All sugar gliders should be examined
annually
by a veterinarian. Please monitor your pet and call us if you have any concerns. Some signs include: eating less or not eating at all, and appearing uncomfortable, hunched, or quieter than normal.
Some of the most important things to make sure your sugar glider is well taken care of include:
Nectar and insect diet
Small fruit and vegetable diet
Spacious caging
Wire caging with good ventilation
Branches, perches, and shelves in caging
Sugar Glider Care Instructions
- Sugar gliders are omnivorous and their diet in the wild can include gum, sap from trees, nectar, pollen and a variety of insects. However, it is very challenging trying to mimic this diet at home, especially their protein requirement. Pet sugar gliders should eat a combination of nectar, commercial insectivore (sugar glider) diet, insects and limited amounts of fruits and vegetables. Portion size for one glider is roughly a tablespoon of insectivore diet, a tablespoon of nectar, and one-half teaspoon of fruits and invertebrates.
- Commercial sugar glider (insectivore) diet: Mazuri Sugar Glider Insectivore diet is a great option.
- Nectar: A good commercial product is Mazuri Lorikeet diet, made for nectarivorous and pollen eating Lories and Lorikeets.
- Sugar gliders should also be given a small amount of fruits daily, such as banana, grape, apple, pear, or berries.
- Insects such as mealworms, dubia roaches, earthworms, waxworms, or crickets can be provided daily as treats. All invertebrates must be first given a nutritious diet. Repashy Bug Burger is a good option. A different, richer food source should be given to the invertebrates for at least 24-48 hours before being fed to your pet. This is called gut-loading. A good gut loading formula is Repashy Superload. Some invertebrates, which might not feed on the powder formulas, might need to be offered vegetables and green leaves instead.
- Please dust the invertebrates with calcium carbonate only (no vitamin D3) 2-3 times a week. Repashy Super Cal No D is a great option
- Fruit-based diets can be harmful to pet sugar gliders because they provide inadequate protein and calcium and predispose to osteoporosis and periodontal disease. Although sugar gliders readily accept fruits, nuts, and grains these are not substantial part of their natural diet.
- Sugar gliders should be fed fresh portions of food every evening. The food should be made fresh everyday and the excess discarded.
- Because of their active nature, sugar gliders should have cages as large as possible. They need space to climb, run, and jump. Minimum cage size is 36 × 24 × 36 in. (91 × 61 × 91 cm), but larger is better.
- Cages should be made of wire for good ventilation, with wire spacing no more than 1.0 × 0.5 in. (2.5 × 1.3 cm) wide. Sugar gliders tolerate temperatures between 65°F and 90°F (18°C and 32°C), with an ideal range of 75°F to 80°F (24°C-27°C).
- The cage must have designated areas for food, water, shelter, and exercise. Several food and water dishes should be placed in various locations throughout the cage. A nest box or sleeping pouch positioned high in the cage gives the sugar glider a place to sleep during the day. Branches, perches, and shelves can be placed at various levels of the cage to satisfy the natural behavior of climbing.
- Sugar gliders enjoy playing with bird toys, such as swings and chew toys. Plastic wheels without open rungs, such as a hamster wheel, are used for exercise. A variety of objects may be placed throughout the cage to stimulate and entertain them.
