single gliders?

I have read ALOT on sugar gliders and I KNOW I am ready to own one but...

I do not want to have a deppressed pet.. I am planning on spending just about all day and 3-4 hours a night with this glider

the question I am asking is with this much attention a good diet and nice cage CAN A GLIDER DO WELL SINGLE?

I love animals and do not want a deppressed pet but would love a glider and just prefer 1 pet I will honestly bring this glider everywhere and spend much time with it

I WANT THE TRUTH how likely will it become deppressed if im buying as a joey and spending this much time with it?

I have read ALOT on sugar gliders and I KNOW I am ready to own one but...

I do not want to have a deppressed pet.. I am planning on spending just about all day and 3-4 hours a night with this glider

the question I am asking is with this much attention a good diet and nice cage CAN A GLIDER DO WELL SINGLE?

I love animals and do not want a deppressed pet but would love a glider and just prefer 1 pet I will honestly bring this glider everywhere and spend much time with it

I WANT THE TRUTH how likely will it become deppressed if im buying as a joey and spending this much time with it?

All gliders are different. With the amount of time you are devoting to it I would say it'll be fine. I had my single glider for almost two years and she was fine- just spoiled rotten and very attached to me. I have two more now but she still acts as if ahe'd rather be with me by herself.

More than likely it would be okay.

There isn't much difference in two gliders than one. Two can be carried around. Two can be in the same cage. Two can bond just as well with you.

Believe me they can "live" alone but they are soooo much happier with a friend/mate.

Think about if you were in cage all alone. You never saw one of your own species or was able to speak your own language. Sure you have everything you need but wouldn't it be so much better with a friend you can cuddle up with at night?

My first glider was alone, and let me tell you when I got his mate Missy, boy did he come alive! He LOVES her sooo very much they are never apart!

Just a few things to think about good luck.

does it cut into their lifespan at all?

does it cut into their lifespan at all?

I don't think you can say yes or no to that question. I honestly don't believe there has been enough research about it.

in your opinion do you think it would?

I know animals are social but are sugar gliders really THAT dependant on one another? most pets are just fine with a dedicated owner and I beleive they could be to but I could also be VERY wrong so I need some help on this

I've had gliders for three years. I am no expert but no I don't believe it would.

For me its a case of how HAPPY is my glider/pet. Gliders are not like most animals. They are extremely social, in the wild they live in colonies.


I wish people could see the difference in a glider with a mate and an alone glider. There IS a big difference. With a mate they can play together, run in there wheel together, chirp, crab, and bark at each other. While they love you and your their mommy, their human "tree", they just can't do that stuff with you. Admittedly there is the rare case where a glider does prefer to be alone but that is usually with a glider that has been alone most of his/her life.

I was going to get just one glider, and just about everyone on this site said I should get atleast 2. I then decided I would get another one in the summer but then read about all the quartining and such and changed my mind AGAIN. Now I am getting her twin brother so I will not have to deal with it later.

In the long run I think two is better.

well this glider is coming to me 8 weeks oop and will not see another glider UNLESS it does become deppressed then I will be forced to get her a friend

do you think she could prefer to live alone?

The truth of it is, that some gliders do fine as singles and some gliders do not. No matter how much time you spend with them, you cannot be the constant companion that another glider would be and some gliders are very sensitive to that. Ultimately, it will depend on the personality of the glider, and you will not know for sure until you have had your glider for a while.

But you should not get a glider with the idea that you are never willing to get a second one, as if your first glider starts showing any signs of loneliness/depression/stress, then being a single is not something that can continue for the health and well being of the glider.

You should also consider the future. Things happen, and while I am not suggesting that these things are always planned, the truth of the matter is that things happen whether we intend them to or not. Changes in school or work schedules, changes in living situations, changes in family life (marriage, children), changes in health can all take time away from the time you are planning on spending with your glider. Remember, gliders can live up to 12+ years, where are you going to be 8 years from now, how about 5, what about 2? Are you still going to have all day and 3-4 hours to spend every night?

