Insects and Pinky Mice: Wild sugar gliders get most of their protein from insects and small vertebrates. Crickets, grasshoppers, moths, mealworms and earthworms are among their dietary staples.

Many sugar glider owners feed their gliders live insects, such as crickets or grasshoppers. Gliders are amazingly fast at catching their prey! But you should not overdo it when feeding insects to your glider. For example, mealworms are very high in fat, and a sugar glider who eats a lot of them will become obese. Additionally, their calcium to phosphorus content is skewed in favor of phosphorus. Many breeders feed crickets or mealworms only every other day. And other breeders avoid crickets because of the potential for aflatoxicosis.

Do not collect insects outdoors if there is even the slightest chance they have been in contact with insecticide. They may also have parasites that are unhealthy for your sugar glider. Instead, buy your insects from a pet store or supplier who raises them specifically as small animal food. Many sugar glider owners prefer to buy “gut-loaded” insects. “Gut-loaded” means that the insects are fed a diet that is nutritious for the animal who ultimately eats it. Remember, when your glider eats an insect, he is also ingesting what that insect eats. So why not use insects that are specially prepared to enhance your sugar glider’s nutrition?

Some sugar glider owners buy live crickets and/or mealworms. Crickets can be bought young, raised to majority (and gut-loaded) and then frozen. For more information on buying crickets and/or mealworms, go to wormman.com.

Also avoid catching small lizards outside and feeding them to your sugar glider. Many lizards carry the salmonella bacteria, which could possibly be transmitted to your glider.

Pinky mice can be bought at your local pet store. Pinky mice are baby mice that haven’t yet grown any fur. Many people don’t like to buy them, especially if they are vegetarians or simply don’t like the idea of buying baby mice. It’s up to you. If you buy them frozen, it is OK to feed them frozen to your sugar glider, without defrosting or microwaving them. This lessens the possibility of the meat spoiling overnight in your glider’s cage. You can also feed frozen juvenile or adult mice, which have a developed skeleton and therefore have higher calcium content. (Do not feed mice that you catch yourself! There is always a chance your little intruder has eaten warfarin or other deadly poisons!) One unpleasant thing about feeding frozen furry rodents, other than the fact that you are putting a mouse into your sugar glider’s cage, is the fact that you will have to remove the deceased critter’s pelt in the morning. Another worry is that mice can carry salmonella. It is for this reason that some sugar glider breeders do not recommend feeding pinkies or adult mice.

How much food should you feed your sugar glider? Most gliders will eat about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of food per day. The current recommended ratio of protein to fruits and vegetables is 40-50% protein (50% for breeding females) and 50% fruits and vegetables. This is another area of controversy, but some breeders feel that bone disease is more common in sugar gliders that only get a 25% protein-to-fruits/vegetables ratio. So, to play it safe, try to keep your glider’s food to about a 50/50 combination. That means if you give it 2 tablespoons of protein, then it should get about 2 tablespoons of finely-chopped fruit and vegetables. You will have to experiment a bit with your sugar glider. If you see it is getting obese, you need to cut back on its food. If it gobbles up everything in sight and licks its bowls clean, you may need to add a little more food until you find the right balance.

Some breeders have observed that their sugar gliders will occasionally eat very little for 2 or 3 nights, and then return to their normal feeding habits. If your glider gets fussy about its food, don’t be too concerned until it goes on for longer than that.

(To be continued…)

© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. Excerpted from Sugar Gliders: The Ultimate Guide. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

Calcium:Phosphorus Ratios of Selected Foods:

Remember: The chart below only gives you the ratio, not the amounts of calcium and phosphorus. In some cases, although the ratio looks good, the actual amount of calcium and phosphorus is small. The main thing you need to be concerned with is keeping the calcium:phosphorus ratio as near to 2:1 as possible, but if you are looking for amounts of calcium and/or phosphorus in each food, you will need to look up that information.

