Care Guide Reference
Sugar
Gliders
Petaurus breviceps
New Guinea & Southern Australia
Sugar Gliders (petarurus briviceps) are small, arboreal marsupials, which originate from New Guinea and Southern Australia.
As their common name entails, they possess a gliding membrane (similar to that of the flying squirrel) that stretches from their wrists to their ankles and allows them to 'glide' from tree to tree. This membrane is called the Patagium. Just before they launch themselves they sway from side to side to get their bearings, And in the wild a gliding distance of 50 meters is not uncommon. As with all marsupials, female sugar gliders also possess a pouch, in which they raise their young. Sugar gliders are nocturnal animals, which spend almost their entire live in trees. In the wild, they live in colonies of between 6-10 gliders and spend much of their time foraging for food.
Sugar Gliders make excellent pets. They adapt very readily to captivity and can develop very strong relationships with their human keepers. They are small in size, are very intelligent and love to play. They are much smarter than a hamster or rat, Susan thinks they are more cat like in the way they play, and their life span is more like a cat or dog, most living to be 10 years or older if taken care of properly. Although nocturnal, I found this to be a benefit, in that they want to play in the evening, which is the only time I'm really home. Most gliders, if handled well and given time, learn their owner's scent(s) and have absolutely no fear of them. In fact, they love human attention. Poppy our first hand reared will jump to Susan when frightened or called.
They are about 6 inches long, not including their long tails, which they use for balance and can easily be the length of the body or longer. Their fur is usually grey/silver with white bellies and a black stripe, which extends from the top of their head to the end of their tail. Diet seems to have a direct link to the colour of the fur; recently imported Gliders are brown and cream due to feeding on eucalyptus. Males develop bald spots at the base of their heads after reaching maturity. They also have a gland on the chest. They have fairly large, pointy ears and large black eyes. Their face is similar to that of a possum or a bat.
These marsupials, in so far as I can tell make 4 distinct noises. The first is the "get away from me or I'm going to bite you" noise. This has been described as sounding similar to a miniature chain saw or electric pencil sharpener. Susan and I have taken to calling this 'crabbing'. You may hear this noise a lot at first, but after a month you will learn what they do and don't like and you may never hear this again (hopefully). The second is a happy chirp, which they make when excited or happy. The third is pssst, which means pssst off particularly when food is present. The fourth noise is a loud sharp barking. I believe this is some sort of call for other sugar gliders or just for attention from human owners. Unfortunately, this can be very annoying; I've been woken up by more than my fair share by this barking. Oddly enough, they tend to do this more often during the period of a full moon, and at 3am. So not a good idea to keep Gliders in the bedroom.
The main odour given off by gliders is the usual waste smell, but it's not strong at all and if their cage is kept clean, you will never smell anything. I should mention here, however, that the males do give off an odour before mating. While not really bad, it's a distinct odour and may take over a room for a week or two. Gliders are very dependent upon their excellent senses of smell to identify other gliders as well as their owners. Male gliders have two scent glands, which they use for marking. One is located on the chest and the other on the top of the head (which accounts for the bald spot). When males grow accustomed to their surroundings, they will mark objects by rubbing their chest back and forth upon them. They will also mark any females in their colony by rubbing the female's chin with their head. The closest animal to compare the smell to is a castrated ferret, not as strong but it's that wild animal musky odour, I like the smell.
Lately, Sugar Gliders are becoming easier to locate because of their popularity. They can suffer from shipping stress so if you can find a breeder within driving distance of your location; this is your best bet. We do not ship our Gliders but will meet people half way or at ferry ports if in Europe or Ireland. Also try newspapers -- i.e. Cage and Aviary Birds is how I located one of my gliders and this works much better than one might realize. And the Internet is a very good source of information, here in England we have N.A.P.A.C./ National Association of Pet Animal Keepers and Reptile Fairs.
The best way to answer this is just to use common sense. You want an animal that is active and will tolerate handling. Signs of good health can be seen through bright, black eyes and a muscular build. If there is any doubt about the quality or health of the animal, don't buy it. Breeding pairs will be affectionate to each other and sleep in the same place.
