good to me when on my body or when I'm eating what ı do pls help me

[@purplecloudzASMR]

What are you thoughts on neutering make sugar gliders? I have two and they are brothers, but I heard if they are not neutered they can become aggressive. Im a little scared to get them neutered though because I heard they often self mutilate post surgery.

[@veta91]

I've had 5 different neutered males and not a single one had any negative behaviors from the surgery and in fact had a vast improvement in "attitude". One was done as recently as april (he was over one year old, a rescue and actually had a history of self mutiliation from his previous home and didn't even do any after the surgery.) and another is getting snipped next month. Everyone has different opinions on subjects like this, but I know a lot of people don't find intact males to be particularly well suited as 'pets'. If you don't plan to breed, there's really no good reason in my experience to keep them intact.

[@ashleygonzalez32171]

When I first purchased Sugar Gliders for my very young daughter about 20 years ago, I really did not look into how to care for them and I ended up keeping them as my daughter lost interest in them. I was lied to about how easy they were to care for when I purchased them at the mall. I had a really hard time finding a diet that I was happy with and finding a Veterinarian. One died from an abscess on her cheek I was sure was a Dental problem but 3 Veterinarians later… I had no choice but to euthanize her as none of the Veterinarians wanted to do any Dental work on a Sugar Glider and would just send me home with antibiotics. She was suffering and not eating so after all 3 Veterinarians recommended I euthanize her… I decided it was best. I have been replacing them as they have died throughout the 20 years since I always feel bad about the one left alone. One time I rescued one that really harmed one of my babies and 6 months later and 3 surgeries later she passed away. Please be very careful introducing a new baby to the colony. Sadly these will be my last 3 rescues. I have been rescuing animals for a very long time and now only want to have Dogs. People need to keep in mind that Sugar Gliders are very expensive and their diet can be very complicated and time consuming as well as expensive and it is incredibly difficult to find a Veterinarian that will do dental cleanings on a Sugar Glider or even Hedgehogs. I have found Veterinarians for Ferrets but never Sugar Gliders or Hedgehogs. I remember how difficult it was to find a Veterinarian that could neuter my Sugar Glider or Hedgehog. Sadly after finally neutering my Hedgehog a month later he passed away. When I first got them about 20 years ago the Internet was not what it is today so I did not do research before getting them. If you are going to get Sugar Gliders do a lot of research as they will take up a big portion of your time and money and you should only get them if you are going to be committed to them for a very long time as they live a very long time. Not to mention how expensive and difficult it is to find a Veterinarian that is knowledgeable about them.

[@lovelyheylelle]

Where is that massive cage from? It’s perfect!

[@sugargliderdiaries]

It’s 3 double critter nations put together 🥰

[@lovelyheylelle]

@@sugargliderdiaries thank you love! I ended up being watching all of your videos and actually ordered one for now ❤️

[@I-hate-youtube797]

I have two rehomes. They were two years old when I got them. I was their third owner in just two short years of life. Their first owner was a breeder and she kept breeding them even tho the female was eating the babies. She was very irresponsible imo bc now what I’ve been told by other breeders is that if a momma eats a baby she needs to be retired and you shouldn’t keep forcing her to breed. Her breeder did tho. I’m sure it’s because she is an exceptionally beautiful glider. Anyway, the breeder did eventually tire of her cannibalism and so instead of keeping her and her mate as pets she just got rid of them! And sold them to some lady along with their baby. (One that was fortunate not to get eaten…) Anyway, these people kept them for only three months and then they were posting adds on Craigslist, which is where I found them. They were overcharging for them too. I had to pay $250 for each one and at the time I thought I was getting a good deal. Only to later learn a rehomed adult should cost no more then $125. Anyway, they kept the baby and got rid of the parents bc they couldn’t get them tame like they could their baby. They did luckily get a buddy for their glider but they didn’t want to keep the parents bc of the cannibalism I’m suspecting. Tho they literally lied to me about their history and I had to do some Nancy Drew stuff to even figure out who their first owner was. (That’s too long a story tho). Anyway, I’ve had them two years now. They are wonderful and sleep in my bra every day and I adore them! It makes me angry to think how people didn’t realize how amazing my little babies are. They’re much better off with me tho anyway. I do treat them like cats tho. I always let them come to me and I never force them to do anything. They crawl in my bra all on their own and they climb in my hands all on their own. I never pick them up. Instead I let them walk into my hands if I want to hold them. Bc of this they have really learned to trust me and they aren’t afraid of me anymore. The female who was the one all the previous owners hated is probably the most babyfied. She is always wanting cuddles and treats. I love sugar gliders. But they are very timid animals and I’ve learned you have to let them come to you instead of forcing things. Least that’s how I was able to tame my gliders. (That was a really long post omg lol)

