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13K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  LUVmySUGIES 
#1 ·
Someone in my area is getting ride of their two sugar gliders. They come with the cage, toys, etc. I am really interested. I think they are very cute and I have been looking to get some more pets. I have been reading about them and I want to make sure I know what I am getting myself into before accepting them. I know that like all pets they require a lot of care and attention. I am fully able to provide everything they need and take on the responsibility. I just want to make sure they are the right pet for me.

I have a few questions for sugar glider owners. (I want personal experience answer, something the books and websites can not provide.)

1. I read that they smell and that they poop/pee a lot and will constantly do so when you hold them. Is this true? How bad do they smell (give an example of some kind of smell or animal)? How much do they poop/pee? How messy/dirty does the cage get and how fast? Will they always go to the bathroom on you?

2. I read they need 75% fresh fruit and vegetable and 25% protein. Can they eat frozen vegetable? I know canned things are not good because of all the perservs, sodium, etc. Do pet stores sell a staple food for them (I couldn't find this answer)? (I do not see how they do not have one, fruits and vegetables can not be that filling.) Like guinea pigs eat pellets as their main food but are also feed fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, etc.

3. Do they like to be touched and held? I like having pets I can touch and interact with. I do not want a decoration pet (like fish) that I can not touch and can only look at. Some sites say they are very friendly but others say they are not.

And, any other vice would be greatly appreciated. Like anything I should know about them that the books and websites do not mention. Not all animals go with the stereo type.
 
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#2 ·
Ok - I own 3 gliders and I will try to answer all your questions.....


1.) Smell & Poop / Pee

Yes, they do have a musky smell, but that is easily taken care of by using newspaper to line the bottom of the cage with (the removable tray) and changing the paper every week.

I also use this spray on the paper and in their wheel and it works GREAT!
PureAyre

Yes, they are like birds in that they will poop and pee and they need...... but they usually do most of this when they first wake up after sleeping for 12 hours, therefore, they have to relieve themselves.....
Just let them out of their pouch in the cage and let them do what nature calls for and then keep napkins around for extra little dropping as you hold them.


2.) Sugar Gliders Diet:

Basic 5 parts of a Sugar Glider Diet:
... based on approved & safe foods.

1 - Staple Food: main food suppy
2 - Fresh Protein Source
3 - Fresh Fruits & Vegetables
4 - Supplements: Vitamin & Calcium
5 - Daily Fresh WATER

If making a LeadBeaters Mix as your Staple the Protein & Vitamins / Calcium will be included in it.

Gliders are Sap Suckers - they suck all the moisture out of their food and spit out the rest.

SG can eat frozen food, but fresh is recommended.

Staple Food is a LeadBeaters Mix that you make - see what your gliders are already eating.... my three gliders eat BML.

BML Diet Plan



3.) Touch & Being Held

Gliders are very social animals, therefore, they should never be kept alone..... they need companionship of another glider and of their owners to feel secure. I hold and interact with my gliders every day and night.



4.) Other Info

........ check out SugarGliders4u2 (my website): My PETS the Sugar Gliders (2) |

........ check out Glider Central: GliderCENTRAL - Viewing a list of Forums UBB.threads™
 
#3 ·

I read that they smell and that they poop/pee a lot and will constantly do so when you hold them. Is this true?


They poop and pee quite a bit. They will start to smell if you don't clean the cage, but other than they the animals themselves don't really "smell." Male gliders have a certain light musk to them, in order to attract females in the wild. It is not very strong. It probably wouldn't bother you. Clean the cage 2 a week.

Will they always go to the bathroom on you?
yes. they can't be potty trained

I read they need 75% fresh fruit and vegetable and 25% protein. Can they eat frozen vegetable?
Do pet stores sell a staple food for them (I couldn't find this answer)? (I do not see how they do not have one, fruits and vegetables can not be that filling.) Like guinea pigs eat pellets as their main food but are also feed fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, etc.
No, there is no commercial grade suger glider food for these guys. They are exotic animals. They have not been fully domesticated or been around long enough for any company to have provided a unscientifically balanced commercial food yet. Also, most of what they eat is very perishable so it can't just be put on a shelf in the pet store. Their diet consists of a lot of fruits, vegetables, and assorted other things. Their are many different types of diets owners feed them but they are all different versions of the same basic idea. Fresh fruit is mandatory. And yes, it does get expensive feeding them over time.

Do they like to be touched and held?
Yes, you must tame them first. How long that takes will depend on how much time the previous owners spent taming them, the amount of time you are willing to put into taming them on a daily basis, whether they were wild caught or raised by a breeder (you will have to ask the owners), and their individual personalities.

A rough figure would be several months to a year for gliders that have already been through one home. Re-homed gliders are not good beginner gliders. Usually they come from a home that could not provide enough attention for them and therefore they are closer in personality to the gliders caught directly from the wild. Babies gliders, bought directly from a breeder, are much easier to tame. This is not to say that adult glider are tamable or beginner owners can't do it. It just means it will be that much harder for you. You will have to put a lot more time into them.

They also live to be 15 years old. They are nocturnal. You will only be able to "play" with them at night. Every glider needs a minimum of 1 hour of out-of-cage time every night for the next 15 years.

You will also need to find a vet that treats sugar gliders. Their vet care is expensive.

