Sugar Gliders and Perfect Pocket Pets

Perfect Pocket Pets is a sugar glider mill that sells sugar gliders at malls, fairs, etc. They sell them to unsuspecting people (normally as impulse purchases) and make their sale by tellings lies and giving out false information. A fellow rescuer wrote a letter about Perfect Pocket Pets. I copied what he wrote ( with is permission) , he worded the truth better than I ever could have. Here is his letter-

Sugar Gliders are exotics and should not be sold as trinkets at malls or flea markets. The sellers of these animals have the unfortunate tendency to 'stretch the truth' about how easy sugar gliders are to care for and feed. They hawk these animals in impulse-buy venues to unsuspecting people who get the animals home and have no clue how hard they are to care for properly. Many, many die of malnourishment, being eaten by dogs, or being neglected by pre-teen children who have no business caring for them in the first place. One look at the colorful, and cartoonish banner used by pocket pets clues you in to the target audience - and that is little kiddies who are clueless about animal care let alone an exotic animal.

Both myself and fellow rescuers nationwide are all too familiar with the horrid outcome of this impulse-buy hucksterism of exotic animals. Personally, I co-direct a 501(c)3 non-profit charity with a focus on sugar glider rescue and rehabilitation. We are stuffed to the gills with over 80 rescued sugar gliders who are up for adoption after being purchased on "impulse" from the likes of Pocket Pets and other mill breeders. And across the country there are thousands of other exotics unceremoniously "dumped" by families who bought them at malls only months before. This after the "cool factor" wears off or after someone gets bitten, or the animals show signs of medical problems.

These are a "fad" pet that are misunderstood and are often malnourished with sub-standard pellets. They are quickly abandoned by many of the people who buy them and then rescue organizations are left to clean up the mess after companies like Pocket Pets "pocket" their profits and scoot out of town.

Many mill breeders push these animals out with the dreaded disease Giardia and call that "normal." Many of them sell the animals way before their natural weaning period which according to the Merck Veterinary Manual is 15 weeks. Most of the commercial outfits sell them in as few as 6 weeks which is cruel because the animals simply are not strong enough and cannot even regulate their own body temperature. And they sell them solo which is also cruel because many lone gliders self-mutiliate because they are stressed out at being alone since they are colony animals.

All in all, it is a poor practice to allow the sale of an exotic, innocent animal in a tiny mall kiosk like some holiday trinket. Just cruel. Kindly consider just saying "no" to these people. That would make for a more humane holiday for so many animals.

Many thanks for your kind consideration.

Yours truly, Edwin Margulies, co-director, Lucky Glider Rescue & Sanctuary