A tiny possum has been rescued after finding his way into a London flat.
John Zou, 27, woke up to an unexpected visitor at 5am on Monday when a sugar glider floated into his sixth-floor bedroom.
He said: ‘I was scared it might be a rat but when I went to investigate I found this little creature.
‘I didn’t know it was a sugar glider so I sent photos to some friends and they helped me identify it.’
John made sure the little guy was safe in his bedroom and even filmed themselves sharing a fruity meal together.
Sugar gliders are named for their love of sweet foods and are native to Australia, New Guinea and parts of Indonesia.
They are kept in captivity in the UK, so it may have got lost or abandoned by an owner, who underestimated its needs.
It is legal to own sugar gliders as exotic pets but the RSPCA believes they are not suited to living in British houses.
RSPCA officer Francesca Tambini said: ‘Sugar gliders look incredibly cute and this little guy is adorable. It’s easy to see why people might be tempted to buy them as pets but we would urge them to reconsider; these animals need very specialist care.
‘I expect this little guy is an escaped pet or has been abandoned locally before turning up on this man’s balcony.
‘Unfortunately, we do see these sorts of animals being abandoned from time-to-time when their owners realise how difficult it is to meet their needs in a household environment.’
The sociable animals are nocturnal and omnivorous, meaning they sleep during the day and are active at night.
They are used to warmer climates and therefore need UVB lights while in captivity so they do not develop metabolic bone disease.
‘They are also arboreal, meaning they spend their lives up in the trees, and can glide for 50m or more, which would be extremely difficult to provide for in a typical home,’ Francesca added.
The RSPCA has rehomed this glider with a specialist keeper in Cambridgeshire, who has looked after these animals before.
People thinking about getting exotic pets are seriously warned by the animal welfare group to do as much research as possible.
Exotic pets ‘have the same needs as they would in the wild’ and owners will have to meet those needs.
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