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| The most asked questions with quick answers.
If you were sent to this page after e-mailing me with a question, it is because
I believed your question would be answered on this FAQ. As much as I would like
to give personal replies to each question, I often don't have the time to do so.
However I do want to answer your questions and that is why this page was
created. For more information that every glider owner should know please review our booklet that is a work in progress entitled Vital Glider Knowledge For all Sugar Glider Owners This booklet contains all the information below plus a LOT more. It is required reading for any sugar glider owner or someone about to get a sugar glider.
What is the Basic Glider Info in condensed formSugar Gliders (Genetic name:Petaurus breviceps.: Belongs to a group of animals called phalangers which means "fingery one". They are a small marsupials (carry offspring called joeys in a pouch like a Kangaroo), closely related to the opossum that are arboreal (lives in trees normally not on the ground), nocturnal (are most active at night), omnivorous (eat both plant and animal mater). Originally from the forest of northeast, east and southeast Australia and Papua-New Guina as well as in some of the islands in the Indonesian chain. The gliders that are seen in the United States are mostly from the Indonesia stock, or more specifically the Petaurus breviceps biacensis subspecies from Biak Island, West Papua, Indonesia. Back in 1994 when they were first imported they were not as tame and much darker (due to sap of acacia trees that sugar gliders consume in the wild) than the tame domestically raised babies we see to day. They are communal and live in colonies from 7 to 15 gliders and are very social. They Weigh:3-6 oz (adult) with a Size around 12 inches long including the tail (4 inches from noise to base of tail) about the same size as a Southern Flying Squirrel, and have a Lifespan of 5 to 7 yrs in the wild and 10 to 15 years in captivity. They have a patagium (membrane from their front paws to it's ankles like a flying squirrel) that is used for gliding (glided flight in a downward direction) 150 feet or more from tree to tree. Normal color is steel gray to brownish with a black stripe down the back. (check out our Photo Pages) The tail is furry and is not prehensile (used as an extra appendage like most other animals in the opossum family). They have a supple opposable toe on each hind leg that does not have a claw. The next two digits on the hind legs are partially fused and used to brush and clean fur. Gliders make great pets, and bond readily to humans and are quite affectionate.
Do Gliders Make Good PetsA resounding YES! For way too many reasons to list here. If you want an animal that is small and will bond well to people you could easily say Gliders are man's best friend. Gliders adapt well to people and develop strong relational bonds with their owners As far as pets go, (and different pets all have their goods and bads) there is only one negative pet quality Sugar Gliders have and that is they can't be litter box trained.
How much do Sugar Gliders Cost?Most hand tame pet gliders run from $175 up to $250 depending on the location and availability. Breeders animals , which are normally not very tame and normally can not be handled, cost less. You can find Critter Huts price by clicking here.
What do you feed your Sugar Gliders?The staple food We feed our gliders a commercial pellet dry food each and every day as well as a 4 day rotation of other foods. As you can see variety is the key here and it has served us well as we have so far never had any diet related illness or death. The pellet food is one of 3 different commercially available. We rotate between. Again Variety.
You can find more information about the dry pellet food here In addition to the dry food we also rotate every 4 days the following items.
1. Fresh or Frozen Fruit NO canned or other foods with any
preservatives or added spices.
We normally take some fresh fruit that is in season and mix it with a
large bag of Frozen fruit. Chop it all up in a food processor into small bits,
something like applesauce and then freeze in ice cube
trays.
The advantage of chopping up or food processing the foods is not only does it make it easy to prepare many meals at a time (by freezing the apple sauce type texture) but is also ads greatly in the amount of nutrition a picky glider gets. Often times when offered large chucks of different foods gliders will only eat their favorite and leave the rest perhaps not getting the full nutrition needed. We add Calcium / Vitamin D3 (Rep-Cal Phosphorus-Free calcium with Vit. D3) to the fruit mix at 1 heeping tablespoon per pound. We also add a general Multi-Vitamin (Rep-Cal Herptivite Multivitamins) to the protein mix about 1 tablespoon per pound of protein food. Rep-Cal Calcium and Rep-Cal Herptivite are made for Reptiles and Amphibians and are available at most pet stores. We have been using the above diet, less the protein mixture, for several years now with no diet related problems ever experienced. With some of the recent authorities starting to say that perhaps more than 25% protein is needed (in years past most people believed feeding should be 75% Fruits and Vegetables and only $25% protean) we added the protein mixture in the rotation in late 2001. Many people now believe the mixture should be perhaps as high as 50% fruits and vegetables and 50% protean (eggs, meat insects etc..) especially in breeding animals. Treats and extras There are many different type of treats available that are commercially available now. Many are very good and have been tested, some have not. A good rule to keep for any type if treats is to keep treats less than 5% of the total diet. Here are some that we have used but this list is by no means an all inclusive list.
What foods are good for Sugar Gliders?Many people have told me "Hay I am confused! I have seen a bunch of sites and books and each one says something different". Well to get right down to it not enough research has been done to totally nail down exactly what "Glider Total nutrition" is. That is why we don't trust any single commercial food as a complete diet but mix and match a large variety. But we have found there are several right answers and several wrong answers. I know several breeders that feed totally different than I do but we both have healthy sugar gliders. To at least clear some of the smoke, here are some general guide lines. Best nutrition and mostly widely accepted foods.
