Suggies At Home

Yes, another article today but it was brought up by a reader called Yanti, about sugar gliders being native to Malaysia. Her comment:

Sugar Gliders are protected under the enactment of National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972? Where person who owns,who sell can be apprehended and prosecuted? FYI, sugar gliders in Malaysia(Brown in color, which is native from the forest of Malaysia) is not the same as the Aussies (Grey in color)havent u did any research?or even seek consult from the experts (i.g Irshad Mubarak-the guide for Prime Minister and advisor at Langkawi forest reserve)????And gliders live in colony during breeding season..most of the time there are solitary..u ader bace research jurnal tak?im just informing while educate awareness on all who reading this including u..no offense but i talked to most conservationist out there saying that i did great..that’s all..well,the glider i found may be in their teen age(as i described the morphology to the conservationist),it’s a suitable age for them to explore and fend for themselves in the wild(if they were in captive before).Back from the beginning,it’s still wrong to take them from the wild and sell the gliders( while there are still depend on their mother)separated from their mother..sedeyh betol!

I wonder if there is confusion with sugar gliders and flying squirrels or squirrel gliders. Under…..

AKTA PERLINDUNGAN HIDUPAN LIAR 1972 ( Akta 76 )

JADUAL SATU

BINATANG-BINATANG LIAR YANG DIPERLINDUNGI SEPENUHNYA

Sugar gliders are not protected or under any CITES list. They are fully protected in Australia but not in Malaysia. Flying squirrels or squirrel gliders are 100% fully protected in Malaysia and should never be kept as pets. I am no conservationist student or biologist or what ever related profession in the flora and fauna of Malaysia, but this is from my own research, information that I get from overseas and of course the senior retired vet from Zoo Negara. If anyone has concrete information in black and white about sugar gliders being native to Malaysia, I would appreciate it if you could mail it to me. As I am also learning, if it is true that they are native to Malaysia, then I would stop this blog and my hobby and release my sugar gliders back into the wild.

According to Jabatan Perhilitan Semenanjung Malaysia:

sugar glider is not listed under the new Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 [Act 716], thus requires no license to keep it. For your information this species is also not listed under CITES appendixes and are widely bred in captivity.

I received a comment that I found worrying. If everyone does this when they come across a stray sugar glider, then there are 2 possibilities that could happen.

Let me just give a simple scenario:

” A stray sugar glider comes about. You saw it, caught it, see that it looks lost but do not want to keep it. Since it is an aboreal animal and likes trees, you release it into the jungle so it can live a happy free life”

OR

“You kept a few sugar gliders for a year, then you realise that it looks and feels cruel to keep them in cages. So you decided to set them free into the jungle”

So is it the right action to take? A big big BIG NO…..

Why?

Our sugar gliders, majority are captive bred sugar gliders. Wild sugar gliders would never ever enter a person’s home. If a glider somehow strays into your home, it is someone’s lost pet. It was just seeking out some shelter. All it knows is that the house or room is the safest place to hide and be at away from predators. A captive bred or kept sugar glider only knows one source of food, from your hands. They do not know what is edible in the wild, they do not know the dangers of other animals. Some of my gliders are not afraid of dogs and cats. There are many predators like snakes, owls, wild cats and monitor lizards that would make a meal out of a glider that is stoning from shock of being alone in an unfamiliar place. All it knows is its warm cage, comfy snuggly sleeping pouch and the familiar sounds of it’s home and owner and the security of it’s home.

Setting a sugar glider that you have kept as a pet into the wild is wrong. Just like the above, they cannot defend themselves.

What about the other possibility?

If the sugar glider does somehow survives, it would actually be fighting for survival with our local tree shrews or tupai or squirrels. Then what? We actually disrupt the whole natural ecosystem. By introducing a foregin animal into our environment, there may be problems like certain animals or insects going extinct. Or certain roots, shrubs and shoots going damaged by sugar gliders eating and chewing on them. It is wrong and in fact ILLEGAL to set a non-local animal free into our country’s jungles.

So what to do if you have found a sugar glider?

Firstly, it’s owner of course would be dreadfully upset so do the right thing, take in the sugar glider, feed it. Then take a picture of it, post some flyers around your area. If no one claims it, you could always contact me or you can put it for adoption.

Bare in mid, Zoo Negara and SPCA would not accept sugar gliders.

Dear readers,

I know I have not updated for quite some time. It’s because since coming back from France, I have been trying to catch up with alot of my personal stuff and studies. Right now I’m sitting for my term’s finals so I’m kinda occupied with concentrating on my studies. Anyway, will update after 25 March 2011.

For those who have paid their deposits for joeys, your joeys will be ready on the 2nd week of April.

Yesterday GipGip and Dippy have 2 female joeys that just OOP, so these are ready for booking. I also have a very super adorable female from Kuno and Kinta, a female joey as well. Sugus and Gizmo also have 2 female joeys, 1 is already booked so another is still available for sale, she would be ready on 1st week of April.

Ok guys, do not stop supporting Suggies At Home just coz I have not updated for some time. I will soon have a “Stuff for Sale” page and I will have a surprise during Pet World 2011. So stay tuned.

It’s been more than a month since I touched down in France. I miss all my gliders terribly. Big thank you to my parents who are taking care of all my gliders and also Connie and Andrew for doing a weekly check on them. So far, as I got updated, I may have 8 joeys coming up soon but I feel they would most likely be ready early next year. I think, coz for now, I can’t tell as I can’t see them.

In France, I think it is uncommon to have exotic pets. And from research, most Europe countries do not allow gliders as pets. So that is the reason from the surprised faces when I show them a picture of my gliders. Oh well, luckily I brought my pictures along so I can view them whenever I miss them. My dad have been my glider’s caretaker and GliderSLURP maker for now, and he is doing an amazing job. If you need GliderSLURP, do make your way to Pet Epicure as it is being supplied there.

I still get questions, about sugar glider nutrition and also about mass breeding. I have already written about these, all you need to do is type the key word in my search button to look for the articles. It is important to get the right nutrition, gliders have high metabolism and if we do not provide them with the correct diet, their health and growth can deteriorate or stunted, and maybe death.

When it comes to mass production, people, please understand, the mass breeders do not care about the health or diet of the gliders. As long they breed and produce joeys, then it is money for them. If your joey that you bought is underage and dies, the mass producers would not take responsibility, even though it is their fault. From breeders, it is different. For me, if one of my joeys die from a condition that is not of the buyer’s fault, I would refund or replace. Because that is my responsibility.

Till next time.