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Read before you breed sugar gliders

Breeding sugar gliders can be a fun, exciting, and rewarding hobby. However, before you start breeding examine all of the reasons you want to breed and decide if it is best for you. Some new breeders are looking to make a profit doing something they love in the comfort of their homes. Other new breeders want to join in on the excitement of colored breeding to see new colors and improve lines. There are a few good reasons to breed and even more not too.

Profit

Many new breeders are under the assumption that sugar glider breeding is an easy and extremely profitable hobby. However, this is generally not the case even when working with the most expensive sugar glider colors. Cage cleaning and maintaining proper husbandry standards are expensive. Your time raising joeys and adults must also factor into the profitability equation. When it comes to selling joeys at market value, your profit margin for raising a sugar glider joey is nothing more than pennies on the hour for your time and basic expenses.

Experience

It is also important to gain extensive firsthand experience and complete a lengthy amount of research before you start breeding sugar gliders. You must learn basic sugar glider care and proper breeding strategies before starting a breeding program. A good rule of thumb is to own sugar gliders at least one year prior to breeding.

Lifestyle

Consider how your lifestyle will change as a sugar glider breeder. Sugar gliders are nocturnal creatures. This means that they are active at night and sleep during the day. Therefore, raising sugar gliders will require you to be up during later hours to ensure proper bonding and care. Traveling, while maintaining a breeding program, can also be difficult. Sugar gliders require nightly care, breeding issues can arise, and competent stand-in care is hard to find.

Stress

The emotional and financial stress of a breeding program should also be weighed. Health issues arise and vet bills will be inevitable when breeding sugar gliders. Joeys can be rejected, needing hand feeding around the clock in order for it to survive. Breeding can also result in over-groomed joeys, dominance issues, and mating wounds which can increase stress levels and lead to expensive vet bills.

Laws

Although owning a pet sugar glider may be legal in your state, you must also check with your local laws to ensure that it is legal to breed in your area. Each state and city has their own laws concerning exotic animals outside of our federal laws. If you are going to breed in the United States, you may have to get a license from the USDA.

Marketing

Marketing is a big part of breeding sugar gliders. You will spend a lot of time advertising joeys, weeding out unfit homes, and working with a different people. Think about how you are going to find good homes and deal with unfit homes. Sometimes finding a good home is easy, sometimes it isn't, and sometimes it feels near impossible. The number of rescues and gliders needing homes over the past few years has jumped and continues to grow as more breeders enter the field. Check your local area for sugar glider over-saturation prior to breeding –especially if you will be selling your joeys.

Community Considerations

The online sugar glider community has a set of standards for sugar glider breeding. Some of these standards vary from group to group. Not complying with these standards in some groups could result in you being labeled as a "back yard breeder" and tarnishing your reputation. Research the standards of the group(s) you wish to participate in if you intend to sell your sugar gliders via the Internet or want to participate in the online sugar glider community. Getting an experienced mentor before breeding sugar gliders will help you through this process.

Last modified: July 24 2018