If you can handle all that than buy them.
 
#5 ·
We are currently working on acclimating our second re-homed glider. Our first, Milton, took a couple of months before he would come to us (my daughter and me). Now, my daughter takes him out during sleeping time, and he crawls up onto her shoulder, under her sweatshirt, and sleeps there, sometimes for hours. If she wakes him up took much, though, he will pee and poop on her. Stella has only been with us for a couple of months. It seemed that she was less used to humans when we got her than Milton was. Not sure what kind of attention and care she had been getting in her former home. She will now eat a walnut from my fingers while I pet her gently on the top of her head with the other hand. But she will still grab the last of the walnut and retreat to the other side of the cage. I have high hopes that eventually both gliders will be comfortable on our bodies. A few days after we got Stella, we let the two gliders out into neutral space together. Even though he was recently neutered, Milton began trying to mate with Stella. Since we're not sure how mature she is (she's 9 months old, but may not be fully mature) and we didn't want him to hurt her, we separated them, and they have not been out together since. We also read that it's important for the gliders to bond individually to the humans before they bond to each other, so we're working on that with Stella right now.

We feed mealworms coated in calcium powder (reptile calcium), a piece of nut, half a baby carrot, a grape, and some Brisky Bits Sugar Glider food (it came with Milton), or some other combination of fruit, veggies, nuts, and protein. Milton is a very picky eater. He doesn't especially like the prepared sg food, but if we just give him a few pieces he'll sometimes eat it. We read that sg's LOVE coconut -- not Milton. You just have to try out different foods and see what they like. And sometimes their tastes change, just like people. Stella, on the other hand, is a little on the chubby side, and when she's fed it's obvious why. She likes everything. I have to be careful to give her slightly smaller portions.

Our gliders are in a room with our pet rabbit and two pet rats. The rabbit is the stinkiest animal in the room. I would put the gliders next and then the rats. We clean glider cages about once a week and wipe down the bars every other week. Since they pee when they wake up, they usually do this down the side of the cage. It's good to have some sort of plastic cloth on the table or lip that sticks out on the cage -- like some bird cages have.

Hopefully, the person you'd be getting the gliders from has an adequate sized cage. When we got Milton, he was in a cage about 20 inches in diameter and 30 inches high. It was TOO SMALL for him. He couldn't bound around like he needed to. We got him a cage that's about 36"x24"x48. Stella's cage was even smaller, so we immediately moved her to Milton's old cage -- since we couldn't afford to buy another big cage -- and we let her out to exercise every day. We try to let Milton out every day, too, but since they're not interacting yet, sometimes we don't have time for each of them to be out separately for an hour.

We take ours to the "zoo vets" in town. An office visit was only $35, which is less than I pay to take in a dog or cat (different vet). Milton's neutering surgery was $160.

We love our gliders. Technically, they belong to my daughter, but when she's at her dad's they are my responsibility; and I love them. They are so interesting to watch. They aren't exactly what I'd call snuggly -- at least ours aren't. They don't sit on your lap and purr. But Milton loves being close to my daughter, and they'll run all over your body during playtime. Good luck.
 
#6 ·
Did you ever get them after? Or did you decide not to?

My ex had a sugie.This was before I knew him,I just seen pictures.They are cute animals,but seem to need ALOT of care.
 
#7 ·
They are cute animals, but seem to need ALOT of care.

A Passing Thought......

After being an Owner of three Sugar Gliders for a year I personally do not feel that SG need a lot of care (no more than any other pet we take into our home).

IMO SG are just like a Dog - feed them, love them, spend time with them and they will be HAPPY. :confetti:
 
#10 ·
I think that part of the reputation for high maintenance probably comes from the fact that they only want to play at night. If the owners are "early-to-bed" people, it would be difficult to stay up and play with the little guys. On the other hand, you could schedule play time early in the morning, too. When our Milton was alone, he would bark during the night. We would get up and talk to him and such. It was inconvenient having sleep interrupted each night by a lonely glider. Now that Stella is with us, even thought they're not in the same cage yet, the barking has (for the most part) stopped.

Dogs are in the same space as people most of the time, so they are getting attention all the time. Same with cats. But you have to take the time to get the glider out while s/he's sleepy and carry him or her around; and you have to make time while they're awake to play with them. I guess, in that respect, perhaps they're more labor intensive than some other pets.
 
#11 ·
We own 3 Sugies and to be honest it takes a whole 5 minutes to feed them water them and change the cage liner. I came up with a system that is VERY easy. Our cage has a slide out metal bottom so we put a white tall kitchen garbage bag over it and slide it back in cage. We have found that all you do is turn bag inside out when removing from pan and POOF no mess no fuss throw it away. I also read that Parrot food is good for these little guys too and they love it. We give them some fresh fruit about 1/2 - 3/4 cup and 2 slices of deli meat(ham or turkey). Every other day sprinkle with glidamins and thats all there is to it :) I wash the cage down with Dawn soapy water and wipe it all back off with a microfiber every week or two. Don't stress on the high maintenance it really isn't that bad. If you want to make it REALLY simple go to Sam's buy a Fruit bowl for 9 bucks and have fresh fruit ready to serve them :D This will last well over a week.

Good Luck,
Lew
 
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