I am not trying to come down on you hard, you asked for honesty and I am trying to give you things to consider as best I can. It is always so exciting when getting a new pet, that sometimes it is difficult to consider how everything will work out nearly a decade later.

Whatever your decision, always keep an open mind about the possibility of getting another glider if the need should arise. But yes, there are gliders kept as singles that do fine because their humans consistently (and long term) spend tons of time with them...but as I said, you won't know if your glider is one of them when you get him/her.

Good luck.

Who are you getting her from? Does she have a sister or a brother? That way you wouldn't have to worry about her becoming depressed and you wouldn't have to worry about quarantine later.

I don't know. It would depend on her.

It is very doubtful that she would prefer to live alone. Sugar Gliders are very social animals and need another glider to have their social needs met. Upon RARE occasion a glider will do okay without another glider as a companion, but this is definitely NOT the norm.
I actually have a glider that can not come into physical contact with other gliders without becoming very dominant and either injuring the other glider or becoming injured herself; however, even with that fact, she still needs glider companionship so she has a cage that has two sides. She lives in one side and her companions live in the other side. If she is not with her companions, in her "Glider Condo", she starts to self mutilate because it distresses her so much.
Please reconsider about getting a companion for your glider. Don't wait until your glider becomes depressed... that is really not very healthy for the glider at all.

No. It's not worth it and two are no more work than one.

It depends on the gliders really...if you spend a good amount of time with her, carry her around...etc, she very well may do fine being a lone glider.

I have Bowen..who is alone in a cage (but surrounded by my other 4 gliders) so he's not 100% alone..but he doesn't have a cage mate. So far he doesn't act depressed, he's got a killer appetite, playful...

Will I get him a cage mate? I can't really say, but as of right now, no I won't. He didn't come from the best home and he has taken me a lot of work and time being with him to get him to relax more. He's put on weight with a better diet, and he's got toys galore!

If you keep her alone, and the nights you leave her in her cage, just make sure she has a wheel, toys, things to keep her busy and occupied. Wheels are great!

I just dont want a deppressed glider =[

and I dont like the idea of having 2 I just want a buddy

I know 2 are no more work thats not the point tho

It seems like you're already decided on getting one which is sad... There have been many posts and your response is pretty much the same to each of them. You should be looking out for the good of your animal. Maybe start w/ one and get another one shortly after? It's easiest though if you get them both at the same time (siblings or something) that are already used to each other so you don't have to deal w/ quarantine, pouch & cage swapping, etc.

....eeek...harsh...

Honestly gliders are so social...and I would hate to see you get one and have it become depressed and you not be willing to get a friend for it and start to self mutilate or something and then have to be rehomed because you really only wany one...
my suggestion would be to get a rat or a hamster that can be VERY social with you and will be fine alone.....rats are very smart little animals and learn tricks etc. Im not trying to sound mean but its the truth they are socail...how would you feel if you had to stay in acage or pouch and only got to see another species come in every now and then and pick you up etc. but you couldnt talk or communicate with them? It would suck...

I hate when people automatically put it in their own words and say (IIIII Have already decided on getting one?)

im sorry but I have not said that ANYWHERE in this post and I said that I do not want a deppressed animal

I will get a flying squirrel before getting a deppressed glider..

I have heard half and half some say they can do fine and some say they cant

I think everyone has their own opinions either due to experiences or other people's experiences. I say you do what you want, but just know that most gliders like a buddy

And yes, they convinced me to get 2 lol but I was going to get 2 eventually.

And most people on here are not mean, I thought the same thing lol they just hate seeing time after time gliders being mistreated.

It is all about the gliders here

I am just asking questions preparing -.-

I have heard half and half so I need more opinions please

I think it is hard to say because no one can read these little critters mind to tell if they are happy or sad, especially in the middle of the night when they are playing in their cage. I think most people are just worried because it is usually after something bad happens like self mutalation when someone finally realizes that their baby isn't happy

I totally agree with that..I now have 8 gliders that for one reason or another people couldnt keep or whatever...I have 4 that a lady loved very much but couldnt keep due to her work sschedule...I have 2 boys that I got for the same reason...I have a girl that had been alone her entire life in a 2X1X1 cage and a little joey girl which is the only one I bought....other than that I rescued all the others...I constantly see them on craigslist hwere someone gets them and thinks they will make a great pet and realizes its more work etc... what happens when you get your joey and get bitten repeatedly..are you willing to keep at it even though your havnds hurt from all the pinch bites and possible bleeding???

