Photo: MSPCA-Angell
METHUEN (WBZ NewsRadio) — Some exotic pets in Methuen are looking for new homes.
MSPCA-Angell announced Monday that the organization recently took in 33 sugar gliders and two hedgehogs from an owner in western Massachusetts who could no longer take care of them. Sugar gliders are nocturnal marsupials native to southeastern Queensland and most of New South Wales in Australia.
"It’s like a flying squirrel mixed with a chipmunk in like a tiny, teeny form," said Ally Phelps, Animal Welfare Specialist at MSPCA's Nevins Farm in Methuen where the animals are currently housed. "They make all kinds of weird, funny noises."
1 of 3 Photo: MSPCA-Angell
2 of 3 Photo: MSPCA-Angell
3 of 3 Photo: MSPCA-Angell
Sugar gliders are omnivores that need to eat a combination of insects, fruits, vegetables, nectar-based food, and commercial diet, according to the MSPCA.
"They do need fresh fruit and veggies," Phelps told WBZ NewsRadio when describing their diet. "They love bugs, which is not everybody’s favorite, but they can have little bits of chicken and eggs."
The animals are part of the possum family and get their common name from their ability to glide through the air.
"They can be as long as 12 inches stretched out with their tail, but they curl right up," Phelps said. "But of course when they stretch out, they have those gliders, so they can glide. It’s almost unlike anything anyone would even fathom having."
Anyone interested in adoption can visit the MSPCA's website.
WBZ's Shari Small (@ShariSmallNews) reports.
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