Sugar Glider

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iSugar Glider<ref name=MSW3>Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 55. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.</ref>

Image:Petaurus breviceps.jpg

Conservation status

Image:Status iucn2.3 LC.svg
Least concern (LR/lc)<ref>Australasian Marsupial & Monotreme Specialist Group (1996). Petaurus breviceps. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.</ref>

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Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Diprotodontia
Family:	Petauridae
Genus:	Petaurus
Species:	P. breviceps

Binomial name

Petaurus breviceps
Waterhouse, 1839

Image:Petaurus breviceps distribution.png

Sugar Glider natural range:
Red: P. b. breviceps
Blue: P. b. longicaudatus
Darkgreen: P. b. ariel
Yellow: P. b. flavidus
Violet: P. b. papuanus
Lightgreen: P. b. tafa
Black: P. b. biacensis

The Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps), sometimes called the Flying Sugar, is a small gliding possum native to eastern and northern mainland Australia, New Guinea, and the Bismarck Archipelago, and introduced to Tasmania.

1 Physical description
2 Taxonomy
3 Habitat
4 Conservation status
5 Pets
6 Captive diet
7 Behaviors
8 References
9 External links

[edit] Physical description

The Sugar Glider is around 16 to 20 cm (6.3 to 7.5 in) in length, with a tail almost as long as the body, and weighs between 90 and 150 grams (3 to 5.3 oz). The fur is generally pearl grey, with black and cream patches at the base of the black or grey ears. Other colour variations include leucistic and albino recessive traits. The tail tapers only moderately and the last quarter of it is black, often with a dark tip. The muzzle is short and rounded. Northern forms tend to be brown coloured rather than grey and, as predicted by Bergmann's Rule, smaller.

Image:Sugarglider hp.jpg

The most noticeable features of its anatomy, however, are the twin skin membranes called patagium which extend from the fifth finger of the forelimb back to the first toe of the hind foot. These are inconspicuous when the Sugar Glider is at rest — it merely looks a little flabby, as though it had lost a lot of weight recently — but immediately obvious when it takes flight. The membranes are used to glide between trees: when fully extended they form an aerodynamic surface the size of a large handkerchief.

The gliding membranes are primarily used as an efficient way to get to food resources. They may also, as a secondary function, help the Sugar Glider escape predators like goannas, introduced foxes and cats, and the marsupial carnivores that foxes, cats, and dingos largely supplanted. The ability to glide from tree to tree is clearly of little value with regard to the Sugar Glider's avian predators, however, in particular owls and kookaburras.

Although its aerial adaptation looks rather clumsy in comparison to the highly specialised limbs of birds and bats, the Sugar Glider can glide for a surprisingly long distance — flights have been measured at over 50 metres (55 yd) — and steer effectively by curving one or other of the patagium. It uses its hind legs to thrust powerfully away from a tree, and when about 3 metres (3 yd) from the destination tree trunk, brings its hind legs up close to the body and swoops upwards to make contact with all four limbs together.

[edit] Taxonomy

There are seven subspecies of P. breviceps:

P. b. breviceps (Waterhouse, 1839)
P. b. longicaudatus (Longman, 1924)
P. b. ariel (Gould, 1842)
P. b. flavidus (Tate & Archbold, 1935)
P. b. papuanus (Thomas, 1888)
P. b. tafa (Tate & Archbold, 1935)
P. b. biacensis (Ulmer, 1940)

[edit] Habitat

The Sugar Glider can occupy any area where there are tree hollows for shelter and sufficient food. Its diet varies considerably with both geography and the changing seasons, but the main items are the sap of acacias and certain Eucalypts, nectar, pollen, and arthropods. It is difficult to see in the wild, being small, wary, and nocturnal, but a sure sign of its presence is the stripping of bark and tooth marks left in the soft, green shoots of acacia trees.

In suitable habitats it is common, often reaching densities of 1 per 1,000 square metres provided that there are tree hollows available for shelter. It lives in groups of up to 7 adults, plus the current season's young, all sharing a nest and defending their territory. Adult males mark the territory with saliva and with scent glands, and also mark members of the group with the scent produced by separate glands on the forehead and chest. Visitors which lack the appropriate scent marking are expelled violently. The dominant male mates more frequently with the female of the group than the other males, and does most of the scent marking. When an adult member of the group dies, it is normally replaced: by one of the group's own offspring if female, but by an outsider if male.

In the more temperate south, breeding starts in mid-winter (June or July). In the north, there seems to be no particular breeding season. Two young per female is typical; they remain in the pouch for about 70 days, and after leaving it stay inside the nest for another 40 or 50 days, then begin to forage outside, usually under the care of the mother. The young are normally ejected from the group territory at 7 to 10 months of age. Sometimes they form new groups if an area is vacant, but competition for territory is fierce and not many survive the first months of independent life. In captivity, they may live up to fifteen years.

[edit] Conservation status

Image:Sugies03 hp.jpg Unlike many native animals, particularly smaller ones, the Sugar Glider is not endangered.<ref>Gliders - Monash University </ref> Despite the massive loss of natural habitat in Australia over the last 200 years, it is adaptable and capable of living in surprisingly small patches of remnant bush, particularly if it does not have to cross large expanses of clear-felled land to reach them. Several close relatives, however, are endangered, particularly Leadbeater's Possum and the Mahogany Glider (which, to the non-expert, looks almost exactly like a Sugar Glider).

The Sugar Glider is protected by law in Australia, where it is illegal to keep them as pets, or to capture or sell them without a licence (which is usually only issued for research).