I am willing to go through all 10-15 years of its life trying to get it to bond with me

I can put up with a stubborn glider

Hey Loopman, check your messages or the flashing envelope

well all I ask is to think about the glider(or any animals for that matter) they didnt ask to be plucked out of there habitat to be for our amusement...so we can at least make them comfortable with us and their needs should come first...no matter how much anyone tries to convince you or tell you they are better in pairs there is no way to force someone to do something but just know what it is like form the other side and im sure that all rescuers think the same...I just hope there is someone there to rescue your baby when you decide you dont want it anymore because it takes to much time or you got a new job and no time anymore etc...I wish I could say "yeah I rescued gliders at one time but now there are none to be rescued" but that will never happen because people will keep getting them to suit their needs instead of suiting the gliders needs....

I wont get rid of mine ever..I have said this 5 times atleast

worst comes to worse which probably wont I will get her a friend to keep her company

what I say about spending almost all day and 3-4 hours a night with my glider is true take my word for it!

I dont have any other pets so all my pet time goes towards it!

thtat is easy to say before actually having one in your total care...either way like I said no one can convince you to do anyhting different....

ok lets say I DID stick to what im saying..

for the most part would it make a happy glider?

I got mine as a single, not knowing any better...when I got him a friend, (due to advice of knowledgable people on this site) his WHOLE personality changed, he was happier, more playful...just all around a better glider. I would NEVER recommend someone to have a single lonely glider if he or she knew better from the start. If you're going to get one, you have the perfect opportunity right now to ensure his happiness by getting him a friend, not just guess whether or not he is happy after. To me, it's a no brainer...it's more of a probability than a possibility that he will be depressed. And let's say you end up getting another after the fact...there is also a chance that by then, it would be too late and he may not accept the friend due to already being territorial...then what? You'll be stuck with two, in seperatge cages...?

Human interaction doesn't replace a cagemate.

hmmm I dont know then =[

I do NOT think that gliders should be kept single, especially if this is your first glider. I had a girl that I got at 8 wks out of pouch and was told that she would be fine as a single glider. I spent EVERY WAKING MOMENT, literally, with my glider and she began overgrooming. I thought she was just fine until she started ripping her own fur out. She was miserable and I didn't even know it because I had never owned a glider before so I didn't know what a TRULY happy glider looked like. When I got her cagemate, her fur immediately started growing back in. And I IMMEDIATELY noticed how much happier she was.

You said that your glider would never SEE another glider, as if this would mean that he or she wouldn't miss them. Guess what...your glider saw mom and dad and maybe a brother or sister. All your glider knew for the first 8 weeks of his or her life is colony life. Believe me, they remember that.

As others have said, the fact is that some gliders tolerate being single better than others. But why make them "tolerate" cage life when they can ENJOY it instead? I don't see any reason not to get a second glider, especially since you are risking the health (mental and physical) of your first glider by only having one.

I hope I did not come across as rude, I just feel very passionately about this particular topic.

I dont know im scared of getting one now =[ i have looked into flying squirrels and they do well alone but just dont seem as friendly =[

I actually had a flyng squirrel and he was very very friendly especially from a baby...he loved being on me and with me...

honestly?

can you tell me anything about them? PLEASE

whats are their personalitys like? do they truly bond like a glider? which would u say bond more?

and also do you think I could get one bonded enough to take it everywhere with me as i was going to do with a glider?

also what do you mean by espeically from a baby? he got less tame as he got older? also what happened to him?

