Talk:Sugar glider/Archive 1

___________BEGIN Archive 1, created: 04:02, 19 October 2012 (UTC)_______________

Pets outside the USA and Australia

It seems too USA-centric to call them popular pets outside Australia if they they are popular only in the USA... Data on their usage as pets throughout the world shall be documented tooUndead Herle King (talk) 19:42, 27 December 2008 (UTC)

== Copy write ==I love SUgar Gliders....

Diets listed are not patented or copywriten. Therefore it is free for everyone to use. There is little format changes to be made, but not much.

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by KollanH (talk • contribs) 01:25, 6 December 2006 (UTC). sugar gliders are cool —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.41.148.2 (talk) 16:22, 7 October 2010 (UTC)

from New Guinea

My understanding is that the gliders being bred as pets in the US derive from Indonesia, which controls West Papua and no doubt much easier to export wildlife from than Australia. So these gliders don't represent a "legal or illegal" export from Australia as stated in the article.

I would expect that if the US gliders were known to be derived illegally from Australia, knowing Australia they would get US authorities to shut the pet trade down (as "proceeds of crime" perhaps?).

bona fide

What does Bona-fide mean? Bawolff 04:00, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

• genuine, not fake, the real deal, authentic [1] --ZayZayEM 12:54, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

thanks Bawolff 23:40, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

legal as pets?

Like all native creatures they are protected by law in Australia where it is illegal to keep them as pets

Not all native animals are protected by law in Australia, and it is legal to keep some of them as pets (in some states) -- Danny Yee 09:54, 31 October 2005 (UTC)

Can anyone elaborate some more on the reasons why they are illegal to keep as pets in some areas? The article doesn't really say much on this beyond "Breeding mills are a controversial subject". What would make sugar gliders more controversial than other animals that are commonly kept as pets?Ricree101 23:04, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

I was wondering if they are legal in Canada? I would like to get one but im not sure on the legal status of them as pets here. -Knighttime —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.52.201.159 (talk) 06:05, 25 November 2008 (UTC)

Bergmann's Rule?

Northern forms tend to be brown coloured rather than grey and, as predicted by Bergmann's Rule, smaller.

Er, the article on Bergmann's rule states that animals in northern regions will be larger than southern forms. Are northern forms of the sugar glider an exception, and thus smaller, or did the article mean to say "larger"? 66.176.44.210 04:05, 17 October 2005 (UTC)

• The Bergmann's article states that animals in animals in colder areas are likely to be larger. That's only north depending on where you are. Unlike the Bergmann's Rule examples, Australia is south of the equator, so the northern areas should logically be warmer and the animals smaller. Indium 05:23, 18 October 2005 (UTC)

1c

Is it right that this was on the 1c coin? It seems that it used to be on the page because of the wikipedia mirrors I saw on google. ---- Astrokey44|talk 12:35, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

If you look at the page history http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sugar_Glider&action=history you'll see that that was removed because it was actually the Feather-tailed glider on the 1c coin. (I don't know if that is correct, but the editor who removed it presumably knew what they were doing.) -- Danny Yee 12:58, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

That is correct, check the reserve bank for details. Enlil Ninlil (talk) 10:18, 22 March 2010 (UTC)

Redundant ?

...but there are plants that are safe to have in a sugar glider environment. If "certain plants are poisonous to sugar gliders", then it would stand to reason there are other plants that are not. Xnuiem 00:36, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

Wikiproject

I have proposed the creation of Wikiproject Pocket pets, if interested, please visit the proposal page. thanks! VanTucky 05:12, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

WikiProject class rating

This article was automatically assessed because at least one WikiProject had rated the article as start, and the rating on other projects was brought up to start class. BetacommandBot 03:49, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

Behaving differently as pets

It says in the "Sugar gliders as pets" section that "Sugar Gliders bred and kept in captivity behave differently than those in the wild." I think it would be good for this point to be expanded on. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.20.127.239 (talk) 15:54, 3 April 2008 (UTC)

I guess I goofed up a little bit here today.

It bothers me when some people intentionally submit false or misleading information. A long time ago I thought I had edited the page so that it stated that Sugar Gliders ARE Exotic animals as defined by the USDA. Then someone went behind me and changed it, so I noticed today. So, not totally thinking, I used my Freedom of Speech and I replied to the change instead of simply making the change stating facts only. Therefore, it looked like I may have been personally lashing out at whoever made the comment that the USDA states that they are NOT Exotic animals when they really are. I did not intend to lash out or sound like I was lashing out at anyone. I hope the current factual changes I just attempted are acceptable, and are truly backed up by the link of the original poster. Some people interpret things differently then others. If you read the USDA page you should come to the conclusion that according to the USDA Sugar Gliders fall under the "Exotic Animal" definition as defined by the USDA in their posted link. ;) Sutton 23:41, 17 November 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by RCEMS629 (talk • contribs)

a separate page Sugar Gliders as pets?