[edit] Pets

Where legal, the Sugar Glider is not difficult to breed in captivity under the right conditions, and small numbers have been legally and illegally exported to America where they have formed a breeding population for sale as pets. Breeding mills are a controversial subject. The Sugar Glider is a popular pet because of its sweet, lively, inquisitive nature. It is a loving and intelligent pet that, with plenty of attention, bonds well to its human companions. As a pet, it requires a special diet that includes vitamin and calcium supplements, and insects. In the USA, keeping them as a pet is illegal in certain jurisdictions, such as California, Georgia, Hawaii, and Alaska. Many other states in the United States require a permit. Sugar Gliders as pets can be a very rewarding experience. As they are very intelligent they can provide a different experience than the average pet owner usually comes across.

[edit] Captive diet

To simulate their natural diet, many people have come up with different methods to provide sugar gliders with the proper nutrients. The following are diets a verity of zoo’s and researchers use specifically for sugar gliders:

[edit] Taronga Diet

Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia

Apple: 3 g
Banana/Corn: 3 g
Dog Kibble: 1.5 g
Fly pupae: 1 teaspoon
Grapes/Kiwi fruit: 3 g
Hard Boiled Egg: 10 g
Leadbeaters Mix: 2 teaspoons (details of mix below)
Orange (incl. skin): 4 g
Pear: 2 g
Rockmelon/Paw Paw/Papaya: 2 g
Sweet potato: 3 g
Day old chick: Wednesdays
Larger insects when available, such as mealworms

[edit] Leadbeaters Mix

<ref>http://www.skinhorse.net/gliders/syd_diet.html</ref> <ref>http://www.birdandexotic.com/Files/SugarGlider.pdf</ref>

Warm Water: 450 ml
Honey: 450 ml
Shelled, boiled eggs: 3
High-protein baby cereal: 75 g
Sustagen<ref>Sustagen is a European brand name</ref> (vitamin supplement): 3 teaspoons

Add warm water to container, slowly add the honey and mix in. Blend eggs (no shells) until mushy. Add 1/2 honey/water mix to the blended eggs, blend. Add the remainder of honey/water mix, blend. Add Sustagen and half the baby cereal, blend. Add the remaining baby cereal Blend for 1.5 minutes to make mixture lump free.

[edit] Darcy's Sugar Glider Diet

<ref>http://www.sugargliders.org/gliderinfo/diets/darcy.htm</ref> <ref>By Donna Fritz, wildlife rehabilitator; approved by Cornell University exotic veterinary center</ref>

Light or Regular Ensure (any flavor except chocolate): 1 can
Calcium Carbonate (such as Ruger's, a human-grade pharmaceutical powder): 3/8 teaspoon
Acacia gum: 1/4 teaspoon (optional)

Nightly (ingredients are for one glider)

Approx. 1 tablespoon of the Ensure mixture in a bowl<ref>Put the Ensure mixture in a bowl, not a water bottle, as the calcium will clog the opening</ref>
various fruits and vegetables, emphasis on variety and moderation
Approx. 1 tablespoon of protein source per glider (amount depends on what it is.
Chicken or duck meat: approx. 1 tablespoon per glider
Crickets (live, frozen or freeze-dried): up to 2 tablespoons would equal 1 tablespoon measured out) *Wax worms, mealworms, etc.
Optional: mix about a pinch of Nekton for Sugar Gliders powder in about 1–2 tablespoons of fruit juice
Zookeeper's Secret: a few kibbles per glider into the nest for daytime snacking, along with grapes or apple chunks or such. Also give plenty of live apple branches.

[edit] Dr. Cathy Johnson-Delaney's Suggested Sugar Glider Diet #1

<ref>http://www.sugargliders.org/gliderinfo/diets/johnson_delaney1.htm</ref>
50% Leadbeater's Mixture

2/3 cup warm water
2/3 cup honey
1 shelled hard-boiled egg
1/2 cup high protein baby cereal
1 tsp vitamin/mineral supplement

50% Insectivore/Carnivore Diet
Examples:

Insectivore-Fare (by Reliable Protein Products)
Mazuri New World Primate (by Purina Mills)
ZuPreem Marmoset Diet (by Premium Natural Pet Products)

Mix warm water and honey. In separate container, blend egg until homogenized; gradually add honey/water, then vitamin powder, then baby cereal, blending after each addition until smooth. Keep refrigerated until served.

[edit] Behaviors

When bred and kept in captivity sugar gliders behave much more differently than they would in the wild. As gliders are very social creatures, often living in families in the wild, it is very difficult on an owner’s part to raise a single sugar glider in captivity.<ref>http://www.sugarglider.com/gliderpedia_family.asp</ref> <ref>http://www.skinhorse.net/gliders/health.html</ref> Not to say that this cannot or has not been done, it is just a rarity that sugar glider owner would be up late at night, when the glider is most active, to play with it. So when deciding on whether or not a person should become an owner of a sugar glider one must consider the consequences of owning one glider vs. owning two. Social behavior, with multiple sugar gliders, is the same as it would be in the wild, aside from the toys and environment, they will still play with each other and care after one another just as they would in the wild. As important as it is to make sure a sugar glider has a proper diet, it is just as important that they have a proper environment. Most pet owners would recommend a minimum housing size of 30 in by 30 in by 30 in. It is important for the sugar glider to have enough room to run around freely and jump and climb (http://www.sugarglider.com/gliderpedia_housing.asp). To further simulate natural surroundings an environment may have branches or vines. With that it is important to note that certain plants are poisonous to sugar gliders, there are plants that are safe to have in a sugar glider environment here is a list of those plants.<ref>http://www.isga.org/informationcenter/BooksandReferences/safeplants.htm</ref>