Egypt & Asia (Sugar Glider Rescue Mission!)

On August 11th, 2008 a very special Sugar Glider came OOP (Out of Pouch) here at Sugar Shock! (formerly known as Wild ~N~ Free Suggies Forever). This Glider's name Ozzy, she grew fast, her eyes opened (August 22nd, 2008) and soon she was completely weaned and approaching her 10 week mark. I had begun to post ADs for her, and I soon asked my friend Mary Nord (a former Sugar Glider breeder, www.flyingcritters.net) if she had a young female which I could pair Ozzy up with as I really didn't believe in selling Gliders alone (unless someone was looking for a friend for their current Glider).

On December 14th, 2008 a young couple from Tennessee (visiting family in Orlando, Florida) stopped by Mary's house in Loxahatchee, Florida to pick up the little girl we were going to pair Ozzy up with. Kesha and her husband then came to my house to meet us and pick up Ozzy, they seemed nice enough. I thoroughly quizzed them regarding Sugar Glider care and we felt confident that the Gliders were going to a great home. I had them sign a contract stating that if for whatever reason they could no longer care for the Gliders in the future that they must be returned to me for minimal (if any) cost. They agreed to keep in touch and let me know if anything should come up. They renamed the two Gliders Egypt (Ozzy) & Asia.

Recently, I had been browsing Hoobly, Kijiji and a few other Classifieds sites. I always have an eye open for anything that looks suspicious. I was looking over a few ADs when I found one that caught my eye. This AD was posted by a lady in Tennessee named Kesha who was selling two female Sugar Gliders. It was them! I immediately e-mailed Kesha, questioning her as to why she didn't let me know they were for sale? I hadn't heard a single word regarding them. Kesha finally agreed that she'd sell them to me for $400, when she didn't pay a penny over $125 for the both of them. I flat out refused and demanded that she bring my Gliders back. Hesitantly, she accepted and allowed us to pay $75. We made arrangements for Michelle's (little nitro) mother-in-law, Sharron to meet Kesha in the Cocoa Beach/Titusville area on June 11th, 2009. When Sharron got the Gliders she phoned Michelle immediately who then called me.

It turns out that Kesha had given Sharron all of the Glider's supplies too, Kesha had explained that they had been living in a parakeet-size bird cage for the last 6 months when she had told me they had been housed in a very large aviary. Lies. When Sharron received the Gliders, the cage was FILTHY, the pouches were torn up, stained and smelled DISGUSTING. The pull-out tray was lined with cat litter which was covered in feces and urine. The Gliders had both been transported down here with no source of water. They had also been eating pellets formulated for Rabbits ever since she had first brought them home. We don't think they were handled much, or might have even been abused. They were very skittish and alert. The had no idea what mealworms were and had never seen an Exercise Wheel. If anyone wants to see pictures, please e-mail me at Nion39@bellsouth.net and I'll get them up here or sent to your e-mail.

I met with Sharron on June 12th, 2009 in Vero Beach, Florida and brought both of these lovely little Gliders to my home. I immediately moved them into a very large cage (similar to the Bourbon model) and introduced them to a proven diet, The Priscilla Price Diet. They gobbled that up like it was their last meal! I installed a Senior-size Wodent Wheel into the cage and gave them fresh water (in both a bowl and bottle). They were thrilled at the extra space and loved to play on everything. I offered them some Giant Mealworms and they nibbled a few, before devouring the rest. The next day was even better, I took them out in a large 10ft x 12ft (Glider Proof) screen room I have set up in my backyard. They loved to jump around and play in it!

On Sunday, June 14th, 2009 one of my customers, Valerie came to pick up Egypt & Asia. Valerie had also purchased Egypt's little sister, Chloe a few weeks ago. Egypt & Asia went to live in their new forever home with Valerie. She has been keeping me informed on how they are doing and they seem to already be getting along with Chloe. I am thrilled that I could help out both of these wonderful creatures, and I know that Valerie will love them all immensely. They will be living in the same cage I kept them in here, being fed The Priscilla Price Diet, along with Suncoast Sugar Gliders' Diet and plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables and of course, calcium!

~Lauren
"Sugar Shock!"