Gliding possum swooped into shocked Londoner's bedroom as he slept

Sugar gliders are nocturnal animals which need to sleep during the day [video from RSPCA/John Zou]

A startled Londoner found a gliding possum scampering around his flat after the exotic creature swooped in through an open window as he slept.

John Zou, 27, was woken in the early hours of the morning by the sound of something moving around his Clerkenwell apartment.

He was shocked to discover a tiny nocturnal sugar glider, normally found living up trees, was instead exploring his home.

"I was asleep and woke up to the noise of something running around the bedroom. I was scared it might be a rat but when I went to investigate I found this little creature," John said.

"I didn’t know it was a sugar glider so I sent photos to some friends and they helped me to identify it," he added.

John shut the little creature in one of his rooms to keep him safe and immediately got on the phone to the RSPCA.

He fed the hungry possum some sugary fruit until an inspector from the animal charity arrived.

John Zou keeps the gliding possum company until the RSPCA arrives Credit: John Zou

"I left the window open to the balcony so he must have come in from outside," John explained.

"I guess he’s someone’s pet and flew into my flat from theirs.

"I put some messages through the letterboxes of my neighbours but wasn’t able to find his owner so he could have come from further afield," he added.

The RSPCA said people are tempted to keep gliding possums because they look "incredibly cute".

But the charity warned they need specialist care and were not suitable as pets.

The RSPCA said sugar gliders were difficult to look after at home Credit: RSPCA

"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 RSPCA's Francesca Tambini said.

"They are 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.

"They’re also incredibly sociable so should never be kept on their own, and can live for over 10 years," she added.

This glider taken to a specialist keeper in Cambridgeshire with experience of keeping the animals.