Pets bring fun and love into a home. But, they also come with responsibility.
This holds true for all pets, including a baby sugar glider. These adorable animals are playful, sociable, and unique.
But, before bringing a sugar glider into your home, learn how to properly care for it.
How to Care for a Baby Sugar Glider
Make sure to get everything you need and prepare yourself for taking care of your new pet. Keep reading to learn tips for raising a baby sugar glider!
Sugar Glider Supply Checklist
To begin, let’s go over a list of basic supplies you will need to bring your baby sugar glider home:
- Cage
- Bedding and Nest
- Water Bottle
- Potty Tray
- Food
- Toys
Your sugar glider’s cage setup should be complete so that they can get acclimated as soon as you bring them home.
Setting Up the Cage
Your sugar glider probably needs to cages. For bonding purposes, they need a smaller sized cage as babies. You can use a small birdcage for the first few weeks.
As your sugar glider gets used to you and grows, you want to transfer them into a much bigger setup. These critters love to move around and climb, so make their cage spacious with a number of perched levels to keep them active and happy.
Keep their cage out of direct sunlight. Sugar gliders will die from overexposure to sunlight.
In the cage, you need to give them access to at least one hiding spot, so they feel safe when frightened. You can provide an enclosed fabric nest, a hiding box, or both.
You also want a removable potty tray to keep the cage sanitary. With this, you can opt for soft bedding like a shredded newspaper. Clean it daily.
When caring for a sugar glider, always provide them access to clean water in their cage. Sugar gliders commonly die from accidental dehydration or contaminated water.
To avoid this give your glider a constant supply of fresh, filtered water. Tap water carries traces of different toxins that our large bodies can process, but their bodies can get easily overwhelmed by. You can choose to hydrate them via a water bottle or a shallow bowl.
Too large of a bowl always carries drowning potential for pets, while smaller bowls need constant refilling. With a bowl, your glider may also see it as a spot to urinate, contaminating their own water, or they might get wet and chilled.
To avoid these issues, use a water bottle that fastens to the outside of the cage. If you work long hours, then definitely choose a large bottle to ensure constant water supply.
Diet
You should not purchase a sugar glider before 6-8 weeks, as they need their mother’s milk. But, if you somehow happen to get one this young, be prepared to use a milk replacer and a syringe to feed them 4 times a day at regular intervals.
Once weaned, sugar gliders need a pretty sweet diet. In the wild, they typically eat nectar, sap, eucalyptus gum, honeydew, and insect. In order to meet their full range of nutritional needs, offer your young sugar glider a variety of foods at home.
You should provide them with fresh fruits and vegetables daily. But, the majority of their diet should come from protein-based sources. If they seem to want sugary stuff more, put a little honey on their food to make it more enticing.
Though you can give them a variety of insects, this could get messy. Find pet foods specialized for insect-eaters or sugar gliders to make sure they get everything they need.
Handling
Handle your baby sugar glider regularly so that they get used to people. This will help them develop into friendly pets.
Though lovable, they are quite small and fragile. For this reason, watch closely if you allow small children to play with them so they do not suffer fractures or other injuries.
Playtime
When choosing a baby sugar glider as a pet, make sure you can devote enough time to them that they can stay active and healthy. They should get out of cage playtime for at least 3-5 hours each day.
If you work all day, then do not worry, as these are nocturnal creatures that get more active at night. If you work evenings, still do not worry, because you can train them to fit your schedule.
Rest Time
These active creatures also need a ton of proper rest. They will sleep in the nest you provide for more than half the day. Make sure that they get enough uninterrupted, unhandled time as well.
Enrichment Toys and Accessories
Sugar gliders love to play and need the exercise. Get your glider a number of enrichment items to help them stay active.
One of the most important playthings you can purchase your glider is a wheel for inside their cage. This allows them to run during the times you can not devote your attention to let them run free.
These marsupials also benefit from live tree branches, so they can chew, climb, and keep their nails trim. Safe woods include maple, birch, walnut, ash, and elm. Stay away from woods that cause toxicity in sugar gliders, like cedar, almond, and oak.
You might also buy them a little playground or jungle gym to offer a variety of playtime activities, but this is not necessary as they instinctively know how to play on branches. Avoid cloth toys as they may chew loose ends and get tangled in them.
Bathing
You do not need to bathe your sugar glider. They keep themselves very clean as long as you keep their environment sanitary.
Interactions with Other Pets
Many gliders turn into best friends for other family pets, like dogs and cats. But, introduce them slowly and keep an eye out to avoid any mishaps, as they may look like toys or food to your larger animals.
Enjoy Your New Fur Friend
Now that you know how to care for your baby sugar glider, bring it home and enjoy it. These animals make wonderful house pets that the whole family will love.
Not sure if a sugar glider fits your lifestyle? Learn about more potential pets on our website!