Apple 0.5:1 (low)
Banana 0.3:1 (low)
Beef, ground, extra lean, cooked 0.05:1 (very low)
Cantaloupe, trimmed 0.6:1 (low)
Carrot, raw 0.6:1 (low)
Cherries, pitted 1:1 (moderate)
Chicken, skinned, cooked 0.08:1 (very low)
Coconut, raw, shelled 0.12:1 (very low)
Corn, sweet, fresh, raw 0.03:1 (very low)
Egg, hardboiled, in shell 0.3:1 (low)
Fig, dried, uncooked 2.1:1 (very high)
Grape, seedless, peeled 1.4:1 (high)
Grapefruit, sections 1.3:1 (high)
Honeydew, cubed 0.56:1 (low)
Kiwi 0.65:1 (low)
Mango, peeled, seeded 1:1 (moderate)
Orange, trimmed sections 2:1 (very high)
Papaya, peeled, seeded 4.2:1 (very high)
Peach, peeled, pitted 0.45:1 (very low)
Peanut, raw 0.25:1 (very low)
Pear, with skin 1.1:1 (moderate)
Peas, green, sweet, raw, shelled 0.23:1 (very low)
Pineapple, diced 1:1 (moderate)
Plum, pitted 0.75:1 (low)
Prune, dried, pitted 0.6:1 (low)
Raisin, seedless 0.5:1 (low)
Raspberry, fresh, trimmed 1.75:1 (high)
Strawberry, fresh, trimmed 0.78:1 (low)
Sunflower seed, shelled, raw, dried 0.16:1 (very low)
Sweet Potato, raw 0.78:1 (low)
Tofu, raw, firm 1.1:1 (moderate)
Yogurt, plain 1.27:1 (moderate)
Wheat germ, ready to eat 0.04:1 (very low)

* Adapted from Sugar Gliders: A Complete Pet Owner’s Manual, by Caroline MacPherson, p. 74.

Fruits and vegetables: Sugar gliders like a wide range of fruits and vegetables, although their tastes tend to lean toward sweet varieties. Individual gliders will have likes and dislikes, so see what your glider(s) like, and balance that with what is nutritionally good for them.

Fresh fruits and vegetables should be given every evening. Be sure to change the combination every night, both to avoid sugar glider boredom and to assure your glider gets a variety of nutrients. Cut the fruit into chunks, but you don’t need to cut it into tiny pieces. Your glider will eat the fleshy part of the fruit and leave the peel.

Be sure to wash all the fruits and vegetables thoroughly to remove pesticide residues, or feed organic fruits and veggies. Some people peel their sugar gliders’ fruits and vegetables, both to remove surface pesticides as well as to lessen the chance of giardia contamination. Always wash your hands well after washing and/or peeling fruit and vegetables, for the same reasons.

Avoid feeding dried fruit and nut mixtures! These mixtures often contain added salt, sugar and preservatives/sulfites. In addition, nuts are very fatty and have a lot of phosphorus. Unfortunately, if allowed to, most sugar gliders will gorge themselves on nuts. This will lead to obesity and malnutrition. Too much phosphorus can interfere with calcium absorption.

Red meat, Poultry, Eggs and Tofu: These are sources of protein in the sugar glider diet. All meat and poultry should be cooked (but not fried) and cut into very little pieces. Do not feed meats that have been spiced or processed and especially do not feed any meat that has garlic, onions, chives or leeks in it! Chicken and other poultry should be skinless and boneless. The bones shatter too easily, and the skin contains way too much fat. Eggs can be hard-boiled and mashed/chopped. Some glider breeders occasionally use scrambled eggs, but try to keep the fat content as low as possible.

Remember that eggs and meats-off-the-bone are low in calcium and magnesium; at the same time, they are also high in phosphorus. Do not use them as the main source of protein in your sugar glider’s diet unless you also supplement his diet with calcium.

