If you read my other post 8 Reasons Breeding May Not Be For You, then you are familiar with the potential problems and setbacks that can come when breeding sugar gliders. If you are still interested in breeding, today’s post may be for you. Here are ten things to further consider before you begin breeding.
1 – Research
The first sign that you’re ready to breed is a thorough knowledge of sugar gliders. You must have a good grasp on their anatomy, breeding habits, signs of illness and joey rejection in addition to basic sugar glider knowledge. This is incredibly important as sugar gliders are exotic animals that aren’t necessarily easy to breed.
Knowing what to do if a joey is rejected and not having to look it up when an emergency arises can save the life of the joey.
Research is vital and is the first step towards becoming a good breeder.
2- Understand Genetics
Another important thing to understand is genetics. They are incredibly confusing so if you can talk to an experienced breeder, it will be a great help.
You need to understand what colors to breed together to create the desired colors and what types should never be breed (for example, caramel gliders cannot be breed with any other type as it results in infertile offspring or that Black Face Black Beauties shouldn’t be bred together because of the high mortality rate of joey.)
3 – Have Past Experience With Gliders
This is one point that I’m not firm on because my first sugar gliders were my breeding pair. However, I will say that having previous experience with gliders is incredibly helpful. I made a lot of mistakes in joey breeding that could have been prevented by owning gliders previously (for instance, I got a very young pair of gliders – still joeys – and I didn’t realize that the female should be at least 4 months before she was bred).
As I have said before, gliders are exotic animals and are much different from common pets. They require specialized care, diet, housing and lifestyle. Breeding is not something to rush into as the care level triples at least.
4 – You Don’t Lack Funds
Sugar gliders are not cheap pets. Between large vet bills (which come whether you want them to or not as I know all too well) and expensive cages, you will have to be okay with spending a large chunk of money not only to get your breeding program off the ground but also to ensure that you can provide good care throughout the lifetime of your gliders.
5 – Extra & Large Cages
You should have at least one extra cage if you’re hobby breeding. If you’re interested in large scale breeding, you’re going to need numerous cages. There are a couple of reasons for this.
First off, colony breeding (having more than one breeding female with a male) isn’t a great idea. Often times the females will kill the others joeys. Sometimes twin sisters bred with the same male living in the same cage can be okay, but as a beginner, you shouldn’t risk it. So you’re going to need a separate cage for each of your breeding pairs. If you have three, four, five + pairs, that means spending a lot of money on the cage itself and then furnishing said cage.
Second, you’re going to need a place to keep the joeys once they reach sexual maturity. They can’t stay with their parents as this will cause inbreeding – either the dad will mate with his daughter or the son with his mom. If you haven’t sold the joeys by the time they’re 3 months (males) and 4 months (females), you’re going to have to place them in a separate cage or neuter all of the males (which would end your breeding with that pair).
6 – Good Vets
You absolutely need a good vet who is knowledgeable in exotic pets and especially sugar gliders. This is an absolute must. Accidents happen when you least expect them and you need to have a good vet in place before they do. Don’t be afraid to ask your vet questions and to find a different vet if you are concerned about his knowledge levels.
Another reason that you need a good vet is for neutering. As a good breeder, you will need to neuter all your males before they go to their new homes (unless you are selling them with their papers as breeding stock). This is a must. If you don’t do so to save money, it is a red flag to your customers.
7 – Complete Joey Rejection Kit
You absolutely need to have a fully stocked joey rejection kit. This is important because if one of the joeys is rejected, you will have everything on hand rather than having to scramble for them at the last minute. Having this will increase the chances of the joey surviving.
8 – Platform
Photo by Format on Pexels.com
Platform is important in any business. It lets people know about you and your joeys. You should have a professional website with professional pictures. I can’t tell you what a difference having a good website makes. If it looks clean and like you put work into it, you’re much more likely to attract customers. Dingy or hard to navigate websites are deterrents to potential buyers.
You should also have an email, phone number, Facebook page, etc. Get the word out wherever you can.
I didn’t have much of a platform, unfortunately, when I was breeding. I was able to find homes for all of my joeys, but that was only because my breeding career was unfortunately cut short due to health issues in my female. If you’re planning on breeding on a larger scale, you must have a platform; otherwise you could find yourself stuck with a bunch of joeys, unable to find good homes for them.
9 – USDA Licencing
This depends on whether you’re hobby breeding or not. If you have more than three breeding females, you must be USDA licensed.
10 – Good Breeding Pair(s)
Lastly, you need to find good breeding stock. You must purchase lineage gliders from a reputable breeder and not from a pet store or backyard breeder. Your breeding pair will be more expensive than pet only as you will have to pay for lineage and papers, but it is worth it.
You should find gliders that are well tempered, gentle, have the colors that you are seeking and who are genetically compatible.
Congrats! You’ve made it this far and you’re well on your way to becoming a breeder. All of this work and study will be worth it, I promise you.
~Hattush
If you’re interested in breeding, but don’t know where to start or have lots of questions, shoot me an email and I will be happy to help to the best of my ability.
I know that new breeders or those interested in breeding can be beat over the head by professionals and while I understand that they are looking out for the best of the glider, I know that it can scare people off so that they’re afraid to ask good questions. I’m here to be a non-judgmental person who will listen and offer whatever advice I can in a kind, friendly manner.
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