Sugar Gliders – Care & Attention

THE BONDING PROCESS:
This can take several months, so exercise patience. Get a pouch that you can hang around your neck and carry your pet with you around the house. Let them get used to your scent and voice.

Handle your new pet a few days after you’ve brought him home. Do it in the daytime while he’s sleepy and he’ll be easier to pickup and hold. Use a cupped hand when picking the Glider up so his whole body is supported.

GLIDERS REQUIRE ATTENTION:
These pets are social animals and require a lot of attention. Consider getting Sugar Gliders in pairs and a minimum of two hours a day should be devoted to your pet. If these little creatures get lonely, they can become depressed and eventually die.

Playtime can include letting them run around in your Glider-proofed room, having them ride on your shoulder. They enjoy finger-wrestling and getting into your hair.

GLIDER PROOFING A ROOM:
Your pet can find a way into very small spaces, so make sure you locate all the little holes and places they could crawl into where you can’t get them out.

The number one death trap for Gliders is the toilet, so make sure the lid is always closed. They can’t swim, or get out, and if they fall in they’ll drown.

OTHER PETS:
Normally, Sugar Gliders don’t get along well with other pets and should always have their own cage and habitat.

Sugar gliders and other exotic pets such as flying squirrels should not be kept together. They will not only stress each other out, but will fight and cause harm to each other.

ACTIVITIES, EXERCISE and PLAY:
Once awake, these nocturnal animals love to play and explore. Let them out of their cage for a few hours, but don’t leave them unsupervised. Use caution when they’re around fridges, stoves, toilets, windows, and any plant that could be poisonous to them.

You can take your Sugar Glider outside, but only when it’s cloudy, or the sun is almost done. Bright light will hurt their sensitive nocturnal eyes. It’s suggested that you put your pet on a leash, or harness. If they get loose and into the trees, he could be gone forever.

LITTER TRAINING:
Sugar Gliders cannot be litter trained. They have little or no bowel control and will go wherever and whenever the need arises, including on you and your clothes.