Sugar Gliders
- Thread starter HayleyMarie
- Start date
I just brought home my first sugar glider last weekend, but I've been researching about them for a while.
They're definitely more time intensive than a lot of caged pets... the more time you spend with them, the more of a bond they will form to you and the more tame they will be. They're marsupials and have a gliding membrane attached to all their legs. In the wild, they live in colonies- so they do better with at least one other glider.
For a diet, I use the HPW diet (High Protein Wambaroo). You mix the HPW powder with Australian bee pollen, honey, and eggs. Then you freeze it- this is your staple diet. You also have to provide fresh fruit and veggies with it. They're nocturnal, so I put Mort's food out as he's waking up.
Cages need to be tall, like at least 3 feet tall. Taller is better than wider since they are VERY active. The cage NEEDS to be powder coated metal- don't get galvanized. It can cause UTIs. One with a pull out tray on the bottom works best. I've just put care fresh in the bottom tray.
They sleep in fleece pouches and you need to use fleece in their cage for things to climb so their nails won't get stuck.
They need a LOT of attention. You can't expect to stick a suggie in a cage and just ignore it.
If you get a male, factor in the cost of a neuter (between $75-150 from what I've seen) if you don't want joeys (baby suggies).
And then there's crabbing- there is no other sound like it. LOL. It's pretty much their only defense, and it's this really strange kind of honking sound. If you're bothering them, they can crab at you. They can also bark- it's about as loud as one of my chis!
If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask
I've spent countless hours reading about them and feel pretty knowledgable on the basics at least.
Lastly, they're pretty much the cutest creatures EVER. I mean, come on. They sleep in FLEECE POUCHES and are marsupials. They're just epic cute.
MORT!!!
DSC_7250.jpg by Chihuahuaesque, on Flickr
And DON'T get one from a flea market/home show/pet store. Either go through a breeder, adopt from a rescue, or get them from someone rehoming them.
They're definitely more time intensive than a lot of caged pets... the more time you spend with them, the more of a bond they will form to you and the more tame they will be. They're marsupials and have a gliding membrane attached to all their legs. In the wild, they live in colonies- so they do better with at least one other glider.
For a diet, I use the HPW diet (High Protein Wambaroo). You mix the HPW powder with Australian bee pollen, honey, and eggs. Then you freeze it- this is your staple diet. You also have to provide fresh fruit and veggies with it. They're nocturnal, so I put Mort's food out as he's waking up.
Cages need to be tall, like at least 3 feet tall. Taller is better than wider since they are VERY active. The cage NEEDS to be powder coated metal- don't get galvanized. It can cause UTIs. One with a pull out tray on the bottom works best. I've just put care fresh in the bottom tray.
They sleep in fleece pouches and you need to use fleece in their cage for things to climb so their nails won't get stuck.
They need a LOT of attention. You can't expect to stick a suggie in a cage and just ignore it.
If you get a male, factor in the cost of a neuter (between $75-150 from what I've seen) if you don't want joeys (baby suggies).
And then there's crabbing- there is no other sound like it. LOL. It's pretty much their only defense, and it's this really strange kind of honking sound. If you're bothering them, they can crab at you. They can also bark- it's about as loud as one of my chis!
If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask
I've spent countless hours reading about them and feel pretty knowledgable on the basics at least.Lastly, they're pretty much the cutest creatures EVER. I mean, come on. They sleep in FLEECE POUCHES and are marsupials. They're just epic cute.
MORT!!!
DSC_7250.jpg by Chihuahuaesque, on Flickr
And DON'T get one from a flea market/home show/pet store. Either go through a breeder, adopt from a rescue, or get them from someone rehoming them.
I had two sugar gliders when I was younger. Turned out not to be the pet for me at the time due to their yipping and barking at 3am. They also caused quite a mess on the walls around their cage. Mine really liked to explore and would find the teeniest hiding places that I could never get them out of, so I resorted to setting up a small 2 person tent inside a room with different things dangling from the tent's ceiling to create a jungle gym type thing for them for their out of cage time. I can't say mine ever really bonded with me, I mean they put up with me handling them but I never took the time to ensure that they properly bonded with me. They were very bonded together though. The food was kind of a PITA because this was years ago when there wasn't a powder to add, you just had to create your own food, blend it together and then freeze it. It consisted of baby food, some veggies, eggs and a couple other things I can't remember now. We would create a couple batches at a time and then pour it into the plastic ice cube trays. They would get 1-2 ice cubes of food a night plus fresh veggies and fruit.
I could write a book. LOL! For now, I'm just going to hit a few bullet points:
Diet - Regardless of which sugar glider diet you choose to follow, they need a total food refresh every day. It really is not an option to throw something in the cage in the cage for a few days. Pellet style foods will not have the proper complete nutritional value, and fresh fruit/veggies will go bad if not changed out. Which means if you are gone, they will NEED a petsitter.
(FWIW, we use the Suncoast diet plan. There are several different "diets" out there, only a handful of which are actually good for suggies, so you will have to really do your research in order to find what is best for them that works for you. And fair warning, diet is a HUGE FIGHT in the sugar glider community, so it is very hard to research.)
