The adorable sugar glider

Diet

Sugar gliders are relatively simple to care for compared with many other exotic pets. In years past, calcium deficiency was occasionally a problem for the species, invariably manifesting as hind-leg paralysis. However, this condition is not so often seen today as commercial foods and keeper education have resulted in far better diets for captive gliders.

“Sugar gliders are truly omnivorous in the wild,” says Jim, “and that means variety is essential. Gliders in the wild will eat anything, from bugs, grubs, lizards, birds and eggs to fruit, veg, flowers, nectar and sap.”

The sweet sap and nectar components are particularly interesting and likely account for the ‘sugar glider’ moniker. In the wild during the winter months when bugs and fruits are less available, sugar gliders will peel bark from eucalyptus trees and drink the resulting sweet sap. However, captive diets should be largely devoid of sweet foods with such treats being offered only rarely. More on that later.

“My gliders are fed a mix of sweet potato, sugar-snap peas, and smaller amounts of fruit, as well as a variety of livefoods. I also use commercial sugar glider diets, including nectar and acacia exudate food – acacia gum essentially.”

The mention of livefoods might also raise a few eyebrows if you were to mention it on sugar glider internet forums or social media pages. Again, the common consensus makes some assumptions when it recommends avoiding livefood for gliders – the assumption being that crickets and locusts bought in tubs from the pet trade are poor in nutrition. Of course, most keepers know that gut loading and dusting works wonders and these practices should be employed as a matter of routine when using livefood prey. Under this protocol we can be more confident of the nutritional value of our livefoods, but you can see how half-truths such as this gain traction on the internet.

Husbandry

You’ll no doubt recall the introduction for this feature which cast some rather harsh aspersions on the sugar glider’s appeal, but there’s no getting away from the fact that all of these accusations are true.

Sugar gliders’ nocturnal habits were easily negated by zoos who exhibited sugar gliders in reverse-lit twilight exhibitions, lighting the gliders’ enclosure brightly during the evening and night time, while plunging them into semi-darkness during the daytime when visitors wanted to see them. The enticing flash of a shadowy figure bounding through the foreground beyond the glass was fascinating enough to please visitors eager to catch a glimpse of these enigmatic creatures. For pet keepers, though, the normal day and night photoperiods are usually maintained intact, with the glider sleeping while the keeper is at work during the day, and coming out of the enclosure at sunset to enjoy some interaction time.

This is also one of the reasons why it is not common for sugar gliders to be kept in bedrooms, as they will undoubtedly make so much noise during their night time activities to disrupt even the soundest sleeper. But there’s also another reason why keepers prefer not to sleep in the same room as their gliders, and that’s the smell.

Sugar gliders primarily communicate through their sense of smell. While females do have cloacal glands, it is the males which scent their habitats routinely and liberally. It’s just something you have to live with, but sleeping in the same room is probably asking a bit much. There are ways to negate some of the smell, but there’s no way to eliminate it. It’s a mistake to attempt to clean the enclosure in a bid to get rid of the scent, as this will simply compel the males to scent even more. Instead, keepers will clean parts of the enclosure in rotation, thereby reducing the smell in one area, but leaving enough of a scent to keep the male happy in his domain.

Species Profile Neutered Males

COMMON NAME

SUGAR GLIDER

SCIENTIFIC NAME

PETAURUS BREVICEPS

ORIGIN

NORTH & EAST AUSTRALIA

NEW GUINEA

INDONESIAN ISLANDS

TASMANIA

HABITAT

TROPICAL & COOL TEMPERATE FORESTS

SIZE

LENGTH 16 – 21CM

WEIGHT 116 – 160G

DIET OMNIVORE LONGEVITY

3 – 9 YEARS IN THE WILD

10 – 15+ YEARS IN CAPTIVITY

IUCN REDLIST STATUS

LEAST CONCERN

Neutered males will not scent much at all, but neither will they breed, obviously.

In addition to the smell caused by male scenting is the smell caused by urination and defecation. Sugar gliders cannot be trained to use a litter tray, so will urinate and defecate wherever they stand, whether inside the enclosure or out and about in the home. Similarly, their ability to flick food and other detritus as they leap from branch to branch could almost be called impressive, as they will happily walk through food or faeces, which then gets thrown from their feet as they bound.

This is less of a problem for keepers who use vivariums as enclosures, but those who use cages will need a plan if they are to avoid the mess expanding beyond the enclosure.

Cages are also a consideration when it comes to security. Gliders are notorious escape artists and will persevere at any opportunity which they can exploit to achieve an escape. Be warned that sugar gliders would have no chance of survival during a British winter. With no colony to huddle with and a dearth of food, they would perish quite quickly outside, so it’s vital keepers be doubly sure that there is no way their glider can exit their enclosure unsupervised. Bars must be no more than half an inch apart and such that they cannot be chewed through. Any hinges or fastenings must be strong enough to resist them being bent enough to create a sufficient gap, and ventilation must be robust enough to resist the chewing for which gliders are renowned. Which brings us nicely onto enrichment.

