Unfortunately, in today’s “Internet Age”, anyone can put up at least a somewhat-credible looking website… copy a few things from other sites… and LOOK like an “expert”. Baby Sugar Gliders (called “joeys”) can have different temperaments based largely on their age and how they’ve been treated. Despite what anyone may “claim” during numerous phone conversations or in emails – the “bottom-line” is that you REALLY have absolutely NO guarantee of what you are getting unless you see the joey yourself.

Sugar Gliders can be GREAT pets, but always keep in mind that this is an animal which will be a part of your family for the next 12-15 years. Therefore, it’s always best to take the time and physically MEET the people who are selling your joey(s) to you “face-to-face”, and follow the 7 steps laid out for you at the end of this report when making

your purchase

    According to national averages at this time, you should expect to pay anywhere between $300-$500 for a certified-healthy 8-12 week old baby Sugar Glider (purchased from a Licensed USDA facility). This is just for the animal itself, and the proper starter cage and initial food, vitamins & supplies will usually cost an additional $200-$300.

When it’s all “said & done” a single Sugar Glider with all the necessary supplies should cost you somewhere between approximately $500 - $800; and additional joeys will be another $300-$500/each. Keep in mind that baby Sugar Gliders have very specific cage and care requirements, so be sure the seller knows what they’re talking about and can prove that their cage and supplies are specifically-made for Sugar Gliders (and not birds or cats).  

As a Baby Sugar Glider nears the end of the primary “bonding phase” of its life (usually around 12-14 weeks out of the pouch), unscrupulous (yet credible-looking) Internet sites often discount their joeys as low as $100-$150 just to get rid of them. If they cannot sell them off to unsuspecting new customers who think they’re getting “the deal of a lifetime”, they will often dump them at wholesale prices to a local pet shop – who then “passes off” these poor joeys as sweet 8-10 week old babies.

Due to their unique intelligence and loving nature, Sugar Gliders are rapidly becoming more popular each year as household pets. The problem with this is that since they breed so slowly, (only averaging 2-3 babies/year), they are continually becoming harder and harder to find. As such, many reputable breeders (who will not resort to “inbreeding” or otherwise compromising the quality of their animals) often have to put new customers on “waiting lists”.

For this reason, the only Sugar Gliders that usually end up in local pet shops are ones that have been “dumped” (primarily due to health problems, or behavioral issues) – and never should have been sold to the public in the first place. People are often surprised to learn that most pet shops in the country are not USDA Licensed – and therefore are not required to comply with the rigid Federal standards for breeding and ongoing care.

The sad fact is that unless the seller is honest – there is really no way to accurately know what you are getting – until it’s too late. By contrast, USDA Licensed Breeders are required to keep accurate in-house records of each baby’s age - and lineage (to avoid inbreeding) - so getting your joeys ONLY from certified, Federally-Licensed breeders is always the best way to avoid these types of problems.

    One of the biggest Internet scams going when it comes to selling Sugar Gliders online is that unscrupulous internet sites will often sell joeys that are WELL beyond the initial “bonding phase” of their lives. Baby Sugar Gliders cannot be taken away from their mothers until they are fully weaned (approximately 7-9 weeks out of the pouch). Once they have been weaned, they automatically BEGIN “bonding” to WHOEVER – or WHATEVER – they are regularly exposed to; and the majority of this process takes place during the next 3-5 weeks.

Once the “bonding process” is complete, (sometimes as long a 2 months or more after it begins), and the joeys have become accustomed to humans, they will typically be very affectionate and loving to everyone who treats them well. However, if the “bonding process” does not at least BEGIN at some point within the initial 7-12 week “window” of their lives, it will take much longer for the joey to bond – if ever.

Again, when buying Sugar Gliders over the Internet, credible-looking websites can “talk” a VERY good game – and often guarantee “sweet, hand-tamed joeys shipped to an airport near you”.  In fact, if they didn’t “sound” and “look” extremely credible, they wouldn’t still be in business. However, again, the “bottom-line” here is that you never really KNOW what you’ll be getting until it arrives – and by that time it’s often too late.