Should we have a separate page Sugar Gliders as pets, to keep the information for owners in one place, separate from the general biology? -- Danny Yee 00:25, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

You need to be careful with pet sections for animals. It can't be a how-to guide as to how to keep the pet. Check out Australian Green Tree Frog#As a pet as an example of how it should be done. Thanks. --liquidGhoul 00:31, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

That's what I'm worried about with this article. It's becoming too much of a "how to". I'm only really interested in the general biology myself. -- Danny Yee 00:35, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

If someone wants to write about keeping them as a pet, I would recommend Wikibooks, but they have to keep it verified, and not break copyright laws. Also, I would be watching it like a hawk, as I am sick of websites giving misinformation about pet care, and I don't want Wikimedia to contribute. --liquidGhoul 00:50, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Legal argumentation

The following moved from main article. 216.106.172.42 (talk) 16:14, 5 December 2008 (UTC)

To arrive at the conclusion of whether or not a Sugar Glider is an “exotic animal” as defined by the USDA, one must adhere to the strict rules used by all legal professionals for interpreting any U.S law or code.

Extended content

Under Title 9 Chapter 1, Sec. 1.1 of the USDA code, an “exotic animal” is strictly defined as follows: "Exotic animal means any animal not identified in the definition of animal provided in this part that is native to a foreign country or of foreign origin or character, is not native to the United States, or was introduced from abroad. This term specifically includes animals such as, but not limited to, lions, tigers, leopards, elephants, camels, antelope, anteaters, kangaroos, and water buffalo, and species of foreign domestic cattle, such as Ankole, Gayal, and Yak." That noted, it’s important to recognize that, when interpreting any legally-binding definition such as the one set forth above, each sentence serves as an unavoidable “hurdle” that must be cleared before the next sentence can be applied. For example, under Sec. 1.1, the first sentence of this definiton reads: “Exotic animal means any animal not identified in the definition of animal provided in this part…” This opening statement serves as a legally-binding “hurdle” which must cleared before the remainder of the definition can apply. If this hurdle is not cleared, the remainder of the definition is null and void. Therefore, the next step in this process is to examine the term “animal” as defined in this same section. Under Title 9 Chapter 1, Sec. 1.1 of the USDA code, an “animal” is strictly defined as follows: “Animal means any live or dead dog, cat, nonhuman primate, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, or any other warmblooded animal, which is being used, or is intended for use for research, teaching, testing, experimentation, or exhibition purposes, or as a pet.” Cutting out the irrelevant portions, the operative legal interpretation of this definition is: “Animal means…any other warmblooded animal, which is being used, or intended for use…as a pet.” Therefore, since Sugar Gliders are solely bred and utilized in the United States exclusively as pets – and for no other reason whatsoever – they do not meet the legal definition of an “exotic animal” under Title 9 Chapter 1, Sec. 1.1 of the USDA code.

I know things like this can get tricky sometimes, so as an attorney I felt it was important to clarify. Feel free to delete this after reading.

Sugar glider population per American Veterinary Medical Association

Regarding this statement: "According to a study conducted by the American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA) in 2007, it is estimated that American families have 1.1 million domestic Sugar Gliders in their homes; placing them between hamsters (1.2 million) and Guinea Pigs (1 million) in commonality as a household pet.[citation needed]"

The study to which the author of this entry refers is the U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook (2007 edition).

I have access to the entire sourcebook, and have verified that sugar gliders are mentioned only in passing in the narrative, and are not addressed individually, as are hamsters, guinea pigs, and ferrets.

The correct quote is as follows: "... 1.2 million hamsters, 1.1 million FERRETS, and 1 million Guinea Pigs ..."

Several days ago, I edited the Wikipedia article and removed "sugar gliders" from the statement, inserting "ferrets" in its place, but I see that the author has removed my correction. I have therefore edited it (corrected it) once again.

I would suggest that the statement be removed completely, since sugar gliders are not mentioned in the numeric information in the sourcebook, or simply include the correct sourcebook statement regarding sugar gliders.

Thank you for your attention.

