Recently I helped my friend in her cold display during the FHM 2009 (Food and Hotel Malaysia) event. I stayed overnight without sleep at college, creepy…. but one thing I realize I missed the most during the sleepless night, I missed my dog Chelsea and my gliders. Truly miss them and wished I had brought one glider to accompany me on that dark night at college.  jsut bought a new weighing scale that cost me RM100 to weigh my gliders. Can’t wait to try it out tomorrow. Donut and Bagel have grown up and today Bagel had his first try of GliderSLURP! So happy!

Anyway, why do I love gliders?

When my friend Connie first showed me a glider back in early 2005,  I simply said “it’s weird, like a bat and squirrel all in one animal but it is damn cute!” and then I showed it to my mom and she was like “don’t you dare bring back this alien creature as a pet”. Hahaha…. well, true to my stubborn self, I didn’t listen to her and brought back my first glider, Kiah. And that started my addiction.

Why do I love them? First of all, they are like mini dogs. They act like stubborn spoilt kids that wouldn’t listen to a word you say yet they rely on you for love, care and food and they bond to you like how a child would to their mom. They make great pets for the nocturnal night owl humans (like me) and are great for apartment life since they do not need as much space as a dog and they rarely disturb neighbours. They are way much better pets than hamsters.

Many people have their own reasons for keeping a sugar glider. Some may find them just cute, some may just want a pet that they can bring around or other reasons. As pet owners, we have to take the responsibility of their health, welfare and love them as how we would love something precious. They are a life, not a toy. Don’t get a glider as a surprise gift for your spouse or girlfriend or boyfriend or your child, they should never be gift wrapped with a ribbon if the person who has no idea about caring for them. Discuss with them about it.