I have a young man who (despite what I'm seeing right now) I am going to TRY to put in with another pair after he gets neutered. He came to me as what I would classify as a "rescue"...he spent a couple years in an animal shelter, being treated like he was a RODENT (toilet paper cores, bottle caps, stuff like that in a crate). The tip of his tail is missing also, and he was classified as a "chewer". Since he came to live with me, he has NOT chewed on the baby apple branches OR the barrel o' monkeys OR his own tail...he lives in a reptarium (a screen house if you will) and hasn't chewed a hole through it either.

But....if another glider walks on his rept, he's bent for election on going after the "intruder". Doesn't matter if it's a boy or girl...it's an INTRUDER. If I run my finger around the side of his rept, he's chasing IT too. He can be very sweet at times...but there's this "dark side" to him. Had he been given a friend, chances are that he wouldn't be like this. Can I change it? I don't know...I'm trying, and I know I'm making SOME progress with him. But will he ever be a companion for another? Only time and patience will tell.

yah but all these guys explain self mutilating gliders comeing from horrbiel conditions...

mine is going to be well cared for as I know just about everything about them now

yes honestly I had mine from a baby my husband found him after his mommy was killed and I had to nurse him etc. when he was hungry he would come out of his bed and climb up my leg and nibble on my ear...I could go for walks with im and he wouldnt leave my body...he was great...I think they both bond about the same but in different ways....but you have to keep in mind they usually only bond to one person..they will tolerate other but their true bon d is with one person...

thats good I want him to bond with only me!

and what do you mean by they bond in different ways?

also what happened to him?

sugar gliders bond in a way that you are their friend where as squirrel gliders bond like htey would rather be with you than anything else(at elast in my experience) Actually it is VEry unfortunate what happend to my baby...my husband and I had a trip planned with our kids to a theme park and had arranged for my mom to babysit him and he actually broke his neck trying to get out of the cage so he could find me....this was many years ago...and it still hurts badly....I wish I NEVER woulda went as I didnt think he would reast like that but I guess I was like him mommy in a way....

I brought my glider home in december, i did not want 2! But I wasnt thinking about my glider i was thinking of myself. I thought if I only had 1 then he would bond to me and be happy with just me and my family. The fact is they are nocturnal and when OUR day is over theirs begins. I am currently looking into getting number 2 even if it means going through the whole 30 day quarantine and swapping out pouches because I know he must be lonely at night. I want whats best for him, thats whats important. Sometimes i wake up in the middle of the night and go check on him and hes so happy to see me but reality is I have to go back to bed and that means he is all alone. Just give it some serious thought. Look at the whole picture, I didnt at first. Good luck!

thats sad

so your saying they do bond as much?

and also just to make sure im talking about southern flying squirrels not squirrel gliders

squirrel gliders are like a massive version of a sugar glider that are twice as big if not a bit bigger (if you have not heard of one) I doubt your refering to those as they are endangered

I was talking about sugar gliders.

I know sorry I ment suggiemama

yes a southern flying squirrel...yes they do bond as much...they bon with one person...so that why I say to get one while its a baby because it is harder to convince them to bond to someone else after they are already bonded...

heck for that matter I had mine litter trained to go potty in a litter pan...he was awesome and I feel so badly about going on a stupid trip....

do you think they could be tame enough to go places with me like malls and stuff?

I have seen and heard of people doing this with sugars many times

oh yeah I totally think that is possible you could easily let them sleep in a pocket or bonding pouch wherever you go..mine did I could even take him outside and let him climb in the trees and he wouldnt take off he would come right back to me...that was after a HUGE amount of bonding though...

that ones hard to believe lol im sure you cant even do that with your glider(S)?

no thye would probably take off...were nto THAT bonded to one another yet...but I was like his mama so he wouldnt go too far from me...which was good in a way but bad in another...

how could that POSSIBLY be bad lol

bad because of what happened to him because he was so binded to me...

oo well what is their diet like?

honestly they like a bird seed for large parrots type mixture with nuts and seed and dried fruit in it as well as nuts a fruits and veggies...

