Sugar gliders, aka “sugar bears,” may steal hearts online and in person, but their very appeal is also their downfall. Shoppers may buy these social and sensitive animals while walking around in the mall and seeing them being peddled at a kiosk. But often impulse buyers quickly realize that they are unprepared for the responsibility of caring for these active, inquisitive, nocturnal animals.

Sugar gliders are small marsupials native to Australia. At home, they live in large family groups. They like to marry and cooperate. As nocturnal animals, there are often lights and loud noises when their caretakers are awake during the day, which can make it difficult for them to sleep. They are also arboreal, avid climbers with hairy skin that extends from wrists to ankles that allow them to move from tree to tree, like squirrels. flying. But their lifestyle means they have sharp hands for climbing and holding, which can make it uncomfortable, or even painful for humans to hold them with their bare hands. 

Many people who buy sugar gliders are eager to understand that their home is the only place that is not suitable for this type of animal. When they are kept as "pets", they are denied everything that is natural and useful to them: the company of their own kind, fresh air, the outdoors, and the opportunity to climb or do anything other than pacing or sit and watch. environment. small mouth.