Exotic pet creates fascination in Sisters

It's a bird, it's a squirrel, it's... a sugar glider. Fitting in your palm like a tiny, doe-eyed possum with wings, the curious-looking sugar glider is a pet that demands attention. Raquel Guzman McFadden is a Sisters hobby-breeder of the strange nocturnal marsupials and likes to share her pets with interested parties. Barely the size of a teacup, they're riding a resurgence of exotic pet ownership and enjoying a thriving popularity in America.

"Part of the allure is the challenging and rewarding bonding process to gain their trust," said McFadden. "Sugar gliders are not like a dog or cat and learn to know you with your scent and the sound of your voice. I first discovered them when I came to Oregon from Puerto Rico. A woman had one as a pet and I saw it coming out of her shirt and I was fascinated. So I got online and researched them and saw there are many breeders, some not so reputable as others. Inbreeding is a huge problem in the glider world and causes birth defects, personality abnormalities and inherent health problems."

Technically classified as a small arboreal creature, sugar gliders thrive in the dense forests of Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea and the neighboring islands of Indonesia. This little creature is a member of the same order that includes kangaroos, opossums, wombats and Tasmanian devils. The sugar glider has soft, grey fur with a black stripe that runs over the top of the head and down the entire length of the body, which measures five to six inches, with a bushy tail of the same size. Adult gliders weigh only 4 to 6 ounces, with the male being the larger.

As marsupials, sugar gliders have a pouch where they can hold one to four babies of various ages.

"They require very specific care as a pet, needing a special staple diet of high-protein "wombarro" supplement added to a fruit and vegetable blend," McFadden explained. "I mix a batch of food once a week and serve it daily, consisting of eggs, honey, bee pollen and water with additional fruit, vegetables and mealworms. Their favorite fruits are apples, strawberries, pears, almost anything without seeds. They love sweet peas, corn, celery too."

In the wilds of their native habitat, the sugar gliders are strictly tree-dwelling, congregating on colonies of 15-30. They're very active at night when diving and swooping for insects and small vertebrates or gulping down sweet, sugary sap of eucalyptus, acacia and gum trees.They travel through dark treetops, launching themselves into the air and changing into a fuzzykite by spreading out sails of skin. They can make glides up to 130 feetand use their tails as rudders to control theirflight. Extremely social, sugar gliders are capable of a wide variety of calls that vary from bird-like chirps to dog-like barking

"For me, being with them is like being in another world, the feedback and response I get from them is so rewarding," McFadden said, feeding a mealworm to Twink, a 3-year-old male in a blue chest pouch. "They run in hamster wheels and love to glide around in their cages and play with hanging toys, especially feathers. They have extremely playful, comical personalities. I was first given a breeding pair as a gift who gave birth to a female or "joey" named Gitana, the Spanish word for gypsy. She's the mother of most of the babies I have at home. All total I have five, with new babies on the way in the next month or so."

In the bonding and handling process, owners carry their glider inside a fleece bonding pouch when they are sleeping during the day. Without knowing it, they are getting used to your scent and warmth and will sleep all day long, then start to rise at dusk.

"A sugar glider is a very personal pet, they only bond with one person and can be territorial depending on their temperament. Not for everybody!" McFadden noted. "They are mostly shy and don't like sudden movement or loud noises. They can live 15 years in captivity, are fun and cuddly. I just love them."

Currently, McFadden breeds for personal use but can refer interested buyers to trusted breeders.

For more information on sugar gliders, McFadden recommends http://www.acresofsugar.com or email her at

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