Originally Posted By: Rule #3

Please keep the posts closely related to the topic. If the topic sparks another thought for discussion, please open a new thread. Post messages in the most appropriate forum, please refrain from posting the same message in more than one forum. Only one of those messages will remain posted. Do not be offended if moderators move your thread to a forum that fits your topic. In a large forum like ours, this kind of “housekeeping” is necessary. It is not personal. Please do not use excessive CAPS or bold lettering. It makes your message very hard to read and implies you are shouting.

There is another post started in GC Community Hall about flying squirrels, where this particular topic can proceed. Southern Flying Squirrels
Thank you.

hmmm now this is a hard decision squirrel or glider?

darn lol

Your best bet is to continue doing research and asking lots of questions. Eventually you will come to a decision based on what you feel will fit your personality and life style.
Best of Luck!

thank you

its just so much harder to get info on flying squirrels =[!

I can not find any videos of them seeming to be BONDED to an owner

You can ask about this in your other thread about Southern Flying Squirrels.
This thread needs to stay on topic about single gliders.
I did post a reminder a few minutes ago.
Thank you

PM Sent - look at the flasing envelope.

Paula

I think that from reading your thread here and elsewhere taht a sugar glider is not for you. You seem to be more concerned about your own personal wants versus the advice most of us are trying to give you. From what I understand, you want a single pet that will be garaunteed to thrive on it's own and bond to you and be happy no matter what. The truth is, is that the majority of sugar gliders are miserable alone, even though there are a few that prefer it and do fine. Your chances of getting a sugar glider and it being happy alone are slim. I mean look at it this way, your glider will have been with it's parents since birth so it is already used to having company, and you're wanting to take it away from not only it's parents but from ALL other animals like it. What do you think the chances are of it becoming extremely lonely and depressed? I think the chances are high. The majority of the people here have told you that sugar gliders do best with a buddy of their own kind and I just don't think you're going to accept what we're trying to tell you. We're looking out for the good of the glider and the glider's life would most likely be much better and you would have a much happier glider if he or she had someone to cuddle with at night. You can't hop in the pouch with it!!! And I also understand that you are 16, which means you must go to school!! What happens if you get caught with your glider at school and can't take it? What about when you sleep at night and your glider is awake and it has no one to play with and it's all by itself in it's cage??

I honestly think that sugar gliders aren't for you and you should consider getting a different pet. I don't know about flying Squirrels but I know enough about gliders to know that it is not in your best interest or the best interest of the glider for you to get one.

im getting oppinions and from what ive seen im either getting 2 gliders or a flying squirrel..

or ALL THREE (flyer in seperate cage of course)

from what I have seen and how much I love animals I am not going to get a single because obviously by the people saying they do fine alone were wrong

Good decision Good Luck

Ok, you posted while I was typing (I'm slow sometimes)



This is an incorrect assumption, it is just that as I tried to explain before, all of the opinions one way or another aren't going to be able to definitively tell you whether or not YOUR glider will do ok as a single. Every glider is different and has a different personality and will handle being single a different way. In the exact same home, same people, same care one glider will handle it fine and one will absolutely not. But there is no way to tell until it happens, which is why it is always recommended to keep two together so something like that doesn't have a chance to happen.

It is just that most people who have kept singles for any amount of time are not dead set against getting a cage mate if the need should arise (or intended to have a cage mate but for various reasons, it has not occurred). The concern for someone who feels very strongly about a glider remaining a single, is if problems should arise, what would happen to the glider? That is where most of us are coming from.

I think Loop's worry is that one sugar glider won't bond to them, which it will. I decided to get two, and it was a great decision. I have a lot of school to deal with and have to work 40 hours a week, so that can get stressful. Every night though I can go into my room for a few hours and play with my gliders, it's very rewarding. They chase each other around and play and tick each other off, it's cute. But they are awake throughout the night (though with powernaps throughout the night) and I can't be there to be their little glider buddy all night long. It's cuter to have two too, watching them snuggle is one of the most heartwarming things ever, then also hearing them chirp at each other saying "get your finger outta my eye!" is hilarious too.
Good luck!

I meant that two won't bond to them, they will bond to each other. They won't do that, they are group animals.