Colors and Descriptions

Sugar Gliders - Colors & Descriptions

Sugar gliders, when paired properly for breeding, will reproduce some very pretty colors. There are a variety of color variations and characteristics that can be selectively bred. Before breeding any sugar glider, please ensure they are genetically compatible. All genetic information has been determined by the many years of tracking lineage, breeders' experience, and the resulting offspring. More information is being learned through the ongoing Sugar Glider Genetics Study.
(Photos provided by various breeders.)

Standard Grey

Standard gray: This is the most common color of sugar gliders. They range in shades of gray with a dark stripe running from its tail to the tip of its head. They exhibit dark bars that extend from their ears to their eyes. This is a dominant gene. Sugar gliders that are "het" for other colors with physically appear to be a standard gray in color. (Het, or Heterozygous, is when they carry the gene to reproduce the color, but do not express the color themselves. This is proven when the glider is bred and has color offspring.)

Variations of Standard Grey

Black Beauty: The stripe is typically very black, may have dark rings around the eyes, referred to as "eye liner". They exhibit black knuckles, black bars from the ears to the eyes, will exhibit a chin strap, and has a dark undertone of the fur on the belly. Some breeders have successfully bred for the black beauty characteristic, but it does appear to be somewhat random.

Lion: Has a honey or golden-colored body. They exhibit a shorter nose and a more rounded face.

Cinnamon: Has a brownish tint (cinnamon color) to the overall coat with a dark reddish-brown stripe. Many times this coloration is an overall fur discoloration as a result of a bad diet.

Leucistic

Leucistic: Fur is solid white with no stripe or bars at the ears, will have black eyes. This is a recessive gene and must be paired with another glider with the same recessive gene to reproduce a leucistic.

Mosaic Characteristic

Mosaic Characteristic: Fur will be presented in a variety of patterns. Patterns and color are random. There are a variety of fur patternings that many breeders are trying to selectively breed. To date, there has not been evidence that a specific trait can be obtained. However, we have seen that certain types of markings tend to run in some lines giving a higher chance of reproducing that specific pattern.

Gliders will have white hands (or even just a white toe) and both white and black whiskers. This is a dominant gene and only takes one glider of the pair to have the gene to reproduce a mosaic offspring. If the offspring do not exhibit the mosaic characteristic, they did not receive the gene from the parent and will not be able to reproduce a mosaic themselves (unless they are paired with a mosaic). Mosaic is considered a trait and not considered an actual color as it can appear on any color sugar glider.

Variations of Mosaic

Piebald: A piebald animal is one that has a spotting pattern of large unpigmented, usually white, areas of hair, and normally pigmented patches, generally black. The color of the animal's skin underneath its coat is also pigmented under the dark patches and unpigmented under the white patches. This alternating color pattern is irregular and asymmetrical. Some animals also exhibit coloration of the irises of the eye that match the surrounding skin (blue eyes for pink skin, brown for dark). Blue eyes have not been seen in sugar gliders to date. The underlying genetic cause is related to a condition known as leucism.

Ring Tail: Has rings on the tail, can be one or several and varies in color from white, to very light grey to black.

Silver Mosaic: Has a light silver fur color, also referred to as Platinum Colored Mosaic but has no platinum genetics.

White Mosaic: Has a white fur color, with little to no dark fur, may have dark spots on the ears ranging in size and pigment, will look like a leucistic sugar glider; may or may not have leu genetics. To be considered a White Mosaic, it must have been born almost entirely white. These joeys, when crossed with the leucistic gliders, may be difficult to identify at first. Color on ears may appear from OOP to up to two weeks.

True Platinum Mosaic: Has the mosaic characteristics (white collar, ring tail), but is also genetically a platinum glider.

*White hands alone may not indicate the sugar glider to be a mosaic as it is normal for a Platinum to have white hands/wrist and not be mosaic.