    Federal Law, Sugar Gliders must be shipped on a same-day commercial flight designated specifically for animals. No matter what any Internet website may “claim”, just the shipping cost ALONE of a single animal is between $150 and $300; depending on the airline and the time of year. (It is important to note that this does NOT include shipping their proper starter cage or supplies.)

Over the years, we have heard many Internet “horror” stories where credible-looking websites (even a handful of sites that claim to be USDA Licensed) either quote a low shipping price, or say “they’ll absorb it” as long as the customer purchases more than one baby…Then, when shipping day comes, (and the new owners are all excited and anxiously-awaiting the arrival of their new baby(ies)), they suddenly get an urgent call from the seller claiming that they just arrived at the airport, and the airline has “doubled” or “tripled their prices”. They then apologize profusely, and even pretend to offer the customer a full refund of their money…

However, since they know the new parents are already “committed” (both financially, and more important, EMOTIONALLY), they know there’s a VERY high probability that the anxious new parents will just go ahead and pay the “new”, HIGHER price (usually MUCH higher than they were originally quoted).

      Most reputable sellers and breeders (especially those which are USDA licensed - and therefore held accountable for any animals which die) will NOT “ship” babies in less than groups of at least 3 or 4.   No matter what anyone may “say” via encouraging phone calls or emails, shipping individual or small groups of joeys – for hours at a time on a cold, dark airplane - can be extremely stressful on the animal; and it’s not uncommon for them die during the trip.

That being said, most websites that sell Sugar Gliders online will go into great detail about how they “guarantee” (usually in writing) to replace any dead animal, but as the old saying goes: “buyer beware”. Even if a joey does survive the trip, many times it will take weeks for them to recover from the experience – and this can lead to ongoing medical complications such as Giardia outbreaks, etc… (see below)

“     Bottom-Line”…NEVER buy a Sugar Glider from a person or company that is not USDA licensed – no matter how great the “price” or “story” may be…In fact, in some states, it is actually ILLEGAL to own a Sugar Glider which was not directly purchased from a Federally-Licensed USDA Facility – and it is the OWNER’S responsibility to provide documentation proving each animal’s origin.

More and more states are amending their laws like this each year to raise the standards of pet ownership. That being said, most Internet websites and message boards nowadays will attempt to tell you that getting a baby from a licensed USDA Facility is no guarantee that your animal will be healthy. To be quite frank, the people who make statements like this do so because either: 1) they don’t want to subject themselves to the extreme ongoing scrutiny, high standards of Veterinary care, and “surprise health inspections” that all go along with holding a coveted USDA License, or 2) for some reason they CAN’Tget a USDA License.

The simple fact is that (unlike cats, dogs, or many other household pets) Sugar Gliders cannot legally be bred in the United States in groups larger than 2 breeding females without a USDA License   Knowing this, many “Internet operations” actually LURE in unsuspecting new customers by carefully cultivating the appearance that they are small, “home-grown”, mom & pop operations who only sell “suggies” born to their own “personal family pets”…They come up with long, great-sounding stories about how they spend HOURS with their “suggies” every day - and personally “hand-tame” every joey before they go off to their new homes.

Some of the REALLY “slick” ones even take it a step further, and actually pretend to “interview” the new parents so they can make sure their “beloved little babies” will be going to a good home. This whole “act” can be VERY convincing, but again…”buyer beware”.

“Bottom-Line”: DON’T BE FOOLED BY ANY OF THESE INTERNET SCAMS…If they have a website, and/or are selling even ONE baby through some online message board or chat room – don’t take ANY chances.

Again, this is an animal which is going to be a loving part of your family for the next 12-15 years. That being said, it’s always best to MEET the people you are buying your joeys from “in person” – and ASK TO SEE A PHYSICAL COPY of their USDA License. Never rely on people “saying” they are licensed – or even posting a “USDA #” on their website.

Also, don’t place much importance on “testimonials” from other customers – (even if they offer to give you their phone numbers).    This type of thing “sounds” good on the surface, but in reality you have no way of knowing if they actually ARE customers; and no website would ever give out a “bad testimonial” anyway.

Look the seller “straight in the eyes”, and ASK to see a copy of their physical Federal License before you buy. ANY reputable USDA breeder will not be offended by this – and will gladly show you their certification.

It’s a “badge of honor” that is hard to get – and even harder to KEEP!