To Breed Or Not To Breed: That Is The Question

Written by: PocketAngel

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So you have taken in a few gliders that someone didn’t want anymore. They are a male and female pair, and their 3 month old daughter. You took them in because they had no where else to go, but they are healthy and on a proven diet. Their fur shines in the light and they are extremely energetic. You love them, you pamper them, and you feed them better than you do yourself. But now thoughts of becoming a hobby breeder are going through your mind. You think about how much you would love to experience babies, teach others about these gliders, and let others have the chance to love them just like you have… but you have one problem. Whose definition of “Rescue” and “Breeder” do you follow?

I write this as someone who has seen the many definitions of “rescue” and “breeding” gliders. I have seen many people criticized for taking in gliders at lower than normal prices and breeding them, making them “breeders”, but I have also seen people take in their next door neighbors healthy happy gliders for free and call themselves “rescuers”. So, where do you draw the line? What is a “rescue”, what is a “breeder”? Unfortunately there is no answer to that. You will get confused from the opinions you read, there are people on one extreme, where any glider needing a new home is a rescue, healthy, breeding, or not, then there is the other extreme, where you take in a glider, put it on a better diet, and then allow that glider to breed.

The best advice I can give anyone is to use your own judgment. Go with what your heart says, do not let people tell you what to do with the gliders you purchased or took in if you do not want to do it. Discuss your thoughts with the previous owner of the gliders. Even make a contract that states that the previous owner agrees to the way you will raise their babies, on issues such as diets, breeding, and housing. It is no one else’s business but yours and the previous owners. If letting the glider community know your decisions, be prepared for the reactions of others. Some will attack you and demand you to do certain things for your newly acquired gliders and then turn you away if you do not listen. Others will congratulate you on your new additions, eager to see pictures and hear funny stories. All that matters is that the previous owners chose you as a new home for their babies and that they agree with your ideas and lifestyle that their babies will have in their new home.

Don’t get me wrong, it is great to take advice from others. The glider community is filled with people ready to give you any answers you need, be there when your need help, or just ready to listen to your cute glider stories, but keep an open mind; realize that you may get conflicting information and opinions. That is when you will have to decide what is best for your gliders. Do not go against what you think is right because someone else says it isn’t. Do not be afraid of what others might say for doing what you think is best for your babies. What matters is that your gliders are healthy and happy, everything else comes second.

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