You guys love getting to know the animals on the individual level so much that I want you to meet all of them, but I can't do them all at once, so we'll keep sharing them one video at a time.  Today, we're gonna get to know some of our little animal ambassadors that have a knack for making you go, aww.

(Intro)

Meet Gizmo and Gadget, the sugar gliders.  About a year ago, we introduced you to our new sugar glider and we asked for your help naming him.  There were so many good suggestions, but we ended up going with popular vote, Gadget, and I think that fits with Gizmo pretty good.  You might have already met them, but I like to share a little bit about their rescue stories and some more of their individual personalities.

Alright, well, Gadget wants to take a little break in his pouch, so we'll talk about Gizmo.  Gizmo was rescued during the initial founding of Animal Wonders back in 2007.  We were just planning our move from California where we were attending Zoo School to settle in Montana.  A colleague had a friend who had two pet sugar gliders and she didn't know that they were illegal to own in California.  Since she knew we were moving to Montana, she asked if we would adopt them and take them with us.  That's how Gizmo and his brother Nemo became some of our very first animal ambassadors. 

They were about two years old when we adopted them and they were super spunky and active.  They loved to climb and jump everywhere.  When we first began our public presentations in 2008, they were everybody's favorite, because we would call a volunteer up and have them stand and have the sugar gliders climb all over them.  It was all fun and games until we told them that they mark their territory with urine.  Lucky for them, we'd already covered them with a designated pee jacket before we let Gizmo and Nemo loose.

Nemo was a big, confident boy and Gizmo was always a little bit smaller and more submissive.  In early 2015, Nemo passed away unexpectedly from a tumor in his liver.  This left Gizmo alone and since sugar gliders are a very social species and Gizmo had lived his entire life with a companion, we were worried about him.  So we put our feelers out for a sugar glider that needed a new home, and a couple months later, we found a potential candidate.  

Gadget was previously owned as a pet, but his owners didn't want to keep him.  We thought he was young enough that there was a good chance Gizmo wouldn't feel that his territory was threatened by his presence, and since Gizmo had always been less dominant with Nemo, we were hoping that he would accept Gadget as a companion instead of competition.

That's an angry sugar glider and that's what I get for waking a nocturnal animal up during the day.  Obviously, these guys are really good buddies.  Gadget was protecting his territory and Gizmo is part of his group so these guys, they're doing great.  The introduction was awesome.  If you would like to see the very first time that these two met, we have the introduction on video and you can watch that right here.  

Gadget took a lot longer to accept human interaction than Gizmo had.  Hi, buddy, that's Gizmo right there, and that's most likely because his previous owners hadn't handled them much, since they weren't that into them.  Gizmo is about 12 years old, which is pretty old for a sugar glider.  He's super chill and his favorite thing to do is just eat fresh juicy mealworms.  He'll sit on anybody's shoulder as long as he's getting his treats.  He also loves sugary fruits like grapes and papaya.  As he gets older, it's getting a little bit harder for us to get the proper nutrients in him, so he's eating a lot more insects because those are really good for these guys.

Gadget eats really well.  This is Gadget right here and Gizmo is on top, here's Gizmo.  Gadget eats really, really well.  He eats fresh vegetables as well as insectivore diet and fruits and insects.  They both came out.  Gadget is super active and loves running and jumping, woo.  As well as balancing on branches and bounding from perch to perch.  Gadget is really bonded to Gizmo, which is really good.  They need each other as companions.  I'm so glad that we're able to offer them both a really good home as well as a nutritious diet.  Come here.  Oh, buddy, oh, oh.  Oh, there we go.

If you can't tell, they love this pouch and that's because, well, one, it's bright out and they're nocturnal animals, but it's also like a safety blanket.  They go there to hide and sleep and feel comfortable.  Gizmo and Gadget are awesome little dudes, but they're also great animal ambassadors.  We're proud to be able to educate everyone who meets them about their adaptations for survival in the wild, but also how challenging they can be as pets.  We want to help avoid another situation like Gadget's first home if possible, because every sugar glider living in captivity deserves a knowledgeable and dedicated human caretaker, because they have lots of needs and each one has a unique personality.

I hope you guys enjoyed learning about Gizmo and Gadget.  They're pretty awesome.  If you want to keep learning more about our other animals at Animal Wonders or other cool animal facts, subscribe to our YouTube channel, AnimalWondersMontana.  If you have any questions about these two, leave 'em in the comments below.  Thanks guys.

(Endscreen/Credits)

Okay, first question comes from Cassidee Rose.  How can I get my baby cockatiel to eat fruits and veggies?  He's got no problem with seeds and pellets, but he won't really eat any fresh fruits.