At the sound of his master's voice, Shakespeare leaped from a stranger's hands back to the safety and darkness of Steve Larkin's inside shirt pocket. A sugar glider owner, licensed breeder and salesman, Steve Larkin explained the tiny marsupial is nocturnal and prefers to sleep in his pocket all day.

Spectators were impressed.

"I want one- they're awesome," Alexis Emerson, 13, said after holding Blanco, a blonde glider.

Like flying squirrels, a membrane stretching from the glider's wrists to ankles allows him to leap great distances. "They've been known to glide 150 feet" according to a website on wild glider behavior.

Not bad for a 9 to 12 inch critter without wings.

With help from the crowd, Larkin was demonstrating 12-year-old Shakespeare's gliding ability while pitching his young gliders for sale at The Great International Chicken Wing Festival Cook-off on Friday at Baldini's Sports Casino.

"I like them so much- I guess they're just about the perfect pocket pet," Larkin said. "They can be with you all day and they have such good manners."

Larkin, owner of "Tropical Attitude Pets," started the exotic pet business by breeding three wild-caught glider pairs imported from Indonesian rainforests. Although he said the species is not endangered in the wild, Larkin now produces his own stock with no need for imported animals.

Larkin and his glider colony travel around the country to county fairs and other events. He also brought his gliders for sale to the recent home and garden show in Reno. But it was so poorly attended, Larkin said the sale was bust. The economic downturn has slowed down his sales of sugar gliders.

A first-time glider buyer must shell out over $400 (starter kit included) making it a big investment for a tiny animal. For proper care, Larkin's starter kit includes a special glider cage, toys and grub.

Larkin said he and his gliders will be back Sunday at the chicken wing festival outside Baldini's Sports Casino in Sparks. The event is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.