Baby gliders are always preferable to adult, but sometimes availability (and your wallet) can make them difficult to obtain. Babies are preferable because they will be more willing to bond with you. Plus, the bond with a baby glider you have raised will always be stronger than a bond developed with an adult. Adults can come around, but if they haven't been handled much, it can be an uphill battle. The best of all are hand reared and the only supplier in Europe is AmeyZoo, they will bond with you in a matter of days.
It is always preferable to have a captive-breed glider over one that was wild-caught. If a glider has always had food come from a human hand, it will consequently be much tamer. Most wild-caught gliders will not tolerate handling and have brownish fur, as a result of staining. Also, wild-caught gliders are much more susceptible to vitamin deficiencies while in captivity and the worst thing that I think can happen is stereotypical behavior as seen in zoo's such as the animal going round and round in circles.
It is always preferable to keep more than one glider together. In the wild, they are community animals and they seem to be much healthier and happier while in groups in captivity. Gliders readily adapt to one another's presence and will easily become best of friends have heard of a story about a male glider that lost its partner and had no contact and consequently pined away and died after a year, what an unnecessary death.
As a result of being arboreal, gliders have practically no fear of any land-dwelling creature. A captive bred animal and more so hand reared will not be fearful of the familiar. You will have more trouble with the pets within the house that hold territory. Basically, it all depends on your other pet's disposition(s). And a word of warning, Gliders love to play and bite feathers, I think they would also play with and bite birds. Our parrot Jake will fly away from these little creatures yet attack intruders; Gliders eat birds and chicks.
Housing sugar gliders is relatively easy and being clean animals, require relatively low maintenance. The cage, preferably should be made of nothing smaller than 1': X ½' welded wire (so babies can't escape). A wire cage is practically a necessity in order to give them plenty to climb about on. If the wire is coated, even the better for cleaning. Many bird cages on the market today work great, but making your own may give you more space and be cheaper. The cage should be no smaller than 20' X 20' X 20'. My cage is around 24" in diameter and 38" tall and easily accommodates two gliders.
One requirement is the presence of live fruit tree branches. These serve two purposes, they provide a natural environment for gliders to climb and to keep their teeth healthy. Being arboreal, sugar gliders must have branches to climb around on to be physically fit. And it's fun to watch them run around; they are extremely coordinated and excellent climbers. Secondly, like other small animals, a glider's teeth never stop growing and they need something to gnaw on. However, unlike hamsters and rabbits, gliders won't touch anything artificial, they want the real thing. The best thing to use are wild apple or willow branches. I have also been told that oak tree branches will also work. However, whatever you use do not use any branch that has been sprayed with pesticides. In the wild, gliders chew the bark off trees looking for insects and sap, so the branches will keep them occupied while your not around. I would always ask the parrot people for advice and info on safe trees and plants.
Another requirement is a nest box to sleep in during the day. They will all sleep together in one box, so only one is needed. The main thing is to make sure they can get away from the light during the day. You should never have your gliders out in direct sun; it is very harmful to their eyes. In the wild they sleep in tree hollows in groups during the day. The best thing to fit this need is a bird nesting box. My gliders are very comfortable in a common finch nesting box found in any pet store that has either a sliding side inspection or top hinged inspection. Also hanging finch wicker baskets or coconut hair finch baskets are acceptable.
As far as substrate goes, I have found corn cob works best. Pine shavings get really messy because of sticky paws from fruit juices. Newspaper can be used but if you do, you should be aware that coloured ink is deadly to many species of gliders. The bedding should be changed as needed, which, is usually every one or two weeks for mine. I also use most of the substrates that are commercially available for reptiles i.e. beech chips, hemp and orchid bark.
Gliders should never be left alone free to roam your house. They can and will chew on furniture and love to tear up curtains. They definitely can be left out of their cage, they just need to be watched. So be sure to leave them in their cages unless supervised. Don't forget they do not have bladder or bowel control.
Gliders need a solid 75 per cent fruit and 25 per cent protein diet. Anything more or less can be very harmful, and even fatal. Low fat is essential as they don't handle fat very well and too much can be very harmful.
