Generic affiliation of sugar ossum, characteristic features of appearance and behavior, useful tips for keeping at home, acquisition. Today, humanity is more and more striving to be more original and original. In order to stand out brightly among the gray mass, people are ready for many decisions and acquisitions, moreover, many of them are ready to spend colossal sums of money in order to hear a laudatory and admiring compliment from someone. Methods of emphasizing your "I" - this is the choice of everyone. Someone is chasing the latest squeaks of world fashion and buys expensive designer items, the most extraordinary interior items, cars and real estate. But in recent years, a new fashion trend has emerged to express your originality - exotic pets.
Everyone has long been accustomed to cute, proud cats and loyal friends of man - dogs and their presence is no longer surprising, even if they are super-expensive and unique breeds. People react to pets from the wild in a completely different way.
If at one point you realized that all your life you dreamed of having some extraordinary little animal in your house, then you should pay your attention to such a wonderful specimen as sugar possum. This amazing animal knows how to win over anyone in an instant. His good-looking appearance and playful, very benevolent character will not leave you indifferent. Having acquired such a miracle of nature, as a result, you will receive not only a funny beautiful animal, but also a faithful friend and companion who will always experience untold joy when he sees you, will greet you from work and cheer you up in moments of sadness or melancholy.
Nowadays, such representatives of the world fauna as sugar ossums are gaining more and more popularity as pets. Having made the decision to acquire such a special friend from the animal world, you need to learn more about him.
Origin and habitat of sugar ossum
In the world fauna, there are several names for this cute eccentric. He is known as a sugar flying possum, as a dwarf marsupial flying squirrel, a sugar marsupial flying squirrel, a flying phalanger or a short-headed flying squirrel. Whatever you call it, it's all the same little cute animal (Latin Petaurus breviceps), which belongs to the class of mammals and to the family of marsupial flying squirrels (Latin Petauridae).
In the open nature of these animals, it seems possible to meet in the eastern and northern parts of Australia, in the territories of New Guinea, Tasmania, Indonesia and on the islands of the Bismarck archipelago. The favorite habitats of these small beautiful creatures are eucalyptus forests, but they are quite capable of living in other wooded areas, the main thing is that they do not have problems getting food.
The animal got its "tasty" name due to the fact that by its nature it is a sweet tooth, this squirrel can simply float in the air in search of another sweet treat, such as fruits, sweet juices and nectar.
Features of the exterior of the Australian squirrel
It would be most correct to start describing the appearance of a flying squirrel with the parameters of its body. The length of its body reaches approximately 40–42 cm, and the body is approximately 15–22 cm in length, the tail grows in the range from 16 to 22 cm. Body weight ranges from 100 to 175 grams.
The body of this Australian eccentric is wrapped in a rather thick and soft wool in its texture, nature has painted it in a noble gray color, sometimes with a bluish tint, less often you can find a marsupial squirrel with brown-yellow fur. The main color tone of the animals is diverse in stripes of brown color, which are quite harmoniously located on the muzzle and back. The projection of the abdominal cavity is presented in white tones with a delicate cream tint. Some sources say that there are cases of birth of albino ossuoms.
The miniature muzzle of the dwarf flying squirrel has a characteristic sharpness. Considering the cute face of the possum, one cannot but pay attention to its most noticeable elements - the eyes and ears. His ears are very impressive in relation to the volume of the head, they are also special - they have the ability to turn towards the source of the sound signal, which is reminiscent of locators. The organs of vision in a marsupial animal are large, decorated with a clear border of black color, which gives the muzzle of this animal an even more cute look.
The limbs of this original cub are well developed. Each foot in its composition has five fingers, which are relatively long and thin. This feature allows dwarf squirrels to easily get their own food even from the most secluded corners, for example, from under the bark of trees. And the sharp claws of sugar ossum serve for him as a reliable fastener even on the flexible branches themselves. In Australian flying squirrels, the fingers have some peculiarities. So on the front legs, the first two fingers are opposed to the other three, and on the hind legs, the first toe is opposed, and one can observe a partial syndactyly of the third and second fingers.
The dwarf possum has the habit of marking its territory with the secret of the scent glands, which are located near the anus, as well as on the forehead and chest. These original animals have one more distinctive and unique exterior feature. At first glance, it is a very small and compact animal, but it has a thin membrane, represented by a thin layer of skin covered with fur. It is located on the sides of the body and stretches from the wrist to the ankle. During the jump, it stretches, forming a so-called aerodynamic surface. This unusual part of the body of a flying squirrel allows it to regulate the distance and direction of flight; with its help, marsupials easily fly from tree to tree, both in search of food and for fun. During rest, the membrane is harmoniously located along the body in the form of a wavy fringe.
Distinctive sex characteristics of sugar ossum are represented not only by the genitals, but also by another feature. The male sugar flying squirrel has a small bald patch in the frontal part of the head, and the female has a handbag in the center of the abdomen where she will carry her babies. The male sexual organ also has its own uniqueness. The thing is that it is divided into two parts, which can act independently of each other.
Features of the life of sugar ossum in the wild
These flying animals spend most of their free time high in the trees, only occasionally going down for walks on the ground. These animals do not like to be alone, for this reason they live in small companies, which include approximately 5–7 flying squirrels, as well as babies born this season. In a group of possums there should always be a leader - this is a male who marks his possessions and partners with his secret.
Despite their good-natured and friendly disposition, they are not very favorable to strangers, even to their fellows, who differ from them in smell. Noticing an uninvited guest on their personal territory, they drive away, applying their aggression and force to this.
These pretty phalanxes prefer nighttime as their waking hours. In the twilight hours of the day, they get food and go about the rest of their business. In the daytime, they like to be lazy, rest and sleep, choosing for this hollows, nests or other voids in the trees.