Good foods but should not be used every day for long periods.
|
 | beans |
| beets |
| broccoli |
| cauliflower |
| corn |
| cottage cheese |
| grapefruit |
| greens (mustard, kayle, collard, celery, stalks, turnip) |
| kale |
| nectar |
| oranges |
| parsley |
| peas |
| spinach |
| turnips |
| yogurt |
| Baby foods (containing onions or garlic for seasoning Most do not but check!) |
| caffeine (coffee, tea, soda, chocolate etc..) |
| canned foods fruit or meat (most contain added salt and sugar) |
| canned fruit |
| cheese May cause intestinal stoppage or "binding" leading to constipation |
| chives |
| chocolate It causes a toxic chemical reaction in many animals |
| dog food |
| fat (any food with high or added fat) |
| fried foods |
| garlic |
| insects that are wild caught |
| keels |
| iceberg lettuce (non nutritional) |
| milk |
| millet (or other very small seeds) |
| nuts (possible exception of a uncooked, unsalted penult for very rare extra special treats) |
| onions |
| pinkys (although very nutritious we choose not to feed pinkies because of a few items that suggest feeding pinkies may increase the possibility of mothers eating their joeys. Pinkys are baby mice.) |
| pits (from fruit) |
| processed meat |
| phosphorus stay away from foods high in phosphorus. use a calcium that does not contain phosphorous. |
| raw eggs |
| raw meat (except for live insects) |
| rhubarb (Stocks can be toxins to mammals if not cooked foliage may contain toxins even if cooked) |
| salt (any food with added salt) |
| scallions |
| seeds (including fresh fruit seeds, possible exception is an very rare uncooked, unsalted seed as a rare special treat) |
| tofu / soy products (Even though tofu has been thought of as the perfect protean you may want to avoid this or use it very limited because of several recent articles which suggest "The facts are stated clearly - soy products in the diet of the studied animals is believed to have harmful effects on the body's digestive and reproductive systems." Why take the risk of Tofu when there are many other forms of protean.) |
| sugar (refined sugar, table sugar) |
| sugar (foods with added sugar) |
Bottom line is read all you can, try to find the latest information and then choose a feeding plan that is based on a variety of the best information.
This depends almost entirely on how much time your (and your family/household members) will be spending with the Sugar Glider and the emotional make up of your glider. Gliders are social animals and need interaction or they can grow lonely and get depressed and even sick. People that spend an hour or more a day interacting with a single glider out side of the cage normally have wonderful healthy and happy single gliders. Some gliders do fine with just a half an hour a day but more is always better. If you can't dedicate at least that much time to your glider you may want to think about getting two so they can interact with each other. There is only one disadvantage I know if in getting a two gliders and that is sometimes they may be more likely to bond to each other than to you. In my favorite pair that I have now I found that the boy (Karon) bonded more with me and the girl (Silvia) bonded more with Karon.
For those that want a A pair of gliders two females or a pair work best (see question on legally breeding and selling gliders if you get a pair). If you want a pair but no babies you can neuter mails. Two male gliders normally will be fine also (i have never had a problem but a few others have suggested they may fight). If you have a large group you should make sure you have two or three females for each mail.
For Young Kids NO. Gliders are normally not good pets for very young children. Gliders require some special attention and generally require a little more responsibility than young children can give. They are also a bit expensive for children to afford. Gliders for a Family with young children are wonderful as long as Mon or Dad are overseeing the care and handling. If you are considering a glider for a child (even a teenager) it is imperative the child is very responsible and is willing and able to make a commitment to care for the glider for up to 15 years.
It is not necessary in most states to have any type of permit or license to have a sugar glider as a pet. However I have heard of places wear there may be restrictions so check out any city ordinances or state laws to be sure. To the best of my knowledge having a Sugar Glider is not legal in California, Georgia or Massachusetts. Further, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin seam to have at least some area (city or county) that does not allow ownership or sale of Gliders.
It is necessary to have a Federal United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) license from the animal care department in order to breed, sell, or broker gliders. To find out more visit the USDA animal care website or contact your Regional USDA AC office.
There are special cages made just for sugar gliders however they are quite expensive. If you can afford one great, your gliders will love you. Most of these cages are made of vinyl coated 1" x 1/2" welded wire and are normally very tall. Tall finch cages with 1/2" bars also work well. It is better to have a tall cage than long cage as gliders are normal tree dwellers. A good starting size for one or two gliders would be 24" x 24" x 48" but bigger is always better. The following items should be in the cage as well.
| water bottle (or dish but water bottles like those for hamsters work better), |
| Food dishes |
| pouch or hide box (for sleeping and hiding ) |
| branches or ledges to climb on |
| Glider safe wheel optional (such as wodent wheel or other wheel wear there is no chance of getting the gliders tail caught between a wheel beam and a wheel support beam) |
| chewable or hanging toys like those for a bird or hamster (optional) |
No special lighting is needed if the cage is near a window. If no window is available then a light should be put on a timer (12 hours on 12 hours off) to help maintain a normal photoperiod for the animals.
Temperature range at the location of the cage should be between 70 to 90 F.
No. No immunization shots for gliders are available at this time but so far none have been needed. For example even if a Glider came into contact with rabies the glider could not get or spread the disease because of the gliders very low body temperature (around 89 degrease) that keeps the glider safe from many illnesses that normally affect animals in North America.
Sugar Glider FAQ
