Clothes?

As ridiculous as it sounds I have seen clothes for sugar gliders.  If I had to guess they are probably home-made by "sugie parents" or are recycled doll clothes.  I personally would not dress Tinki and Telly up because I would not want to hurt their little wing flaps.  But I will admit to having put Barbie hats on their heads with hilarious results.  Tinki and Telly also get use of some of my old Barbie and doll furniture during play-time which also produces hilarious results.



Here are some of the silly outfits/accessories that I have found on Google.

http://static.gotpetsonline.com/pictures-gallery/exotic-pictures-breeders-babies/sugar-glider-pictures-breeders-babies/pictures/sugar-glider-0025.jpg

http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/Photos/12089/sugar_glider_bee_costume.jpg

https://33.media.tumblr.com/ea576e35de40741b50f2b67a10092800/tumblr_mzbh4jPbRJ1r7ufbxo3_500.jpg

http://www.sugar-gliders.com/images/carriage.JPG

Relationship with Other Pets

One thing that my sister and I are very careful of is letting our other pets come into contact with Tinki and Telly.  Our hosehold has six pets; two sugar gliders (Tinki and Telly), 3 cats (Tiggir, Leo, and Meowth), and one dog (Koia).  While our animals would never maliciously hurt Tinki and Telly, it cannot be forgotten that they have natural instincts to hunt small animals, and when Tinki and Telly are down on the floor, scampering around they look just like cat toys.

Here's Leo watching Telly have a snack.

For the most part the three cats and the dog are more scared of the sugar gliders than the sugar gliders are of them, but that does not mean that I trust the cats and the dog around the sugar gliders.  My sister and I always make sure that the other animals are not in the room if we are going to play with Tinki and Telly on the floor.  It is also important to know that if you want other animals to become familiar with sugar gliders, then you should "introduce" them to each other while holding the sugar glider in a bonding position on your thumb.

Here's Koia spying on Tinki through the cage bars. 

Bonding

It is important to socialize with pet sugar gliders.  Sugar gliders are naturally very social creatures, so the more you interact with them, the more they will accept you into their "colony".  An important aspect of humans socializing with sugar gliders is referred to as "bonding".  Although bonding occurs whenever you are in contact with the sugar glider, their is a special technique that I learned about.  This technique involves holding the sugar glider in one hand and having them wrap all four of their feet around your thumb.

Here's Tinki bonding with me.

Another way to bond with sugar gliders is to put them in one of their pouches and tuck the pouch into your shirt.  By doing this you keep the sugar gliders warm and also they are near you so they will be inhaling your scent which helps then recognize you.

Here are Tinki and Telly snuggled into their bonding pouch.

Bathroom Habits

Here's a word of warning: Sugar gliders like to go to the bathroom right after they wake-up.  So that means if you wake them up to take them out of their cage be prepared to get pooped and/or peed on.  And yes it has happend to me more times than I can count.  The good thing is that because sugar gliders are tiny, so are their poops, which makes them easy to pick up with a tissue. Another plus is that their poop and pee is fairly odor-free.

For reference, here are a few sugie poops in relation to a dime.

In order to prevent unwanted messes, my sister and I wake up Tinki and Telly and put them on the second level of their cage and leave them there for about five minutes to take care of their bathroom business.  Then we come back and take them out of their cage and we do not have to worry about them going to the bathroom on us (unless they have an unintentional accident of course!).

It's Never to Early for Christmas Gifts!

As the title implies this post is about some great Christmas ideas for the sugar glider and/or sugie lovers in your lives!  These products all come from Pocket Pets because I trust them with making sugar glider-safe products.



This hat is absolutely adorable and I want to get one for my sister!

http://www.sugargliderinfo.org/store/glide-r-hattm.html

These bears are super cute and brand new to the Pocket Pets website.  They come in a pack of two, which is perfect because I can give one to Tinki and one to Telly!

http://www.sugargliderinfo.org/store/snug-l-bears-1.html

The bears even come in four different colors.

Pocket Pets offers a great supply of sugar glider safe toys that sugies will love to climb, swing, and play on.  This particular package of toys is the largest package that they offer and it also comes with a "Cal-C-Yum" vitamin toy so sugies can snack and play at the same time!

http://www.sugargliderinfo.org/store/swing-n-things-3-and-4-piece-toy-set-and-calcium-kabob-combo.html

The Cal-C-Yum kabob toy.

