There are a lot of sugar glider colors and patterns. The recently growing popularity of this exotic pet gave birth to more crosses. As a result, sugar gliders now have even more color and pattern variations!
Sugar gliders are small marsupials with a unique flap connecting their front and hind legs. This flap allows these exotic pets to glide in the air.
Interestingly, sugar gliders come in more than 20 different colors and patterns, including standard colors and rare genetic crosses.
If you are curious about the different colors and patterns of sugar gliders, this guide is for you! Here, we will talk about sugar gliders, their colors, and how breeders achieve their unique color combinations.
Standard Gray Sugar Glider and the Variations
Oftentimes called classic gray gliders, standard gray sugar gliders are the most common of all the gliders. They appear to have gray bodies, black dorsal stripes, and white underbellies.
Black Beauty Sugar Glider
Photo by @cute_lil_monsters_ (IG)
A black beauty sugar glider is a variation of the standard gray color. They flaunt a dark gray fur that sometimes appears close to black.
They also have black knuckles and a chin strap that extends past their eyes and beyond their ears.
Lion Sugar Glider
Photo by @bonnibelle_sweets (IG)
A lion sugar glider is another variation of the classic gray sugar glider. However, they feature honey or golden color to their fur and have shorter noses and rounder faces.
Cinnamon Sugar Glider
Photo by @carolscritters (IG)
Cinnamon sugar gliders have a brownish tint or a cinnamon-colored tint all over their body. They usually come with a dark reddish-brown stripe.
Although this color pattern is pleasing to the eye, it is often brought on by a poor diet that manifests as fur discoloration.
White Tip Sugar Glider
Photo by @aki.fuyu.thesugarglider (IG)
The white tip sugar glider has a primarily gray color and has the same pattern all over its body and head. It also exhibits a few white hairs to a large white tip on the end of its tail.
Note, however, that white tip sugar gliders are a result of a recessive gene which makes breeding them quite challenging.
Standard gray sugar gliders are among the ideal candidates for breeding since they are able to carry genes for different colors, which explains why there are several classic gray glider variations.
Mosaic Sugar Glider and the Variations
Mosaic sugar gliders are composed of a wide range of patterns. The patterns on its body are totally random, and they exhibit varying degrees of white pigmentation.
While there can be endless patterns in mosaic sugar gliders, only five distinct pattern variations are recognized by breeders.
Piebald Sugar Glider
Photo by @happywithyoyo (IG)
Piebald sugar gliders feature a mosaic pattern all around their body. These patterns can be random and asymmetrical. Likewise, piebald sugar gliders will also have totally unpigmented spots.
Some sugar gliders of this pattern may also exhibit eye color that matches the surrounding skin. This is usually due to an underlying genetic cause related to leucism.
Silver Mosaic Sugar Glider
The silver mosaic sugar glider usually flaunts a light silver-colored fur. Despite not having platinum genetics, they are also referred to as platinum mosaic sugar gliders.
White Mosaic Sugar Glider
Photo by @glider.husky (IG)
The white mosaic sugar glider has mostly white fur with very little to no dark fur. They have dark patches or black dots mainly on their heads or ears that may come in varying sizes and pigmentation, which are often called “cow ears.”
Although often mistaken for being a leucistic glider, white mosaic sugar gliders do not have leucistic genes. To be considered a white mosaic, these sugar gliders must be born almost entirely white.
Ring Tail Sugar Glider
Photo by @valepetis (IG)
Ringtail sugar gliders come from mosaic gliders. They have a variety of patterns on the body and rings on the tail which can come in various colors, such as white, light gray, silver, and black.
True Platinum Mosaic Sugar Glider
Photo by @nocturnal_projectglider (IG)
Like mosaic gliders, true platinum mosaic gliders feature a white collar and a ringtail. Their difference is that true platinum mosaics have the actual platinum genes.
Although platinum sugar gliders can come in various other colors and patterns, from red to dark platinum, they will always sport a platinum color on their body. They also have dark markings along their back and heads.
To see what a true platinum mosaic glider looks like, you can watch this video:
True Platinum Mosaic Sugar Glider<a href="https://youtu.be/dUgFSgc_mVI" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.bubblypet.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-youtube-lyte/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FdUgFSgc_mVI%2F0.jpg" alt="True Platinum Mosaic Sugar Glider" width="1280" height="700" /><br />Watch this video on YouTube</a>
Breeding mosaic gliders can be tricky since breeders must ensure that both parents share the same characteristic. Otherwise, there is a 50% chance that the glider will not have the mosaic feature.
