GRAFTON — It doesn’t take long for anyone to see why Stella may steal the show as far as small animals are concerned at this year’s Lorain County Fair.
The pint-sized marsupial native to Australia definitely can elicit the wow factor. At least that is what 16-year-old Veronica Vena hopes when she unveils her sugar glider for the first time at this year’s fair.
“I’ve never taken her to the fair before and I don’t know how she will do, but I think she will do just fine,” she said. “I just thought this year I will step out of the comfort zone of what I usually do.”
Besides Stella, Veronica will show chickens and guinea fowl at the fair.
Veronica Vena, 16, of Grafton, poses with her sugar glider, Stella, at her home.
Veronica, a 10-year member of the North Ridgeville Ridge Kids 4-H Club, never intended to use Stella as a fair project when she got her three years ago.
The teen, a junior at Midview High School, remembers just wanting the sugar glider as a pet. It was a wish she had long before Stella showed up at the family home just in time for Veronica’s 13th birthday.
“I don’t know why, but I think they are so cute,” she said of sugar gliders in general. “Plus, there are kind of exotic, and I like exotic animals.”
Actually, Veronica said her entire family is so into animals that she believes the number they have is around 50. Family pets and animals include everything from cats and dogs to horses and chicken. The family even owns a peacock.
But it’s Stella who constantly steals Veronica’s heart.
“I really like it when she jumps and glides,” she said. “In Australia, sugar gliders can jump from tree to tree and just sort of glide to where they want to go.”
In Grafton, Stella’s home is a multi-level cage in Veronica’s room. Nocturnal by nature, she spends most of her days sleeping and can be heard roaming her cage at night, sometimes munching on fruit or cooked chicken that Veronica places in her bowl.
“She makes this sound that is kind of like teeth chattering and she can bark, too, but only occasionally,” Veronica said. “You really have to play with her at night because she doesn’t like the light.”
Taking Stella out in the daytime, which happen on a recent Wednesday, can quickly turn into a game of hide-and-seek.
From Veronica’s back, where Stella quickly scurried as soon as she got out of her cage, it’s just a quick leap to the dresser. From there, the small furry creature dashes up Veronica’s majorette uniform, behind some boxes and under her bed.
“I have to be very careful with her,” Veronica said. “She can get out very fast.”
That’s why when Veronica brings Stella to this year’s fair she will not be far away. The entire family will be camped out nearby to ensure all their animals are just a stone’s throw away.
“It’s just easier with the animals if we are right there,” she said. “Plus, it’s a lot of fun.”
Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or lroberson@chroniclet.com.
