Sugar Glider Care

One of the things that makes sugar gliders so attractive as pets, is that they are community animals that love the company of both humans, and other sugar gliders. In the wild, sugar gliders live in close-nit colonies of up to 30 individuals. Because of the social nature of these animals, they should never be kept alone. If you plan on bringing a new sugar glider into the family... plan on bringing two.

Sugar gliders need lots of space to run, jump, and glide. They are very inquisitive animals that love to explore, so give them as much room as possible. For a pair of gliders, you should look for a cage 36" high by 30" wide, at least. This is just a starting point, folks. The bigger, the better. The more space you give these little guys, the happier they will be.

The flip side to sugar gliders being very smart, is that they need constant stimulation during their waking hours. And since most of their waking hours are while you are asleep, they need to be provided with plenty of toys to keep them occupied while you are away in dreamland. Also, since keeping plenty of toys, ropes, and running wheels will keep them busy, this usually helps to cut back on all the barks and chirps they make during the night.

TIP: There aren't many toys made specifically for sugar gliders. Most bird toys will work just fine, however. Choose hard plastic, or unpainted wood bird toys to keep your gliders happy!

Sugar gliders have very specialized diets that you may find difficult if you have never owned an exotic animal before. Contrary to their name, sugar gliders do not live solely on sweet foods. In the wild, they are in fact, mostly insectivores. A good ratio to follow when feeding these animals is 50 percent vegetables, 40 percent protein, and only 10 percent fruit.

Sugar gliders are very sensitive to calcium levels, and should be fed foods that are high in calcium, and low in phosphorus. Some of these "good" foods include: papaya, spinach, kale, cilantro, cabbage, collard greens, and figs. Stay away from "bad" foods that have too much phosphorus such as: corn, peas, avocado, and plums.

A simple recipe that I have had a lot of success with:

4 cups cheerios
2 boiled eggs
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup apple juice
2 cups spinach
1/2 apple
1/4 cup honey
1 small bunch of cilantro
1 tsp Rep-Cal calcium supplement
1 tsp Herptivite multivitamin supplement

Crush up the cheerios and put in a large blender or food processor. Chop up all other ingredients and add to the blender one at a time, blending after each ingredient. Add vitamin and calcium supplements last, making sure to blend them into the mixture completely. Freeze, and scoop 1 tablespoon of the mixture for each glider nightly.

This mixture may look disgusting, but your sugar gliders will absolutely love it. One tablespoon of this mixture per glider, along with some fresh fruits and veggies, and you will have one happy sugar glider family!

Every once in a while, if you glider has been a very good boy or girl, it is ok to give them a little treat. Here is a great recipe for sugar glider "birthday cake" from sugarglidersrus.com, that they will absolutely love:

-Pancake mix, prepared with applesauce instead of oil
-Sunmaid Dried Fruit Bits
-Fluker's Freeze Dried Crickets

Add enough fruit and crickets to make the batter full, but still stick together. I halve the smallest recipe, and there was a lot leftover. Put them in tiny cake cups and then bake at 350 until firm and springy! Yum!

Sugar gliders are most likely unlike any other pet you will ever own. They might look like rodents, but sugar gliders are marsupials similar to possums, and can live up to 15 years. Because they do not have teeth that continually grow, gliders aren't generally chewers, which will be great news for your furniture.

While they are great additions to the family, gliders can certainly be a handful. Prepare for your sugar gliders to be very smart, and great escape artists. Any large openings or unlatched doors in your gliders' enclosure will soon turn into their exit when they feel the urge to explore.

Sugar gliders are nocturnal, which means they will spend most of their time playing while you are asleep. This can often cause problems for people's sleeping habits due to the fact that sugar gliders tend to make a lot of noise while they are awake. Unless you can sleep through a hurricane, you would be better off not keeping your gliders in your bedroom if at all possible.

Be prepared for your sugar gliders to inevitably bite, a lot. This biting is more of the exploring kind, than the "trying to hurt you" kind. Babies will especially nibble a lot, but usually grow out of it in time. These bites don't usually draw blood, but on occasion, it will happen.

Sugar gliders are tree dwellers which means nature gifted them with an insane set of claws. Their claws are very long, and extremely sharp. Any time you handle sugar gliders, you will almost always wind up with scratches and small red dots all over your hands and arms. You can find running wheels that will file down their nails automatically, or you can choose to manually clip the tips of them with infant nail clippers.

Your sugar gliders will definitely have a smell to them, somewhat like a ferret. Generally, males have more of a smell to them than females due to their scent glands. Luckily this smell is not unavoidable. If you plan on cleaning your gliders' cage every 4 to 7 days, you can keep this smell to a minimum. If you have an excessively smelly glider, it probably means it is being overfed. Feeding your gliders too much, or giving them too much calcium/vitamin supplement will often cause their odor to be worse.

One of my favorite products to control glider odor is Pur-Ayre. It is an all-natural product that breaks down smells with enzymes, and is even safe enough to spray directly on your gliders, (though not recommended).

Definitely the best part about owning a sugar glider is the bonding process. Once your sugar glider is bonded to you, you will have a sidekick that won't ever want to leave you for a second. Even though this is the most fun part about owning a glider, it is often the most difficult.

Each sugar glider has its own personality, therefore each takes a different amount of time to bond to you. The bonding process can take anywhere from one week to two months, depending on how stubborn your glider is.

The most common way of bonding with your sugar glider is to keep it in a fleece pouch around your neck. You can find these bonding pouches all over the internet, and at some pet stores. Place your glider in the bonding pouch during the day while it is sleeping, and wear it on your body for several hours each day. Bonding with sugar gliders doesn't really work while they are awake. Keeping you glider on your body while they are asleep allows them to see you as a safe haven, instead of a potential predator.

Since sugar gliders bond through scent, a helpful way to speed up the bonding process is to take a shirt that you have worn all day and put it into their cage. This will help them get used to your scent, even while you aren't handling them. Avoid wearing strong cologne/perfume or scented lotion while handling your sugar gliders. These strong scents don't smell good in the glider world, and will only make them want to run away from you.

-Don't ever leave a sugar glider out of their cage unattended. They can fit into smaller spaces than you think!
-NEVER take them outside. They are built for climbing trees, ya know!
-Keep your gliders away from corn. This is one of the unhealthiest foods to feed a sugar glider.
-Never throw a sugar glider. It is a living being. Not a paper plane....
-Never allow a veterinarian to file a sugar glider's teeth. This is a controversial procedure that is not good for the health of the animal.

At the end of the day, sugar gliders make great pets for some people, but bad pets for most. It takes a dedicated person to deal with these little creatures. Most new owners get rid of their gliders within the first year of having them, simply because they are too demanding. Sugar gliders can definitely be a handful, and can drive you crazy if you aren't aware of what you are getting yourself into ahead of time. The best way to get an understanding of sugar gliders first hand, is by spending time with them. If you have a friend or family member that owns gliders, ask them to give you a "crash course" in what it is like to own them. If you aren't so lucky to know people who have sugar gliders, be absolutely sure to do plenty of research before purchasing one of these little fellows.

Though they require special care and lots of patience, if you've got the determination, sugar gliders make wonderful pets. Once your sugar glider trusts you and accepts you into its family, you will have a great little friend that will stick by you for years.