sugar+glider

Sugar Glider
//Petaurus breviceps// alayna9 The sugarglider has very thick soft grey mink-like fur with a black stripe that runs the full length of the body in line with the spine. This black stripe extends up and over the top of the head. The last couple of inches of the tail are also black. The glider also has dramatic black markings on the face, legs and back. This little creature is a member of the same order that includes kangaroos, opossums, wombats and Tasmanian devils! http://www.sugarglider.com/gliderpedia/index.asp?SugarGlider Size The Sugar Glider is around 16 to 20 cm (6.3 to 7.5 inches) in length, with a tail almost as long as the body and almost as thick as a human thumb, and weighs between 90 and 150 grams (3 to 5.3 oz).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_glider

Diet
They hunt for insects and small vertebrates and feed on the sweet sap of certain species of eucalyptus, acacia and gum trees. Its diet varies considerably with both geography and the changing seasons, but the main items are the sap of acacias and certain Eucalyptus, nectar, pollen, and arthropods. http://www.sugarglider.com/gliderpedia/index.asp?SugarGlider http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_glider

Population
Unlike many native animals, particularly smaller ones, the Sugar Glider is not endangered.Despite the massive loss of natural habitat in Australia over the last 200 years, it is adaptable and capable of living in surprisingly small patches of remnant bush, particularly if it does not have to cross large expanses of clear-felled land to reach them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_glider

Lifespan
Both male and female sugar gliders make excellent pets, with a life span of ten to twelve years, sometimes longer. In the wild, however, 4 to 6 years is the usual life expectancy.In captivity, they may live up to fifteen years. http://www.sugarglider.com/gliderpedia/index.asp?SugarGlider

**Habitat**
In suitable habitats it is common, often reaching densities of 1 per 1,000 square metres provided that there are tree hollows available for shelter. It lives in groups of up to seven adults, plus the current season's young, all sharing a nest and defending their territory. Adult males mark the territory with saliva and with scent glands, and also mark members of the group with the scent produced by separate glands on the forehead and chest. Visitors which lack the appropriate scent marking are expelled violently. The dominant male mates more frequently with the female of the group than the other males, and does most of the scent marking. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_glider

**Offspring**
In the more temperate south, breeding starts in mid-winter (June or July). In the north, there seems to be no particular breeding season. Two young per female is typical; they remain in the pouch for about 70 days, and after leaving it stay inside the nest for another 40 or 50 days, then begin to forage outside, usually under the care of the mother. The young are normally ejected from the group territory at 7 to 10 months of age.

**Interesting facts**
You can have a sugar glider as a pet if you have a permit.