Sugar Glider University

CAUTION: The following stories contain shocking and graphic content

"Filthy Pet Store" A Florida store, Fost__________:

After my first visit to this filthy store, I found reason to go back in, I had heard that they were selling gliders again.  When I walked into the store, the smell was overwhelming.  The glider was in an ok sized cage, with crumbles of pellet food, dirty, pooped in dried up nectar and no sign of fruit.  They had him in a cage using pine shavings and no stimulation.  He was also being housed behind glass in a room full of noisy birds.  I spoke with the employee of the store and explained why this glider was not being treated properly and the response was "That is just ridiculus".  This store is part of a chain of 3 stores and in the area pet stores, they are known for their disgusting husbandry habits.  Their bird cages had so much feces in them that the feces was piled above the wire floors.  The water bowls were filthy and the smell was horrendous.

"Suggesting Abuse"

This is a quote from an actual glider website, sugarg_____ connection.com, that is USDA approved, and brags about being so approved:

"To pocket train your animal, put it in a pocket and either clip it shut with safety pins, put a zipper on a pocket and close it, or velcro it shut, with the glider in it. They should be fine for up to 6 hours without a problem. "

This is wrong on many, many levels. The following story, "Jupiter" is from the same breeder.

"Jupiter"

I emailed you about my lovely little glider named Jupiter and his so called lazy eye.  I'm so glad I listened to everyone and took him to the vet yesterday!!!  Below is the outcome of the vet visit and the blindness and nerve damage my little boy has suffered!

I have sent an email to the breeder about this as well as his practice of neutering his own male gliders in such a cruel and unsafe way.  He neuters his own males at the time of purchase and sends them home with the new owners without using anesthesia and protection against infection!! I am beside myself over this!!!!

I love Jupiter dearly and feel so sorry for him.  His left eye is completely blind and he has very limited muscle ability on the left side of his face.  His left ear droops as well.  This is because 3 out of the 5 optic nerves are not functioning at all.  The vet did several tests to check for vision and facial reaction.  Jupiter is not able to keep his left eye lubricated and has scar tissue on the cornea as a result of his eye staying so dry.  He may ultimately lose the eye.  The vet told me to put a drop of mineral oil in his left eye 2 to 3 times per day to help with lubrication.  

The breeder who sold Jupiter to me literally cinches the testicles with wire and cuts them off, then hands the glider to the new owner!!!! The breeder is M__ Mc____. He does not believe in pouch training/taming either.  He pins his baby gliders in a shirt pocket for 10-12 hours a day. If he can't wear the shirt, he pins the pocket closed and leaves it hanging all day in his home.   I WONDER IF JUPITER MAY HAVE BEEN STABBED IN THE EYE WITH A SAFETY PIN AS A BABY!!!!!  Anyway, this is my story and I'm sending this out to anyone who will listen in the hope that it may help prevent harm to these lovely little gliders. Sincerely, G.S.

"A Tragedy By The Thousands"

Yes, there are breeder mills and an associate of mine has been to one. Gliders (more than one, sometimes whole families), were kept in cages that were 12 inches square, with a plastic cup, covered in urine, for them to sleep in. With the cup, there was really not much room left for them to do anything.

The food they were fed would fall through their cage onto the top of the cage stacked under it, and the keepers would scoop the food, mixed with feces that had fallen through and put it in a barrel and then feed it to the gliders.

Gliders had arrived by the hundreds in cardboard boxes. Gliders were dying in their hands. There were thousands of gliders here. This is a USDA licensed operation.  Breeders buy from these "people." It is horrific. Name withheld

"Pet Store Horrors"

The Austin based pet store, Herpet___ is keeping gliders in conditions that make your heart break. This is a USDA licensed operation.

