Whatever you use should be non-toxic in case it is ingested. You can buy suitable commercial bedding or you can use wood shavings or shredded paper. There should be bedding at the bottom of the cage to absorb urine and droppings. Examples of this include a cloth pouch, a wooden birdhouse, a plastic hamster house, etc. They also need some sort of nesting area to sleep in during the day. Sugar gliders like to eat up high so food dishes that attach to the side of the cage are best. The room should ideally be 15-30 degrees Celsius. Avoid direct sunlight, but make sure there is enough light in the room to distinguish between night and day. Their habitat should also be in an area that is not busy in the daytime so that they can sleep. The cage should have wire mesh or metal bars, and they should be close enough together that your tiny glider can’t squeeze through. For one sugar glider, the recommended size is 20″ x 20″ x 30″. *** Sugar gliders should NEVER be fed raw sugar, sugar substitutes, candy, or chocolate!Ī sugar glider’s cage should be as large as possible, the taller the better. If they seem hungry again in the morning, you can try giving them a small amount of food in the morning or giving more food in the evening. This really depends on your sugar glider’s preference. Some sugar glider owners feed their pet once a day at dusk and some twice a day, morning and night. You should always have fresh water available to your sugar glider, however they get most of their water intake from their food so don’t be alarmed if they are drinking very little. Because of this, it is recommended to add supplements, such as a reptile multivitamin or a calcium supplement with D3, to their diet. Sugar gliders can be picky eaters so they don’t always get all of the nutrients they need. Treats: live insects (crickets, mealworms, earthworms, etc high in fat and should only be given as treats and not a main part of the diet **don’t feed insects you collect from outside – may be contaminated with pesticides) & raw and unsalted nuts with no added spices or sauces), hard boiled eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, tofu & peanut butter. Proteins: meats (small pieces of cooked lean cuts of turkey, chicken, etc. They also very much like treats included in their diet! Here are some examples of appropriate fruits, vegetables, proteins and treats you can feed your sugar glider:įruits & Vegetables: apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, berries, cantaloupe, carrots, cherries, sweet corn, dates, figs, grapes, grapefruit, honeydew, mangoes, oranges, papaya, peaches (*NOT the pits – toxic!), pears, pineapples, sweet potatoes, plums & raisins. As previously mentioned, they tend to prefer sweet fruits and veggies. In general, 75% of a sugar glider’s diet should consist of a variety of fruits and vegetables and 25% should be protein. They usually end up having a favorite person in the family that they bond the strongest with, most commonly whoever handles them the most. This is also why they have the instinct to bond with an entire group and tend to do very well in a family setting, including with children and other pets. When cared for properly, they can live in captivity up to 15 years.īecause they naturally live in colonies of 10-15 other sugar gliders, they are considered social animals and usually do better in homes if they are in pairs. These creatures are quite vocal and can bark somewhat like a small dog. The tail is responsible for at least half of its length.
In the wild, they can glide from tree to tree at a distance of up to 150 feet!Īdult sugar gliders weigh between 4-5 ounces and usually measure around 12 inches from nose to the tip of the tail. Sugar gliders get their name from the fact that they love eating sweet, sugary foods (especially fruits and vegetables) and that they have a thin membrane that stretches from their wrists to their ankles, much like a flying squirrel, that allows them to jump and glide through the air. They are nocturnal animals which means that they sleep through the day and are awake and active at night. They are not rodents as some would assume, but are marsupials, meaning they raise their young in a pouch on the mother’s belly, similar to a kangaroo. Sugar gliders are native to places like Australia and Indonesia. Over the past 15 years, they have been domesticated and are now known to make great little pets! If you are interested in bringing a sugar glider into your home, here is what you need to know. Sugar gliders are very unique animals that many people in the general public don’t even know exist.
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