Some sugar glider owners use baby food, which provides a convenient form of pureed meat. But be sure to read the label carefully: No onions, garlic, chives or leeks should be present in the baby food! If it is present, do not use that particular baby food. Additionally, some baby foods contain a lot of sodium, which is unhealthy for sugar gliders (and babies, too).

Tofu is another one of those debated foods. Caroline MacPherson recommends it as a good source of protein, and it has a higher percentage of calcium than phosphorus. But there are some breeders who are opposed to soy products being given to sugar gliders. They cite research on other animals which shows tofu as having a negative effect on the digestive system. As yet, a negative effect on sugar gliders has not been proven. Other breeders object to tofu because it is a bean source of protein, not a meat or insect source of protein. Not all gliders take to tofu right away, and you may have to puree it with a fruit your glider likes, or add a little bit of honey.

(To be continued…)

© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. Excerpted from Sugar Gliders: The Ultimate Guide. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

You will frequently see a discussion of the Calcium to Phosphorus ratio in sugar glider diets. What does this mean? In general, you want your sugar glider’s diet to have twice as much calcium as phosphorus, for a calcium to phosphorus ratio of 2:1. Phosphorus can interfere with calcium absorption, and sugar gliders have a great need for excellent calcium input and absorption.

Determining the actual calcium:phosphorus amount in food is not always easy. The best source to consult is a book, Bowes & Church’s Food Values of Portions Commonly Used (be sure to get the 17th edition). This huge book is a wonderful reference, as it compares thousands and thousands of foods on a by-weight basis. It’s also good for human dietary concerns (counting carbohydrates, fats, etc.). Another book is The Corinne T. Netzer Encyclopedia of Food Values.

Once you have the calcium and phosphorus amounts for each food, calculating the ratio is easy:

Calcium amount divided by phosphorus amount = calcium:phosphorus ratio

Example 1: 250 mg. of calcium ÷ 115 mg. of phosphorus = 2.17. The calcium:phosphorus ratio is 2.17:1. This is would be a very desirable ratio.

Example 2: 109 mg. of calcium ÷ 76 mg. of phosphorus = 1.43. The calcium:phosphorus ratio is 1.43:1. This is not as good, but the ratio is still better than 1:1 and thus desirable.

Example 3: 250 mg. of calcium ÷ 350 mg. of phosphorus = 0.71. The calcium:phosphorus ratio is 0.71:1. This is a bad result and represents an example where the ratio is leaning towards being inverse. In other words, instead of there being a higher percentage of calcium relative to phosphorus, there is actually a higher percentage of phosphorus relative to calcium.

Notice that when you do the division and come up with a number, the ratio is expressed as that mathematical result relative to the number 1. So the result is always xxx:1. You don’t need to worry about what comes after the colon; it’s always 1.

Right about now, you are probably pulling your hair out, wondering how the heck you’re going to do all that math just to feed your precious sugar glider properly! Hang on, there is good news, and a little bad news.

The good news is that if you Google the term “calcium:phosphorus ratio foods” (or something similar), you will find that there are some websites that have the ratio already calculated for a bunch of foods. One site, the Iguana Den, has a page with the calcium:phosphorus ratio calculated for many vegetables and grains as well as a page with the ratio calculate for many fruits. Another site deals with guinea pigs, and it has an Excel spreadsheet you can download. In each case, just remember that there may be fruits or vegetables that are not good for sugar gliders, so always keep the list of “bad foods” in mind.

Still more good news is that commercial sugar glider foods usually tell you what the calcium:phosphorus ratio of their food is. But remember, no one is suggesting that you make any commercial glider foods the sole diet of your sugar glider!

And even more good news is that most sugar glider owners and breeders supplement their gliders’ diet with calcium, to tip the balance in favor of calcium. (I will talk more about supplementation in an upcoming post).

