In the wild areas of Australia, Indonesia, and New Guinea, tiny nocturnal sugar gliders fly from one tree-top to another, swooping throughout the night to consume live insects such as moths, tiny lizards, crickets, and night crawlers as their main diet, along with sweet fruits and vegetables. Where they live is simply a matter of instinct and survival-at the tops of trees with their tiny feet barely touching the ground. As human pet owners, it is our responsibility to replicate the natural world of the sugar gliders within our own boundaries in order to properly keep them as pets.
Choosing the proper housing for these little creatures which weigh less than three to four ounces is not an easy task, requiring lots of proper research and adequate information. The Internet is full of information about the cute little sugar gliders as pets, we simply need to acquire it. We find they are related to the Kangaroos, Possums and Koala Bears-on a much smaller scale but with similar pouch-carrying capabilities. We also find they enjoy swooping from heights during the night and enjoy sleeping during the day in small darkened recluse areas or tree hollows while sleeping together in a group. We find that this is the natural environment that makes them the happiest, needing to be located within the comforts of their home within our homes.
As pets, the sugar glider needs a living arrangement as if they lived in the wild. Nature has made them this way and they were built to accommodate that particular lifestyle. Not that anyone expects a grove of tall trees to be planted in the middle of the family room with colonies of insects located as food sources, but a 20"w x 20"d x 35"h or even a 21"w x 21"d x 40"h cage at its "absolute minimum" would be a perfect start. Some owners prefer the round cage, such as 21" by 40" in order for them to run in circles, and would be the perfect size for two gliders to live in.
The more sugar gliders there are in the cage, the larger and higher the cage should be for roomier gliding room and sleeping capabilities. Sugar gliders enjoy gliding and are built for it, so naturally a home which is higher than wider is preferable for them to do what "just comes naturally". When choosing the home, remember that sugar gliders enjoy climbing so the bars should be horizontal as compared to vertical. Also, the perfect wiring to use should definitely be welded wire with nothing smaller than 1" x .5" to prevent escape or a baby sugar glider becoming hurt from falling.
HOUSEHOLD BEDDING
The perfect bedding for the little sugar glider is not pine or cedar shavings which may contain aromatic oils, but something biodegradable which can be flushed or incinerated for easier disposable. The brand Carefresh is one product that is not only 100% natural but also is preferred by many breeders as it controls odors, while also killing bacteria, mold, and fungus. If this is something not affordable-many owners and breeders have been known to use a form of corn cob bedding.
Either way, it should be changed anywhere from daily to three times a week to prevent odor. The Carefresh bedding may last longer, such as 1 to 2 weeks, depending on the number of sugar gliders and the numbers of males in the colony. Many owners use newspapers in the bottom of the cage, but this is considered a very toxic product to them and eventually will either kill them or make them very ill due to the ink.
DISHES
Dishes are important for the little sugar gliders to eat and drink out of. If you happen to be one of the owners who use bowls, they should be heavy enough they will not topple over as the animals scurry around, with another choice being a bowl with a heavy-weighted bottom. They should not be too deep, as sugar gliders cannot swim and drown easily (which is why toilet lids need to also be down if your pet roams loose in the home). The bowls also cannot be made of a light plastic as they have a tendency to chew it up as if it were a chew toy. Ceramic or stainless steel is preferred as the materials of choice.
The problem with using bowls in the bottom of the cage is this is not a natural location for the sugar glider as they swoop from heights when eating. Also, when in the wild they stay to the top of the trees. As an alternative to this, many breeders use large bird cups attached to the side of the cage in higher locations to take care of this situation. Several cups may be used with a mix of vegetables, fruits, proteins sources with little fat content, and supplements. Water bottles mixed with some sweet juice can also be placed in higher locations.
POUCHES
A pouch is where the little newborn sugar glider begins its new life. It is dark, tight and warm for days until they take a chance and peer curiously into their new world with maybe just a touch of fear. There is nothing more precious than the sight of these tiny creatures with bright black eyes, catching their first glimpse of life "beyond the pouch", warming the hearts of anyone who sees them with an instant "I want one!"
Many companies have made the pouch their theme and design for the sugar glider's proper housing inside their cages. Precious little tepees or hanging tunnels can be purchased with the sole purpose of hanging them from the tops of cages or horizontal bars, providing wonderful sleeping quarters during the daytime for these tiny nocturnal animals. Accommodating up to three sugar gliders, these washable products hang with supplied hardware.
Little pouches such as the glider bonding pouch window are made to carry around the necks with peek-a-boo windows, and can hold more than one small pet for the owner who desires to take their pets everywhere with them. As they lie close to the body, they will not only be kept warm from the warm fleece material but from the human body.
EXERCISE TOYS
Nighttime is considered the play time of the sugar gliders and their cage needs to be provided with some form of activity to be considered proper housing. With more than one sugar glider preferable due to their social personalities, their exercise toys can be purchased within a wide variety for them to either play alone or play together.
The acrylic toy ring or swing hangs from horizontal rods or from the top of the cage. The sugar glider can jump and leap as if they were in the top of the forest, while swinging back and forth which mimic gentle breezes carrying them from one destination to another. Ropes are also a favorite, descending up to 16-inches in a spiral design, designed with a bendable wire center to keep the spiral shape. Hours are enjoyed watching the little sugar gliders run up and down the rope, almost instantaneously swinging back and forth to play tag.
Exercise wheels are a long pastime of little critters with today's markets involving many different types to place into the sugar glider housing. They can be easily disassembled for not only cleaning but also made of safe material such as safe plastic as compared to the older wire exercise wheels which were known to harm the little animals.
CHEW TOYS
The cute little sugar gliders in the wild enjoy chewing on the bark with very sharp teeth, as anyone who has startled their pet can easily testify. Proper housing includes adequate chew toys to mimic this activity provided by Mother Nature. Perfect are live fruit branches which have NEVER been sprayed with pesticides-such as wild apple or sassafras branches which in the wild they will dig in to search out insects and sap. This not only takes care of the exercise bars but also the chewing toys, but many owners or breeders prefer to use articles which can be washed and reused.
Many find that sugar gliders prefer real products to "gnaw on" as their teeth never stop growing. They also prefer real products over something artificial, which is why purchased chew products should be real bark products of some form or another. Natural wood chews which provide crunchy bark crust are preferred by these small animals if live trees are not your thing or you do not know if pesticides are involved or not. But pumice stone blocks or carrot bones are also an alternative source for teeth maintenance for something different.
Many owners prefer to add chew toys in addition to having fun and entertainment. One such thing is the Hanging Chew Stick with Cookies by Exotic Nutrition. Horizontal bars provided not only climbing fun but also chewing and nutritional values. Similar are their Veggie Baskets which can hold all kinds of things, like fresh fruit or vegetables for them to climb down as it suspends from a bar or top of the cage.
RESEARCH
Exotic Nutrition Pet Company. Pouches and Buddy Bags. Website: http://www.exoticnutrition.com/sugar-glider-pouches. htm
Exotic Nutrition Pet Company. Chew Toy Department. Website: http://www.exoticnutrition.com/Chew-Toy-Department.h tm
Sugar Glider Housing. Website: http://www.sugarglider.com/archives/ruth/housing.htm l
Quality Cage-Sugar Glider Cages. Website: http://qualitycage.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_ search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=sugar+glider