The body temperature of the honey glider is low, only about 32 degrees Celsius. The body length is 12-13 cm, and the tail length is 15-48 cm. Male Honey Bag Flying Squirrel110 - 160 g. Female honey bag flying squirrel 100- 140g. Newborn baby flying squirrel weight: 0.19 g.

The honey glider has a fluffy blue-grey coat, thin, pointed ears, large, round eyes, a light and petite body, a cream-colored belly, and a distinctive black spot running through its back. In the wild, the sugar glider is almost integrated into its natural environment such as leaves and branches, and is difficult to discern with the naked eye.

The male glider's scrotum is located in the center of the lower abdomen, and there are secretory glands on the prothorax and the top of the head to mark its sphere of influence. The midline of the female glider's abdomen has a pouch opening parallel to the body.

Features

The Glider develops between the hands and feet like the flying glider The skin film is released, so that the honey bag glider can fly long distances in the treetops. When the honey bag glider flies, it will first look into the distance with its eyes, smell its smell, and fly after making a preparatory action. When it is not flying, the skin film will Shrink, the shrunken skin film will hang next to the body. [3] The honey glider has long and slender fingers and sharp nails, which are good for climbing.

As an arboreal animal, the sugar glider glides from one tall branch to another by vigorously kicking its powerful hind legs. The long tail helps the glider orient and stabilize its body before landing on its limbs. Gliders are tiny marsupials, measuring just 8 inches (20 centimeters) from head to toe, and 16 inches (40 centimeters) if you include their long tail. Adults weigh about 4 to 5.7 ounces (120 to 160 grams).

Most active in the tree. Gliders are nocturnal animals, active at night and sleeping during the day.

The honey glider is a gregarious animal, a typical member of the group, consisting of one male glider with the highest status, two second-ranked male gliders, and four mature female gliders. As long as food is plentiful and family members live in peace, the group may number as many as 12.

When sugar gliders are kept in captivity as pets, the minimum A pair is required. Sugar gliders that lack companions may self-mutilate because of boredom. It looks lovable, the honey glider is easy to be tamed, it likes to be close to people, and people who have raised it can't put it down.

Food characteristics

The honey glider is an omnivorous animal, and its food content is more focused on protein food and likes to eat sweets. Wild honey gliders like to eat all kinds of insects, especially when they are breeding, the intake of protein food is more than 50%. In addition to insects, they also like to eat fruits and tree honey.

Breeding

The navel of the female honey glider has a brood pouch. The cubs are all born prematurely, and the newborn juveniles will climb into the pouch on their own. The males are larger than the females. The males are identified by the protruding testicles near the navel. The mature males will lose hair on the head, the hair loss will smell, and the mouth will be more rosy.

Females have a gestation period of only 16 days and can give birth to four cubs at a time, although usually one or two. They crawl into their mother's pouch and stay there for about 70 days until they are fully developed.

At birth, honey glider pups are nearly hairless and spend the first 12 to 14 days of life with their eyes closed before moving into their mother's tree nest. They stay there for 40 to 50 days until they are completely weaned and can forage independently. In the beginning, the sugar glider will look after the young carefully because they have many predators: owls, kookaburras, cats, monitor lizards and Snake, etc.

The newborn honey glider is hairless and weighs only 200 mg. Mature males and females can mate 2 to 3 times a year, the pregnancy time is about 3 weeks, and each time they can produce 1 to 3 larvae. The larvae are very petite when they are first born, with closed eyes and hairless body. They only weigh about 2 grams. After about 70 days, the larvae will start to leave the mother's pouch, and they can be completely weaned and fed on their own in about 110 days. Breeding is possible at about 8-14 months of age.

Development

The pups (roughly the size and weight of a small capsule) remain in their mother's belly pouch until 70 days of age with their eyes open and their hair It is also fully grown. Young gliders at this stage can leave their mother's pouch and explore the environment. Before this age, if the female glider dies unexpectedly, or the young glider accidentally falls out of the belly bag, the chance of survival of the captive hairless young glider is almost zero. Therefore, the owner must not forcibly open the belly bag of the female glider in the swaddling clothes because of a momentary curiosity, so as to avoid the death of the young glider.

Lifespan

The lifespan of honey gliders in the wild is short, about four or five years. Captive-bred honey gliders may live up to twelve years or more. Average life expectancy is 15 years.

Staple food

The honey glider is nocturnal Sexual animals, close to herbivorous omnivores, the evening is the best time to feed. In the natural environment, they prefer sweet foods, such as flowers, nectar, pollen, etc., and also eat tree buds, sap, leaves, seeds, and insects are also one of their food sources. Under artificial breeding, in addition to supplying commercially available bait, they can refer to their eating habits in the natural environment, and additionally provide their favorite fruits and nectars and other sweets as a supplementary food source, avoid ice food, otherwise it will easily lead to die.

Other Foods

Pineapples, peaches, strawberries, melons, papayas, apricots, pumpkins, juices, blueberries, dried fruits, peanuts, raisins, pumpkin seeds , sunflower seeds, dried peas, almonds.

Feeding Instructions

Dietary Principles

The following four principles are used in the selection of food for honey gliders :

1. The protein content should not be less than 25%, preferably higher than 50% during the breeding season.

2. Provide clean drinking water at all times.

3. Regularly supplement calcium and other vitamins and minerals.

4. Give less food with high fat and polysaccharide.

Feeding attention

(1) It is very sensitive to pesticides, pine fir sawdust, poisonous plants, direct sunlight, and other animals.

(2) The mesh at the bottom of the cage should not be too large, and the distance between the cage wires is preferably between 1 and 1.2 cm.

(3) It is best not to use a hole with a circular hole in the cage, which is easy to repel the host. It is best to have two or three sleeping bags made of cotton cloth, and do not use towel-like cloth. Because fibers can cause injury.

(4) Eucalyptus branches must be placed in the cage, which is beneficial to the prevention of dental diseases and the health of the body.

(5) 75% of the food nutrition is vegetables and fruits, 25% is other protein sources, and occasionally some omnivores and vitamins and minerals are given.

(6) It is best not to use wood chips as the bedding material. First, the volatile oil contained in some wood chips can easily lead to respiratory allergies in honey gliders. Treat!

Protein and calcium deficiencies are common problems in Gliders, and these deficiencies result from feeding an improper diet. In fact, the sugar glider not only eats fruits and vegetables, but also needs animal protein, such as insects (see diet). Calcium deficiency may present with loss of appetite, muscle weakness, tremors, and irregular heart rhythms. [6]

Lame feet caused by bone damage, paralysis from spinal fractures, neglect of diet usually leads to death, please change the correct way of eating as soon as possible. Protein and vitamin deficiency may lead to immune system imbalance, mucositis, Loss of appetite, weight loss, etc. Closely monitor your cage outside to prevent dog and cat attacks that can lead to trauma and death. Also, due to their small size, gliders are prevented from escaping under storage cabinets, in utensils, or slipping outside through doors.

Nursing Rules

Accommodation

The cages are mainly upright, Sufficient height, it is not recommended to lay wood chips on the floor, but some leaves can be laid. When a cold snap hits, use a rug to cover the bottoms or keep them warm with a yellow light. Closely monitor the outside of the cage to prevent dog and cat attacks that can lead to trauma and death. Also, due to their small size, gliders are prevented from escaping under storage cabinets, in utensils, or slipping outside through doors.