A Pet Sugar Glider Owner’s Manual

The most popular of all the exotic small pets is a tiny marsupial known as the sugar glider. Known for their adorable masked-bandit faces, soft grey color, and bushy tail, they are quickly becoming a household name in places where cats and dogs are disallowed. Keeping a pet sugar glider takes a great deal of responsibility however. Interested in learning more about these wonderful little pets? Follow these helpful hints to learn what it takes to care for your very own pet sugar glider:

What Are Sugar Gliders?

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a marsupial!

The sugar glider, occasionally known as the Flying Sugar, is a small gliding member of the possum family. Native to Australia, New Guinea, and the Bismarck Archipelago, they were then introduced to Tasmania, the United States and have since become a favored pet throughout the world. Of course, this comes as no surprise to those who are familiar with these little flying possums - sugar gliders are well-known for their intelligence, inquisitive nature, and their love of riding about in pockets.

Sugar gliders are marsupials, meaning that their young are raised in a pouch for the first few weeks of their lives, not unlike a kangaroo, and these adorable little animals can live up to 15 years in captivity. Before you rush out to buy a sugar glider baby, though, do a little investigation and ensure that it’s not only legal for you to own a flying sugar in your state, but also make sure that there are no special licenses or permits needed to own an exotic pet. Some states, such as California and Georgia, do not allow the general public to keep sugar gliders as pets, so always be sure to check with your local governmental offices to make sure - it could save a lot of heartache down the road.

Night-time Party Animals

One important thing to keep in mind, should you be considering a flying sugar baby as a pet, is to remember that these little animals are nocturnal. Very few people are awake during the times that a sugar glider is awake and wanting to be social and play. Failing to spend time with your sugar glider can put him into a severe depression which can cause him to stop eating. For this reason, many people house multiple sugar gliders together but, bear in mind that if you have more than a single sugar glider together, they will bond together and exhibit more wild tendencies than if you have a single individual. Sugar gliders require a very dedicated, special person, in order to keep these pets happy and healthy.

Preparing a Home For Your Baby Sugar Glider

So you’ve checked on what special permits are needed, if any, and you’re interested in getting a flying sugar for a pet - what next? Well, first of all, you will need a cage for your pet sugar glider to call home. This cage will have to be large enough for him to get ample exercise and it will need to resemble his natural habitat as much as possible, in order to keep him happy.

Sugar gliders do best in vertical cages (tall, skyscraper-style cages), as opposed to short cages that are long. In the wild, these little marsupials spend most of their time up in trees, where they feed, frolic and make their nests, so you need to give them plenty of room to climb upwards. Also important is that they have a nesting box that they can crawl into, when they want to sleep or hide away from the rest of the world. Usually attached up near the top of the cage, this is a sugar glider’s safe haven and you should never try and shake your pet out of his nest or bang on it, just to get him to come outside. Always be sure to coax him out gently. Failing to do so may make him aggressive and territorial.

While baby sugar gliders might enjoy playing with bells and toys, most adult gliders are unamused by such things and prefer to simply be out riding about with their owners. They do, however, enjoy a home that is close to their natural habitat and like plants and vines in their cages. It’s imperative, however, that you check what kind of plants you are putting in the cage, however, as some can be very poisonous to flying sugars. Always take the time to do a little research first, to ensure you keep your sugar glider healthy and happy.

Choosing Your First Sugar Glider

Sugar gliders are very intelligent and inquisitive little creatures and this should be obvious, as soon as she look upon a healthy individual. Their dark eyes should be large, luminous, and attentive to their surroundings. The sugar glider should move freely, showing the ability to run and climb well, and he should not be coughing or sneezing.

Check the bottom of the sugar glider’s cage, making sure there are no signs that he may have diarrhea or blood in his stools and check out what kind of food he is being fed. Breeders who feed their sugar gliders out of dirty dishes or leave fruits out all day should be avoided, as these little animals can often have problems due to the bacteria and dirty living areas. Additionally, check the sugar glider’s coat - a healthy flying sugar has a coat that is a clean and soft dove grey or, more uncommonly, a piebald or albino hue. Sugar gliders are very clean little individuals, not unlike cats, and a dirty coat is a sign that this particular individual may be feeling poorly.

Also ask to hold the sugar glider, if at all possible, or ask the breeder to do so. You never want to choose a baby (or adult) sugar glider that exhibits aggressive tendencies. As they get older, juveniles who have this habit, tend to become biters and no one wants a pet like that.

Bringing Your New Sugar Glider Home

It’s always so exciting to bring home a new pet and everyone is bound to want to hold and cuddle a little creature as sweet as a baby sugar glider. But before you pass him around, bear in mind what a frightening and traumatic time this may be for your pet. For many sugar gliders, this is often their first car ride that they’ve ever taken and you’ve removed them from their comfortable nest of safety, the only home they’ve ever known.

Before you go handling your sugar glider extensively, give him a few days to adjust to the change in surroundings, the different noises and all the different scents that he’s smelling. Showing him this consideration will make a world of difference, when it comes to gaining your new pet’s trust and affection. Don’t be afraid to take it slow - when he’s ready, he will let you know.

There are a variety of different sugar glider foods on the market today. It’s best to always ask the breeder what sort of diet that she was feeding their sugar gliders so that you can either keep them on that diet or gradually wean them from it and switch them over to your foods. Sugar gliders do best when fed a well-balanced diet consisting of sugar glider nectar, fresh fruits, and the occasional insect side dishes. Never overfeed your sugar glider, or leave his fruit out for more than about 30 minutes at a time. Doing so can cause it to decay and, if your sugar glider has eaten some, but not all of the food, be sure to dump out the remainder and get them fresh when they are hungry again.

Sugar gliders require a great deal of responsibility and love, but any owner will be happy to tell you that they are worth each and every moment of it.