Tuesday Tidbits…New Additions

Today’s Tuesday Tidbits focuses on our weekend activities…we accidentally, on purpose, added a few more little critters, to our not so small menagerie of animals.

The accidental part, was that we went to a local fair (which ended up being a different fair than we thought we were going to)…but it turned out to be a very nice accident.

I am a country girl at heart who is trapped living in the city. Not a huge city, but bigger than I would like. Thankfully, where we live, is kind of in the woods, so most of the time I can pretend that I am isolated in the woods somewhere and not like 5 minutes from civilization.

This time of year, I especially, look forward to our little adventures to various agricultural fairs in the area and this past weekend was the first of our yearly fair circuit. Granted, we thought we were going to one fair that we had gone to in the past, but ended up at an entirely different fair, which was new to us (Bridgewater vs. Berlin…they both begin with ‘b’…it’s an easy mistake…could happened to anyone!). Turns out to be an awesome little fair…so it was a plus to us…not to mention we have a new little fair to check out each year!

Anyway…back to the new additions….

Well, as we were strolling through the various exhibits…technically, on a search for ice cream…cause what’s a fair without some ice cream?!?! We past by this exhibit with these adorable little critters, that turned out to be sugar gliders. These tiny, adorable, little marsupials.

According to Wikipedia (admittedly, maybe not the best source, but does an ok job with the basic info):

The sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) is a small, omnivorous, arboreal, and nocturnal gliding possum belonging to the marsupial infraclass. The common name refers to its preference for sugary nectarous foods and ability to glide through the air, much like a flying squirrel. Due to convergent evolution, they have very similar appearance and habits to the flying squirrel, but are not closely related. The scientific name, Petaurus breviceps, translates from Latin as “short-headed rope-dancer”, a reference to their canopy acrobatics.

Sugar gliders are characterized by their gliding membrane, known as the patagium, which extends from their forelegs to hindlegs. Gliding serves as an efficient means of both locating food and evading predators. They are covered in soft, pale grey to brown fur, which is lighter in color on their underside. The sugar glider is endemic to mainland Australia and New Guinea and its surrounding islands; and was introduced to Tasmania in 1835.

We ended up spending most of our time Saturday evening at the fair, finding out as much as we could about these tiny little ones. Eventually, we figured we had bothered these poor people long enough and with lots of hand outs and contact information we resolved to think more about and get back to them. So we finally dragged ourselves away and attempted to enjoy the rest of the fair…although while we were walking around the fair, the discussion of these little ones continued.

The on purpose part, was when we headed back to the exhibit with the sugar gliders, with the decision to purchase two of these little munchkins! About half an hour or so later, we were on our way home with 2 baby sugar gliders, snuggled into a bonding pouch around my neck and a cage and all the needed supplies to welcome our new furry little ones to our home!

It was such a great ride home with these little critters pressed tightly to my tummy. They are marsupials, after all, who are used to being in their momma’s pouch…so in order to comfort them and make them feel secure, you keep them in a ‘bonding pouch’ (a fleece little bag with a mesh window, that allows them to benefit from the warmth of your body and for them to begin learning your smell, which is how they mainly bond.

Hence, the last few days, have been a joy! Spending time with my little ones in their little pouch, while I go about my day, letting them get to know me and my smell and to learn that I am their new momma! It has been such a fun experience.

They are a little camera shy yet, but have managed to get a few photos of them.

They are slowly becoming at ease with me…even reaching out to sniff and lick my finger…so I think we are well on our way to becoming fast friends. We haven’t quite settled on names for this little girl and boy (we may be leaning towards some sugary treat for names) yet…as I am attempting to try and wait and see what personalities emerge. However, enjoying the adventure and the bonding experience.

Stay tuned to hear more about our newest additions…