"Critter" died :-(

In 2001, (pre 9/11 -- by a month) I got a sweet little sugar glider I named "Critter"! (His original name was "Tiny Tim" - eeek!) I bought him from a friend in St Louis who I was visiting. He flew home on the plane with me in my bra! He was sooooooo cute! When I got him home, Blueberry, (who I had bought in June that same year) befriended him. She used to spend hours watching him run and play in his large cage - and he came over and greeted her a lot too. I took him to Art School with me in his little pouch. I really LOVED him but I was also worried that I was not able to provide the best home for him. The more I learned about Sugar Gliders -- the more I realised that they are very social creatures and prefer to have another sugar glider around. Also, their diet is VERY specific and specialized (and not easy to make) One has to be careful that they get enough calcium in their diets or they could get paralysis. I started to worry that my care would not be good enough for him so I eventually gave him away to someone who had other sugar gliders, on the contingency that I could still visit him. After I gave him away -- I regretted it. I had never given one of my pets away before, and I really missed him. (So did Blueberry) And, Jonathon, the guy I gave him to, lived somewhat far away so it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be to visit Critter. Still, I kept telling myself it was for the best for my little sugar glider.

Now, I am not so sure it WAS the best for him. Sugar Gliders can normally live up to 14 years in captivity. Critter was only 7 years old, so he definitely didn't die of old age. :-( Still, I don't blame Jonathon (the guy who I gave him to). I am sure he tried his best.

I got the call from Jonathon, today. It was the first time I had heard from him in almost 6 years, so I had feeling that this was not good news. He said that Critter was fine last night and the night before, but that, today, he found him dead in his wheel. :-( Jonathon said that he noticed that one of Critter's hind legs seemed to be a bit paralyzed at one point, a couple of days ago, but that he thought nothing of it. He had also not had the BML (which is the MAIN part of a sugar glider's diet) for a month or so =- because the store had been out of one of its main ingredients, but that he didn't think that a sugar glider could die from low calcium in just a month! I guess we will never know what happenned.

Even though Critter didn't live with me the last 6 years, I thought of him often and figured that I would still get to visit him sometime. It hurts because now I NEVER WILL be able to see his sweet, loving, little face again. :-(

RIP little one.