Different Colors of Sugar Gliders

A tiny opossum native to Australia, the sugar glider has become a popular pet for people with allergies to dogs and cats. The nocturnal marsupial typically weighs only 5 oz. Sugar gliders appear to fly because of skin membranes connecting their front and back feet. The membranes open, acting as a parachute, allowing the animals to glide to the ground from as high as 100 feet, states Chicago Sugar Gliders. Originally, most gliders were gray, but selective breeding has produced an array of colors.

  1. Standard Gray Family

    • The Pet Sugar Glider Database has divided recognized color variations into four classifications that may include coat color, markings and eye color. Perhaps the simplest descriptions are applied to the classic gray gliders: blonde/silver cream (light gray), classic gray/standard (medium gray) and black beauty (dark gray). Markings are sparse on the lighter gray sugar gliders, medium on the medium gray ones and heaviest on the black beauty varieties.

    Brown and Red Variations

    • According to the database, this color family is the most often misidentified. Chocolate/brown refers to gliders with a brown coat and black or brown markings. Buttercream is the name given to brown-coated gliders with cream or yellow highlights and brown or red markings. The lion features dark red markings on a honey-colored coat. Red cinnamon gliders have a red coat marked with red and/or brown.

    White and Multicolor Series

    • This classification includes the most variations, ranging from all white to patterns of many colors. Leucistic sugar gliders are pure white, like albinos, but have black eyes. Next palest, the platinum features an almost white body with light gray markings. Mosaics are pinto with scattered white markings. The champagne variety has a very light brown coat with narrow brown or red markings. The calico's coat is made up of multicolor bands throughout the body, while the ring tail has one or more bands only on the tail. White face gliders have no markings on the face, but the white tip variation boasts white at the end of the tail. Since white faces and mosaic patterns are due to dominant genes, these gliders can be bred with a partner of any color, and the resulting offspring will have the trait. On the other hand, leucistic and platinum are actually not color variations but traits from recessive genes, reports Marsupial Madness.

    The Albino Group

    • These gliders have inherited recessive genes for pigmentation from both sides. The pure albino animal is all white, with no markings and pink eyes. Its ears are translucent. Creamino sugar gliders are also considered albino, although they are a creamier white and have faint markings. Eyes of a creamino are ruby red.