One of the things you should remember when having Sugar Glider as your pet is their cage
. As
mentioned before in the wild they are tree dwelling creature, therefore you should provide your gliders with toys to play around, branches and ropes to climb and jump around is a good choice as it is their nature. Having horizontals and verticals bars are also a good addition to have for them to jump and play around.The bigger the cage the better it is for the Sugar Glider; some breeder and expert suggest that the minimum size should be around 36 by 24 inches is good enough for a pair of glider. The more gliders you plan to have than be prepared to have even bigger cage for them. Do not treat them like hamsters by housing them in a hamster cage because they are not, just like in their name suggest they glide meaning they are one active animal and space is essential to them.
These are some guide you can use when searching a house for your Sugar Glider.
1. Height of the cage.
In the wild it is natural for Sugar Gliders to jump and climb even gliding from tree top to tree tops. In captivity the owner should at least provide a high enough (around 3feet) cage to house their gliders. With a tall cage you can put branches or hang thick ropes from the top of the cage for your Sugar Glider to jump, climb and play around.
2. Materials of the cage.
When purchasing a cage for you Sugar Glider, care need to be taken on the type of material used to build the cage. Chicken wire cages are totally not suitable for these exotic pet as their feet can easily cut by the wire and also can cause irritation to them. Cage made of Galvanized wire also has often been blamed for urinary tract infections in sugar gliders. This is because urine from the Sugar Glider will interact with the galvanized wire, causing a chemical reaction that produces a white powdery residue that can cause irritant to Sugar Gliders. It is best to look for cages that are made PVC coated or vinyl coated wire or other quality materials as they are safer to your Gliders.
3. Lock and security.
Sugar Gliders are intelligent animal; over time they will observe how you open the door to their cage. Soon they will learn to open the door of their cage and let themselves free. It is better to get extra lock or better locking mechanism for the door just to be safe.
Also make sure the cage bar spacing to be about 1/2 inch in only one direction. Most manufactured cages have second dimension spacing as much as 5 to 6 inches. As long as one of the two dimensions is 1/2 inch, you are safe. Any larger the joey (baby Sugar Glider) can easily let themselves loose.
4. Toys
It is not necessary to have shelves and ramps for your Sugar Gliders cage
. What Sugar Gliders need are climbing apparatus like branches, vines and ropes. These items can help you to create a stimulating environment that is important for the active and extremely curious Sugar Glider. Give them things to do lest they become bored - bored little critters often turn into depressed little critters, and you don't want that!
. What Sugar Gliders need are climbing apparatus like branches, vines and ropes. These items can help you to create a stimulating environment that is important for the active and extremely curious Sugar Glider. Give them things to do lest they become bored - bored little critters often turn into depressed little critters, and you don't want that!The idea to have large cage is so they can actively climb, jump and run. Sugar Glider loves to jump, it is a favorite for them if the cage has levels, you are limiting limited their jumping space. Cages that are wide open from top to bottom, with the exception of branches and other stimulating toys like Wodent Wheel, is ideal for Sugar Glider.