"Two of ours were purchased from that... particular... store nearby. I sort of consider them rescues, considering their conditions in that store. [They were bedded in pine shavings.] They convinced me to buy the biggest glider in there (my Dart). The reason? So I could throw him the farthest! " Lainyle

From the same store:

"As she said, Jeremy and I purchased our first pair of gliders from an area pet store. As most of you may know, a lot of these animals are purchased mainly from the "breeder mills" that churn out as many animals as possible then send them out to pet stores that may have little if any information on the proper care and socialization of the gliders. The gliders were kept in a cage out where children could and would disturb the cage, and were left to themselves after closing time. We were told our gliders would be just fine on a diet of crickets and "Glider Grub" and we would not have to really give them anything else as long as we gave them the vitamins and minerals supplements made for reptiles. I was very suspicious of this as we had already read so much on how important it was to vary their diet with the right amount of protein and carbohydrates. Our new gliders were EXTREMELY scared. They crabbed constantly for several days and the bites and scratches were pretty fierce..."

"A week later we purchased another pair (again from another pet store) and had an even worse experience. These joeys, who we were assured were 7 weeks out-of-pouch, were half the size of our other pair that were supposed to be 8 weeks OOP at the time. Again, we were told to just put them in the cage with the others and they would be fine. Yeah right!!!! They did not even have fuzzy tails yet!! By this time, I had had enough of the "care instructions" and began doing research on abandoned joeys, which for all practical purposes is what we had. The new pair could not feed themselves and upon introducing them to our first pair, they promptly climbed onto their backs as if they were their parents!!! Fortunately, the older pair did not mind so much, but when they did wriggle out of the joeys grasp, the youngsters would sit and do what we call the "I want my mommy" cry, which is a heart-breaking sound. The younger pair got a trip to the vet where we were told they MAY be 2 weeks OOP and be prepared to lose both of them because they had intestinal parasites. Thus began the antibiotic treatments for everyone and the syringe feedings for the younger ones. Today, thanks to our vet Dr. Paul Brandt, a wonderful friend named Priscilla Price , and our sheer determination, all four survived and are big "Daddy's boys and girls."

"On a band field trip, we stopped off at the mall and I went into a pet store, and found, to my horror, a poor single glider in a small aquarium, sitting in pine shavings, with a lamp glaring down into his poor surrounding. I demanded that animal control be called and would not leave until it was done.  The store called security, and the security personnel actually called animal control and then escorted me out.  Upon returning a few weeks later, there was a sign in the store that they no longer carried sugar gliders, and I don't think any pet store should."

"Out of State Breeder Exhibits Gliders"

The following are stories from the same USDA licensed "breeder", Custom C_____, in Texas.

"Our breeder showed up in our community back in August so my daughter just had to have one. (Which we love.) But the trouble is we don't have a vet within hundreds of miles (if that close) who even treats gliders. I can't find one period! The one pet store that sells some glider food (which is terrible) and sells nothing else is telling people to buy cat food instead. I don't think breeders should show up, take your money, and leave you high and dry. We felt we were played on our ignorance. Now we are terrified that something will go wrong and we will just have to watch our babies (we have purchased two more gliders since), die. It's scary." Gum Drop's Mom

"The problem with some of the bad breeders is they make their money off the "impulse buyer," like show exhibitors that bring 40 or 50 joeys with them. I fell in love and just knew I would be the best glider mom in the world. My vet said the joey I got was emaciated and dehydrated. We just thought she was more docile than the rest of the babies. How would we have known? But that breeder should have known. The breeder should have known specifically whether that particular joey could eat and drink on its own. How can they possibly know about each joey when they mass produce them in such quantities? After $600 in vet bills and 2-hour feedings 24/7 for 5 days we lost the battle and our precious girl. This breeder tried to make up for it by refunding our money and replacing the glider. But it shouldn't have to happen that way." Lauriegall

"Tragic and Cruel Death Of Older Breeder Pairs at a USDA Licensed Facility"

[Anonymous] was at a Texas glider mill and was trying to purchase glider pairs that wouldn't breed anymore.  The owners refused to sell them to her because that would cut into their sales, possibly.  Why was she wanting to purchase these older gliders?  The glider mill's solution to the "problem" of what to do with gliders who wouldn't produce anymore?  Let the gliders loose in a barn and shut the door. Name Withheld

Do not buy from these breeders!  For every glider you "rescue," you give these breeders the money to sentence four more gliders to live in cruel conditions. The only way to stop these people is to stop giving them money and supporting them. Let's support the good guys instead.