Becoming Familiar With The Glider
There are three parts to this class...
1) The Sugar Glider's Appearance
2) Sounds That Gliders Make
3) Behaviors And Attitudes Of The Glider
The Sugar Glider's Appearance
Adult sugar gliders are about 6” long from their nose to the base of their tail. Their tail is normally about 6” also. Fur covers nearly all areas of the glider's body. When a joey is under six weeks out of pouch, the fur on its tail will not be fluffy. The glider below is older than six weeks oop, so his tail is already fluffy. The tail is used as a rudder while gliding, but they can also pick up light items such as baby links with their tails.
Liam displays his beautiful coat and long tail.
Gliders got their name from their ability to glide through the air. They have a flap of skin that connects their wrists to their ancles. When the glider is relaxed, this flap (called a patangium) is almost unnoticable - but as you can see in the picture below, when the glider stretches, the patangium is very visable. Gliders cannot "fly" like a bird, but the patangium is used like a parachute, and the tail is used as a rudder. In the wild, gliders have been known to glide hundereds of feet through the air, from treetop to treetop.
Leo shows off his gliding skills.
Because gliders are nocturnal, they have very large round eyes. The only gliders that don't have black eyes are albino gliders, which have red/pink eyes. Very tiny eye lashes line the gliders' uper and lower eyelids. They have thin, soft, and flexable ears that are constantly rotating to pick up sound waves. Their pink nose should be slightly damp at all times - which is a sign of hydration. Sensitive whiskers surround the nose.
Chai Chai, a white face blonde - Liam, a classic grey - And Shea, a leucistic
Sugar gliders have forty teeth, most of which are very small. Two of their bottom teeth are very large, and are used for stripping eucalyptus and acacia trees in the wild. Gliders’ teeth do not continue to grow like rodent teeth, so it is very important to make sure your vet doesn’t “float” them, or file them down. The gliders' teeth should be near white, and the gums should be light pink.
Charlotte reluctantly shows her pearly whites.
The glider has five digits on it's "hands", all five of which are clawed. On the back "feet" however, they have an opposable "thumb" (called a hallux) that is clawless. The second and third digit on the gliders' back feet are fused together with skin. The nails on these digits are very thin, and used for grooming. The grooming nails should never be trimmed.
The average weight for gliders is around 100 grams for females, and 120 grams for males. But, a healthy glider might be 80 grams - or 160 grams - this all depends on the glider's body structure. Obesity can be caused by two things, too much food or not enough exercise. If you glider is on a healthy diet, make sure that you are feeding them the correct portions. A large cage with an exercise wheel is excellent exercise. Daily out of cage play time will help slim down an over weight glider also. Gliders that are too thin are either not being offered enough food, or have a health problem. As with obese gliders, make sure that you are feeding your glider the correct portions. A glider that is too thin should be offered as much food as it can eat - at least until it is in a healthy weight range. If your glider refuses to eat, or isn't eating enough and loosing weight, a vet visit is necessary. Loss of appetite is one of the first signs of illness.
Leo is a healthy weight for his build, weighing 110 grams.
Like most marsupials, the female glider has a pouch on her abdomen. After a short sixteen day gestation period, the female will give birth to normally one or two joeys. At this time, the joeys are about the size of a piece of rice. The joeys will craw up to the pouch, with almost no aid from their mother. They attach to one of the female's four nipples. The joeys (baby sugar gliders) will remain in their mother's pouch for over two months, until they are no longer able to fit.
You can see the tail of one of Xena's joeys protruding from her pouch.
These joeys are still burying their heads in their mother's pouch.
Sounds That Gliders Make
One of the things that will stand out to you when you get your first gliders is the noises they make. Frightened gliders make a sound called “crabbing”. It can be very loud, and is often described as sounding like a pencil sharpener. If you have never heard this noise before, it can be rather frightening! Click here to here a glider crab. When a glider makes this sound, they are scared or angry. The best thing to do when you hear this is to give your glider some space. Try offering your glider a treat to let it know you are not going to hurt it. Generally, tame gliders don’t make this noise.
“Barking” is another sound that your glider will make. Barking is also very loud, but sounds completely different from the crab. It is often described as sounding like a small dog barking. Click here to hear a glider bark. When a glider makes this sound, it can mean several things. They could be communicating with another glider, or they could be trying to get your attention. It is a good idea to check water bottles – and the cage in general, as they could be trying to let you know something is wrong. Sometime gliders do this for no apparent reason at all. Because they usually only make this sound at night, it is best to keep your gliders in a room where they won’t disturb your sleep.
Gliders will often “hiss” at each other. When gliders are re-introduced, or haven’t seen each other in a while they will often make this noise – but even gliders that are together all the time will communicate in this way. This sound isn’t loud. Click here to hear a glider hiss. When gliders make this sound to another glider, they are usually showing affection. Some gliders make a soft hiss when urinating, but it is slightly different than the communication hiss.
“Chirping” is a very happy sound! Gliders will make this sound when they are eating something that they really like. Chirping is very soft, but it is a very sweet sound. Click here to hear a glider chirp. Only a very happy glider will make this noise.
When gliders are having little fights, they will “sneeze” on each other. Unless your gliders are constantly doing this, or they are hurting each other, there is nothing to be worried about. This sound isn’t loud, but it is clearly heard. It literally sounds like the glider is sneezing. Click here to hear a glider sneeze. If your gliders are fighting over a mealworm they might make this sound. Some times when gliders are sleeping, one glider will be squishing another, so the glider being squished will make this sound to let the other know they need to roll over. This is completely normal glider to glider communication.
Chattering and Singing are sounds only made by mommy gliders – and they are both means of communication from mother to joey. Chattering is a noise that means “please get off of mommy”. This is completely normal and this does not mean that the female is a bad good mother. Click here to hear a female “chatter”. When a glider makes this noise, she will shake. Singing is a very rare sound, but is another very sweet noise. We don’t have any sound bytes of singing.
Young joeys will often "cry" if taken away from their mother. Only joeys can make this sound.
Written by Lauren Way, owner and operator, The Glider Pouch 2007