Look at this face!!!

Two other pictures at bottom of page (and more coming later tonight).

I picked up the gliders today after about two weeks of maniacal and obsessive searching for them. When they were first described to me just over two weeks ago I had never heard of them. Ken made the "mistake" of telling me about one he saw and I had to find out about them.

I only had to read a few web sites to know that I had to have one. (Truth be told, I was probably sold after the first picture but I was trying to be responsible so I read everything on the web.)

There were a couple of places I could order them from. A number of breeders and quite a few people that owned gliders but between those who had no babies (joeys, in marsupial parlance), those who didn't answer my email, those who were charging about 3 times the going rate (which I very nearly spent) and those whose who wouldn't ship, I was left with no new pets.

It dawned on me that there was a time when we had no Internet and that back then there was (albeit primitive) communication and even shopping so I started calling around. From Charleston, SC to Wilmington, NC I called humane societies, pet stores, breeders of other exotic pets, animal control, and vets. There were many false leads but no sugar gliders. Three local pet stores told me they expected some to come in but none actually got delivery. The most promising store, Pet Express in Murrells Inlet, SC was actually expecting some at the end of last week and I called them (almost every hour) to see if the delivery had come in yet before actually driving there when my errands were done. (This may not sound like a big deal to anyone who doesn't know me and who regularly ventures out of their houses but I do not. I have been known to stay here for weeks on end which is pretty easy to do since my office is in my house and all my meetings are by email or chat.)

At any rate, when all the Pet Express deliverers had come and gone, there were no gliders. :(  As it happens, the woman at the pet store, Dawn, owned two gliders that she considered getting rid of. Although she was attached to them (as could be seen when I took them away) she  thought they needed more attention, a night person, a bigger cage.  She would have to speak to her husband about it. That was Friday.  

By this morning I had given up on Dawn's husband letting go of the gliders and was about to begin retracing my steps through the Internet breeders when Dawn called to tell me that they were at the store and did I want to come look at them.

It had not been my intention to buy a pair. All I wanted was one little joey that I could pocket train. I explained that I had a lot of work to do this morning and would be down later. Then I hung up the phone, got in my car and went there. (How could I not?)

All the way there I spoke to myself in authoritative motherly tones, warning myself not to take them just because they were there. Reminding myself that I wanted a friendly little pet now and didn't want to have to breed my own from some standoffish pair that were already nine months old and couldn't be very friendly or why would she let them go. I assured myself that I would not get suckered into taking them, that certainly there were others around and that I could easily wait to find the perfect situation.

Then I saw them.

They were very friendly (even being awakened mid-day) and before I could stop ooohing and ahhhing I had written a check.

It is now 6:30 and it's dark (yippee!) I have been extremely well behaved since I got them home at noon. I didn't poke or prod them or make noises or try to peek into their cage (although I considered doing all of those things). At six I looked in and saw two large (considering) open eyeballs. That's when I went to grab bits of apple and celery and when I took these pictures. The gliders have gone back into their nesty-house and are being very quiet. (Actually they haven't made a peep all day although the male ran laps in the cage on the drive home.) I am going to put this page up on the web, get something to eat and then I just have to go bother them. Being a grown up is so hard!

Panama's Birthday Party - The Office Staff - Bunni Dot Com - Dec 4th, later