On 22nd May 1999 the Friends of Bushy Park Wetlands assisted Parks Victoria Ranger Mick Van De Vreede to erect 6 Sugar Glider nesting boxes in Bushy Park Wetlands. The boxes were mounted 4 metres up the trunks of mature trees near Dandenong Creek. We would like to thank Mitre 10 at Rowville for donating the material to construct the boxes, the dimensions of which are 360mm high, 240mm wide, 200mm deep. There is a 35mm diameter entry hole 240mm up the front and the 290mm square overlapping lid helps keep water out of the box.
Description: An adult male Sugar Glider Petaurus breviceps as found at Shepherds Bush might weigh 140gm, with a head & body length of 17cm and a fluffy flexible tail 19cm long. Around Melbourne Sugar Gliders have grey fur on their body and a pale coloured belly. They also have a dark stripe between their eyes which extends down the middle of their back towards the tail. Gliders are well adapted for life in trees. Their grasp on branches is further improved by having pointed claws on all their digits, except the big toe. They can also use their long flexible tail as a fifth limb.
Habitat: Common in Tasmania, Victoria and around the east coast to northern Australia, but Sugar Gliders are not found in the dry inland or south west corner of Australia. They live in cool temperate woodland to tropical forest and prefer a eucalypt or acacia understorey. In some areas of Dandenong Valley Park 2 - 8 Sugar Gliders per hectare may be found. Having little reflective eyeshine they are much harder to find than other possums. Male Sugar Gliders have scent glands which they rub on trees etc. to mark out their territory. |
Diet: Unlike other possums, Sugar Gliders do not eat leaves. They feed at night on gum & sap exuded by acacias & eucalypts, also insects, nectar, pollen, young buds and soft fruits of native plants. Its protein requirement is provided by a wide range of beetles, moths and spiders. In winter when these are hard to find, Sugar Gliders lose condition. Because of this marsupials liking for sugar, jam & honey, early settlers named them Sugar Gliders. Gliding: Sugar Gliders have flaps of skin down the side of their bodies between their legs. They use these flaps as parachutes and their tail to steer as they glide from tree to tree. Sugar Gliders have been known to glide for 50 metres. About 3 metres from the target they make an upward swoop to lose speed and land with all 4 feet on the bark of the tree. They glide in search of food and to avoid predators.
Nests: During the day Sugar Gliders sleep in a leaf-lined nest in a tree-hole. A number of adults and their dependent young whom they recognise by smell may share the den, possibly as a means of conserving body heat. Individuals may enter a temporary state of torpor when food is scarce, thus economising on energy resources. Breeding: Breeding peaks in spring and after a gestation period of 16 days, 2 young (rarely 1) are usually born. The young have well-developed forelimbs which they use to crawl unaided from the birth canal to the mother's forwardly directed pouch. Once inside the pouch, they fasten onto a nipple. The pouch provides protection for nursing the newborn marsupial, which is born hairless and blind in a very undeveloped state. After 70 days they are furred, their eyes are open and they leave the pouch to be deposited in the group nest. After another month the young begin to forage at night for food, initially with their mother. From 6 months old the young begin to disperse from the family nest and it is at this time that their lives are in most danger. Predators: Sugar Gliders are vulnerable to cats, eagles, kookaburras, owls, foxes, dogs, goannas, humans and bushfires. As a result of the above, few Sugar Gliders, especially males, make it to old age of 9 years. |
