Sugar Gliders as pets

As is often the way of things with me, recently I learned about these animals in a casual conversation, and then coincidentally was presented with the opportunity to adopt a pair of mature females. I’m pretty sure they’re legal in this state. I’m on the fence, but am leaning away from the adoption and am curious to know if anyone else here has any prior experience with them.

Ewww, weird. Just get a kitten, dude!

-Tom

I briefly considered sugar gliders as pets at one point in my life, and two things were an immediate no:

  1. Sharp claws hanging on you as if you were a tree.
  2. A defensive “screech” which was described to me as “the sound of a chainsaw on sheet metal”.

If you’re looking for a non-cat/dog pet, I can heartily recommend a house rabbit though. That is, if you can handle stuff getting chewed whereever it hangs out.

http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=23008

Or, get a hedgehog. They’re cute, easy to care for and excellent all around.

My mom used to have some of the damn things. They are social and nocturnal creatures, which means they spend a good deal of time “chatting” with each other when you are trying to sleep. It is usually described as “crabbing”, but sounds like an electric pencil sharpener. And that’s when they are not pissed at each other. They really don’t like to come out in the day, but can be slowly trained to come out in a room with the curtains closed and not totally freak out if you have the patience. To keep them healthy, their diet requires some special needs too, so they are not something you can really throw some food at and be good to go. Some of them are pre-wired to run around stealing shiny shit from your house and pack it away in a nest.

If you are after a small and easy going pet that doesn’t require much effort, go get a female rat. The trick is to get one as a baby from a pet store, and let it’s only contact be with people. They tame really well that way. And in about two years later when you are bored with it, it dies, and you throw it in the trash and are done with it.

Grizzly bear cubs make for an awesome pet.

My daughter has had two guinea pigs and apparently one chose the early retirement option in the official “4-8 years” life span. Since her mom isn’t interested in owning any “dum dums” right now (I am told this is normal for some women after a separation) I’ve had the whole cat/dog/rodent population here with me. I would TOTALLY go the kitten route in a heart beat, Tom, but not only do I have two adult felines at the moment (1 is a “guest” but has been staying suspiciously long) but more importantly, I would feel guilty leaving the little guy/girl at home all day while I’m off at my day job. When you get them this young you’re supposed to get them in pairs, too, I hear.

When the older guinea died on Saturday and my daughter immediately began obsessing on passing that baton, I got her to agree to a period of mourning while I considered. I was thinking of doing something different this time around, but nothing overly complicated.

I’m thinking these sugar gliders are a bit too much for me right now, and one of my cats already enjoys waking me up every single night anyway, so I’ll probably pass. Maybe a rat would be the right thing. I had owned rats, mice, cats, parakeets and cockateils when I was a kid. The mice were cute but stank of urine all the time and escaped frequently. Rats were pretty neat. Very intelligent and sweet, just not all that visually appealing to others who were not accustomed to them. The birds were annoying as hell, although one had her moments, and I felt they probably hated captivity the most and I vowed to never own any ever again until I get my big mansion aviary.

Do they still make Tamagotchis?

Yes. We have two. She also plays Pokemon Diamond and Animal Crossing. The day the kangaroo mom finally showed up in her town was a day of Joy and much celebration.

Who the fuck are you? Paris Hilton? She’s always trying to jam some small shouldn’t-really-be-a-pet thing in her purse. You really want to be compared to her?

The best pets are the ones that don’t require to be locked in a cage at all times - dogs and cats. There’s a reason they’re so popular, people aren’t just choosing them because they think they’re cuter than whatever that hell that monster of nature is.

If you can’t handle a dog, get a cat. A cat will reward you with snuggles and will even let you rub it’s belly! That thing will just scare away potential girlfriends.

Nail in the coffin.

Now, what about silver foxes?

I kid, I kid.

Dogs make awesome pets. The best part is, there are thousands of them looking for a good home right now that will love you unconditionally for the next 10+ years.

Rodents are not pets. Seriously.

Except for my Baby Squirrel!

Rats are excellent pets, I’d take a rat over a cat any day of the week. They are friendly, clever, low maintenance pets that shut the hell up. And as a previous poster said, you are only making a commitment for 2-3 years when you get one.

Countermeasure’s mom had some of those too. He hated the little things. He took his girlfriend over to his mom’s house one time, and one of the little bastards almost killed her trying to steal her earring. it was dead set on getting it. He finally grabbed it and threw it in it’s cage. It started calling to the other glider. The other glider ran off and stat there “chirping” at the one in the cage. They started getting all loud, so he threw its ass in the cage as well.

He fell asleep on the couch one time, and woke up to something messing with his lips… They were trying to get into his mouth!

One of them ran up and bit him on the little toe one time at his mom’s house and then ran under the couch. He couldn’t tell which one it was so he got revenge by shooting both of them with his brother’s Nerf dart gun. It didn’t hurt them at all, but it certainly tripped them out when they got pegged on the run.

He doesn’t know whether she just had mentally fucked gliders, but they would just run up and bite the shit out of you, and then run off. He says his pet rats had more sense than those little sugar glider fuckers.

Sugar gliders are like squirrels and parrots; they belong in trees, not in houses. “Baby squirrel”, the squirrel i helped save after falling out of her nest and bottle fed until grown, lives in the trees outside, but will come down 1-2 times a day for pecans and pets.

A college buddy of mine got one of these about 10 years back, when we were still in school. His was not at all friendly and would try and attack anyone who came near it. He didnt have it very long.

[09:34] Countermeasure: I hated those fuckers…
[09:35] Countermeasure: they are territorial too…one of them came up on the back of the couch and started clawing at the back of my head because I was in its spot.
[09:35] Countermeasure: As soon as I turned, it started to run, but I was quick enough to get it by the tail.
[09:36] Countermeasure: And it started yelling pissed while I pulled it by the tail, grabbed it by the skin on the back of it’s neck, and chunked its ass in its cage
[09:36] Countermeasure: it climbed in its bonding bag with its head out sitting there cussing me out

Plus, the ladies love rats.