Lastly, I think that I want to get Tinki and Telly some "Yum-E-Treats" from Pocket Pets.  Yum-E-Treats snack mix is a mixture of dehydrated fruits and other sweets that are completely sugar glider safe.  What makes Yum-E-Treats different from similar foods that you could buy at a supermarket is that the ingredients in Yum-E-Treats are 100% Certified Organic; and do not contain Sulfur and other chemical preservatives which can be harmful to Gliders.  So far my sister and I have only given Tinki and Telly fresh fruit and plain yogurt as treats, but I think that they will appreciate (and devour) this mixture.

http://www.sugargliderinfo.org/store/yummy-treats-organic-snack-mix.html

Snuggle Buddies

One of my favorite things about Tinki and Telly is their love of snuggling.  Sugar gliders are nocturnal, so when I take Tinki and Telly out of their cage during the day, there is nothing they like better than to curl up in a ball and nap on me.  Since they are so tiny, they have found some very interesting, but snuggly places to curl up in.

For instance in my shirt!

Telly waving for the camera. 

Sugar gliders are marsupials, so they naturally love places that remind them of their mother's pouch. Baby sugar gliders only spend about two and half weeks in utero, so it is essential that they live in their mother's pouch until they are developed enough to make it on their own.  To promote bonding between pet sugar gliders and their owners, Pocket Pets sells pouches that simulate this close relationship, where sugar gliders can take a nap while they pouch hangs around their owner's neck. Tinki and Telly each have their own pouches, but prefer to snuggle in the same pouch.

The Pocket Pet pouches.

Telly in his pouch.

Tinki being camera shy in Telly's pouch.

The Set-Up

            Pocket Pets requires all new sugie owners to purchase their "Start-R-Kit" along with their new pet to ensure that their new sugar glider will be properly housed and taken care of.  Therefore, when my sister and I got Telly, we bought the Pocket Pets "Start-R-Kit" along with an extra two year supply of food and vitamins.  At first, I was slightly annoyed that they forced you to buy their specific set-up, but looking back it was a great choice because not only are the products that they sell proven to be safe for sugar gliders, it also meant that Telly had a home as soon as we got him.

The Pocket Pets "Start-R-Kit includes:

• one-month supply of Glide-R-Chow™ (for 2 animals)
• one-month supply of Glide-A-Mins™  (for 2 animals)
• 4oz., “Non-Tip” Food Bowl
• 4oz. Water Dispenser with Cage Hanger
• GliderSafe™, ATR (Auto-Temperature-Regulated) Heat Rock

The Pocket Pets Start-R-Kit

            As I mentioned before, my sister and I bought an additional two year supply of food and vitamins when we got Telly.  While it was convenient to buy the extra food and vitamins on the spot, it was not necessary because the Pocket Pets website sells the two year packaged supply, making it easy to restock at anytime (just make sure to remember to calculate shipping time if you need the food right away).

Two-year supply of food and vitamins.

            The Pocket Pets website is also great if you are interested in buying toys and additional treats for your sugar gliders.  I have not bought any toys from their website, but they have a great selection.  I have bought toys and cage accessories from Pet Smart and Wal-Mart.  One of my favorite cage accessories that I have gotten Tinki and Telly is a little hammock that is intended for ferrets, but works for sugar gliders as well.  They use the hammock to nap on from time to time, but they prefer to curl up in a sheet on the bottom of their cage near their heat rock.

This is similar to the hammock that
I got for Tinki and Telly.

Telly Needs a Friend

            As everyone should know, the most important thing that you can do before adopting a pet is researching the type of animal you are looking into getting.  As I stated in my first entry, my sister and I had no idea what a sugar glider was, let alone how you take care of one.  However we made sure that we were capable of taking care of a pet sugar glider before we finally decided to get Telly.

            One of the most important aspects of owning a sugar glider is knowing and understanding that they are social creatures.  In the wild, sugar gliders live in extended family colonies of up to seven adults and their young children.  My sister and I made a pact from the start to have Telly out of his cage every second that we could so that he would not get lonely.  Unfortunately, life gets busy and we were not able to take him out as often as we would have liked.  Also, sugar gliders are nocturnal, and my sister and I are not, so we were worried that Telly was getting bored and lonely at night.