Flying squirrels are thermophilic creatures. Cold days and rainy periods greatly upset the animals, and their activity gradually decreases, their mood disappears, and lethargy and fatigue appear. If the cold weather persists for a long time, this sugar animal tends to hibernate. This measure helps flying squirrels to survive winters, thus, they retain their strength and energy during a period when it is difficult to get food.
The content of sugar ossum at home
There are times when a person has a very unusual animal in his house, guided only by the fact that he liked it from the outside, or by the fact that he saw it from someone, and he also wanted to acquire such a pet. In the matter of sugar ossum, you need to carefully consider this decision, because with inappropriate care, you will simply ruin the life of such a lovely creature, and you yourself will get a lot of trouble. This sweet little squirrel is a creature that, to some extent, sets conditions on its own. First of all, its owner needs to get used to the nighttime activity of his four-legged friend and his specific smell. If you, despite all the difficulties, still firmly decided to buy an Australian flying squirrel, you need to find out some of the nuances of its content.
- Personal living space. As a house for an exotic pet, it is quite possible to use relatively large cages intended for keeping birds. Since sugar ossums are active animals and can “fly”, it will be better for them that the cage is high enough, and the higher the better. The approximate dimensions of the house for one original squirrel are 50 × 50 × 80 cm. Small birdhouses are an obligatory element of the cage interior, it is in them that these animals will be lazy. It can be either special nesting bird houses or handmade constructions made of cardboard, plastic containers or fabric. Broken soft hats or mittens will serve as a good material for a cozy nest. Various durable branches will be a necessary attribute in your pet's house, on which he will have fun and use up his excess energy. A good rodent wheel set, this design will help the sugar ossum keep fit and healthy. You just need to take into account that the wheel must be made of solid materials, this will protect the tail and legs from all kinds of injuries and damage. Also, his house can be equipped with various structures such as tunnels and stairs, and your flying squirrel will always enjoy various plastic toys, bells and even mirrors. It would be nice to place containers with food on different shelves, this will help the animal to have fun in search of food. The water should be located on the opposite side, this will help it stay clean for a longer time. The floor in the house of a sugar animal can be covered with sawdust or soft hay, you can also place a soft bedding in birdhouses, for a more comfortable rest of your pupil.
- Spring-cleaning. The best solution would be to clean the house once a week, as for the whole house, it is better to clean it daily. This does not take too long, but this procedure will provide both you and your possum with a clean and pleasant living environment.
- Diet. Judging by his name, we can conclude that the Australian flying squirrel needs to be fed with sweets. This conclusion is false, as well as the fact that exotic animals are heavily overeating food. The flying squirrel is an omnivorous animal by nature. You just need to take care of the correct balance between nutrients. So, the diet of this exotic should mainly consist of proteins and carbohydrates, the correct ratio of which will be 70:30. Errors in these indicators can lead to disruptions in the homeostasis of your flying pet. This can negatively affect its appearance, health and even life expectancy. Insects occupy an honorable place in the list of products for such a pet. These can be zoophobes, mealy worms, or simple crickets. Sugar possum insects are a good source of protein. Alternative protein foods are cereals, baby food, dairy products, and exotic animals can sometimes be fed with lean boiled meat, such as chicken. As for carbohydrates, these are his favorite treats. The menu of this sweet tooth must include fresh vegetables and fruits. You can pamper him with fresh juices or fruit purees, just do not add flavor enhancers such as sugar to them. Cereals and dried fruits are a good storehouse of carbohydrates, they not only come to the taste of this flying entertainer, but also contain a lot of vitamins and microelements. On holidays, you can treat him with a spoonful of honey, but such holidays are not recommended to be held often. You can also sometimes feed the sugar ossum with bird food.
- Additional dressing. To maintain the health and immunity of your pet, as well as for its good growth and development, it is necessary to supply its body with vitamins and necessary microelements. Due to the fact that animals such as the Australian flying squirrels are already very popular as domestic inhabitants, technology does not stand still. Therefore, it is not at all difficult to find special multivitamin complexes that are designed specifically for sugar ossums. If they are not on the shelves of pet stores located in your area, then in online stores, it is not at all problematic to find them. Also for these animals, a daily intake of calcium is required. Due to the fact that these nutrients are not very tasty, you will have to show imagination in how to get your child to eat such necessary additives.
- Possum behavior. Many future owners of sugar ossums are interested in the question: "How to win over this representative of the wild?" It is safe to say that this is not a problem at all. In the event that you give your four-legged companion the proper amount of attention, often refer to him by name, and also spoil him from time to time with various goodies - you can be calm - you are his friend. In the daytime, when the animal is in a relaxed state, you can pick it up, because, during the period of its activity, it is more difficult to do it. By nature, marsupial squirrels are very social animals. Therefore, it is advisable to pay a lot of attention to them or immediately provide him with a good company. To do this, it is recommended to have two animals at once - and he is not bored, and there is a double exotic joy in your house. In the event that other pets live in your house, you should limit the possibility of meeting them with your sugar ossum, as it can react aggressively to other people's smells. Although it is possible that after a while they will still be able to make friends. It is also not recommended to give your squirrel into the hands of a small child, she may not like it if it is strongly squeezed in the hand, the animal can react to this with a rather strong bite.
Purchase and price of sugar ossum
Today, buying for yourself such a miracle as the Australian flying squirrel is by no means problematic. On the Internet, it seems possible to find many advertisements for the sale of this exotic. Prices can be found completely different, on average one sweet little animal will cost you 5,000-7,000 rubles.
What sugar ossum looks like, see this video:
