Understanding the sounds your sugar glider makes can be challenging. Unlike cats or dogs, sugar gliders communicate with a range of unique noises that can be difficult to interpret. This can leave many pet owners feeling frustrated and concerned about their pet’s well-being.
Do you find yourself puzzled by your sugar glider’s mysterious sounds? You’re not alone. Many sugar glider owners struggle to differentiate between noises of contentment and signs of distress. This can lead to anxiety and uncertainty, making it hard to ensure your pet is happy and healthy.
In this guide, we’ll decode the various sounds your sugar glider makes, from purring and chirping to hissing and crabbing. By understanding these noises, you’ll be able to better care for your pet and strengthen your bond.
The Most Common Sugar Glider Sounds And Meanings
Purring
Purring is a sound generally interpreted as contentment in felines, and luckily, this noise is easy to interpret in sugar gliders because it means the same thing.
If you hear your sugar glider making a purring noise, which may also sound like a rapid heart beat (imagine a very small drum beating), you can assume that they are feeling contented and happy.
Bear in mind that because sugar gliders are so small, the purring noise they make is very quiet. If you think you’re hearing purring, but it’s fairly loud, you may actually be hearing one of the other noises we’re going to discuss, so stay tuned for more.
Hissing
This is another animal noise that many pet owners will be familiar with. If you’ve ever owned or been around cats, you’ll recognize this noise straight away – and you might already know what it means.
When your sugar gliding is hissing, there’s no mistaking the sound because it sounds very much like a snake’s hiss. It will also be insistent and repetitive.
As a new sugar glider owner, hearing your pet hiss can be alarming. Because of the association between hissing and fear or aggression when it comes to cats, you might automatically assume that your sugar glider is unhappy if you hear this sound.
Now, it’s true that a sugar glider’s hissing can indicate fear, agitation, or pain. You definitely shouldn’t discount these possible causes, and when you hear a hiss, you should be on the lookout for body language to confirm your suspicions.
For instance, if your sugar glider is sitting in a hunched position with their tail sticking straight up, they are likely experiencing digestive issues that could be causing pain or distress.
Sugar gliders are sensitive to stress, so it’s also possible that your pet is hissing out of annoyance or anxiety. These marsupials are nocturnal, so if you’ve accidentally disturbed your glider’s sleep during the daytime or if there are loud noises or sudden movements happening, stress could be the cause of the hissing.
With that being said, sugar gliders have also been known to make hissing sounds while grooming themselves. This is because they need to spit into their hands to groom themselves, which makes a hissing noise (also described as sneeze-like).
Something else to consider is that a real sneeze from a sugar glider can easily be confused for a hiss. Watch out for sneezing in the winter, when sugar gliders are prone to respiratory infections.
Chirping And Chattering
Onto a more positive sound, if you hear a sound similar to teeth chattering, often interspersed with low squeaking noises, that’s your sugar glider chattering (also known as chirping).
While this noise might sound strange if you haven’t heard it before, it’s nothing to worry about. In fact, sugar gliders make this chirping or chattering sound when they’re experiencing positive emotions, so it’s normally a sound of contentment.
They will often make this noise when enjoying a snack they particularly like, so if you have given your sugar glider a treat and they start chattering, consider that their seal of approval!
Crying
A sugar glider’s crying doesn’t sound like a human crying (sobbing) so owners can sometimes miss this sign that something is wrong. However, like dogs, sugar gliders cry by making a whining noise.
Unfortunately, there’s really no positive interpretation to this sound. Sugar gliders will most frequently make the crying noise when they are first separated from their families and introduced to a new environment.
If your sugar glider is crying, you should do everything you can to keep your new friend comfortable and make them feel safe and secure in their environment.
Singing
Singing is a noise you might not hear your sugar glider making at all if you have a male sugar glider or a female separated from her joey.
That’s because the sugar glider singing noise is pretty much exclusive to female sugar gliders seeking to comfort or express contentment to their joeys.
You’ll know if your sugar glider is singing because it’s a pretty distinctive sound, identifiable by varying pitches that actually sound lyrical, like a song.
Crabbing
If your sugar glider is making a screeching, gurgling noise that increases and then decreases in pitch (think the sound a locust makes), that’s called crabbing.
This is not a noise you’ll be able to ignore, even if you’re in a different room, because it’s so loud and repetitive.
While this is actually the most well-known sugar glider noise, it’s also not a good sign. If you hear your pet crabbing, you can be sure that they’re upset and you should monitor them for signs that something is wrong.
Crabbing is a noise that often indicates agitation and fear, usually warning of nearby (real or perceived) danger. However, sometimes, sugar gliders will make this noise because they’re simply desperate for attention.
Remember, sugar gliders are not naturally solitary creatures. They can easily feel lonely and crave the company of other members of their species since they’re such social creatures.
Barking
The final sugar glider sound we’re going to talk about in today’s article is barking. This noise is very similar to the kind of barking you’d expect from a small dog like a chihuahua (high-pitched yipping).
There are many potential reasons for this noise. Sometimes, it can seem like sugar gliders let out barks for absolutely no reason. They may also do it because they’re excited, bored, irritated, or trying to communicate with their owners.
FAQs
What do different sugar glider noises mean?
Sugar gliders make various noises such as purring, which indicates contentment; hissing, which can signal fear or grooming; and crabbing, a sign of distress or agitation. Chirping usually means they’re happy, while barking can indicate excitement or boredom. Understanding the context helps in accurate interpretation.
How do you know if your sugar glider likes you?
A sugar glider shows affection by grooming you, being calm and comfortable in your presence, and willingly climbing onto you. They may also follow you around and make content sounds like purring or chirping, indicating they trust and enjoy your company.
How to tell if your sugar glider is happy?
A happy sugar glider will exhibit behaviors like active play, grooming, and making content noises like purring and chirping. They will be alert, curious, and comfortable around you, showing no signs of stress or fear. A good appetite and healthy grooming habits also indicate happiness.
Final Thoughts
Sugar gliders might only be very small marsupials, but they can certainly let out some impressive noises for such tiny creatures!
The sugar glider is a very vocally communicative animal and will make its feelings known through a variety of sounds.
While purring, chattering, and singing usually indicate contentment or affection, hissing, crying and crabbing are sounds of displeasure or discomfort.
Barking can indicate a variety of emotions, ranging from excitement to annoyance, so you’ll need to look at body language and your pet’s surroundings to pinpoint the cause of your sugar glider’s yipping noises.
Hi, I’m Olivia Kepner and I am a zookeeper here in San Diego. Since I was a young girl I have always been fascinated by animals and species across the globe.
I used to beg my parents to take me to our local zoo every single weekend. Well, I say local – it was more like a two hour drive away. But they took me as much as they could, allowing me to fall in love with the animals again and again.
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