Cage - They need a very large cage, because they need room to jump and glide. But then the trick to that is that they also need a cage with small bar spacing so they don't squeeze out. They are also sensitive to certain metals and PVC-coatings, so it must be a powder-coated cage. It is hard to find that combination in a cage, and when you do, it's typically expensive, and takes up a lot of space.
Attention - YES. They need lots of attention. They are very inquisitive and curious, and need to use their brains. As Jessie said, the more you work with them, the better bonded they are. That in itself is very gratifying, but it does take TIME. (Depends on the sugar glider, too. Our Elphaba came off the plane friendly as could be... whereas we are still working on bonding with Fiyero... and he's been here four years now.) Basically, they NEED everyday attention.
Also, it is highly recommended that you don't keep a single sugar glider. You can do it if you have a significant chunk of time to devote to its mental well-being, but they are colony animals and are really not equipped to live alone. It is not uncommon for a lonely sugar glider to die from depression.
That said, I know several people that get one sugar glider, bond with it, then add a cagemate shortly after. This is fine. I'm talking about long term. This is a small animal that can live as long as 15 years (maybe more... they are still relatively new as a pet species).
To add my $0.02 on wheels... yes, Wodent Wheels are bad news for suggies! I highly highly highly recommend the Stealth Wheel. It is seriously as good as it sounds. LOL!
Oh geez, I still wrote a book. LOL! I have more to say if you want to hear it. I'm not trying to straight up discourage you, but there are a lot of things to consider before bringing home sugar gliders!
Good luck!
Diet - Regardless of which sugar glider diet you choose to follow, they need a total food refresh every day. It really is not an option to throw something in the cage in the cage for a few days. Pellet style foods will not have the proper complete nutritional value, and fresh fruit/veggies will go bad if not changed out. Which means if you are gone, they will NEED a petsitter.
(FWIW, we use the Suncoast diet plan. There are several different "diets" out there, only a handful of which are actually good for suggies, so you will have to really do your research in order to find what is best for them that works for you. And fair warning, diet is a HUGE FIGHT in the sugar glider community, so it is very hard to research.)
Cage - They need a very large cage, because they need room to jump and glide. But then the trick to that is that they also need a cage with small bar spacing so they don't squeeze out. They are also sensitive to certain metals and PVC-coatings, so it must be a powder-coated cage. It is hard to find that combination in a cage, and when you do, it's typically expensive, and takes up a lot of space.
Attention - YES. They need lots of attention. They are very inquisitive and curious, and need to use their brains. As Jessie said, the more you work with them, the better bonded they are. That in itself is very gratifying, but it does take TIME. (Depends on the sugar glider, too. Our Elphaba came off the plane friendly as could be... whereas we are still working on bonding with Fiyero... and he's been here four years now.) Basically, they NEED everyday attention.
Also, it is highly recommended that you don't keep a single sugar glider. You can do it if you have a significant chunk of time to devote to its mental well-being, but they are colony animals and are really not equipped to live alone. It is not uncommon for a lonely sugar glider to die from depression.
That said, I know several people that get one sugar glider, bond with it, then add a cagemate shortly after. This is fine. I'm talking about long term. This is a small animal that can live as long as 15 years (maybe more... they are still relatively new as a pet species).
To add my $0.02 on wheels... yes, Wodent Wheels are bad news for suggies! I highly highly highly recommend the Stealth Wheel. It is seriously as good as it sounds. LOL!
Oh geez, I still wrote a book. LOL! I have more to say if you want to hear it. I'm not trying to straight up discourage you, but there are a lot of things to consider before bringing home sugar gliders!
Good luck!
The people I knew LOVED theirs. They also were adamant that you should never have just one, unless you worked the day shift and could be up all night with one. They are nocturnal and love to sleep in pockets all day (fun times at Timmies when someone noticed a 'rat' in a pouch lol) but that is not enough social time as well, they are asleep. But I here they can be really messy and more gliders mean more mess
I agree with Jessie they are pretty much the cutest thing ever. But I will admire other peoples... so not the pet for me (and not just cause of the JRTs!)
I agree with Jessie they are pretty much the cutest thing ever. But I will admire other peoples... so not the pet for me (and not just cause of the JRTs!)
I have a little male. Everyone has hit on pretty much everything that's important. I only have one but he goes to work with me during the day and I'm up with him pretty late each day. It works for us but I know my friends who leave their's at home while they are at work/school end up way happier with a buddy.
They do need out of cage time every day. I have a game room with indoor/outdoor carpet so I'll just use a blanket to make sure they can't get out the door and let him run around while I work or watch tv. You do need to be able to plan out of cage time it's really important.
Also make sure you find a vet for one before you get it. And when you call the vet make them specifically say they care for Sugar Gliders. I found out the hard way 'exotics' meant rats/mice/ferrets to a lot of vets but didn't include birds/sugar gliders.
They do need out of cage time every day. I have a game room with indoor/outdoor carpet so I'll just use a blanket to make sure they can't get out the door and let him run around while I work or watch tv. You do need to be able to plan out of cage time it's really important.
Also make sure you find a vet for one before you get it. And when you call the vet make them specifically say they care for Sugar Gliders. I found out the hard way 'exotics' meant rats/mice/ferrets to a lot of vets but didn't include birds/sugar gliders.