# Sugar Gliders or Rats?



## Tabitha&Tobermori (Mar 14, 2016)

I only have rats and a cat, so I'm not very knowledgeable about many other animals. I've seen lots of sugar glider ads mixed in with other things on ebay and was wondering about their personalities. Is there anyone who has had a sugar glider that could tell me about their benefits and temperament? How similar are they to rats?


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

I haven't had one personally, but know people that have. From what I've heard, they can be quite affectionate and will bond closely with you.. that is, if you get a baby. It is harder for adults to re-bond. Just like rats, they need company to be happy and a large cage with interactive things for them to do. Unlike rats, their diet is more complex and can be hard to prepare. 

I have also heard that they can't be toilet trained and can be quite smelly (the person couldn't compare to rat smell, so I'm not sure if they are worse than rats). They also live longer than rats, so more of a time commitment. 

I was thinking about getting them also, but between the marking and peeing and them being nocturnal, I decided against it. They do make great pets if they fit in your lifestyle though.


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## Tabitha&Tobermori (Mar 14, 2016)

artgecko said:


> I was thinking about getting them also, but between the marking and peeing and them being nocturnal, I decided against it. They do make great pets if they fit in your lifestyle though.


 Makes sense!


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## Fraido (Oct 1, 2014)

I thought that they could adapt to your schedule. 
I would love to get a baby Glider, I like the idea of a super bonded to me pet, plus.. those adorable faces. ?


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

I think they are pretty much nocturnal... At least, that's what I've always heard. I would suggest joining a glider forum and asking them... Hopefully they will give you some honest answers. They seem really cool, but more exotic in terms of care, diet, etc. than rats. You might also want to look at info posted by glider rescues, I'm sure they will have accurate info as they don't want you to adopt not knowing what you're getting into. 

Good luck on finding out if they are the pet for you or not!


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## JAnimal (Jul 23, 2014)

Compared to a normal buck smell (haven't had female rats) they smell worse. Sort of a sweet bad smell. Like a ferret smell. I haven't owned any though. This is based off of going to the animal shelter 8 months ago and happening to smell them before I saw them


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## Tabitha&Tobermori (Mar 14, 2016)

JAnimal said:


> happening to smell them before I saw them


 That reminded me of my brother! ;D


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## InuLing (Dec 26, 2015)

I was thinking about them at one point and asked my exotics vet about them because care was my main concern. She shook her head and told me if I wanted a small pet to train and bond with to get rats. Sugar gliders are a lot more work and more difficult to care for. It's also a lot easier to make major mistakes with them and land them at the vet. I think I took her advice lol. They are super sweet though.


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## comprar (Dec 4, 2015)

If your looking to get a easy to take care of pet get a rat. Sugar gliders are cute and look really cuddly but unless your used to staying up all night your not going to want one . Sugar gliders also have quite the complex diet . Rats can eat just about any thing can be trained to do tricks and to sit on your shoulder and they're not as expensive. I have a rat that just loves to sit in my pocket all day. If your a first timer at a small pet Definitely go with the rat. If you keep their cage clean you wont have to worry about smell and well guess who loves table scraps ...even the vegetables, I would have to say the rat is smarter... I haven't heard of a trained squirrel yet. Good luck hope this helps!


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