Sugar Glider University Courses

Available Courses

• Sugar Glider University Online Courses

  Welcome to Glider University's online courses for students who wish to know more about sugar gliders.
  
  Our courses are designed to be flexible for anyone who wishes to learn.  Each student learns independently and goes at his/her own pace.
  
  We hope you enjoy learning about this remarkable species.

  Click here to return to Glider University's Home Page.
  

• Introduction to Sugar Gliders

  Students will learn about the history of sugar gliders and their natural habitats. Basis of course includes online text and weekly discussion groups.

• Introduction to Sugar Glider Diet and Nutrition

  What should a sugar glider in captivity be eating? Is there one single answer to this question? Even domesticated animal diets are still subject to debate, and this after thousands of years of domestication. It is not likely that a hard and fast answer will be available for those seeking a simple solution to feeding a captive exotic animal.

  It is fortunate that sugar gliders are extremely resilient animals, and are very resistant to disease and death in captivity. Diet is the key to good health in all living things, and sugar gliders are no exception.

  At the end of this course, the student should be able to:

  • Understand the basics of the diet of wild sugar gliders.
  • Be familiar with current captive diets
  • Understand calcium to phosphorous ratios, and why they are important
  • Understand the nutritional content of popular glider foods
  • Be familiar with vitamin and mineral supplements for sugar gliders
  • Understand the importance of variety in the captive glider diet
• Health 101: Glider Wellness

    

  Students will learn about the basics of common glider illnesses, causes and prevention.
• Glider Colonization 201: Glider Reproduction

  Sugar glider reproduction is a fascinating topic that requires the caregiver to open the mind to a new way of thinking. Because marsupial reproduction is extremely different than placental, it is a challenge to think of pregnancy and childbirth in a non-placental way.

  The student in this course will learn the following:

  ~The basic reproductive anatomy and physiology of sugar gliders

  ~The relatively short gestational period, and birth process

  ~The similarities and differences between marsupial and placental reproduction

  ~How to apply this knowledge in a captive breeding situation

• Glider Colonization 202: Joey Development

  The development of a sugar glider from fetus to adult is a fascinating topic that requires the caregiver to open the mind to a new way of thinking. Because marsupial reproduction is extremely different than placental, it is a challenge to think of pregnancy and childbirth in a non-placental way.

  The student in this course will learn the following:

  *The fetal development of a sugar glider

  *How a joey is born

  *How a joey develops while in the pouch

  *How a joey emerges from the pouch and matures into a full grown sugar glider
  

  
  
• Ethics 100

    

  Sugar gliders are wonderful creatures--creatures who have charmed their way into the hearts of many the world over. They are exotic animals--which means that their diet, habitats, and characteristics are not the same as the average companion animal.

  While it is possible to obtain and care for a sugar glider colony ethically and humanely, it is perhaps the exception rather than the rule. Either due to ignorance or greed, many sugar gliders do not get the standard of care that they deserve.

  This course will explore the following issues:

  ~Choosing to care for sugar gliders: what to consider
  ~Responsible Pet Ownership
  ~Preparation for an emergency
  ~Where and how to obtain a sugar glider ethically and legally
  ~The positive and negative side of sugar gliders as captive animals
  ~How to prevent, recognize, and report animal abuse and neglect

  Hopefully through this kind of education, sugar gliders in captivity will begin to enjoy a higher standard of care and a better quality of life.

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