Sugar Gliders 101

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When it comes to glider cages, the bigger the better. Also, height is more important than depth or width. We keep our gliders in pairs, housed in cages which are 24" wide by 18" deep and 40" tall.

This is a good size for happy gliders, but is based on the assumption that the animals will have plenty of play-time outside their cage. A wire-mesh cage should have spacing of no more than 1/2 inch by 1 inch. A finch cage is also a good choice since the bars are close enough to prevent escape.

Furnish the cage with non-toxic branches for climbing and gnawing. A nine to twelve inch exercise wheel will be used by most gliders, especially if introduced to them at a young age. Also, be sure to provide your pets with a snug, comfortable sleeping spot. A wooden nest box for finches works well, but will need to be replaced occasionally.

Feedin' Time

The most commonly recommended diet for sugar gliders includes up to eighty-five percent fruit, with the balance of their diet composed of dry cat food. This diet presents four major problems:

It doesn't accurately duplicate a wild sugar glider's diet
In addition to fruit, saps and nectars, the wild diet of a sugar glider includes insects, bird eggs and occasionally small lizards or rodents. These foods provide them with important sources of protein, calcium and other nutrients.
It is deficient in nutrients your pet needs - especially calcium
Pet sugar gliders can develop a paralysis in their hindquarters which results from a lack of calcium in their diet. Most fruits and vegetables are low in calcium. To complicate the matter even further, most fruits are high in phosphorus, which inhibit the body's ability to effectively utilize calcium. Providing a well-balanced, varied diet which includes calcium-rich foods is the best way to help prevent this potentially fatal deficiency.
Plain and simple, cat food is for cats
Cats and sugar gliders have vastly different nutritional needs. Foods formulated to meet the dietary requirements of a cat don't give your glider needed nutrients. In addition, even "low-cal" cat food has an extremely high fat content when compared to the natural diet of sugar gliders.
Wild sugar gliders have a carbohydrate-rich diet
The natural sugars in fruit provide some carbohydrates. However, this isn't an adequate substitute for the quantity or variety of carbohydrates found in the saps, nectars and pollens which constitute a significant part of a sugar glider's natural diet.

After consulting with a veterinarian with extensive experience in zoo animal and exotic pet care, as well as additional research, we feed our sugar gliders the following daily diet:

50% fresh fruits and vegetables - apples, melons, pears, grapes and sweet peas are among their favorites
40% insectivore diet (available from specialty stores)
10% other sources of protein - such as unseasoned cooked poultry, hard-boiled eggs and feeder insects

In addition, we offer Gliderade several times a week. For breeding animals or recently aquired gliders, we recommend Gliderade three or four times a week. For other gliders, we suggest two or three times a week. A powder, we suggest mixing Gliderade in the ratio of 1 tablespoon powder to 5 tablespoons water per animal.

Our recommendations have changed slightly over time, but we've been feeding this basic diet since 1993 and have never experienced health problems with our gliders. In addition, our breeding females regularly produce happy, healthy babies. We've also seen marked improvements in the health and activity levels of rescue animals once they've been switched to this feeding program.

Gliders become finicky when given only a limited choice of foods. Vary what you feed daily. This helps prevent "food boredom." It also helps assure your pets are getting a well-balanced diet. Dried fruits and baby foods - both fruit and poultry types - are other good choices and help provide variety, but should be used only as treats.

These additional suggestions will help you provide a healthy, well-balanced diet:

To assure as much nutritional variety as possible, feed at least 4 fresh fruits or vegetables each day. Don't offer the same combination two days in a row.
Don't overfeed your pets. When overfed, gliders pick out their favorites and leave the rest, leading to an unbalanced diet.
When selecting foods for sugar gliders, avoid anything with added preservatives, sugar or colors.
Sugar gliders in the wild have a very low-fat diet so always choose non-fat foods for your pet.
Limit the amount of peanuts, sunflower seeds and other high-fat foods. These should be no more than a rare treat.
Gliders love corn, but it is extremely high in phosphorus. We suggest eliminating it from their diet entirely.
Feed your gliders in the evening since they are nocturnal. Remove left-over food the next morning. If you always have lots of left-overs, reduce the total quantity offered.
Uneaten foods which may spoil should be removed after an hour or so.
Be sure to provide fresh water every day. Filtered or bottled water would be best.

We do not recommend a calcium supplement as part of a regular feeding program. If your pet is being fed a well-balanced diet, a calcium supplement should be unnecessary and could even be dangerous.

For more on calcium in your pet's diet, visit The Calcium Connection.

For more on providing the best possible diet, visit the articles located under Diet & Nutrition in Critter Central.

Play Time

When kept as a pet, some of the primary activities of any animal - such as finding food - are eliminated. Without such activities, your pet can easily become bored. To help prevent this when in their cage, be sure to provide your glider pals an interesting environment.

In addition to branches and an exercise wheel, some sugar gliders also enjoy a variety of toys designed for birds. Be sure they are safe for your pets. Ropes to climb and some toys designed for small rodents will also be appreciated by your pets.

Daily out-of-cage play-time is important for sugar gliders. If you are unable or unwilling to provide this, don't get sugar gliders! Gliders deprived this daily play-time won't be happy, healthy, or friendly.

Even an extremely large cage will not provide the same exercise potential as regular out-of-cage time. Sugar gliders are curious animals by nature. A different environment will encourage them to explore, leap, hop, jump, and run in a way they wouldn't when in the familiar surroundings of their cage. A "glider-proof" room for your pet is a good idea.

For more on this topic, visit No Bored Pets

A Healthy Glider Is A Happy Glider

Sugar gliders are generally hardy animals when properly fed, kept in a warm environment and provided adequate daily exercise.

The paralysis already mentioned is the only serious health concern which has surfaced in pet gliders. A proper diet should prevent this. If it does occur, see your vet immediately. If left untreated, the paralysis can become quite serious, leading to the death of the animal. If treated in the early stages, though, it is easily remedied.

We recommend an annual veterinarian visit for all sugar gliders, during which a basic physical exam is conducted. Not only will these annual exams alert you to any concerns which may be developing, they can also be an important source of information on the care of your pets and provide a "baseline" of comparison if a problem was to develop in the future.