The presence of fruit in their diets cannot be ignored. I give my gliders fresh fruit every day. They are fond of anything tropical and seem not to like bananas very much. They love grapes, raisins, pears, apples, melons, and oranges. They are said to like yoghurt (low fat!) with fruit and any fruit juices. As they would never come in contact with such a thing in the wild I steer away from it. Fresh fruits and vegetables are very important because they should be their staple diet.
Here is a list of foods I have found to be popular with gliders.
This zoo diet is perfect and should be followed as closely as possible.
Good treats for gliders are anything sweet. Favorites are honey and sugar cane sticks and can be purchased from Asda. Obviously, these should be given in moderation. They also love sweet potatoes, mealworms and locusts which can be given often. Use your imagination here, they are good eaters and love just about anything sweet. Just use common sense. Mine will do anything for a locust. I also add IAMs cat food (they love the lamb & liver flavour) as a source of protein.
Gliders like to be with people once they have been tamed and bonded. They prefer their actual owners, but they do love to run around the house with you, playing hide and seek games.
Just spend lots and lots of time with it. Some gliders tame much better than others, depending on whether they had tame parents and their age, but most will eventually come around. Just be patient and do not force anything. Be aware, wearing gloves will mask your scent, which defeats the whole purpose of handling.
When bonded, what can I
expect?
You can expect a glider that loves to be around you and craves your attention. They love hide-and-seek games, finger wrestling and playing with feathers. My gliders jump out to see me each evening and jump right out on me to play and explore.
Not really, mainly because they spend most of their infancy in their mother's pouch. The whole group can be left together during pregnancy and birth. The mother seems to lose interest after giving birth/leaving the pouch but the male kicks right in and does most of the feeding from then on. Its the male that is important and the diet that will determine a successful breeding.
Most Sugar Gliders will begin breeding somewhere between 7 months and a year, with some waiting until they are 13 to 14 months old. They breed when they are ready! They will mate all year round, provided they have enough protein. They usually have 2 babies at a time, 4 to 6 babies a year, if Joey's are removed when independent. The gestation period is short, about 16 days. Once born they are carried in the maternal pouch for 2 to 3 months. The male may remain with the female throughout the entire process, but it is best to simply leave the mother alone during this period. When they are out of the pouch, covered with fur, have their eyes open and have been eating solid food for 3-4 weeks they are ¾ grown, independent and ready to wean. At this time, they can be gently handled for short periods of time. Just be sure that they are getting plenty of fruit and protein and are handled gently. Be sure not to remove them from the pouch before this time because once they are removed from the nipple, they cannot reattach themselves. When they are weaned, they should be handled frequently and gently if they are to be pets.
Joey's should be eating semisolid foods, such as nectar and baby foods until they are around 3 months old, then they can gradually start receiving solid foods.
Usually between 2½ to 3 months of age is the best time. The change in the colony size affects the babies and the parents, so they may be stressed for a few days after the break-up. Females are usually aggressive toward female babies after they are older than 3 months, but males are usually ignored.
Too much fat or protein is a very bad thing for these little animals. Too much protein can lead to obesity and reduced activity in your animals. Fresh fruit and vegetables is the way to prevent this Too much fat can lead to serious problems regarding breeding. It seems if the mother has too high a fat content, the babies will be born with fat rolling in their eyeballs. This can be seen as small white spots in the babies' eyes. This can be remedied with an ultra low-fat diet (which you should be feeding them anyway).
Vitamin deficiency is a serious problem that can lead to death. The first signs are a glider that is dragging their hind legs. Female can do this after giving birth. Eventually the glider can lose the use of its hind legs and die. This can be remedied by putting a liquid vitamin supplement in the gliders water bottle or sprinkling vitamin supplement on moistened food. The best prevention is to stick to the diet on this care sheet! Have fun with any exotic pet and remember that prevention is better and cheaper than a cure. One last point before you purchase or adopt any animal, find a vet that can treat it. Sounds easy? I phoned 6 surgeries before I found one that had even heard of a Sugar Glider and would treat it. As it turned out it's worked out very well. As with all exotics there is a lot to be learned and my vet gets so involved that he compromises when it comes to the bill. And by the way, don't forget insurance.
Written by Mark Amey