by Liza Cameron Wasser

Created on: March 03, 2009

Your healthy sugar glider should have dark, wide open, protruding eyes. His eyes should appear bright and moist.

Keeping your sugar glider's eyes healthy requires the correct diet and care. A diet high in protein, about 40%, and low in fat provides the correct balance. Because a sugar glider's eyes are large and protruding, he can easily scratch them or get debris in them. Check your sugar glider's eyes daily for any signs of a problem. Prompt attention when problems occur will help keep your sugar glider's eyes healthy.

Eye problems can develop in a baby sugar glider before he is even out of his mother's pouch, if the mother is being given a diet too high in fat. White fat deposits can be seen in the sugar glider's dark eyes. These can sometimes be misdiagnosed as cataracts. Fat deposits can be treated by changing the sugar glider's diet to one with more protein and less fat.

A common problem with sugar gliders is eye infections from a scratched cornea. Sugar gliders can sometimes play rough with each other, causing one of them to catch the eye of the other with his tiny claws. Your sugar glider can also scratch his eyes on his bedding or on household objects. His big, bulging eyes are an easy target for harmful objects. Scratches on your glider's eye are susceptible to opportunistic infections such as streptococcus or staphylococcus. These infections will cause the eye to look dry or cloudy and may produce a sticky, oozing pus that collects along the lids and seals the eye closed. The pus will be yellow and will dry and become crusty. If the eye is sealed closed, wipe it gently with a soft, warm damp cloth until the pus is removed and the eye can open by itself. Do not pry open the eye. Eye infections are treated with antibiotic drops and respond well to such treatment.

White mucus disease is a white discharge from the eyes. It can also come from the ears or be present in feces. This is likely caused by a vitamin or mineral imbalance and also presents in older sugar gliders whose systems have become inefficient in metabolizing vitamins.

Making sure that your sugar glider gets the correct balance of vitamins and minerals goes a long way in preventing many health problems, including eye problems. A good vitamin and mineral supplement should be specially formulated for sugar gliders. It should contain vitamins A, D-3, E and several B vitamins. It should also contain magnesium and calcium. Phosphorus can inhibit the absorption of calcium, so be sure that the calcium/phosphorus ratio is 2:1. Vitamin D-3 aids in the absorption of calcium. Sugar gliders can also overdose on vitamins, so be sure to follow the manufacturer's directions on dosage.

Caring for your sugar glider can be a chore, but it is worth it.

Learn more about this author, Liza Cameron Wasser.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.