The really good news is that I have calculated some calcium:phosphorus ratios of some common glider foods for you, and I will list those food in the next blog entry. Note: The table only gives you the ratio, not the amounts of calcium and phosphorus. In some cases, although the ratio looks good, the actual amount of calcium and phosphorus is small. The main thing you need to be concerned with is keeping the calcium:phosphorus ratio as near to 2:1 as possible, but if you are looking for amounts of calcium and/or phosphorus in each food, you will need to look up that information.

The bad news is that sometimes you’re still going to have to look up and calculate the ratios of one or more foods you are feeding your glider, especially if it is something you feed him more than just occasionally. That’s when you’ll need to turn to the books I’ve suggested or other sources of nutritional information.

(To be continued…)

© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. Excerpted from Sugar Gliders: The Ultimate Guide. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

This post is about what I call the Great Cat Food Debate, or Cat Food Wars, among suggie owners and breeders.

There is a great deal of debate about whether sugar gliders should ever be fed cat food. Some long-time sugar glider breeders feed high-quality (high protein) dry cat food as part of their gliders’ diet, while other breeders wouldn’t dream of giving cat food to their gliders. Caroline MacPherson, author of Sugar Gliders, A Complete Pet Owner’s Manual, says:

“The protein component of a glider’s diet is satisfied primarily by dry cat food although there is some concern amongst animal nutritionists that the use of cat food may impact negatively upon the long term health of gliders. However, I have been using a good quality dry cat food for 4 1/2 yrs now and have had very few problems and my gliders breed very well. I am presently using Science Diet…. Cat food manufacturers deliberately balance their feed so that the amount of calcium to phosphorus is roughly 1:1.” (She says this on her website.)

But other folks are adamant. They say, “NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use cat food for any reason. Ever.” They tie dry cat food to medical ailments such as intestinal blockage and lumpy jaw, both serious health issues.

How can a new sugar glider owner decide who is right? Remember, cats are carnivores, while sugar gliders are omnivores. So it makes sense that cat food might not be appropriate for sugar gliders. And remember, too, that there’s a lot of cheap, junky cat food on the market, filled with grain fillers, meat by-products and ash that aren’t very nutritious for sugar gliders (or cats, for that matter) and might actually cause digestive system impaction.

If you are new to sugar gliders, it is advisable to stay away from cat food until you are experienced enough and knowledgeable enough to make up your own mind about cat food. It’s my opinion that cat food does not belong in the sugar glider diet. Sugar gliders’ nutritional needs are now known to be way more complex than it was thought when MacPherson originally wrote her book.

But in all events, you definitely should avoid the temptation to feed your glider nothing but cat food, no matter how convenient it is. Feeding an all-cat-food diet to your sugar glider will lead to health problems down the road. Meanwhile, read all you can, and ask questions of other sugar glider owners.

(To be continued…)

© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. Excerpted from Sugar Gliders: The Ultimate Guide. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

The topic of sugar glider nutrition is extremely important. Ideally, in order to thrive, your glider would get a balanced diet that mimics the mix of food and nutrients he or she would get in the wild. However, there has not been a lot of research on the optimal glider diet, and most people do not live where they can reproduce the diet available to sugar gliders in Australia. And recently, some sugar glider experts have increased the recommended protein percentage from about 25% to about 40-50% (50% for breeding females especially).

There is no agreement on one single diet that is perfect for sugar gliders. So the golden rule is to provide a rotating variety of foods with the proper nutritional balance and follow the stream of new information as it arrives (join sugar glider forums, read newsletters, etc.).

A corollary of the golden rule is to avoid giving junk food. Just because sugar gliders love sweet stuff does not mean you should ever give them candy or other sweets! You should never feed them raw sugar, sugar substitutes, candy or chocolate.

Another rule for new sugar glider owners: if you’re not sure if a food is nutritious for your sugar glider, don’t feed it that food. Research the food and ask other sugar glider owners for their opinions. Then draw your own conclusions and introduce any new food slowly.

The bad news is that you can’t just go out to the pet store and buy a commercial chow and assume your glider will thrive. In that sense, they are not as easy to take care of as dogs and cats are. The good news is that there is lots of information on glider nutrition available, and certain requirements area well-known and agreed-upon.

