Unusual Pets: Sugar Gliders

Sugar gliders are marsupials belonging to Indonesia, Australia and New Guinea. They are small gliding possums and weigh from three to five ounces. They have silky fur usually pearl grey in colour with patches of cream and black. The black colour is usually on their ears and end of their tail. They are named sugar gliders because they eat sweet sap, pollen and nectar and are able to glide because of the skin membrane (called the patagium) which connects the first toe of the hind foot with the fifth finger of the forelimb, on either side. They expand them to create an aerodynamic plane to glide from one tree to another. Apparently they can glide up to 50 meters (approximately 162.5 feet).

Sugar gliders have the habit of nibbling on each other. This shouldn’t be confused with biting. They nibble to do many things, like testing food, to show affection, to exhibit force, to groom, etc. Babies initially are taught by biting. When sugar gliders are angered, they get aggressive and bite really hard. So, new owners should be alert until the pets become familiar with them and stop biting. Care should be taken that this biting shouldn’t turn into a habit. If it turns into a regular behaviour, you should hold the animal firmly when it bites so that it cannot move. It doesn’t care for this. Although it could take quite a while, the pet will eventually get over its natural instinct. It should also be released very slowly; otherwise it will bite again and flee. Also, they can be fed with some tasty food to reward them for learning that they are not to bite. They can become very affectionate with their owners if they are shown a lot of attention. Usually female sugar gliders are difficult to tame, especially those which come directly from the wild.

Sugar gliders come from a very wild and exotic environment. Therefore, they should be provided with a rich environment so that they don’t become emotionally upset. The cage should be quite large so that they can leap freely. Small cages hinder the health of the animal. They are also very active and need exercise. Their cage should be equipped with toys like exercise wheels with a diameter of eleven inches. They are also very inquisitive animals, so new things like cardboard boxes, should be introduced into their cage from time to time to prevent boredom. Their food can also be placed in different places to keep them entertained. Food can also be hidden in branch holes, so that they can dig it out. Their favourite food is the sweet sap of certain types of acacia, gum and eucalyptus trees, although they also eat insects and small vertebrates.

The cage of sugar gliders should be cleaned every week to ensure that it remains hygienic. The urine should be spot cleaned as the ammonia in it can be very harmful to the respiratory system of sugar gilders. Also, the moisture can encourage the growth of harmful fungus. If the cage isn’t cleaned for a long time, not only will the occupants become sick, but the house in which the cage is located will also be filled with a strong odour. While cleaning the cage it should be sprayed with disinfectant, so that all germs and bacteria are killed. When doing this, the sugar gliders, their toys, dishes etc. should be removed from the cage. Once the disinfectant has been wiped off, the animals can be returned to their cage. Then each toy and other item removed from the cage should be disinfected, wiped clean and then returned to the cage. Make sure that the disinfectant is thoroughly cleaned off everything so that the chemicals don’t harm your pets.

Sugar gliders are used to living in groups. Because of this, they should never be kept alone as pets, as this will adversely affect their health. They also require attention from their owners so that they bond and become tame and affectionate to all the humans in the home.

They cling onto each other when they sleep, so that they can keep warm. They communicate with each other by squeaking, chirping and barking. They have a good memory and will retain a grudge against anyone who has hurt them, even if it was caused by accident.

Females have the ability to beget offspring every seven to ten months. They give birth to one or sometimes two baby sugar gliders, which usually weigh only 0.2 grams, after sixteen days of pregnancy. After the birth, the baby shifts to the mother’s pouch, where it stays for seventy days and feeds on milk from the nipples. Both the mother and father have equal participation in bringing up their offspring. Captive sugar gliders can live up to fifteen years, whereas in the wild, most newly independent offspring die before they reach the age of one year.

Because of their popularity as pets, a number of breeding farms have surfaced in the United States. These farms, many similar to puppy breeding mills, supply the pet trade in North America. Australia has strict laws on the exporting of all species of native animals, birds, lizards, reptiles, flora and fauna. Wild species of this animal can be obtained from other countries where they are one of the native species. As noted above, the wild born animals, particularly the females, are much more difficult to tame.

Before considering the purchase of sugar gliders as pets, check with your local and national authorities to make sure that they are legal to have where you live. Having exotic pets is very closely monitored and regulated in most countries because if they get loose, they could cause major damage to the local ecology. Just ask the Australians, who have major problems with the rabbits that well meaning British visitors released there many years ago. Or you can ask anyone living on southern Vancouver Island about the Ontario bull frogs that an ex-Ontario resident brought to his back yard pond. These bull frogs, which have no natural predators on Vancouver Island have expanded like wild fire. Everywhere they go, they kill the small native frogs and overwhelm the ponds and swamps. So, if you are an exotic pet owner or want to become one, please be a responsible owner. Or, check with the authorities in Florida where careless owners of Burmese Pythons released them causing a state disaster. It is now estimated that there are over one hundred thousand of these snakes in the state wiping out many of the native species of wildlife and posing a severe threat to people and their pets. No one wants an ecological disaster caused by carelessness.

