Sugar Gliders : I received a phone call that two baby possums were laying helpless on the golf course, during a busy tournament day. Arriving at the location I found two young Sugar Gliders who were too young to be away from their mother. Sugar Gliders are nocturnal Australian marsupials, who glide from tree to tree. Crouching on the ground, as I leaned forward to pick the first one up he opened up his arms to glide toward me and tried to leap into my face! Once I got over the shock, it was very funny. Sugar Gliders are harmless and he was only acting out of fear. The other Glider was curled up in a ball, but uncurled when I touched him. Placing them both in a secured rescue crate, we headed to the ICU Animal Emergency Hospital where they were taken straight through, placed on heat pads and immediately examined by vets. The quieter Sugar Glider had a head injury which may have happened as he fell from the tall gum tree. He was given pain medication and expected to make a full recovery. The feisty one was in good shape. Both Gliders were given doses of marsupial-sugar-syrup and recovered their strength laying on the heat pad, whilst under observation. With an all clear from the vets, both Sugar Gliders are now in the care of a Carer who will raise them until they are old enough to be released back into the wild. I will receive a phone call from the Carer, we will meet and together we will release them back into their original colony, where their family are. Sometimes this can take months, buts its always a highlight of being an animal rescuer. What are Sugar gliders? A flying phalanger that feeds on wattle gum and eucalyptus sap, native to Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania. The sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) is a small, omnivorous, arboreal and nocturnal gliding possum belonging to the marsupial infraclass. The common name refers to its preference for sugary nectarous foods and ability to glide through the air, much like a flying squirrel. Due to convergent evolution, they have very similar appearance and habits to the flying squirrel, but are not closely related. The scientific name, Petaurus breviceps, translates from Latin as short-headed rope-dancer, a reference to their canopy acrobatics. The sugar glider is native to eastern and northern mainland Australia, and was introduced to Tasmania. It is also native to various islands in the region. Please DO NOT KEEP THEM AS TROPICAL PETS.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 06:05:44 +0000
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