[@veta91]

Okay but I really need the Nancy Drew story. I can exchange it for the long and insane story of our recent rescue.

[@I-hate-youtube797]

@@veta91 Lol basically the lady I bought them from lied to me as to why the breeder was getting rid of them. She told me it was because the breeder was downsizing. In reality it was because the female was a cannibal but she never was honest with me about that. She did give me the info for their previous vet visit which is where I got the name of their first owner and I found her on the pet gliders registry and the two gliders I was getting there as well as their ancestry. Her gmail was listed on the website and I emailed their first owner which is how I found out their real history. She was even shadier then their second owner tho! She took three months to respond to me and after that never answered my second email to her. That was three almost four years ago now.

[@josephshaff5194]

Can they be let outside for exercise in a forested area and then return ? Maybe trained slowly ? Then there is the predator thing.

[@MeadowsMiniFarm]

No! They can’t be left outside ever

[@brittanyroberts9121]

hi! i just got another sugar glider hes a joey he doesnt have a name yet tho

[@kanondegeminis8747]

I want one so bad ❤❤❤❤❤

[@sharondavis1430]

How can you tell if they are getting depressed?

[@Amelia_sosa]

I know you might not see this or read this maybe if you do you didn’t do it but that’s okay if you can make a video about how to convince your parents to let you get a sugar glider would be great thanks❤️

[@chipoz]

Yes please do what she said

[@justinpage4714]

Who do you recommend I buy gliders from ?

[@sugargliderdiaries]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/npLMh2SDppmWh80

[@geraldfrig9151]

Will gliders eat crickets?

[@steampunkster2023]

Can I take a glider outside the house?

[@jalad9319]

Can I raise only one or will he get depressed?

[@purplecloudzASMR]

it would definitely get depressed, you need at least two. They sleep together and play and do everything together, so a lonely sugar glider would probably feel very scared and lonely and get depressed and probably end up self mutilating! Hope this helps

[@veta91]

We rescued one who was by himself (and was self mutilating and very depressed) and the night and day difference between him being by himself and then him being fully incorporated into the colony proved to me that despite what some people claim, they NEED at least a second glider to be happy. He would sleep so lightly when he was by himself during his quarantine period that if you even approached the cage he would start crabbing out of fear. The first day (so their night) he had fully been accepted into our colony, he slept so deeply on top of everyone else that I was able to poke and prod at him and he didn't even move a muscle. I'm guessing it was the first restful sleep he had gotten in at least 6 months, the poor little guy. His 'attitude' (fear) has vastly improved as well and he's so much happier and there hasn't been any stress grooming or anything since.

[@mannyrai2029]

I RECOMMEND ALWAYS ALWAYS BEING PREPARED IN ADVANCE INCASE SOMETHING HAPPENS TO YOUR ANIMAL. ALWAYS SELF EDUCATE TO KNOW HOW TO TREAT YOUR ANIMAL YOURSELF IF YOU CANNOT GETBTO A VET OR IF YOUR ANIMAL NEEDS IMMEDIATE CARE.