            When we got Telly, we asked the Pocket Pet employees when they would be in our area again and they told us probably not for at least another six months.  This meant that we could not get Telly a friend for quite some time.  A month after we got Telly, we went back down to Manchester to go shopping at the mall, and to our astonishment Pocket Pets was back.  We knew that this was a one in a million chance, so as soon as we saw them we knew that we had to get Telly a buddy.

            After inquiring as to which gender of sugar glider would be best to bring home to our little guy, we found out that it does not matter.  The Pocket Pet employees told us that Telly should do great with either a boy or a girl, and that all male sugar gliders are neutered so there would be no surprises if we decided to get a girl.  After a quick period of deliberation, we decided on getting Telly a little girlfriend.  Once again, we were taken to the cages that housed the baby sugar gliders and when the door of the girl's cage opened up my sister immediately saw the perfect little friend for Telly.  Just as when we got Telly, we did not choose our sugar glider, our new sugar glider chose us.

            My sister and I were so excited to get home and introduce our new baby to Telly, but truth be told we were also extremely nervous how they would react to each other.  Telly was such a social little man that we knew he would accept any sugar glider that we brought home, but we did not know how the new little baby would adjust to a new home that already had a sugar glider.  While anticipating the pending introduction, my sister and I brainstormed names for out little girl.  In the end we settled on Tinki.

Telly on the left & Tinki on the right.

            When we got home my sister took Telly out of his cage and firmly held him in her hands while I held Tinki in mine.  We slowly brought them toward each other and rubbed each of their scent glands on the other one, exactly how the Pocket Pets employees told us to introduce them to each other.  Telly was very interested in Tinki and I could tell that he was extremely excited to have a friend.  Tinki on the other hand was fairly timid and was not quite as sure what to do, but she soon warmed up not only to Telly, but also to me and my sister.

Snuggle buddies from the start!  Telly is snoozing on top of
Tinki while they sleep in their carrying pouch.

            Honestly, Tinki and Telly have adjusted to each other so well that sometimes I forget that we did not get them at the same time.  They truly have a special bond and I could not imagine my life without either one of them!

As you can see it didn't take long for Tinki to feel
comfortable enough to pass out in our presence.

What's in a Name?

As you can probably tell, this entry revolves around the long (and even excruciating) experience that my sister and I had while coming up with a name for our new sugar glider.  As soon as we got in the car for the trip home, my sister and I were bouncing ideas for his name off of each other.  We each came up with a handful of names, but nothing quite fit.  I think the problem was that our new pet was a native of Australia and considered “exotic” and we wanted something that reflected that.  Cue my sister’s fanatical obsession with Australian actress Rebel Wilson; and suddenly our little guy was named after a lady.  Don’t get me wrong I think Rebel Wilson is hilarious, but I by no means thought that Rebel was the name for our little man.  I let my sister know that I did not think that he looked or acted like  “Rebel”, but as much as I wanted to further protest his new moniker, I bit my tongue because “Rebel” was mine and my sister’s pet, not just mine, so I knew that we had to cooperate to make his life with us amazing.

This is one of the very first pictures that we took of our new friend.
Does he look like a "Rebel" to you?

So my sister made it known to our family that his name was Rebel.  But as the next couple of days dragged on she started to have second thoughts; I think my hesitation over the name had finally eaten its way into her thoughts.  I also think that as we got to see more of “Rebel’s” personality, we realized just how little of a “rebel” our little man was.  He was way too sweet of a little guy and had an enormously outgoing personality that in no way reflected his minute size.  My sister and I soon found ourselves back at square one; what were we going to name him?

Eventually, and believe it or not, we settled on one of the very first names that we brainstormed for him; Telly.  Now before you question our sanity, there is a story behind that name.  My family has four other pets on top of our two sugar gliders (the story of sugar glider number two will be told a little later); we have three cats named Tiggir, Leo, and Meowth, and one dog named Koia.  My sister had taken to calling Leo, our only male cat, “Telly” because he reminded her of the Teletubbie creatures from the children's show of the same name.  As we started to see our little sugar glider's personality begin to emerge, we were amazed by how much he resembled Leo.  Therefore it was only appropriate to name our new baby boy after our first baby boy.  Despite the uncertainty of his original name, once we decided on naming our little guy Telly, the name just fit and we knew it was the one.

My sister holding Telly.