Is it right to have a sugar petaide as a pet?

According to the PETA organization ( People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ), having a sugar petaide as a pet is to deprive you of "everything that is natural and meaningful to them: the company of its own species, fresh air, outdoors and the opportunity to climb or do almost anything other than walking or sitting and looking out of a small cage."[1]

To market with them, these animals are raised in unsuitable facilities or brought by illegal trafficking of species in plastic bottles from their home country, Australia.

On the other hand, due to the lack of Veterinary information, death in animals held in captivity is very premature.In addition, behavioral problems are accused by the lack of knowledge about the eto Lodge of the species and because of the cognitive deficits that it suffers from being caged, which leads to mass abandonment, ending the animals in recovery centers at best.

If you decide Get in touch with one of these centers to adopt one or more petauros, in this article of Animals and Pets Online we show you all the information you need to know about the species and its maintenance in captivity to learn how to care for a sugar petaur.Do not forget Talk to a veterinarian before who specializes in exotic animals that may have notions about this species.

Characteristics of sugar petaruro

Sugar petaurs are small arboreal marsupials that live in colonies of up to 12 animals with a dominant male.They have gray fur with a black dorsal stripe, a long, prehensile tail black often with a white tip and a pale cream bottom.

In nature, males generally weigh between 115 and 160 grams and females between 95 and 135 grams.There are several subspecies that vary in size, the tropical species of Papua New Guinea being the smallest.We also talk about omnivorous animals that feed on sap and insects according to the season.

How should the sugar petaide cage be?

According to ethological studies, it is considered inappropriate to keep a sugar petaur in a cage with a size less than 2 x 2 x 2 meters and the size of the mesh or fence It must be 1 x 2.5 centimeters.This is because being a kind of nocturnal habits , it is during the night when they enter activity, at which time we cannot attend it, since we will be asleep and must spend this period in cages.

In nature, a petaur would spend the night flying and jumping between trees and branches, traveling distances greater than 50 meters.We must take into account that the location of the cage in the home should not have access to potential predators, such as dogs, cats, snakes, etc.

Inside the cage we will place a nest box that simulates a tree's hollow , being the very narrow entrance, that only quepael, so the animal will feel more security.The location of the nest as well as the Feeders and drinking troughs must be in height, not near the floor of the cage, also for a greater sense of security.We will also place branches vertically and horizontally.

The cage must be provided with a door through the which we can handle to the petauro if necessary and to be able to change the trough and feeder.In addition, it is also interesting that it has a removable tray to be able to remove the excrements and other waste.

Normally, when you have a unique petauro , it is usually kept in a small cage hung in height where its nest is.This cage only works if, in addition, the animal has regular access to branches where to exercise, always under surveillance.

Sugar petaide feed

Sugar petaurs feed on a variety of plant exudates and insects and arthropods, with a natural diet that depends on the characteristics of the habitat and the season.They have a very elongated fourth finger to extract insects from trees, as well as enlarged lower incisors to chew the bark.

Several studies on food ecology in different parts of Australia indicate that the diet is highly correlated with the availability of resources, and that sugar petaides are very adaptable , that is, they eat almost anything they find in their environment .

In specialty stores you can find feed directed to other species that have worked well with petaurs kept in zoos, as is the I think for possums .

If you don't find the right feed you can always prepare your food with ingredients that are easy to find in the market, we show two examples:

Diet 1:

5g of food for g dry atos or 10 g of wet food
5 g of berries
5 g of citrus fruits
5 g of other fruit
5 g sweet potato
1 g of mealworms (or other invertebrates, such as grasshoppers, moths, flies, crickets)

Diet 2:

12 g of mixed chopped fruits (any type
2.5 g of cooked and chopped vegetables
10 g of nectar from peach or apricot
5.5 g of poultry feed low in iron
1 g mealworms (or other invertebrates)

Some diseases of sugar petaide

Sugar petaides have remained in zoos for many years, but in recent decades they have become popular as pets, so veterinary literature focuses on breeding and not on common diseases of the species .

This is very important when deciding whether or not to have a sugar petaurus as a pet, because when it comes to taking it to a veterinarian it is no longer just the fact of choosing one of exotic, but that this little can do if the petaurus becomes ill, because there is not enough information in the books to arrive at a good diagnosis and its treatment.

Below we show some data collected during the Necropsies about the health of these animals:

Cardiovascular disease

Degenerative cardiovascular disease is infrequent , but a generalized blood infection that ends up with the life of the animal.

Degenerative disease

Have been given m Many cases of liver cirrhosis.The cause or causes are unknown, and half of the cases appear to be associated with a hepatic lipidosis and in some cases it is associated with excessive iron storage.

There is some speculation on the internet that this disease may be associated with mycotoxins in sugar petaides, but this has not been demonstrated.Chronic kidney disease is rare but if renal lipidosis can occur.

Anomalies

There have been cases of hydronephrosis (water in the kidneys), associated with pyelonephritis (kidney stones) It is not known whether it is a disease in itself or symptoms of another secondary disease.

Nutritional diseases

Due to a malnutrition and the breeding of these animals , may develop necrotizing pancreatitis and pancreatic fibrosis.

Neoplasia

The few data collected show a high presence of tumors in these animals, with a higher percentage of malignant tumors than benign tumors, many of them were mammary tumors.There have also been cases of tumors in the anal glands, cutaneous melanomas, lymphomas and carcinomas in the tract urinary.

Bacterial, fungal and viral infections

Fungal or virus infections in this species appear to be uncommon, but bacterial , occurring in some cases meningoencephalitis .

Is it possible to adopt a sugar petaide?

If you want to have a sugar petauro as a pet you should know that you do not have to buy it, because in many centers of recovery of wild species arrive petauros abandoned every day by their owners, in addition, there are protectors of exotic animals that may also have this species for adoption.

Before adopting any animal you must take into account all its needs and consider if you can cover them.This species in particular It is very sociable so you should not adopt a single individual.

If you want to read more articles similar to Sugar petaide as a pet , we recommend that you enter our Basic Care section.

References

Never buy sugar gliders as pets-PETA-Available at: https://www.peta.org/features/never-buy-sugar-gliders-as-pets/

Bibliography

Booth, R.(2003, October).Sugar gliders.In Seminars in Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine (Vol.12, No.4, pp.228-231).WB Saunders.
Dierenfeld, ES (2009).Feeding behavior and nutrition of the sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps).Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice, 12 (2), 209-215.
Garner, MM (2011).Diseases of pet hedgehogs, chinchillas, and sugar gliders.Proceedings of the Association of Avian Veterinarians, Seattle, WA, 351-359.
Honess, PE,&Wolfensohn, SE (2010).Welfare of exotic animals in captivity.VV Tynes, Behavior of Exotic Pets, 215-223.
Lightfoot, TL (1999).Clinical examination of chinchillas, hedgehogs , prairie dogs, and sugar gliders.Veterinary clinics of North America: Exotic animal practice, 2 (2), 447-469.

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