Until next time,

Teia

Unusual Pets: Snakes

Snakes are limbless, cold-blooded and scaly reptiles belonging to the order of Squamata. Keeping Snakes as pets can be easy only if their requirements are understood completely. Their needs are different from other reptiles. Owners must also understand that some of them grow very large and can become dangerous with the passage of time. There are different types of Snakes available for pet owners with different preferences. Every Snake has a different diet and needs a different environment to live in. Snakes, which are kept as pets, range from the common Garter Snake to Pythons. Snakes sometimes live for more than 40 years, so potential owners should be aware of this fact and be ready to make a lifetime commitment before thinking of keeping some types of Snakes as pets.

Snakes frequently escape from their owner’s custody. They always look for small openings in their enclosures which will let them out of their captivity. Owners must be extremely careful in this regard and should make sure that their pet has an escape proof enclosure and that it is never left open unattended, even for a minute.

Snakes are carnivores. They do not eat vegetation at all. The favourite food for Snakes is rats and mice. Bigger Snakes are fed with squirrels, rabbits and other small mammals. Some species even eat insects and fish. When your pet Snake eats a small animal, it is advisable to kill the prey before it is given to the Snake. If this job is left to the Snake, it could be a risk to its life, depending on the type of prey. For example, rats and squirrels can be very vicious if they are trapped in the cage with a Snake and in fear for their life.

Usually Snakes that have been bred in captivity are an excellent choice as pets. Wild Snakes carry lots of diseases and parasites with them, get really stressed out during transportation and frequently are very difficult to tame.

King Snakes, Ball Pythons and Corn Snakes are popular choices as pets. Their diet and environmental needs aren’t as complicated as other species of Snakes. They are also smaller in size, but King Snakes can sometimes grow up to seven feet long. Ball Pythons have eating issues. They like to feed on live prey instead of pre-killed prey. Also, they sometimes stop eating food for months. Ball Pythons that have been bred in captivity have lesser eating issues. Before buying a Ball Python, the prospective owner should test whether the reptile eats dead prey or not, if the seller cannot provide this information.

The more challenging Snakes that can be kept as pets are Red-tailed Boas, Water Snakes, Burmese Pythons, any other Pythons and wild Snakes. The most dangerous of them are Burmese pythons. These are the Snakes that have been abandoned in the Florida everglades and are now endangering the alligators and humans native to this area. They can completely swallow a human being. So it is recommended that you have people around while feeding this reptile so that they can help if problems occur. Burmese Pythons are very strong Snakes and it would be very difficult, or next to impossible, for one person to free themselves from the Snake if captured in its grip. They grow more than twenty feet and weigh more than two hundred pounds. Even Red-tailed Boas grow up to ten feet and weigh more than fifty pounds. These Snakes are also difficult to manage by yourself. All these species demand the right temperatures and humidity in their environment.

Reticulated Pythons and Anacondas are extremely dangerous pets. It is not recommended that you keep these Snakes as pets. Another variety that could be fatal are venomous Snakes. They are not only a threat to the owner and family members, but also to people in the neighbourhood, if one of these type of Snakes escapes.

Snakes are also bred for their skin, which is used to make belts, bags, shoes, etc. They are also eaten as a delicacy in many countries including parts of the United States. In many of the Asian countries, the Snake’s meat and blood is consumed for medicinal purposes.

Mom and dad have talked to a number of people who own Snakes and asked them why they chose a Snake as a pet. The most common reply was that they found it extremely soothing to let the Snake slither through their fingers. The second most common reply was that they were fascinating to watch. So, if you want a Snake as a pet, check with your local pet store to see if they sell them and it they do, ask them if they can tell you the name or phone number of someone who has purchased a Snake from them. Contact this person and find out all the pros and cons of owning a Snake. Once you have done that and researched the requirements of the particular Snake you are interested in, then return to the pet store and get your new pet and all of the equipment that you will need to house it and the food you will need to feed it.

Until next time,

Teia

Unusual Pets – Alligators

When my mom was a young girl living in Watrous, Saskatchewan, Canada, she had a pet alligator which she called “Alli.” “Alli” was quite affectionate and loved to have his soft throat and tummy rubbed by my mom's nose. However, he was a creature of strict habit and did not like change of time or routine. One night mom went to the movies, I believe that it was the movie “The 10 Commandments” which started at 7:00 PM. Because of the early start time, mom didn't clean “Alli's” tank or feed him. When she got home just after 10:00 PM, she picked up “Alli” and rubbed her nose on his throat and tummy as usual, while her mother cleaned “Alli's” tank and put his food and fresh water in. After mom put “Alli” back in his tank so he could eat, she turned toward her mother who asked her why she had blood all over her nose. Mom went to look in the bathroom mirror and discovered a circle of fine holes in the end of her nose. Because his routine had been upset, “Alli” bit her with his razor sharp teeth. Since his teeth were so sharp, she didn't even feel them going into her nose. Mom had “Alli” for several years, but he became too big for the tank he was in. Since her family didn't have enough money to buy a bigger tank, she had to find a new home for “Alli.” The University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon offered to give him a home in their Biology Department. “Alli” didn't like his new home because he did not get personal attention, so he stopped eating. Within a month of moving to the University, “Alli” died. The professor in charge of the Biology Department said that it was the first time that he had ever seen a reptile die of home sickness and that as a result, it gave him a whole new perspective on the personalities of reptiles.