Other Color Varieties of Sugar Gliders
There are also lesser common but well-sought-after color varieties of sugar gliders. Most of these varieties are new color variations that can be quite hard to find, while some result from recessive genes.
Mahogany Red Sugar Glider
Photo by @treexotic (IG)
Mahogany red sugar gliders are among the newest color variations of sugar gliders. They are characterized by a very lightly colored red all throughout their body.
Likewise, since mahogany red sugar gliders are a variation of standard gray sugar gliders, their patterns and markings are quite similar. The main difference is that these gliders can also have albino, white face, and mosaic variations.
Cedar Red Sugar Glider
Cedar red sugar gliders are very similar to mahogany red gliders. They are characterized by a red coloration all throughout their fur. The difference, however, is the cedar red gliders have a much darker and deeper color.
Leucistic Sugar Glider
A leucistic sugar glider is characterized by a solid white coat with no stripes and facial bars. They also feature black eyes, pink noses, and translucent ears.
This color is often a result of a recessive gene. That said, to produce a leucistic glider, another sugar glider must be paired with a sugar glider that is a carrier of the same recessive gene or the leucistic gene.
Creamino Sugar Glider
Like leucistic gliders, a creamino sugar glider is also a result of a recessive gene. This means you have to cross two gliders with the same coloration to breed this color.
Creamino sugar gliders exhibit a cream-colored body or reddish crème-colored fur with a tawny, brownish stripe on the center of their body. They also sport garnet eyes or deep ruby eyes.
Platinum Sugar Glider
A platinum sugar glider features light silver fur, medium gray markings, and a light gray to taupe color stripe. The stripes on this glider are often narrower compared to others.
Another distinct characteristic of platinum gliders is that they have white paws.
Two sugar gliders with the same recessive gene must be paired to produce a platinum glider. Likewise, a sugar glider with a leucistic gene can also be matched with a platinum glider to produce one.
White Face Sugar Glider
Photo by @sugarglider_bali (IG)
The coloration of white face sugar gliders is similar to those of classic gray gliders. The main difference between the two is the lack of facial marks, such as the chin strap from their ear to their chin and the dark bar under their ears.
In order to produce white-faced gliders, only one sugar glider in a pair needs to possess the trait since it is a dominant gene. Hence, white face sugar gliders can be bred with almost any other coloration or pattern.
White Face Blonde Sugar Glider
Photo by @real_sugarglider (IG)
The white face blonde sugar glider is very similar to white face sugar gliders. Their only difference is that a white face blonde’s overall fur coloration is lighter than that of white face sugar gliders.
Likewise, white face blonde gliders will have a golden hue on their fur, particularly on their stomach and face.
Melanistic Sugar Glider
Photo by @louiseabrielle (IG)
A melanistic glider is the exact opposite of an albino. Their fur and skin have a dark pigment due to an abnormally high concentration of melanin, along with black eyes.
While this color may be desirable to a lot of people, not all breeders believe that melanistic gliders exist and just consider them a variety of black beauties and black face black beauties.
Albino Sugar Glider
Photo by @flowing_like_waters (IG)
Albino sugar gliders are born with faint pigmentation on their skin and red or dark burgundy eye colors. Those born with some pigmentation will have faint yellow stripes at the tip of their tail or along their hands.
Since the albino gene is highly recessive, two albino gliders must be paired together in order to create one albino glider.
Double Recessive (aka Ruby Leu) Sugar Glider
Photo by @thereandbackagain.exotics (IG)
Ruby leu sugar gliders are a combination of two recessive colors into a single glider. Their characteristics resemble albino gliders because of their pure white appearance and red eyes.
To produce Ruby Leu sugar gliders, you can cross the following recessive combinations: creamino and albino, albino and leucistic, albino and platinum, creamino and platinum, and creamino and leucistic.
Caramel Sugar Glider
Photo by @treexotic (IG)
Caramel sugar gliders feature a caramel-colored body and white hands and feet. Although sometimes, they appear to be more champagne-like in color instead of caramel.
Likewise, caramel gliders could also come in varying shades of gray and light gray markings.
Another distinct characteristic of a caramel glider is that its body is about 20% larger than the other sugar glider breeds. They also have larger ears than other colored gliders.
While these sugar gliders are less common, finding them from sugar glider breeders may not be that challenging. However, make sure to do your research to find reputable breeders.
