ST. LEON, Man. – There’s a new sound on AndrŽ and Teresa Grenier’s dairy farm. And it’s nothing like the serene mooing of cows in the barn.
As Teresa gropes around trying to find her latest exotic pet, an unearthly hiss-screech, like the sound of a possessed wind-up toy, comes from its nest.
It’s a sugar glider: A relative of the kangaroo that looks part flying squirrel, part plush toy, part Gremlin. And they don’t do days.
Petauras breviceps grow to about 13 centimetres long, with an equally long, bushy tail. Big bulging brown eyes help the nocturnal animal see in the dark and large ears help them hear the variety of coos, clicks, grunts and screeches of other gliders.
Read Also
Agriculture ministers agree to AgriStability changes
federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
Their hands and feet are pink and oddly human-like. The animals use their digits for jumping, aided by a membrane stretching from wrist to ankle.
“They’re really a unique animal,” gushed Grenier. “They’re soft and they’re very interesting.”
The marsupial got its nickname from its fondness for tree sap and tropical fruits. They glide in jungle treetops in New Guinea and northeastern Australia, sometimes as far as 45 metres.
As pets, sugar gliders eat fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, as well as a nutritional supplement. Pet owners house them in large wire cages with branches and a nest box.
Teresa bought 15 pairs of sugar gliders from an Alberta breeder. And now she has 10 weaned babies she plans to sell. She said the going rate for the animals is somewhere between $200 and $350.
Grenier said young gliders will bond with their owners if they’re handled often. On a recent visit, the animals were content to scramble over her children Ghislaine, 4, Stephan, 3, and Shaylyn, 2.
The sugar gliders join a menagerie of other odd pets in two converted farm buildings. In the past year, Grenier has acquired rabbits, hedgehogs, hamsters, hairless rats, degus, dormice and other less known animals.
“Anything that’s small and furry, I try and get my hands on,” Grenier said.
“I’ve always wanted to do something with animals, like work at a zoo,” she said. “It was always my dream.”
With three young children, she said it’s sometimes challenging to find time to care for the animals. There’s almost 100 of them, not including the rabbits.
And she said the sugar gliders have been a big investment. She’s happy the females gave birth quickly.
“It’s not a money-making thing,” she said. “It’s more a hobby.”
