Sugar Glider HeadQuartersAll the Sugar Gliders we sell as pets are captive born and have been handled practically as soon as they came of the pouch. Be sure to handle these pets gently and frequently so they will bond with you. Sugar Gliders make excellent pets, but you do need to keep in mind that they are a wild animal even though they were captive born. The quality of pet the glider makes is directly related to the handling they receive from their owners. With the proper handling within the first two to four weeks of receiving your glider you should see a noticeable difference in the gliders behavior. Bonding with the glider is based on trust, once they trust you they will become your best buddy. They will not be your usual pet, meaning they are not like a dog or cat and should not be treated the same. BEWARE! They will steal your heart…
INTRODUCTIONSugar Gliders (scientific name: Petraurus Breviceps), are a tiny arboreal (tree dwelling) marsupial, these special animals are originally from Australia, Indonesia and New Guinea. A true pouch animal in the same order as kangaroos and koalas. The sugar glider is a nocturnal animal and will sleep in your pocket (nick named “pocket pal”) being content to snuggle. Full grown their body is about 5 to 6 inches in length with about a 6 to 7 inch tail. And weigh about 6 ounces. The life expectancy of a glider seems to be about 10 to 12 years if well taken care of. In the United States we have recently “Discovered” what wonderful pets sugar gliders can make. They get their name from their love of sweet sap and the gliding membrane which stretches from their wrists to their ankles. In the wild they cut notches in the eucalyptus tree bark and lick up the sweet sap. The gliding membrane enables the glider to travel from tree to tree. It has been said that the glider catch moths and in sects in flight. The glider uses its tail in flight for direction and balance, and also for carrying nesting materials.
HOUSINGThe best “home” for a pet glider would be a cage no smaller than 18 x 36. When choosing a cage the width of the wire should not be more than 1” x ½”; if any larger the glider can get out. Use either plastic coated wire of stainless steel. The door needs to be safely secured by a j-clip. The glider can learn how to open the door. They enjoy height in the cage as opposed to width, if room permits, the larger the cage the better, sugar gliders like to explore and glide. You can use your imagination when it comes to decorating the cage. The glider loves to play and climb. You can use several items to entertain your glider, wodent wheel, bird toys, swings, mirrors, and hamster tunnels. (You can be creative with household items too!) Keeping tree branches in the cage gives them a wonderful exercise area to climb on. The larger the branches the better, it will keep their teeth and gums healthy and their nails trimmed. Branches known to be toxic are: Almond, Apricot, Black Walnut, Cherry, and Peach, as they contain trace amounts of cyanide. DO NOT USE ANY TRYPE OF BRANCHES THAT HAVE BEEN CHEMICALLY TREATED, your sugar glider will chew on them. The cage should be kept in a room of high traffic in your home, where the difference between day and night can be detected, although they should not be kept in direct sunlight. The cage should be kept out of drafts and should be away from heat and air conditioning vents. The temperature range should be between 70-85 degrees. It is not recommended to keep them below 70 degrees unless the cage is covered. Since the gliders are nocturnal they need a pouch on the side of the cage or nest to sleep in. You can purchase extra pouches to rotate for cleaning purposes.
DietThe proper diet consists of 75%-85% fruits and vegetables and 15%-25% protein. I suggest feeding a varied diet consisting of: sweet fruits such as apples, melons, grapes, etc. and frozen mixed vegetables, fresh vegetables, yogurt, and sugar glider pellets. These foods should not be given all at one feeding, as it results in a lots of waste, the glider will pick through the food and pick the favorite foods, and not give them a balanced diet. Recommended schedule should be ½ cup fruit one night, ½ cup vegetables the next night, and the glider pellets left in the cage daily. The glider pellets are very important to balance the diet. Glider Booster, or vitamins, should be sprinkled on moist food daily, it gives them vitamins and nutrients they can’t get just form the regular diet. Its best to never give gliders canned foods, which are processed and usually high in sodium or refined sugars. Not knowing how their systems would respond to it. USE COMMON SENSE. TREATS, we use raw unsalted peanuts or almonds, pine nut, trail mix (unsalted), raisins, avocados, hard-boiled egg with shell, peanut butter, yogurt, etc. I like to use the treats to train the gliders. When the gliders are babies they haven’t developed their taste buds yet, so don’t stop trying if they don’t like something. Sugar Gliders tend to come out shortly after dark, although some do like to “sleep in” and will come out a little later in the evening. They will get used to your life style and come out when you feed them. If the food is all gone in the morning you probably didn’t feed them enough. They will peel the corn and grapes. It is normal for the glider to chew its food and then spit it out. It is a good idea to use bottled or purified water to avoid tap water which contains chemicals. Use a water bottle that will hang on the side of the cage and they like nectar daily in a small dish I put the booster in the nectar also). Gliders love crickets, meal worms, or pinkie mice, for some protein and fun. It’s a treat for you just to watch them eat.
Health ConcernsThe Sugar Glider is a very healthy animal in general, but a few ailments can occur. If the glider ever becomes lethargic the cause could be low blood sugar. Immediately administer something sweet such as nectar, honey, or pedialyte with an eye dropper. They can catch a cold if exposed to a cold draft. Symptoms include nasal discharge, sneezing, rubbing of the nose and congestion. It has been suggested that “cat nip” can be fatal to gliders. Calcium deficiency can cause hind leg paralysis (They will drag the legs). Use 1/8 tsp of calcium supplement mixed with an ounce of fruit nectar (use eye dropper if glider won’t drink out of small dish or lid. Obesity can become a problem and can be prevented if feed properly; avoid too many fats and proteins. You can neuter your male glider. You should find a veterinarian in your area that knows about gliders just in case. The more time you spend with your glider, the more rewarding it is for you and your glider.
