Sugar Glider University

It is with sadness that we receive emails on a regular basis from sugar glider owners who would like us to look into a certain breeder or pet shop, or a certain website.  These poor people have had horrible experiences which resulted in tragedy, and they want us to do something about it, or they see something they know is cruel or inhumane and want us to stop it.  We can't stop everything, nor do we have time to look into every instance of cruelty that is reported, but we do our best.

Recently, we came across a website that is widely hailed in some circles of the "online sugar glider community" as the premier source for photographs of sugar gliders.  We had visited this site several years ago, and we were impressed with the effort that the owner of the site must have gone through to get her photographs.  However, this last month our visit left us disgusted and sickened.

It is one thing to photograph sugar gliders who are tame and willing, as in our photos of our very sweet "Rotunda", who posed and helped us take some great photos of her joeys while they were still in the pouch.  We were extremely careful with this situation, and we would not have even attempted to take the photos with any other gliders with which we had experience (though they were all tame).  Rotunda was an experienced mother from a very good line, and had a special disposition.  She was very friendly and docile, extremely healthy, and very laid back.  She was (unfortunately for the rest of the captive species), not like other pet sugar gliders.  Most "pet quality" sugar gliders in the U.S. are from unknown or bad lines, are not even tame, and still have the same attributes as wild sugar gliders.  They are also not laid back with motherhood. We would not recommend trying to to photographs like that unless the glider was extremely healthy, happy and cooperative.  In that case, even then, we would advise caution and care. 

CAUTION: GRAPHIC CONTENT BELOW (Click read more to continue)

The following are screenshots of BMXgirl's website, bmxglider.tripod.com

It is quite another thing to show photographs of a "just born" joey (obviously dead) comparing it to a grain of rice.  How the photographer could feel justified in not only taking the photo, but then putting it on a website, is beyond me.  These newborns are as small as a grain of rice--and the birth process is very rapid and usually goes unnoticed by the carer, because it SHOULD GO UNNOTICED.  There are not very many ways these pictures could have happened.  It looks as if  the photographer interfered with the birth process and killed the joey, either on purpose or by accident, and then took a photograph.  If this is the case, whether the photgrapher meant to kill the joey or not is irrelevant.  It was irresponsible, and completely unethical.  The callous recklessness with regard to the sanctity of life is blatant and reprehensible.   It also once again shows that just because someone may have a license to breed sugar gliders, it is more often a license to kill.

The most disgusting part of this photo is that the photographer obviously had no problem with posting on a website.  There was no need for this.  The description of the newborn joey contained on her website or even at most sugar glider websites (including GU), is enough--there is no need for a picture that just represents the death of another sugar glider due to the ignorance of the sugar glider caregiver.  There is also no need to encourage other people to try and get a photo like this by putting this up on the site.

The next photograph is also a sad indication that the owner of this website almost certainly does not have a conscious with regard to these poor creatures.  Although there is a disclaimer of sorts saying "Source Unknown," what is the website owner thinking to put up a photograph that was obviously obtained by the use of cruel and inhumane treatment of sugar gliders on the website? It is NEVER appropriate to open a pouch and take photographs of developing animals!  It SHOULD NEVER BE CONSIDERED AND ANY SUCH PHOTOGRAPH SHOULD NEVER BE POSTED ON A WEBSITE.  It only serves to encourage others to "try this at home."   Considering the previous photos, we wonder if the source of the photo really is unknown.

Perhaps it is just another commentary on a society that is so completely devoid of compassion and respect for life that it will do anything for a titillating or "controversial" photo.  Perhaps it is out of ignorance that these photos have been placed on this site.  Either way, it is sad and damaging to the sugar glider species, and we ask that this website owner do the responsible, ethical and humane thing by removing these photos. 

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  (Click here to send an email to the owner of the website to request her to remove these photos from her site)

If not, we ask that people find another place to visit to look at sugar glider photos.  Do not support this inhumane treatment of these beautiful, intelligent creatures.

For more information about developing joeys, please click here to read our "Handling a Joey" article.