Victoria Louise Chamberlain, Sugar Glider

Vicki is a "sugar glider", which is a marsupial originally from Australia. They are much like a "flying squirrel", about the size of the palm of your hand, with a tail about as long as their body. They are nocturnal but will play just about anytime that you wake them. To the uninitiated they seem like another gerbil or hamster, but I believe they are more intelligent and have alot more personality. Vicki seemed to learn her name and to come when she's called (well sometimes) when she was just a few weeks old.

We also have a male Sugar Glider named "Dizzi, and together they have had some babies.

Vicki is pretty much free to roam the living room while we watch TV, but she has a few favorite hiding spots. She use to hide inside Theresa's recliner. She would disappear inside, but didn't seem to get hurt in the mechanics of the chair, and usually came out when called. Recently, she's come to prefer Theresa's sewing room where she finds a pile of material and burrows in and hides. Sometimes we can't find her but she usually comes out at night time. If we've gone to bed already she comes to our room and wakes me by climbing aroud on my face and licking me.

When we are asleep Vicki and Dizzi stay locked in our bathroom. We never close the cage so they run around, knock things over, etc. They can't be "potty trained" so there is some clean-up that needs to be done regularly but it's not too bad.

The first month or so, Vicki was exclusively with Theresa to "bond" with her. She seems okay with other people now, but still knows who to go to when she wants someone familiar. She has gotten much braver and more active since the first month. She loves to jump and will willingly go to other members of the family.

I apologize for the inconsistent ordering here, I can't decide whether I want this chronological, reverse chronological, or something completely different.

Vicki partakes in the festivities of our July 4th celebration on July 1st. We don't often give her watermelon because of the adverse effect it has on her metabolism -- she gets the runs.

This one is pretty gross but the point of the picture was actually that Vicki was sticking her tail in my face while I was driving. Theresa gave her a meal worm and she ran to my shoulder to eat it.

This isn't the most appetizing picture in the world, but it's Vicki demonstrating the way she eats a meal worm. Luckily, we didn't get the really gross parts in the picture, but still...

Vicki's curiosity is certainly intact after her baby-making. I was walking through the kitchen and heard scratching. I knew it was Vicki but it took me a few minutes to figure out where it was coming from, then Vicki's head poked out. She had managed to climb inside this Crown Royal box that was sitting on our counter! (This is a terribly fuzzy picture)

Ronnie made Vicki a nesting box and she's started using it. Occasionally she'll choose the box rather than the hammock inside her cage.

One day Vicki was running around the car and happened across a piece of candy from Sonic (they give out peppermint with the meal ... my kind of classy place). She was trying to get it unwrapped so Theresa got it out and held it for her while her little tongue went crazy. I don't know if other gliders like peppermint but we still occasionally give them one.

Vicki crawls around on Theresa's sewing material.

Another picture of Vicki and Dizzi in the tissue box. She's certainly not camera shy is she?

We were mean. This is Vicki in full gliding mode after being thrown across the room. It took several tries to get the shot!

Sometimes, but not often, Vicki will be content to sit on someone's shoulder. I've seen other glider's that do this continuously, but Vicki usually prefers to be inside your shirt.

Vicki and her new mate love to climb into tissue boxes.

Vicki loves to wander around when she's in the car. We were told that she would crawl up under the dash and not come out but she climbs all over us, walks on the ceiling, goes to the back and back to the front, etc.

Vicki has gotten amazingly docile. She lazes around a lot, maybe more than she should. This makes it real easy to get good close-ups of her face.

Vicki loves ice cream. She will poke her head out at a Dairy Queen to get some. This is at a Baskin-Robbins right after we bought the digital camera.

Vicki is really spoiled. She sleeps on Theresa and will roll-over and sleep like a dog with her legs all spread out, especially if you rub her tummy to put her to sleep.

At about 6 months old this is what she looked like. This is on my pool table and she has called the eight ball in the corner pocket.

Here's Vicki, out of the pouch about one month.

Here's Vicki, out of the pouch about one month.

Here's Vicki, out of the pouch about one month.