GROOMINGGrooming required for the glider is the trimming of their nails. If the nails start sticking to the items in their cage it is a good time to trim their nails, otherwise they could harm themselves and cause undue stress. You can use a pair of fingernail clippers and trim only the tip of the nail. If you trim to high you will clip into the blood supply, which is painful and blood. After clipping, the glider cannot grip onto things as well; the “loss” of grip will only last a few days. It’s not recommended to give the gliders a bath; they can catch a cold very easily if not dried completely. If housed around cats or dogs there may be a chance of ticks or fleas. Since no testing has been done on gliders for the use of sprays or powders, I suggest not using them and just picking any ticks or fleas out of the fur.
WELCOMENow that you have your Sugar Glider home, here are some tips for your new family member. Even though your new baby glider is eating solid food, keep in mind your glider has just been weaned from its mother. It takes some adjusting going from mother’s mild and solid to just solid foods. The regular diet is suggested as well as a shallow dish (a plastic lid off a jar works good) of nectar which you can buy at the grocery store. Mix a small amount of Glider Booster with the nectar.
When you first bring your new baby home, there is an important bonding process. It will take time to adjust to its new surrounding and you. There should be audio and visual interaction. The glider may not go right to its pouch; it may even sit or hang for awhile. The glider needs to know it can trust you, naturally at first it will be scared because it has just been taken from a place its familiar with. The gliders use their sense of smell, so you must quickly introduce it to your smell. To get use to your smell take a piece of cloth and sleep with it next to your body, in the morning put the cloth in the gliders sleeping bag or area. This can work for all members of your family that you wish to have the glider bond to. Whoever puts the cloth in the bag should be the person to carry the glider in the Bonding Bag that same day.
When you go to get your glider out of its bed, remember it’s like waking us up in the middle of the night, rub the bag and call out its name, then let the glider smell you and assure it’s someone he can trust. At first it may fuss a bit and even nip at you, this is a natural reaction and will probably stop as soon as it starts bonding to you and learns to trust you. Then roll the bag down and cup the glider, it may jump and run into the cage, if this happens hold your hand out and let him smell you. The glider may come into your hand, if not a wash cloth works good to catch it. Do not yank or pull the glider from cage. If it does nip at you do not take your hand out, if you do, it will think it has won and will think nipping gets you to leave. Try to put yourself in the gliders place, imagine a big old hand reaching into your bed to capture you, be gentle and yet firm.
The nipping is a natural instinct of self defense, but the glider is smart and will soon learn that nipping doesn’t get you to leave it alone and will soon stop nipping. Each sugar glider has its own personality, some are very curious and investigative while others are more laid back and easy going. When you first start handling your glider, keep personality in mind and be gentle, remember they may be a little scared at first. If your glider seems scared and tries to run away from you, try covering and cuddling it in a hand towel or the bottom the tee shirt you may be wearing. While cuddling your glider talk to it so it will get to know you and your voice, also put your finger in and pet the glider and let him/her smell you. Remember it may try to nip at you, but keep petting it. A great way to bond is to carry your glider around with you in a Bonding Bag or in-between two shirts. It is OK to take them with you when you go places, but I suggest you only take it out of the bag after you have learned to handle it in the safety of your home. If taking the glider out of your house keep the Bonding Bag by you. Even though when at home the glider may stay right with you, taking it out around new surroundings and people may scare it and it could “Glide” away from you. If they happen to go up a tree or the side of a building, you may not be able to coax it back to you. Always be cautious taking a glider to unfamiliar surroundings to play. Even though they are nocturnal, there doesn’t seem to be a problem with waking them during the day (their nighttime) to play. It’s a good idea to let them sleep some in the earlier part of the day, but if you have time to hold, let them sleep on you, cuddled in your hands or a wash cloth. The more you handle your glider, the better pet it will become. Keep in mind that it may be scared and run from you, but don’t despair, the natural instinct for this animal is to be part of a social bond. Sugar Gliders are very social and communal by nature and will desire interaction with you, its new family. For the glider to bond to all family members all members need to handle it. I do recommend supervision with smaller children.
VERY IMPORTANT SOCIALIZING INFORMATION The health and well being of your pet glider will depend on how much it’s handled. A sugar glider needs to be handled 2 to 3 hours a day!!! This can be playing with it, carrying IT IN A BONDING BAG OR BOTH. Without this social contact the glider cannot and will not survive! This is not a pet to be taken for granted nor is it a “Display Pet”. The more it is handled the better, the more enjoyable and happier the pet will be. It is up to you to provide the socializing. It’s not meant to scare you, but you do need to know that handling your pet is mandatory for its health and happiness. At about 7-8 months out of the pouch some gliders do experience what we call the “The teenager” stage. The glider will be approaching maturity and breeding age and should be about full grown by now. The glider may start to show some aggression and start nipping, if this happens, be patient and continue handling as usual. This is a phase they go through and will outgrow it, remember be3ing a teen-ager?? Around this time the male glider will start to develop a bald spot on the top of his head and a spot on his chest. These are his scent glands, he uses them to put scent on his mate and any offspring he may have. So if you notice him rubbing you with his head, this could be his way of saying “your mine”. You may notice the male glider having a “red string” coming from the anal area. This is his penis; don’t be alarmed if you see this.