Alligators are one of the most dangerous of the unusual pets. It is a crocodilian, which comes from the family of Alligatoridae. The name was derived from Anglicization of a Spanish word, “el lagarto” (the lizard) which was used by Spanish explorers who settled in Florida, U.S.A. Alligators are found mostly in America and China.

There are two species of alligators, Alligator Mississippienis or the American Alligator and Alligator Sinensis or the Chinese Alligator. The American alligator weights around eight hundred pounds and is up to thirteen feet long. The record for the longest alligator, which was found in Louisiana, is nineteen feet two inches. In comparison, Chinese alligators rarely grow more than seven feet and their average size is five feet. Alligators can live for more than fifty years. The oldest known alligator, housed at the Belgrade Zoo, Serbia, was seventy years old when it died.

There are many features of alligators that distinguish them from crocodiles and both of them belong to different taxonomic families. Alligators have a broader snout and their eyes are located near the upper side of their head. When light is flashed over the eyes, bigger alligators have a red glow and smaller alligators have a green glow. This can be of help, when searching for alligators in the dark. When looking in daylight, alligators have brown eyes and crocodiles have green eyes.

When alligators close their jaws, only the upper teeth are visible, however, when crocodiles, close their jaws, the upper as well as the lower teeth are visible. The shape of an alligator’s mouth is rounded like a “U” and that of the crocodile is more pointed, like a “V.” Although both of the animals have a dark hide, almost black, the color of individual animals depends on their habitat. Alligators living in water with a heavy algae growth are greenish black. Alligators living in waters with high tannic acid, released from hanging trees, have a darker hide.

Alligators can eat anything they can find, because of the gastroliths (stomach stones) present in their stomach. Young alligators feed on crustaceans, fish, snails, and insects. As they grow, so does their need for larger prey. Bigger alligators feed on turtles, larger fish, birds and other reptiles and mammals. They even eat deer, razorbacks, small alligators and the carcasses of dead animals when they are extremely hungry. A few attacks on humans have also been reported, but the number is on the rise. People get overconfident about this fact and enter alligator habitats without much care, resulting in provoking their aggression. In spite of their aggressive nature, alligators do not immediately attack humans, like crocodiles do. In the last couple of decades, the American Alligator has battled with a new, non native predator, the Burmese Python. Numerous alligator carcasses have been discovered in the stomachs of these invaders. It is not yet known what impact these new predators will have on the wild alligator population, as the alligators also dine on python when they win these deadly battles.

The alligator farming industry is rapidly rising in Florida, Louisiana and Texas. The purpose of such farms is to get alligator hides and nearly forty-five thousand hides are obtained annually from these farms. The hides are very expensive and a seven-foot hide sells for as much as $300, but the prices vary every year, depending on the demand. Alligator meat is also increasing in demand, with approximately three hundred thousand pounds consumed every year.

Alligators are now protected and regulated animals. Special procedures and permits are required to get legal custody of an alligator. Usually baby alligators can be bought in Florida. Owners are given a special license and must be aware of their responsibilities. It’s against the law in many states to remove an alligator from its natural habitat. Alligator pets should be provided with a large and wet habitat to live in, similar to the subtropical climate they come from.

Alligators occasionally get aggressive and dangerous at times, usually during breading season, which can prove fatal to people if proper precautions are not taken. Owners of pet alligators should be prepared as their pet can grow to more than twelve feet in length. Unfortunately, some owners panic when their pet alligator starts getting bigger and decide to set it free in an area near their home. This can be extremely dangerous to residents of that locality, because the animal has lost its natural fear of humans and will frequently attack. A few years ago, near the end of a warm summer, the police in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan received a call from a citizen that there was a six-foot alligator chasing joggers on the path along the South Saskatchewan River near the Mendel Art Gallery. A patrol car was dispatched, even though the dispatcher thought the call was a hoax, because alligators usually don’t exist in Saskatchewan. When the police officer walked into the area, he saw the alligator basking in the sun on the lawn of the Art Gallery. He walked up to it and poked it with his baton. The alligator spun around quickly and bit the baton in half. The officer jumped back and called for assistance. The alligator was eventually captured and shipped to a zoo. Authorities surmised that someone had released a pet alligator into the river in the Spring and it had grown much larger over the summer from a good diet of fish, ducks, geese and the occasional wandering pet. So, when a decision is made to adopt an alligator as a pet, the owner should realize that it is a lifetime commitment. Turning alligators loose in areas where they are not expected can result in serious and often tragic results.

Until next time,

Teia