Try to resist the urge of reaching into your pocket and purchasing a sugar glider on impulse without first educating yourself on a few important facts which will ensure the health and safety of your glider in the long run.
The adorable sight of a sugar glider is enough to make the average person neglect the care and precaution necessary in finding a legitimate breeder to purchase from when shopping.
Don't fall into a trap which may cause you and your glider problems in the future.
The bonding stage between a baby sugar glider, or "joey" and it's new owner is very important.
Once the glider reaches 7 to 9 weeks old and is able to function independently, it is the best time for the instinctive process of bonding to begin as the glider leaves it's mother and becomes connected to its owner.
For this reason it is best to purchase a joey rather than an adult glider.
The process of a baby joey bonding with it's owner is a gradual process, taking up to two months or more as the glider grows from joey to young adulthood.
The caring and dedication of the sugar glider breeder is as crucial to whether your joey will be able to effectively begin bonding with you upon purchase as you're caring and dedication in handling you're glider during the first two months of owning it.
Without enough handling and exposure to it's owner, sugar gliders can be very hard to achieve a bond with, if ever so be sure to nurture it during the important two month bonding period.
You play an important part in the health and well-being of a sugar glider by using knowledge and keen observation.
Look for signs of good health in a glider before buying one by searching for a muscular build in it's frame and a black tone in it's eyes.
Obviously it is more ideal to observe these health characteristics when viewing your sugar glider in person.
This is why purchasing your glider online by studying pictures leaves a lot of factors to deal with when insuring whether you will receive one which is truly healthy and properly cared for.
Unfortunately, many websites jeopardize the health and well-being of sugar gliders by offering to ship them to an airport for pickup.
The stressful environment of airline transportation should be avoided at all costs as it imposes an unnecessary threat to the well-being of sugar gliders, sometimes causing death or long-term complications to gliders which cannot cope with the inferior conditions.
Always locate and arrange a reputable breeder in your area who is willing to meet with you and provide your joey glider in person.
An even better option is to make a visit to their breeding facility and observe the standards of health, care and breeding used.
Thankfully there are laws in place which are here to protect the safety of sugar gliders and help you identify reputable breeders quickly.
A federal license has been issued by the United States which is required by those who would like to be a merchant of baby glider joeys.
Those who do not have this official license are not reputable as breeders and should be ignored immediately.
You can recognize a reputable breeder if they welcome your request to visit their facility, it is proof that they respect and uphold the well-being of their gliders.
Feel free to gain useful advice from the breeder, if they are dedicated they will most likely provide a wealth of knowledge for you to use.