What is a sugar glider?
A sugar glider is a small nocturnal marsupial native to Australia and Indonesia. Sugar gliders usually get between 6 & 7 inches and have a tail that is almost the same lenght. Males are usually a bit larger then the females. Sugar gliders "glide" because of the flaps of skin that join their front and hind legs. Sugar gliders have pouches (like a kangaroo) and that is where they raise their joeys.
Sugar gliders are able to make many different sounds that vary from bird-like chirps to dog-like barking. By far their most interesting (and at times startling) is the one they make when disturbed in their nest. This sound is called crabbing. It is hard to describe this crabbing sound, but it is somewhat like the rattles they hand out at new year parties.
Sugar gliders use scent to identify each other. Just like we have unique fingerprints, each glider has their own scent. This is how other gliders identify who is who. Males have a scent gland on their head. These glands look like a bald spot in the middle of their forehead. Males also have another gland between their front legs on their chest. Females have scent glands near the pouch and their "girl parts". Sugar gliders greet each other by rubbing themselves on each others scent glands. Even though the depend heavily on communication via scent they are not nearly as smelly as you might think. Occasionally there is a fruity musky scent, but it is not strong at all and is nothing like the musky scent of a ferret.
One of the BEST qualities of sugar gliders is the ease with which they bond to their people, especially when obtained at a young age.
What do sugar gliders eat?
Sugar gliders need to eat a variety of things daily to mimic what they would eat in the wild. Every night my gliders get 2 types of fruit (approved fruits listed below), 2 types of veggies (approved list of veggies below) and Priscilla Diet Cubes (which is considered a protien ~ recipe below). "The Pet Glider" vitamins (multi-vitamins & multi-minerals mixed with calcium, nectat, bee pollen, probiotics, herbsm and acacia gum) gets sprinkled on their food daily as well.
Approved Fruits: Melons, mangoes, grapes (they don't seem to like the skins, so it is best to cut grapes in half), papayas, pears, kiwis, apples, bananas (in SMALL quantities), berries, plums, nectarines, oranges, pineapples, apricots, & starfruit.
Approved Veggies: Fresh tomatoes (cut open as they do not like the skin), greenbeans, peas, raw yams, cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, mixed veggies, squash, leaf lettuce, spinach leaves, beets, & turnips. Corn is OK in small quantities because it is high in phosphorous.
Other things that are good to fee gliders: Yogurt (I prefer to feed Activia with fruit), unsweetened applesauce, mealworms (up to 10 per glider), tofu, and dubi roaches. There are a bunch of varieties of prepared glider food that are also wonderful sources of protein if you choose not to feed the Priscilla Diet Cubes. Some of these already prepared foods are Monkey Biscuits (mine seem to only like the orange flavored), Glider Complete, Insectivore Fare, Zoofood, and Glider Diet with Eucalyptus.
Priscilla Diet Cubes recipe:
**DEPENDING ON TH NUMBER OF GLIDERS THAT YOU HAVE, YOU MIGHT WANT TO CUT THE RECIPE IN HALF**
- 3 CUPS OF OATS (REGULAR OATS THAT YOU FIND IN THE CEREAL ISLE OF YOUR GROCERY STORE)
- 100 OZ. UNSWEETENED APPLESAUCE
- 12 SCRAMBLED EGGS (NO MILK)
- 2 LBS. BROILED CHICKEN (I USE ONLY BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN BREASTS) CUT INTO PIECES
- 1/2 CUP WHEAT GERM
- 6 OZ. CALCIUM FORTIFIED CONCENTRATED ORANGE JUIC (NO WATER ADDED)
- MIX THE OATS, APPLESAUCE, WHEAT GERM, AND ORANGE JUCE TOGETHER.
- SPLIT THE MIX IN HALF INTO 2 LARGE BOWLS
- ADD SCRAMBLED EGS TO ONE HALF AND THE CHICKEN TO THE OTHER.
- SPOON MIXES INO ICE CUBE TRAYS & FREEZE.
- ONCE FROZEN, PLAC CUBES INTO ZIPLOCK FREZER BAGS.
FEED 1 CUBE EACH NIGHT PER GLIDER/PAIR.
Gliders also need FRESH water in a small rodent water bottle daily!!!!
Do gliders need to have shots?
No sugar gliders do not need to have shots like other pets do. It is important to ask your vet if they do sugar gliders, as not all vets do. If your vet does not do sugar gliders ask for a reference or check with your closes zoo for an exotic animal vet reference.
Do I need to bathe or groom my sugar glider?
Sugar gliders keep themselves very clean on their own. There is really no need to actually bathe a sugar glider. If your glider gets dirty or messy from food, just spot clean with a wet wash cloth ~ no soap. Gliders do need to have their nails trimmed from time to time. Remember that their nails are very small, so take your time and enlist the help of someone else if needed. I find that human baby nail clippers are the easiest to use on such tiny nails.
What kind of cage/enclosure does a glider need?
I have attached a picture of one of my cages (this is actually Akila & Gandalf's cage)
Since sugar gliders are both active and nocturnal, they need a large place to play. They need a large wheel with a solid bottom for exercise, a pouch to sleep in, toys to play with and places to hide food so they can "hunt and find" food like they would in the wild. Gliders are very intellegent and need to have items that keep them intertained and active. Make sure if you give your glider a cat toy that it DOES NOT contain cat nip. Cat nip is toxic to sugar gliders.
Do I need to get two sugar gliders or can I just get one?
If you are able to give your glider a lot of attention every day then one sugar glider would be fine. If you do not have a BUNCH of time to spend with your glider daily then two would be a better choice. Sugar gliders are very social animals and live in groups in the wild. They thrive on and crave companionship. If you opt for two gliders it would be best to go with two girls, two sisters, or a neutered male and a female. Two intacted males will fight and an intact male and a female will produce babies.
Will my sugar glider bond with me?
Your sugar glider's bond with you will depend on the amount of time you spend with him or her. Be sure that during the first few days after you bring home your new glider, that you can spend most of your time with your new pet. Invest in a bonding pouch and just let your new sugar glider hang out with you. During this time they are learning your voice and your scent ~ very important if you want a bonded glider.
Can/will my glider get along with my other house pets?
Sugar gliders can get along with cats and dogs and vice versa. NEVER leave your sugar glider unsupervised with another animal. Just because everything seems fine when you are watching them, does not mean that everything will be fine if you leave the room. Accidents only take a split second.
What is the best way to clean/wash my sugar glider's cage, toys & sleeping pouch?
SInce gliders scent mark all of their stuff, the more you wash/clean, the more they will mark. To clean the cage, it is best to either hose the cage off or take a wet sponge and clean. As far as pouches and toys go, if they can be put in the washing machine, do so and use a small amount of Dreft detergent. Make sure to put the items through an additiona rinse to make sure there is no detergent left. Then you can either hang dry or machine dry items. Toys and items that cannot be placed in the washing machine, wash/soak in warm water and a bit of Ivory dish soap. Make sure to rinse well
