Pour Some "Sugar Glider" On Me!

A lot of people who knows me, knows that i have a pretty unusual and interesting. pet. i have a pet Sugar Glider. They are exotic animals, domesticated from the Australian area as as well as New Guinea. I am not going to lie. They are pretty cool! My little suggies name is Mischief. He is a spoiled little brat. As neat as it is for people to have exotic pets, it is not all it is cracked up to be. It is pretty expensive and time consuming. Sugar gliders are special because they are very social animals, because in the wild, they live in large colonies of 13-15 members. As pets it is strongly recommended that potential owners plan on having at least 2. Many breeders often times do not allow people to buy just one. The reason for this is because it is bad enough that these animals have been taken from their natural homes, and domesticated as pets. They often times do not do well alone. Along with other triggers, loneliness is one of the main reasons gliders become depressed. A depressed Sugar glider is a ticking time bomb. they usually begin over grooming and it becomes a OCD problem. it becomes so bad that they will groom all of the hair off of a favored part of their body. this leaves raw and irritated skin, called stress patches. Gliders who become extremely depressed will unfortunately begin to self-mutilate. Mutilation ranges anything from ripping out hair, biting off toes, biting off their tails, to even biting off their own legs. This is often times fatal, and unfortunately it is usually irreversible at this point. Many times, the most humane thing to do is have the glider euthanized. This is very sad, and very hard on owners who have tried to do their best to keep a lone glider happy. sometimes there are instances where a person can only have one glider. It is at this point that the owner either find another home for the glider, with other gliders, or they have to make a major commitment. keeping in mind that captive gliders live 12 to 15 years in good health, owners must be prepared to spend a minimum of 3 to 5 hours a day letting the glider out of its cage, and giving it plenty of attention. it is also important for the glider to be socialized with all people in the household, because all people living under the same roof are, in that glider's eyes. his "colony". I hope this information really opens the eyes of people who think it is no big deal to own exotic pets. I do not discourage the idea of having exotic pets, but i strongly suggests informing yourself about what it is that you are getting yourself into. It is not only for the health and safety of the animal, but for the emotion of the owner(s) who become attached to the animal.

Newspaper Pups

As many people may have heard, there have been many horrible people putting posts in newspapers for puppies to adopt. They claim that the supposed pets are not ready to leave but payments can be paid early. Unsuspecting families see nothing wrong with it but when are ready to bring home their new pet, they are dissappointed to find out that they have been swindled. Not only have they paid a high price, they do not even have a pet to claim for it. The truth is that it is dangerous to buy animals from newspaper post, or even craigslist. The best way to avoid being victimized by crooks like this, is to ensure honesty. Go to the supposed breeders home and ask to physically see the potential pet. Also, ask to see the parents. Do not be afraid to ask questions. An honest breeder will not care and will be more then willing to comply.

"Sheltered" Is The Best Breed

So earlier this week, my night class started volunteering at the local animal shelter. It always breaks my heart to see how many animals end up in the shelter. Puppies and kittens are born in shelters all of the time, and although they are more likely to be adopted first, they are also more likely to be returned to the shelter. When people adopt young animals, they do not always know what they are getting into, or they get tired of the animal once they have lost their "cuteness". It is upsetting to see that happen on a daily basis. So many people think that when they are adopting a new pet, the animal HAS to be a baby. Why? There are so many deserving full grown, and even senior animals in the shelter that may be more awarding to have then a young and untrained animal. Puppies and kittens require training and cycles of expensive vaccinations. Adults mainly need booster vaccines. Babies animals are also destructive and messy.

Just as a side note, today my boyfriend and I came across a stray dog in his neighborhood. He was so friendly and he was obviously a pet, because he had a collar and when i caught him on a leash, it was clear that he was leash trained. we walked around the neighborhood for about an hour talking to residents and asking if they recognized the Pit mix. As the number of "nos" increased, I started feeling so horrible because I knew if i didn't find his home I would have no choice but to put him in the shelter and hope that his owners would find him. Just as I was about to call animal control, a neighbor drove up and asked if I was trying to find the dog's onwers. She said they lived across the street from her, and that he gets out all the time. The owner was apologetic and greatful, but he did say that he was planning on finding the dog a new home because he could not handle the constant escape tactics. That goes along with knowing what you are getting into!!

It is sad how many pets get lost and end up in shelters. If they aren't claimed by their owner by 10 days, they become adoptable to the public. However, there is no guarantee that they will be adopted any time soon. What is worse is the fact that so many animals live months in the shelter, and sometimes even die in the shelter.

There are a few messages that go along with this post: Spay and Neuter your pets, Know what you are getting yourself into ( pet ownership is a life long commitment), and also take the few extra dollars to get your pets micro-chipped!!! (REMEMBER almost any animal can be micro-chipped; i.e: dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, rodents, livestock, horses, and many other types of animals)