In the wild, the sugar glider diet consists of insects and arachnids (spiders), nectar, pollen, tree sap and gums (from eucalyptus and acacia trees), manna, and honeydew. Protein is supplied primarily through the consumption of insects, moths, beetles, pollen and occasional small birds and other vertebrates. Their diet varies with the seasons. During the spring and summer months, gliders are mostly insectivorous, and during the winter months, they eat gum from the eucalyptus and acacia trees, as well as sap and sugar from the trees and sap-sucking insects.

The basic diet for sugar gliders follows this simple plan: Protein Source + Fruits & Vegetables + a Nutritional Supplement + fresh water.

In captivity, sugar gliders are fed mostly fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, insects and sometimes rodents and dairy products. There is some discussion about whether sugar gliders are lactose-intolerant, although their “mother’s milk” does have lactose in it. Most breeders recommend that you do not feed cow’s milk or goat’s milk to your sugar glider. Many of them, however, feed yogurt to their sugar gliders with no problem. The general rule about dairy products is this: feed small amounts of dairy products to start. If your glider gets diarrhea or other symptoms from it, then stop. Most breeders recommend that you avoid giving cheese to your sugar glider, because it may cause intestinal binding.

(To be continued…)

© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. Excerpted from Sugar Gliders: The Ultimate Guide. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

Many sugar glider owners enjoy carrying their gliders around in a bonding pouch. This pouch is usually made from soft fabrics similar to those used for sleeping pouches, but it has a carry strap that the owner can use to carry the pouch around her neck or on her shoulder. The nicest and most comfortable (for the glider) pouches have a section of mesh that allows air to circulate and also allows the glider to peer out at his world, if he so chooses. They may also have a Velcro® closure that prevents the glider from popping out unexpectedly. Bonding pouches may be obtained from many sugar glider specialty shops, and they can also be found on eBay.

Treats are useful for bonding. For example, as you carry your glider around in its bonding pouch, you can open the pouch and offer a treat. Pretty soon, the sugar glider will figure out that when the pouch opens and he interacts with you, he will get a treat. After a while, he will be brave enough to leave the pouch and hop on your hand to get a treat. Avoid junk food treats and avoid nuts, peanuts and other foods that are not good for sugar gliders! Treats should always be nutritious and in tiny amounts.

Eventually, your sugar glider will be content to let you carry him around for hours, especially if it is daytime and he is sleepy. Many sugar glider experts recommend that you reach a level of 2 to 4 hours per day of bonding activity (or, in the case of the sugar glider itself, bonding inactivity). Remember, bonding activity and playing activity are not the same thing. Bonding involves being very physically close to your sugar glider, so that he feels comforted and safe on or very near you.

Where should bonding take place? Once you and your sugar glider are used to each other, you can strengthen the bonding process almost anywhere that is safe. In the beginning of the bonding process, however, it’s a good idea to keep your sugar glider with you in a relatively small enclosed space. If you can glider-proof your bathroom, then that is a suitable place to start the bonding process, but only if you can glider-proof it! (I will write extensively about Sugar Glider safety in future posts.) Some people buy a small zip-up type camping tent that will fit in one of their rooms. They place some treats and toys in the tent, and then carry the sugar glider into the tent (preferably he will still be in his sleeping pouch). They zip the tent up and then encourage the sugar glider to explore this little world filled with nothing but treats, toys and their owner.

How long should you expect the bonding process to take? The answer, of course, is that it varies. But generally speaking, it will take at least a month, assuming you spend about 2 to 4 hours per day doing bonding activities (which can be as simple as carrying your sugar glider around in a bonding pouch or its sleeping pouch). Sometimes bonding will occur much more quickly, especially if you’ve bought a hand-tamed joey. Joeys are generally easier to bond with than older gliders are and as a very broad generalization, males tend to bond a little bit faster than females.