White Face Characteristic

White Face Characteristic: The absence of the bar that extends under the ear toward the chin. The white face characteristic can be bred with any coloration. This is a dominant gene and only takes one glider of the pair to have the gene to reproduce a white face offspring. If the offspring do not exhibit the white face characteristic, they did not receive the gene from the parent and will not be able to reproduce a white face themselves (unless they are paired with a white face). White face is not considered an actual color as it can appear on any color sugar glider.

White Face Blonde

White Face Blonde: The absence of the bar that extends under the ear toward the chin. The fur overall is a lighter coloration and has a golden hue. This is a dominant gene and only takes one glider of the pair to have the gene to reproduce a white face offspring. If the offspring do not exhibit the white face characteristic, they did not receive the gene from the parent and will not be able to reproduce a white face themselves (unless they are paired with a white face).

Creamino

Creamino: The fur is a creamy color with a tawny, brownish stripe and has garnet eyes. This is a recessive gene and must be paired with another glider with the same recessive gene to reproduce a creamino.

Platinum

Platinum: The fur is a light silver color with a light grayish/taupe stripe. The stripe is narrower than is typically found on other color sugar gliders. Paws can be white which can extend toward the wrist. This is a recessive gene and must be paired with another glider with the same recessive gene, or the leucistic gene, to reproduce a platinum. For more information about the theories behind the Platinum and Leucistic Genes working together, please vist my Plat & Leu Page.

White Tip

White Tip: A glider that is standard gray in color but exhibits from a few white hairs to a large white tip on the end of its tail. This is a also a recessive gene.

Melanistic

Melanistic: A glider who's skin and fur has much more dark pigment; a condition in which an unusually high concentration of melanin occurs in the skin, plumage, or fur of an animal. Melanism is opposite of albinism.

*Not everyone will agree that a melanistic glider exists. Some breeders believe that Black Beauties and Black Face Black Beauties (BFBB) are various degrees of melanism; others may not agree.

Double Recessive (aka Ruby Leu)

Double Recessive: A glider that is a combination of two recessive colors in one glider that creates a solid white glider with red/garnet eyes. These are bred by crossing the five following recessive trait combinations: albino x lue, creamino x leu, creamino x plat, creamino x albino, and albino x plat. You can determine which combination the Double Recessive is by looking at the lineage. (*These are referred to as Ruby Leus by The Pet Glider.) Below are the descriptions of the four combinations of the Double Recessives:

Creamino x Leucistic - will come OOP solid white and eyes will be garnet/red.
Creamino x Platinum - tends to come OOP solid white and by the time their eyes open a faint narrow diamond on the head and a faint stripe that does not pass the neck will appear. The diamond and stripe are a light cream color. As the glider matures, it may turn solid white and loose the diamond and stripe.
Albino x Leucistic: will come OOP completely white and eyes will be garnet/red.
Albino x Platinum: will come OOP completely white and eyes will be garnet/red. This combination also requires the leucistic gene.
Creamino x Albino: will come OOP solid white and eyes will be garnet/red.

With the albino versions, you cannot determine their color until they breed. However, there are some determining factors to observe when they come OOP; see the above descriptions for Albino x Leucistic and Albino x Platinum. A good determining age is between the actual OOP date to approximately 6 weeks OOP.

Gliders that are born solid white with red/garnet eyes from parents that carry the albino and leucistic gene is a potential sign of being a Double Recessive glider.

The percentage het for the offspring would be calculated by considering each color separately, just as you would any other glider. Because "ruby leu" is not a true color but just a description of two colors, there is no such thing as a "ruby leu het".

Albino

Albino: A glider that is all white with red eyes. Albinos are generally born with a faint pigmentation including a yellow diamond, faint stripe, tip on tail or lining along the patagium and hands. This is a recessive gene and must be paired with another glider with the same recessive gene to reproduce an albino glider.

Caramel

Caramel: Caramel gliders are thought to be a different subspecies; are actually a standard grey; they are a more champagne color than caramel color (wild caught are more caramel color due to their natural diet) and tend to have white hands and feet. For more detailed information, click on the following link: Caramels