The adorable sugar glider

Enrichment and health

It is imperative that you provide opportunities for gliders to chew. In the wild the pursuit of sap by chewing bark would form a significant part of a sugar glider’s day. This can be facilitated simply by offering branches inside the glider’s enclosure. Use branches of different sizes, girths and types, but avoid any toxic varieties. “I often use willow and hazel,” says Jim. “They’ll keep the gliders occupied for hours and will also keep teeth and claws nicely trimmed.”

Many keepers will also provide running wheels, which the gliders seem to relish. It’s important to avoid wheels with ladder-rungs, and, instead, use solid-floor wheels as this stops the gliders’ delicate limbs and tails being trapped. Some keepers opt for wheels with abrasive sandpaperlike coating which, again, helps to keep claws from becoming too long.

Overall, health issues are relatively rare with sugar gliders. As mentioned previously, calcium deficiencies were a common problem in years gone by, but are only occasionally seen today. Calcium supplements, commercial diets and good keeper-knowledge about calcium and phosphorous balance (2:1) means that nutritional deficiencies are largely a thing of the past

A problem which does occasionally occur with pet gliders is a side effect of keeping gliders in centrally heated homes. The sugar gliders we keep in captivity hail from New Guinea and are, as such, conditioned to require an amount of humidity. While the required humidity parameters are generous, the dry environment caused by central heating can result in skin conditions, with the first sign of a problem being dry, flaky ears. In severe cases the ears can dry to the point where they flake away to dust. This issue is most often observed during the winter months when the household’s central heating is fired up, rather than in the summertime when it is switched off. Low humidity issues are easily avoided through frequent spraying, particularly by spraying within the animal’s hides to create a humidity shelter while avoiding spraying the bedding material.

“The biggest health issue facing sugar gliders is the same one which afflicts most pet species – the keepers are killing them with kindness,” sighs Jim. “Too much sweet food, too many sweet treats and not enough activity. I could be talking about dogs, cats, reptiles or birds and the story would be the same.”

It’s true. Gliders are programmed to eat whatever is available, whenever it is available and, if sweet treats are on offer, this is what they will favour. “They’ll prefer morio worms, sugary wax worms or fatty pachnoda beetle larvae over crickets or locusts, and will choose mango over peas any day,” says Jim, “so offer these rarely only as a treat or an enticement.”

Obesity

As is seemingly the case with most pet animals, obesity is the biggest health issue presenting in sugar gliders today. Rounded faces and double chins are the tell-tale signs of a keeper who feeds a sweet or treat-laden diet to their pet.

Interaction and companionship is another hot topic in the sugar glider world. While you will hear some debate, Jim is of the opinion that sugar gliders live in groups and should not be kept as single animals. “It’s not common, but you will see gliders being kept as singles, particularly in America where they are sometimes sold and branded as some kind of ‘pocket pet’. I’m of the opinion that unless you are going to spend the whole of every evening with your glider then they will need a companion of their own species.”

This makes lots of sense. Most humans sleep during the night and go out to work for most of the daylight hours. Your glider will be asleep during the daytime, but it will be awake and active during the evening and night time. To deprive these sociable animals of companionship while you are asleep would undoubtedly compromise their welfare. Providing at least one companion is imperative.

Handling and interacting with sugar gliders is a big part of their attraction. While sugar gliders can bite, and will if provoked, it’s almost unheard of for a glider to jump onto you in order to bite. Most bites occur if a glider is being restrained, so every effort should be made to avoid this.

“Building trust is the key here,” says Jim. “You have to convince the glider that you’re a friend, and that you often have treats. It’s the same old trick humans have used to befriend animals for thousands of years.”

The animals in Jim’s collection are rarely handled, at least not for the sake of handling. “Mine are left to their own devices, more like exhibit animals that behave how they please. That said, some are more forthright than others. Some will voluntarily come over and jump on my shoulder every time. Some do so only occasionally if there is a treat available, while others will never come over and, instead, keep their distance. It’s up to them.”

However, for pet keepers, it is a good idea to get your glider used to being handled, if only to ensure they can be enticed back into their enclosure each night. Most are happy to do so if they think there’s a tasty morsel to eat in reward.

Inside the enclosure keepers can provide enrichment through the gliders’ natural inclination to forage. “Forage balls are great and come in a range of types and sizes. However, I also like to fill bamboo with mealworms and encourage the gliders to retrieve them from inside through pre-drilled holes. It keeps them amused for ages.” Which is an undeniably good thing, as wild sugar gliders will forage for up to twelve hours each day.

In short, keeping gliders entertained and enriched is the key to avoiding the behavioural problems which had afflicted intelligent captive animals in the past. Poorly enriched sugar gliders would pace their enclosure, back-flip repeatedly, before moving to excessive grooming and, at extremes, self-mutilation, usually at the tail. We know enough about sugar gliders and enrichment for these problems to be eradicated forever, so be prepared to intervene at the first sign of behavioural issues.