Finding the perfect pet for your family might take time. Many people like to stick with cats and dogs, but some like to purchase more exotic pets.
Perhaps you’ve seen videos of sugar gliders on the internet. These little creatures are so cute that they’ve started to become popular as pets.
If you’re considering buying a sugar glider of your own, it’s wise to learn about them. Are sugar gliders affectionate pets or do they not like to interact with humans too much?
Read on to learn about sugar gliders and whether they’re affectionate. This will help you to decide if buying a sugar glider is a good choice or not.
Sugar Gliders Are Affectionate
Sugar gliders are indeed affectionate animals. These animals will show affection toward owners in many different ways.
However, it might take time to bond with your new pet. A sugar glider will open up to you as time passes and they get used to your presence.
Eventually, you and your new pet will be very close so long as you care for the pet properly. Below, you’ll learn more about this while getting advice on how to bond with sugar gliders.
How Do Sugar Gliders Show Affection?
There are many ways that sugar gliders show affection. Some of the ways they show affection don’t differ from traditional pets such as cats.
However, these animals are also unique in many ways. Take the time to learn about how these animals show affection.
This will help you to know what to expect when purchasing sugar gliders. It can be a fantastic experience, but it’s good not to go in blind.
1 – Purring Is a Sign of Affection
If you ever hear a sugar glider purring you should take it as a very positive sign. When these animals purr, it shows you that they are very content and happy.
In many ways, you can think of sugar gliders purring the same way you think of cats purring. The purring sound is fairly different from the sound that cats make, though.
When sugar gliders purr, it’s a lot softer and more difficult to hear. You have to listen for it and you might not notice it if you’re not paying attention.
Regardless, it’s good to know that sugar gliders will give you obvious signs that they’re happy. You can always listen to see if you hear the purring sound coming from your sugar glider when you’re playing or otherwise interacting.
2 – Scent Marking Is Associated with Affection
Did you know that scent marking is associated with affection? You might not even understand what this means yet if you’re unfamiliar with sugar gliders.
It’s not unusual for animals to want to mark things with their scent. In some cases, animals will show affection through scent marking.
This can be done in a few different ways. A sugar glider might choose to rub its head on you to cover you in its scent.
Sugar gliders have scent glands on their heads. This makes the head-rubbing action an affectionate act because it’s a scent-marking opportunity.
Another way that sugar gliders do this involves urine. You likely won’t want the sugar glider to do this, but it might happen sometimes.
Sometimes sugar gliders will mark people that they care about with urine while they’re being held. So if you’re holding a sugar glider, there’s a chance that it might pee on you.
While that may sound gross, it’s potentially a sign of affection from the sugar glider. It’s understandable that you won’t want to seek this sign of affection out, of course.
3 – Grooming to Show Affection
Grooming can be used to show affection, too. This might seem kind of annoying, though.
When sugar gliders attempt to groom humans, they will lick them or scrape their teeth on them. This likely doesn’t sound very pleasant, but it doesn’t necessarily hurt.
Some people mistake grooming behavior for biting. It might feel a little bit like the sugar glider is biting you, but it really isn’t too rough.
If the sugar glider was to bite you, it would feel substantially different. When grooming, sugar gliders put only light pressure on the skin.
Generally, sugar gliders are gentle when they’re grooming people and being affectionate. You still might not enjoy this, but it’s one way that these animals like to show affection.
4 – Trying to Get Your Attention
Does your sugar glider ever try to get your attention? When you approach the sugar glider, it might try to get your attention by barking or making other types of sounds.
This could happen when you get close to the sugar glider’s cage. It’s very common for this to happen when you open the cage.
The fact that the sugar glider is attempting to get your attention shows that it’s affectionate toward you. It wants you to give it some attention because it enjoys interacting with you.
Your sugar glider will likely continue to do this. It’s a sign that you’ve become an important part of the sugar glider’s life.
You Must Bond with Your Sugar Glider
Sugar gliders won’t show you affection at all unless you bond with them. Bonding with a sugar glider is something that takes a bit of time and effort.
There are many different ways that you can bond with the sugar glider. Below, you’ll get several ideas that can help you out.
Many of these bonding ideas are easy to pull off. Which ones you will prefer will come down to your preference, but all of them work well.
Use a Bonding Pouch
Have you considered buying a bonding pouch for your sugar glider? This is a type of pouch that allows you to safely carry a sugar glider around with you.
You can bond with the sugar glider easily because you’ll have it with you more often. It’ll become used to being close to you due to being in the bonding pouch a lot.
If you need to do things around the house, you can still bond with the sugar glider. Normally, you might not have a lot of time to spend bonding with your pet, but the ability to carry it around with you changes that.
You can do household chores and other things while carrying the sugar glider in the bonding pouch. This gives you a chance to hang out with your little furry friend during the day.
If you plan to buy a sugar glider, it’s a good idea to purchase a bonding pouch. It’s a safe and convenient way to bond with the sugar glider so that it will grow more affectionate toward you.
Playing with the Sugar Glider
Playing with the sugar glider is another good way to bond with it. There are easy ways that you can do this indoors without worrying about the sugar glider getting lost in the house.
Buy an indoor tent where you can let your pet roam. This gives them a chance to glide and interact with you in a larger environment.
If you don’t wish to buy a tent, you could designate a spare room for the sugar glider. You’d need to make modifications to the room to ensure that it’s safe for your pet, though.
Often, sugar gliders will be very affectionate when you attempt to bond with them in this way. They might choose to glide on you.
A sugar glider will appreciate bonding sessions like this. It’ll come to feel very safe with you around if you’re able to set this up.
Scent Swapping Helps
You know that sugar gliders will mark you with their scent as a sign of affection. It’s possible to use your scent as a way to bond with the sugar gliders.
The best way to do this is to put an unwashed blanket in the cage with the sugar glider. This gives it time to get used to your scent when you’re not hanging out with your pet.
It’s a simple hands-off way to get the sugar glider to be more comfortable with you. This action is highly recommended.
Just Spend Time Together
Just spending time together is enough to bond with your pet. Try to take time out of your day to be with your sugar glider.
Interact with it and try to be in the same room as it for a certain amount of time each day. If you do this, you will bond with the sugar glider nicely over time.
It’s said that it takes between four and six weeks to fully bond with a sugar glider. If you utilize the advice above, you’ll have a simple time getting there.
Enjoy your pet sugar glider and be sure to take care of it properly. These little pets can be very satisfying to own.
If you think that these pets look neat, it’s worthwhile to consider getting one. It might be the perfect type of pet for you and your family.
Just make sure that you’re able to meet the basic care needs of these pets. Keep your pet safe and everything will work out nicely.
I have a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When I’m not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, I’m at home with my wife, two daughters and a dog. Outside of family, I love grilling and barbequing on my Big Green Egg and working on projects around the house. Growing up, I had pet dogs, cats, deer, sugar gliders, chinchillas, a bird, chickens, fish, and a goat.