Sugar Glider owner's basic manual

Many people chose to adopt a Sugar Glider to be their pet because they are cute, cuddly and entertaining as well as exotic in nature.

Before thinking of having Sugar Gliders as pets, the owners to be are advised to have some Sugar Glider knowledge about these cute little pets. Do some research to know and understand its needs, characteristic, how they live and things that relates to them. Just like other exotic pet they tend to have their own unique requirements as they are not a domesticated pet like cats or dogs.

Sugar Glider is an omnivore also a nocturnal animal; they feed on plants and insects. In the wild they favored sweet foods like nectar, fruits, sweet sap such as from eucalyptus, acacia and gum trees, insects and small vertebrates. It’s active during the night gliding from tree to tree in search of foods and spends most of the daytime sleeping.

In captivity as a pet, Sugar Gliders’ diet need to be varied consisting of protein (meat, insect etc), fresh fruits and vegetables, and also supplement of calcium. Nowadays commercial dry and soft Sugar Glider pallets foods are easily available on the market, but it is not recommended that these become their staple food. It is always better to have fresh food source for your Sugar Glider in addition to commercial food.

Calcium is also crucial to Sugar Gliders’ diet; there are products on the market catered for them. The common problem of the Sugar Gliders’ health is the imbalance of phosphorous and calcium in their diet. Too much phosphorous leads to the blockage of other nutrients, this can cause malnourishment, foods that have calcium substance has always an equal amount of phosphorous. Food supplement that are rich in calcium is highly recommended to prevent diseases that are cause of phosphorous.

Sugar Gliders are social animals, in the wild they live in groups of 10 to 15 members. They love and get along the company of other Sugar Gliders very well. Due to this fact, owners should also consider adopting at least a pair when buying them. As a pet they can be very playful, it is also their social nature that allows them to develop bonds with their owners. In order to bond with their new Sugar Gliders, many owners’ carry them around in a bonding pouch for several hours a day. They need to have a social interaction and attention from their owners, they can get bored and lonely if left alone for a long period. They may usually become depressed, withdrawn, and defensive and may also refuse to eat. The more time you spend with them the stronger the bonds is.

In captivity a Sugar Glider can live from 12 to 15 years. They can be trained to perform tricks gliding from one place to another. Owners should be alert and be aware of their gliders when they are playing out of their cage.

Sugar Glider requires a tall cage rather than a wide ones, in the wild they are tree dwellers therefore they feel safer high up. The minimum height is about 30 inches, but some breeders and experts recommend using 24x36 inches cage which is a good size for a pair of Sugar Glider. In most cases the bigger the better it is, though the cage for Sugar Glider doesn’t focus on the floor so much but rather on its height. Owners should fill their cages with exercising wheels, toys, ladders, branches and ropes as to entice their glider to be active. Gliders are playful animal but if they are not active they tends to be obese and this creates problem to the owner.

It is recommended that they are allowed to play outside the cage for several hours in a glider safe room supervised by the owner. Sugar Gliders are cute and cuddly; children should be supervised by adults when they play around Sugar Glider.