Assuming your adult sugar glider has not come from an abusive environment, bonding might take 3 to 5 months. If you’ve adopted a sugar glider who has been abused, bonding might take far longer, as your glider will need a lot of time to build up trust in you. The most important qualities you can have during the bonding process are consistency, patience and persistence.

© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. Excerpted from Sugar Gliders: The Ultimate Guide. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

If your sugar glider’s cage has a door large enough for both of your hands, then approach the glider with both hands cupped and surround him slowly with both hands. You can hold him near your body in your cupped hands, or against your chest. If your glider is sleeping in his sleeping pouch, take the pouch out of the cage with the glider still in it. Then slide your hand in the pouch and wait a moment so that you don’t wake the glider up suddenly. Never just reach in a pouch or a nest box and grab your sugar glider! You risk frightening them and getting bitten. If your glider seems to get cranky the minute you get near the pouch, just remove the pouch and carry it around with him in it while speaking gently to him.

Removing your sugar glider’s sleeping pouch from his cage and carrying him around is a good way to begin the process. Let him continue sleeping, and he will begin to get used to your scent and presence. Since sugar gliders are nocturnal, this discussion assumes it is daytime, of course. If you get home from work after dark, it is most likely that your sugar glider will be up and active, so his sleeping pouch will be unoccupied and you’ll need to coax him into your hands. Once you and your sugar glider are bonded, keep in mind that excessive daytime playing can be stressful for a glider. Carrying him around while he is sleeping during the day will almost always be a pleasant experience for both of you. Eventually, he may get up the courage to come out and explore – maybe even climb through your hair!

Yes, many sugar gliders do like to sleep in your pockets! And some sugar glider owners have found that if they wear two tee shirts, their new glider will sleep between the two layers as they are carried around. That way, the glider feels safe and warm and he grows accustomed to your scent. Quite a few female sugar glider owners report that they have “bra-trained” their gliders! The sugar glider settles in to sleep between the two bra cups. Be sure you’re not allergic to your sugar glider before you try this! And make sure your sugar glider is not prone to nipping/biting. Ask members on some of the internet sugar glider discussion forums about this practice if you are interested in bonding with your sugar glider this way.

(To be continued…)

© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. Excerpted from Sugar Gliders: The Ultimate Guide. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

It is important to approach your sugar glider with confidence and gentleness. Even very young joeys can rear up on their back legs, lunge and hiss or crab if they feel frightened or threatened. They can look very scary! And they can even bite you. Yes, sugar gliders do bite. The bite of a joey is not particularly painful, but the bite of an adult can draw blood. Do not attempt to get around this problem by wearing gloves, however. Gloves will mask the scent of your hands and you will continually be presenting yourself as a stranger to your glider.

There are some general rules for handling that will increase your chances for an early bonding with your sugar glider. If you approach your glider with your hand and he rears and lunges, resist the urge to quickly withdraw your hand. It’s easier said than done, but sugar gliders can detect and react to fear just like other pets. If he bites you, NEVER hit him! Never! Say NO! and continue your approach. You don’t want to teach your sugar glider that he can get his way by biting. On the other hand, respect the fact that he is a frightened wild animal. If the sugar glider persists in being aggressive, end the attempt to bond and start again the next time.

Some people begin approaching their sugar gliders with a “licky treat” on the end of their finger. This might be a little yogurt or applesauce or something else enjoyable. That way, your sugar glider will associate your approach with good things and not stress. Remember, though, that your sugar glider might still bite you if it is very frightened. Don’t shove your finger in his face. It’s always best to hold your hand back a bit from the sugar glider and let him come to you. If he does act aggressively, try to avoid screaming, jumping back suddenly, etc. (Again, I know this is easier said than done.) This will just cause more fear and stress in the glider.

