Sugar gliders

[ZoeS95423]

Okay, So, I have a friend, who has togive up their pet sugar glider, because she is moving, and the house is too small for its cage. It is completely tame, and I have handled it.
I have done some research on them, But I am just wondering anything I should know before getting it.
She wants me to have it so she can still see it on a regular basis.
It has a leash it walks on, and is just the cutest thing. Every site I have gone to says they are easy to care for, but the fact they are a wild animal, they can still "lose it" at any time.
Which I am aware of. So I know they can eat fruit, and certain kinds of bugs, and veggies.

What kind of fruit, and veggies cant they have?
Also, can you feed them some sort of pellet food?

Please let me know anything you guys know.

 

[xchairity_casex]

im pretty sure theres no comercially prepared diet for sugar gliders though i may be wrong but i think them having to have fresh fruit is what puts alot of people off since its difficult to always have fresh around. and i know that some people will tell you they dont need insects in the diet but for better ehalth they do.
ive never owned one this is just what ive heard from people who have so i may be wrong this is just what ive heard

 

[ZoeS95423]

Well their diet needs to be 50 percent protein 25 percent veggies, and twenty five percent fruit.

So where would they get the protien without bugs or some kind of feed?

 

[ranchhand]

I've never had any, but SIL did. The entire cage had to be cleaned daily, because they stunk! Her whole house reeked of them, even with the daily cleaning.

 

[tigerrrrrrrlilly]

I have one, and yes he is a stinky one... lol
There is commercial diet but it's pricey, and mine hates it. I think it is just too plain of a pellet and bores him. Gliders are omnivores and like a variety. I use fresh veggies and fruits, grow my own meal worms for him, and on my too tired to prep days I use organic baby foods such as turkey and brown rice, chicken and veggies, fruits etc. mine prefers stage 3 because it chunkier. Also in the wild they have access to nectar and it is a good part of their diet. You can search online for nectar specifically made for sugar gliders. I give this every so often, at least a couple times a month. It is important not to slack too much on the protien so I found the small meal worm farm in a plastic drawere to be the easiest way to keep a steady supply without too many trips to the pet store for worms or crickets. You can buy canned worms and crickets in the reptile section but it's also more pricey that way.

 

[ZoeS95423]

I like the idea of having my own meal worms, because there are no local petstores near me, they all went out of business.
My friend I dont think cleans her cage daily, and its in the kitchen you cant smell it at all.

What kind of bedding is needed for them?

Baby food sounds like it would be a good way to feed it, especially when you cant get fresh fruit in the stores at certain times of the year.


How do you go about a "meal worm farm" ?

 

[tigerrrrrrrlilly]

Yes, the baby food is very convenient and easy when you are tired or don't have fresh stuff on hand. Also I buy frozen veggies and run them under hot water to thaw, that's easy too. Don't use canned though, it's bad -high sodium and low nutritional value, fresh is always best.
The meal worms are really easy, just buy a 250 count or more (I use large worms) and fill a plastic tub or drawer full of wheat bran. Health food stores sell by the pound, I buy 2 lbs and it lasts forever, it looks like the stuff the worms come in. You can probably use, wheat germ or oat bran if you have too but I was told the wheat bran works best and doesn't spoil easily. The worms will eat the wheat bran, stir it up every once in a while to prevent moisture developing chunks and molding. You also need to put fruit, veggie, slices of carrot or slices of potato (I just use whatever I have around the house) every so often so they have a way to suck out moisture for water. Other than that it's very simple and takes care of itself, just be sure to remove and replace anything that looks moldy. Don't bother pulling out worms that aren't moving, they go dormant when they change stages. Make sure the bin is at least 6 inches high so you don't have to worry about the little black beetles crawling out. Those will lay eggs and start the process over for you. I take out 3-4 worms every other day and still have plenty, but if you start getting low simply add more worms. You also need to add more bran if low, they need to burrow. If it starts to smell like it's spoiling, you will have to sift through and put the worms in new bran. I haven't had to do this ever and I've had mine for 6 months now so I think as long as you turn it and keep anything from getting icky, you shouldn't need to do this.

You can also occasionally give whole grain pasta, brown rice , cooked corn on the cob etc. to your glider, but try to stay away from using too many carbs on a daily basis.

**Oh, mine is in a bird cage so doesn't have access to the floor because there is a grate. I use corn cob bedding or newspaper. I'd say use something with low dust, no cedar. pine pellet bedding probably would be good since it absorbs well or the paper kind. They pee alot.
I also use a bird nesting box in his cage with 2-3 cuts of fleece for blankets inside to hide and curl up under, they like it very dark and want to hide in the daytime, mine loves his box since no light gets in and it's cozy and warm in there. I just keep a pile of fleece pieces near the cage and change them every couple days to control the smell, then when I get a good pile up I wash them all.

 

[Kassaundra]

Quote:
It is sooooooooooooo easy.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=492636

 

[ZoeS95423]

Quote:
the cage I am getting with buttons (the glider) is 2 bird cages put together, I am not sure how they did it, but it is very sturdy.
They have a little bag thath angs from the top of the cage that buttons sleeps in, and it has a small towel in it, and they just switch little baggies every few days, and wash them.

I am not sure what corn cob bedding is?
When you say newspaper, does that mean I should tear it up, or just lay it down?

 

[bagendhens]

http://www.sugar-gliders.com/sugar-glider-care.htm

gliders need a highly specilized and highly varied diet, while overall they are fairly easy to keep as pets, their diet alone is not something to just be done willy nilly...

ive had gliders, (dont currently) and my friend has 4, cage wise, the males tend to have more of an odor than the females, you will need to wash a males bedding and clean his cage more frequently BUT you should be doing a weekly wash of hammocks/bedding and deep clean along with a daily spot clean of the cage anyway...they need DAILY cage upkeep, you wouldnt want to live in your bathroom...your glider shouldnt have to either.

gliders do best when not in contact with the bedding, a slide out tray is the best bet lined with newspaper...in a "normal" cage carefresh or yesterdays news is prefered, never use pine or cedar, bad for the respitory system.
they should also have fleece (or other non looped low pile easy wash none fraying fabric) hammocks, pouches and snuggle spots, they like pouches. having multiple sets of bedding means you can wash one, dry the other and use the other, bedding should be changed and washed regularly.

they need a LARGE cage, perfeably tall, remember there gliders, they are arborial and like to climb...they are active during the night.

in all that though the HARDEST part of keeping a glider is the diet...
you can buy a comercial mix, its expensive and some gliders wont eat it...
they would eat sap, bugs, and fruit in the wild
you will need to provide fruit daily, and it should be varied...ie on eday apple, another pear, another mellon ect...
you will need to provide protein each day, chicken or turkey baby food, egg, mealworms, ect, again vary this daily
and then add either a dry mix or something like leadbeaters mix as the staple of the diet.

remember gliders are noctrounal, so feeding has to be prepped and given to them befor eyou go to bed...and then all "wet" food needs to be removed and tossed in the morning when your getting up and there going to sleep.

gliders can also be quite noisy...
take a look on youtube for sugar glider crabbing...
it sounds almost like a swarm of bees and can be loud enough to hear across the house!