You may ask. What are the steps in getting a pair of gliders from My Little Sugar Glider. Well, if I said it was totally easy, I would not be very truthful.
The fact of the matter is that sugar gliders are high maintenance exotics whose behavior, nutritional needs and care are much different than many other pets you may encounter. It’s the responsibility of a breeder to teach you all of the issues that can accompany them, and I have a very thorough way to work with each new client. I present them with a great deal of information, but it’s in the best interest of these unique and dear animals that I do this. Only you can decide if sugar gliders are right for you. There are tons of good things that happen with owning sugar gliders, but it’s not easy to get there, but with the right guidance from your breeder and patience on your part, it can be achieved and the rewards are great.
Many people do not know that sugar gliders are colony animals. This means, they cannot be by themselves. A lone sugar glider is prone to stress which can lead to depression, sickness and even self mutilation. It’s not responsible to keep them alone. Some breeders will tell you that it’s okay, but they are usually the ones that breed them without lineage or pedigree, and possibly inbreeding the animals. They don’t have enough knowledge or care enough about the animals to make sure that you are educated properly. My Little Sugar glider will, under no circumstances, sell a sugar glider as a single, unless you happen to have one at home that needs a like aged companion. I will always do what is right for the animals. You need a minimum of two animals.
Trust bonds are primary. Without that trust bond, you will never fully connect to your new pet and it may leave you frustrated. Without the knowledge and guidance of an experienced breeder, all the time, effort and money you invest in your new pets, might fall away and next thing that happens is that the animals wind up on Craig’s List to just go to another home that is inexperienced. When it comes to these unique exotics, not having the correct information, can ultimately lead to their untimely death, or serious injury. I try to avoid this for them, at all costs.
I am a very patient and knowledgeable teacher of all things Sugar Glider. I am here for you throughout your application process and deciding if they would be a good fit to your home, and then throughout the lives of the animals. I will always be here to guide you and help you with any questions or issues that can arise, years down the road. This is what makes me different from many of the mill breeders and pet stores who show up at fairs and trade shows to impulsivity sell you the animals. I will never do this.
Also, if you are thinking of buying them as a gift for another person, I am on board if you want to pay for the animals, but I will require that the main caretaker be the one who goes through the process with me. They will have to agree with me and sign a contract saying that they will do what is best for the animals.
Also, unlike a mill breeder or pet store, (or even a small backyard breeder) I breed with full lineage (pedigree). Since our first gliders were imported into the US for the pet trade in the early 90’s, we are no longer getting any “fresh blood” in. The countries they hail from such as New Guinea and Indonesia, have considered Sugar Gliders to be endangered, therefore, they have joined the ranks of Australia by no longer allowing any more imports. We responsible breeders decided many years ago, it would be in our best interest to keep good breeding records and to start the pedigree system. It’s been going on since the late 90’s. Many of my own lines go back 15 to 20 generations or more. Before I even place a pair together for breeding, I run a test with our pedigree database. It comes with numbers called “Inbreeding Co-Efficiency”. What experienced breeders know is that just one like relative within the first 4 generations, can cause defective issues with the major organs, for the joeys that they have. That number will tell me if I need to go back and see where the closeness is and if it will possibly effect the health and well-being of the joeys a pair may have. If looking around at other sources for sugar gliders, always ask if they breed with full lineage or not. If they don’t, they are either very inexperienced, or they truly do not care of the outcome of the animals they produce. Quality over Quality. It’s for the good of these little guys I do this. Even partial lineage can cause issues. Common Sense….we simply don’t know who the hidden relatives are. Also, it’s been a popular defense of many small breeders who do not breed with lineage to say that just because they obtained the parents from a different state, that it’s okay. Responsible breeders such as myself, have shipped sugar gliders to other breeders to every legal state there is. My gliders are all over the country and also in other countries. I as well, have purchased Sugar Gliders for breeding from other good breeders around the country. As far away from me as New Hampshire too. My most recent addition is a Platinum female from a good breeder in the State of Florida. Again, when breeders tell you that their parents from from different states, they are not using much common sense as to relation, if no full pedigrees are involved.
There are no known vaccinations for sugar gliders to date. Sugar gliders are still this side of wild and can hide illness, until it’s too late. In the wild, a sick or injured glider, can attract predators to their colony. They hide it as long as they can, but once they start appearing ill, they can be driven away to help protect the rest. This is why it’s so very important to have wellness exams, once a year. For me, my vet comes to my home once a year. She examines all of my parents and the current joeys they have. She then runs parasite tests, to make sure I am clear. Knock on wood, we have gotten great reports every year. I also conduct my own testing a few times a year and send samples to my lab. I send gliders out all the time, so I feel it’s important I do this. When I bring in a sugar glider from another breeder (even a friend), it goes into quarantine in an area of my home, away from my other gliders. It’s not allowed into my glider room until it’s gotten the “all clear” from the testing. A pet owner need only do this once a year. You would be surprised how many breeders do not do these things. Again, if not buying from me, always ask when the last time was that the glider’s parents had a health exam and parasite screening. Parasite screening is akin to having blood work done on humans once a year. It can tell a story that a vet can read and get a good idea the overall health of your pets.
I sometimes attend local reptile shows with my card, but I will not bring any to sell. But I then tell them to go to my website and start the very same process that I am asking you to do as well. Even if you have had sugar gliders in the past, you would be surprised at how much you didn’t know and that my nearly 30 years experience, can teach you. I’m sure I loose some potential homes that way, but this process does separate the impulsive buyers from the dedicated ones.
I will never accept a deposit for any of my sugar gliders, until a person has gone through all of my steps.
And of course, I do understand that there are a lot of scams out there on the internet, especially when it comes to animals. Rest assured, I do have a list of client references, as well as my vets and my USDA Inspector, always available upon request.
First things first. Here you go:
- Please start by reading through all of the pull-down menu items on my educational website. There is also a PDF file on care, that you may print out.
- Fill out the application form on my website. I will then be alerted of your interest.
- Next, read the follow up emails that I will send to you, after the application has been filled out.
- Once you are done reading all of the follow up emails, please alert me that you are ready for me to contact to you, to arrange a time that is good for both of us, for me to call you to go over the information, and to answer any questions that you may have.
- Once the application process is complete and you have chosen a pair that you like, then the next step is the 50% non-refundable deposit to hold them. Please see “Policies on Deposits and Payments” and “Return and Refund” Policy for more information.
- The balance of the animals are not due (along with anything you may need from my store), until either you pick them up (if local to me), or two weeks prior to shipment (if we must use Pet Transport). Because of issues with PayPal in the past with animal sales, I no longer accept them as a form of payment for animals themselves. I also had open selling with a shopping cart for the animals, but have since moved away from that. It helps to eliminate those who try to purchase who live in illegal areas of the country to have them, and even children trying to use their parent’s credit cards to buy animals. Yes. Both of these things happened, and were part of the determining factors I made to make the sugar gliders only, a manual payment system, and you now can only get an invoice, if I am the one who sends it. The store and it’s merchandise can be paid directly via a PayPal portal, but not live animals. For this, I use a credit card processor who works with my bank. When the application process is completed and you have decided who you want, I will be sending you an invoice for 50% down to hold your pair. This will come to you directly from the bank processor, in which you use your debit or credit card. I do not see your information. I simply set up the invoice and the bank takes care of the rest. They will also alert me by email, once the deposit is paid. At that point, your gliders will go from “Available” to “Sold” and placed in that section of my website.