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WHAT
BIG EYES YOU HAVE...
bright light
can hurt your gliders eyes, so think of Gizmo from the movie "GREMILINS"
and avoid those Bright Lights!
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| Diva
and Sydney belong to thegliderteen |
WHAT
BIG EARS ...
Joeys like
Diva, pictured below, develop super-sized ears that
they have to grow into. How adorable are they at this stage?
Miss Diva, is also in the photo above on the left next to her
sister, Sydney. As you can see, she DID grow into her ears.
| You
have to love Joey ears |
|
| Diva
at 6 weeks OOP |
What
BIG teeth you have
Gliders
have long sharp teeth in the bottom and cute buck teeth on the top as
seen in the photos. They use their long teeth to
break open the bark in the trees to get to the sap. Sugar
Gliders chew with their back teeth and only swallow
the juice, and spit out the rest in half moon shaped peices.
Gliders
make a cute chirping noise when they are eating something they enjoy.
|
| Diva
belongs to shesadiva2 & thegliderlady |
WHAT
A LONG TAIL YOU HAVE
Sugar Gliders
have a SEMI-PREHENSILE TAIL. This means they can use their tail to
carry light things but can't hang by it like a possum. Never
hold a glider by its tail. As our good friend Cy says, Save
that for the tigers.
In this photo
Savannah is holding a small rope in her tail. It is an amazing thing to
watch. Their tail hardens around the object and actually can become
tied in a knot. Never try to untie or pull a gliders tail. If this
happens just wait it out and the tail will relax on its own.
If it does not, consult your vet!
|
| Savannah
using her tail |
|
| Sydney
always has her tail up like this |
This is Sydney also known as
Sidda-roo. She is a very happy girl who "wears" her tail. Most gliders
will hold their tails high and relaxed when they are happy. Sydney
ALWAYS has her tail up and over her back. It is quite a site. Sydney
and Diva belong to thegliderlady's daughter.
| Look
at Muras toes. |
|
| Mura
has a tail peeking from her pouch |
What
Tiny toes you have...
On their feet
they have a "toe thumb." This adorable thumb does not have a nail and
it comes in handy when they are holding onto branches.
|
 |
Giders eyes
may look black but are actually dark brown,
or even red in the
Albino and Creamino colors. As you can tell from their large eyes,
Gliders are nocternal which means they are most active at night and
sleep during the day.
|
| EYE
see you. Cinnabon (thegliderlady) |
Gliders need
large ears and super hearing to avoid the many predators that include
gliders in their favorite foods list.
|
| Cinnabon
belongs to Eric (thegliderlady's son) |
Gliders use their hands in much the same way we do.
They have 5 fingers just like us. It is fun to watch them use their
hands to eat and hold things.
|
| Savannah
belongs to thegliderlady |
WATCH
OUT GENE SIMMONS (from KISS)...LOOK AT THAT TONGUE
Everything has
its purpose. Gliders have a long tongue so they can lick the sap out of
the trees they live in (in the wild). Gliders love to lick things so
offer Licky treats like yogurt or honey and have them lick it off your
finger. This is a GREAT bonding tool.
| Ash's
tip on how to be the Perfect Husband.. |
|
| Know
when to hold your tongue. |
If you are
wondering why Ash and Cinnabon seem to be having a BAD HAIR DAY, there
is a reason. Male Sugar gliders have a "bald spot" which is larger on
non-neutered males. This bald spot is not an aging issue, and he is not
really going bald. It is actually a result of a scent gland located
both on the head (and chest) of the males. They use their scent to
mark their living area, and their families.So if your glider
rubs his head or chest on you, take it as a compliment and know you
belong to him!
MORE
ABOUT MARKING... Sugar gliders not only "mark their
territory" by rubbing with their scent glands, they also
urinate and produce a scent much stronger than their normal
urine to "mark" with. Gliders mark their humans often. Even if
you teach your glider to "potty" before you hold them, they
will mark you. This is not part of their elimination process, and
completely normal. Males do have a much stronger scent
than females.
| The
tail and foot are a joey in the pouch |
|
| You
can really see their toe thumb here |
They use their
feet in amazing ways. The second and third toes are connected tightly
together. Often called a "grooming claw" they use their
feet to brush their fur and catch any forign objects between
these two nails, which they will then lick out and continue their
grooming.
In this photo,
the foot that is holding the gliderlady's finger from inside the
pouch belongs to a Diva, before she was born, or OOP (out of
pouch)
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IS
IT A GIRL OR A BOY?
This is Sally. In this
picture you can see the small verticle slit that is her pouch, and
below that is the Cloaca in which the
reproductive, urinary, and gastrointestinal tracts open. Often people
will confuse the male and female joeys because they both have a cloaca
which can seem quite swollen and can have a misleading appearance. Many
have mistaken this for a penis.
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Above is Jack, who is
Sally's twin brother. You can see his pink "pom-pom's" or
testicles above his cloaca. Eventually they will look like his
daddy's as seen below.
|
| boy
parts |
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