UK Tabloid Driven Sugar Glider Fad Fears

Thursday's headline in the Daily Mail: 'The new pet that's simply flying off the shelves', followed by more irresponsibility from The Sun newspaper: 'This hang-gliding possum is Britain's new must-have pet', and many follow-ups over the weekend from other mainstream media, have led to fears in specialist keeper circles, of a potentially tragic fad for Sugar Gliders.

Sugar Gliders are small silver and grey nocturnal Australasian marsupials. They have a membrane which they stretch between their wrists and ankles which allows them to glide for up to 100M using their tail as a rudder. They are an exotic - which means, almost by definition that they are difficult to look after and can live for up to 10 years in captivity.

They need to be kept in pairs, a single animal will pine for company so much that it will begin self-mutilating. A pair will set you back around £300. They require a very large cage and even more secure space beyond that in which to glide at night. They cannot be trained to use a litter tray like a cat, so they will foul whatever space they are given.

Specialist Sugar Glider keepers have expressed dismay at this weekend's tabloid driven fad and warn the public that these animals, which are illegal to keep in most Australian states, are high maintenance with specific and complicated dietary needs, messy, smelly and noisy, (they will bark all night long).

If you have not yet been put off from joining this fad, find out more before you buy - by visiting the Sugar Glider Forum.