Never reach in the cage and just grab the glider! This feeling of restriction makes sugar gliders feel threatened. Certainly never grab them by the back of the neck, the way a mama cat would carry a kitten. And never grab a sugar glider by the tail. Instead, use a scooping motion to pick them up with a cupped hand. If they are reluctant to leave the branch or whatever they are clinging to, use one finger to tickle their feet. This will encourage the sugar glider to hang onto you instead of the branch. Some gliders will hop on the back of your hand if you offer it, so try this approach if nothing else works.

(To be continued…)

© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. Excerpted from Sugar Gliders: The Ultimate Guide. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

The topic of bonding is near and dear to the hearts of sugar glider lovers! When properly done, bonding results in a loving pet that is strongly emotionally attached to you. Your bonded sugar glider will probably also want to be physically near you as much as possible, too. Sugar glider owners love to carry their little pals with them, and the gliders seem to love being carried. Bear in mind that some gliders bond quickly, while others require more time. They all have little personalities, just like any other pet. So take your time and let your glider bond at its own pace. There is no reason or need to hurry. Bonding will happen, if you are willing to invest your time!

The most important qualities you can have during the bonding process are consistency, patience, and persistence. Consistently spend a lot of time with your glider, be patient if he seems less-than ready to bond, and persist in bonding with him. Don’t let him scare you off if he seems a little defensive or even aggressive.

The most important thing to remember is that gliders bond by scent. The other thing to remember is that changes in their environment can create stress that is likely to make them react out of fear. So when you bring a sugar glider into your home for the first time, don’t expect him to hop right into your hand! Instead, leave him alone to explore his new territory/environment for a few days or so, while you just keep a watchful eye on him. You can hang out in the same room as him, so he gets used to your presence. You’ll need to feed and water him during this time period, of course. Some sugar gliders can take up to a week to get used to their new environment. Don’t push your sugar glider to acclimate faster than he is ready to!

Some breeders recommend that you leave an article of clothing, such as a tee shirt, draped over the cage for the first day or so. Don’t wash the tee shirt before doing this. By leaving the tee shirt around, the sugar glider will get used to your scent and you will seem more familiar when you come close to him. You can wear this tee shirt the first time you attempt to get close to him so that he’s got a familiar, scented item to comfort him. Remember that if you are wearing a new perfume or deodorant or anything else scented, this will make you seem unfamiliar to your sugar glider.

Don’t overwhelm your new sugar glider by having too many people trying to get close to him all at the same time. He may perceive that as a threat and will react fearfully. However, if more than one person plans on bonding with the sugar glider, all of them should begin bonding activities quickly. In other words, all people who want to bond with the sugar glider should begin spending quality time with the glider from early on. Your glider may or may not pick out a “favorite” human, but gliders are certainly capable of bonding with more than one human.

(To be continued…)

© 2006 SugarGliderAuthority.com. Excerpted from Sugar Gliders: The Ultimate Guide. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

How should the cage be furnished?

The key principle to keep in mind is that your sugar glider’s cage should mimic its natural environment to the extent possible. In their natural environment, sugar gliders climb, jump and glide from branch to branch and from tree to tree. Here are some suggestions to help keep your glider happy:

Tree branches:

Including branches in your sugar glider’s cage will provide it something to sit on and glide or jump to/from! Attach the branches with glider-safe ties or straps. Don’t use wire twist-ties! Use a type of wood that is rated as safe for small birds, such as apple, aspen, cottonwood and willow. Many breeders prefer manzanita branches above all others. Make sure the branches have not been sprayed with pesticides. If you use a tree branch from your yard, you may want to place it in a freezer for a day or two, in order to kill any bugs in/on it.

Do not use branches from pine trees, cedar trees, fir trees or redwood trees. They all produce a sticky sap that can be quite difficult to remove from your glider’s fur. And the sap may in fact be poisonous.

Your sugar glider will have a good time stripping the bark from the branches! Once a branch is stripped and/or soiled, replace it with a new one.

Other climbing and frolicking toys:

Climbing robes, perches, ladders, bird bells, etc. are also enjoyed by sugar gliders. Check your pet store’s parrot and hamster toys. Be sure that anything you buy is sturdy enough to take the wear from an active sugar glider!