Other Color Varieties (Not Pictured)
With the number of people showing interest in taking home sugar gliders, many breeders are now pairing selected variations with another variation to produce new variations with new characteristics.
Below are some of these other sugar glider color variations that would make you interested:
Mahogany Red Albino Sugar Glider: Mahogany red albino gliders are the newest variation of mahogany red gliders. They have the red coloration of mahogany red gliders and the light-colored red eyes of an albino. The creamino, leucistic, and albino genes are what make this variant color-rich.
Mahogany Red White Face Sugar Glider: Like the mahogany red glider, mahogany red white face sugar gliders sport a mahogany red coloration too. However, it has features of a white face glider, such as a face that is mostly white, without a bar under the ears.
Mahogany Red Mosaic Sugar Glider: This is another mahogany red glider variation that features the mahogany red coloration and mosaic pattern all throughout its body.
Creamino Mosaic Sugar Glider: Creamino mosaic sugar gliders are sugar gliders with both creamino and mosaic traits. They will sport a creamino body and eye color but will also have mosaic features, which may include a brown spot on their head.
Piebald Mosaic Sugar Glider: A piebald mosaic is a mosaic variation where the fur has a specific pattern in it. Some gliders with this coloration will have spots, while others will have symmetrical markings.
Reverse Stripe Mosaic Sugar Glider: The reverse stripe mosaic glider is any variety of mosaic gliders that are characterized by a white line throughout the entire stripe in the back or a partial stripe. In other sugar glider breeds, it is often a dark stripe running from the top of the head down to the tail.
Ringtail Mosaic Sugar Glider: The Ringtail mosaic glider can be identified by the pattern of rings on its tail. The rings can be any color, from dark rings to white, while the rest of their tail is a contrasting shade. Some rings may also be large, while others are more defined.
Mocistic Sugar Glider: Mocistic sugar gliders are the result of combining a mosaic and a leucistic glider. It has a slight difference in terms of appearance from a leucistic sugar glider, which is its dark ear tip. Knowing the genes in your glider is the only way to know if it is a mocistic sugar glider.
Unfortunately, finding these sugar gliders can be quite hard and tricky since most of these gliders are new variations. This means not every breeder may have them yet.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s entirely impossible. You just have to search for credible breeders and inquire about what sugar glider variations they have available.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Colors of Sugar Gliders Are There?
To date, there are over 20 sugar glider variations, including the ones listed above. However, the exact number is quite hard to track since there are always new variants under development.
It is arguably believed that one of the reasons why there are a variety of sugar glider colors available is because of selective genetic breeding done in recent years.
What Is the Rarest Sugar Glider?
The rarest sugar glider is a double recessive sugar glider, also known as a ruby platinum glider.
This very rare glider is produced when a parent carrying the platinum gene and the creamino gene is bred with a parent carrying the leucistic and creamino gene.
Ruby platinum sugar gliders feature solid white fur with red eyes. They are considered to be one of the most unique-looking sugar gliders.
Are Leucistic Sugar Gliders Rare?
Leucistic gliders are considered relatively rare. Breeding them can be hard since leucistic gliders get their attractive white coloring from a genetic defect.
Another reason why leucistic sugar gliders are rare is that leucistic is a recessive trait which means both parents of the sugar glider need to carry the gene in order to produce offsprings that are leucistic.
How Much Does an Albino Sugar Glider Cost?
Like leucistic gliders, albino gliders are also rare and well-sought after. However, this type of sugar glider is more expensive, with an average price of $5,000.
Aside from their aesthetic appearance, meticulous breeding is also one reason behind their higher price tag.
How Much Is a Leucistic Sugar Glider?
On average, leucistic gliders cost around $1,500 to $2,500. This price, however, may still increase depending on other factors, such as the demand and if the pet is tamed or not.
To have an idea about the cost of the other gliders, you can refer to our article on the cost and expenses of owning a sugar glider.
Final Thoughts
Given the wide variety of sugar glider colors available, it may be hard for potential owners to decide which color and pattern they should take home.
While choosing a color that you truly like is important, contemplating whether or not you can care for and maintain these exotic pets in the long term is a more important step before you decide to get one.
Sugar gliders can be great pets for the right owners. However, keep in mind that these small creatures have different needs than the usual dogs and cats.
That said, you should know what you’re getting into before picking up a sugar glider.
Have you decided which one to take home? Let us know your thoughts about sugar glider coat colors and patterns in the comments!
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