Marchiafava (talk) 00:25, 16 March 2009 (UTC)

I have removed it. If it does not mention sugar gliders it does not belong. A new name 2008 (talk) 00:44, 16 March 2009 (UTC)

Where to buy a Sugar glider

NEVER BUY FROM A FLEA MARKET, TRADING VILLAGE, FAIR, PET STORE OR EXPOS.

You would think that all people that sell sugar gliders have good healthy knowledge of this wonderful creature. But, it is sad to say many don't. I have seen and heard of many horror stories, of joeys being sold at ages of 4 to 5 weeks out of pouch. Joeys should never be pulled from their mother until age of 8 weeks out of pouch because, they do still feed from the mom, just not as much. They need that nutrition and nurturing.

Joeys can not hold their body heat well at 5 weeks Out of pouch. If you are sold a warming rock to keep your baby warm, that should tell you, DO NOT BUY .

Sugar gliders require alot of attention, and are expensive ( it costs more than 4 to 10 dollars ) a month to feed.

Dry pellet food along with fruits and veggies are not enough to keep your glider healthy. Gliders are insectivores, they love mealworms. In wild they like tree saps. Check out the diet at the Australian Zoos.

Sugar Gliders are arboreal, which means they glide from tree to tree in wild. A cage that is 2ft by 2ft by 2ft is way to small for this animal. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 32.176.92.66 (talk) 01:44, 4 July 2009 (UTC)

they are funny —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.106.152.158 (talk) 05:29, 11 February 2010 (UTC)

Im Australia it is illegal to own any native Mammal. Enlil Ninlil (talk) 04:31, 28 February 2011 (UTC)

what do sugar glders eat??

I heard that sugar gliders eat fruit and dried fruit but not citrus fruit!!! Is that correct??? i've been wondering and i've been afraid to feed my sugar glider citrus fruit because i would be afraid it would hurt him?!?! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.19.77.4 (talk) 14:09, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

According to the Mammals of Victoria Peter Menkhorst, ISBN 0-19-553733-5, they eat "invertebrates (beetles, spiders and mots under loose bark), acacia gum, eucalyptus sap (species not defined), nectar, pollen, manna and honeydew, and green and soft seeds of Accacia pycnantha". So provisionally they are nectivores that take insects and gum when encountered, and no evidence from what I see of fruit consumption. Most of these trees do not produce fruit as in apples and peaches, only seed with pods.Enlil Ninlil (talk) 05:04, 28 February 2011 (UTC)

Protection for the page, please

Would it be possiblle, please, to protect this page from continued vandalism, where some non-registered users have repeatedly and offensively called these beautiful marsupials by the insulting term of 'flying rats'. Figaro (talk) 15:05, 14 September 2010 (UTC)

Could this page please be protected — I am getting sick of idiots calling the beautiful Sugar Gliders the insulting name of 'flyhing rats'. It would appear that protecting the page is the only way to stop this happening. Figaro (talk) 07:08, 11 October 2010 (UTC)

Diets

There are several recognized diets. I don't want to dispute anything, just get some information added so that there are citations for the diets. Priscilla Price diet (aka PP diet): http://www.thepetglider.com/index/the-pet-glider-nutrition-system/the-pet-glider-nutrition-system.html Bourbon's Modified Leadbeaters (aka BML): http://www.angelfire.com/nb/sugargliders/bml/leadbeat.html High Protien Wombaroo (aka HPW): http://www.gliderdad79.com/hpw.php Candy's Blended Diet (aka Blended): http://www.gliderkids.com/BLENDED-GLIDER-DIET.html Darcy's Diet (aka Ensure diet): http://www.glidercentral.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/118485/Darcy_s_Diet_Anyone#Post118485 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.123.150.2 (talk) 18:05, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

Readded the comment regarding the usage of dry pellet foods. They certainly exist and are sold by breeders. Some forums/breeders belief that they are bad. As far as I can tell there are no research papers regarding the use of the dry foods. The only research I can locate is on non-pelleted foods. I cannot prove (or cite) a negative however. This is a very passionate topic from what I can tell and I think the statement is pretty NPOV. Any advice from more experienced wikiers on how to approach this? Dcpirahna (talk) 03:51, 28 February 2011 (UTC)

XKCD

Be advised that the sugar glider was mentioned in today's XKCD (30 May 2012). Please take any appropriate action. Happily, there've been no xkcd-related edits so far. Theclapp (talk) 16:28, 30 May 2012 (UTC)

__________END of Archive 1 created by ~Eric F 74.60.29.141 (talk) 04:02, 19 October 2012 (UTC)_________