Nesting boxes or a sleeping pouch:

A nesting box is a very important part of your sugar glider’s environment! Remember, they are nocturnal and need a warm, safe place to curl up and sleep during the day. Nesting boxes can be made of wood, wicker (like a finch nest) or plastic. The hole in the nesting box should be at least 1.5 inches (3.75 cm) in diameter. If you are using the nesting box for breeding, make sure the hole is up high enough, or on top of the box, so that the babies can’t fall out. If you really want to keep your glider happy, provide more than one nesting box or sleeping pouch.

As an alternative, you can put a cloth sleeping pouch with a slit in it in the cage, and tie it to the side of the cage; sort of like a sugar glider sleeping bag! These sleeping pouches are very popular with sugar glider owners. Sleeping pouches can be washed when necessary. Be sure to clip any hanging threads inside the sleeping pouch. A hanging thread can get wrapped around your glider’s paw and cause a lot of damage.

It is not absolutely necessary that your sugar glider’s nesting box have bedding in it. You can, however, add plain shredded paper (NO newsprint or magazine print), strips of fleece material or aspen wood shavings.

Never use cedar wood shavings, as the volatile oils in them are toxic to sugar gliders and many other small animals. As a precaution, try to avoid pine shavings because they have volatile resins that can be toxic to gliders.

If your sugar glider eats its nesting material, remove the nesting material, because the sugar glider could wind up with an impacted digestive system. You can put a piece soft fabric in the nesting box in place of shredded wood, paper, etc.

Litter versus bedding material:

One of the facts of sugar glider life is that gliders cannot be litter trained. So an actual litter box is not going to change their nature. However, gliders’ stools are small and quickly dry to hardness, like mouse poop. They usually urinate while on the wire of their cage or on one of their branches. So your best bet is to line the bottom of their cage with absorbent material, such as wood shavings (NOT cedar shavings, however) or even unscented cat litter. Ideally, you want your sugar glider’s absorbent bedding to be unreachable by the glider. If you can find a cage with a slide-out tray and a layer of wire over the tray, that will work best. If you construct your own cage, put a wire layer over the bedding to prevent the sugar gliders from walking around in their own waste.

Food and water containers:

The first principle of feeding and watering sugar gliders is to place the food and water high up in the cage. Gliders feel comfortable eating up high, because they are tree-dwellers. For a food container, you can use anything from a heavy “crock” type pet food dish that can’t be tipped over to bird dishes that clip onto the wire. Be sure to dump out and clean the food dishes every day, in order to prevent food from spoiling and making your glider sick.

For a water container, you can also use a heavy “crock” type pet food dish, or a sipper-type of water bottle. Water bottles work nicely because your sugar glider can’t pee and poop in them, as they might in a dish. However, until you are sure your glider has gotten “the hang” of sipping from a water bottle, also include some water in an open dish.

Toys:

Sugar gliders love playing with bird toys. Make sure that the toys do not have small parts that can easily be bitten or pulled off. They also love to hide in PVC pipe! You can give your sugar glider a chew bone, but do not use poultry bones, or pork or lamb bones.

An important note about hamster wheels: Some people think gliders and wire hamster wheels are a natural combination. However, they can cause injuries to sugar gliders. Tails can get caught in the wire wheels, and if one glider jumps on the wheel while another spins it, the first glider’s legs or paws may get caught in the wheel. Use a solid wheel, such as Wodent Wheels from Transoniq. Another benefit of the solid wheels is that you can put fine-grade sandpaper in the wheel to keep your sugar glider’s nails trimmed. There are specialty products designed to fit inside the Wodent Wheel so that it automatically trims your glider’s nails as he runs on the wheel. I recommend the 8″ Wodent Wheel for joeys and the 11″ Wodent Wheel for adult suggies.
Here’s what a Wodent Wheel looks like:

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