According to the organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), having a sugar glider as a pet is depriving it of "everything what is natural and meaningful to them: the company of their own kind, the fresh air, the open air, and the opportunity to climb or do almost anything else other than stroll or sit and stare out of a little cage." [1]
To trade with them, these animals are raised in unsuitable facilities or brought through illegal trafficking of species in plastic bottles from their country of origin, Australia.
On the other hand, due to lack of veterinary information, death in captive animals is very premature. In addition, behavioral problems are accused by the lack of knowledge about the ethology of the species and by the cognitive deficiencies suffered by being caged, which leads to a massive abandonment, ending the animals in recovery centers in the best of cases.
If you decide to contact one of these centers to adopt one or several gliders, in this article on our site we show you all the information you need to know about the species and its maintenance in captivity to learn how take care of a sugar glider. Don't forget to talk first to a veterinarian specializing in exotic animals who may have notions about this species.
Characteristics of sugar petaruro
Sugar Gliders are small arboreal marsupials that live in colonies of up to 12 animals with a dominant male. They have gray fur with a black dorsal stripe, a long, prehensile black tail often with a white tip, and a pale cream underside.
In the wild, males generally weigh between 115 and 160 grams and females between 95 and 135 grams. There are several subspecies that vary in size, with the tropical species from Papua New Guinea being the smallest. We are also talking about omnivorous animals that feed on sap and insects depending on the season.
What should the sugar glider's cage be like?
According to ethological studies, it is considered inappropriate to keep a sugar glider in a cage smaller than 2 x 2 x 2 metersand the size of the mesh or fence must be 1 x 2.5 centimeters. This is because being a kind of night habits , it is during the night when they become active, at which time we cannot attend to them, since we will be asleep and must spend this period caged.
In nature, a glider would spend the night flying and jumping between trees and branches, covering distances greater than 50 meters. We must bear in mind that the location of the cage in the home should not have access to potential predators, such as dogs, cats, snakes, etc.
Inside the cage we will place a nest box that simulates the hollow of a tree, the entrance being very narrow, so that only he can fit, so the animal will feel more secure. The location of the nest as well as the feeders and drinkers should be at a height, not near the floor of the cage, also for a greater sense of security. We will also place branches vertically and horizontally.
The cage must be provided with a door through which we can handle the glider if necessary and be able to change the drinker and feeder. In addition, it is also interesting that it has a removable tray to remove droppings and other waste.
Normally, when you have a single glider, it is usually kept in a small cage hanging high where its nest is. This cage is only useful if, in addition, the animal has regular access to branches where it can exercise, always under surveillance.
Sugar Glider Feeding
Sugar gliders feed on a wide variety of exudates from plants and insects and arthropods, with a natural diet that depends on the characteristics of the habitat and the season. They have a very elongated fourth finger for picking insects from trees, as well as enlarged lower incisors for chewing bark.
Several feeding ecology studies from different locations in Australia indicate that diet is highly correlated with resource availability, and that sugar gliders are highly adaptable , that is, they eat almost anything they find in their environment
In specialized stores you can find feed for other species that have worked well with gliders kept in zoos, such as feed for opossums.
If you can't find the right feed you can always prepare its food with ingredients that are easy to find on the market, we show two examples:
Diet 1:
- 5g dry cat food or 10g wet food
- 5 g berries
- 5g citrus
- 5 g other fruit
- 5 g sweet potato
- 1 g mealworms (or other invertebrates, such as grasshoppers, moths, flies, crickets)
Diet 2:
- 12 g chopped mixed fruit (any kind <10% citrus)
- 2.5 g vegetables, cooked and chopped
- 10 g peach or apricot nectar
- 5.5 g low iron poultry feed
- 1 g mealworms (or other invertebrates)
Some diseases of the sugar glider
Sugar gliders have been kept in zoos for many years, but in recent decades they have become popular as pets so the veterinary literature focuses on breeding rather thancommon diseases of the species.
This is very important when deciding whether or not to have a sugar glider as a pet, because when it comes to taking it to a veterinarian it is no longer just the fact of choosing an exotic one, but he will be able to do little if the glider gets sick, because there is not enough information in the books to reach a good diagnosis and treatment.
Below we show some data collected during necropsies on the he alth of these animals:
Cardiovascular disease
Degenerative cardiovascular disease is rare, but it ends up with a generalized blood infection that kills the animal.
Degenerative illness
There have been many cases of liver cirrhosis. The cause(s) are not known, and half of the cases appear to be associated with hepatic lipidosis and in some cases associated with excessive iron storage.
There is some speculation on the internet that this disease may be associated with mycotoxins in sugar gliders, but this has not been proven. Chronic kidney disease is rare, but renal lipidosis can occur.
Anomalies
There have been cases of hydronephrosis (water in the kidneys), associated with pyelonephritis(kidney stones). It is not known if it is a disease itself or symptoms of another secondary disease.
Nutritional diseases
Due to malnutrition and the breeding of these animals, they can develop necrotizing pancreatitis and pancreatic fibrosis.
Neoplasm
The few data collected show a high presence of tumors in these animals, with a higher percentage of malignant than benign tumors, many of them were breast tumors. There have also been cases of anal gland tumors, cutaneous melanomas, lymphomas, and carcinomas of the urinary tract.
Bacterial, fungal and viral infections
Fungal or virus infections do not seem to be common in this species, but bacterial, producing in some casesmeningoencephalitis.
Is it possible to adopt a sugar glider?
If you want to have a sugar glider as a pet, you should know that you don't have to buy one, since abandoned gliders arrive at many wildlife recovery centers every dayby their owners, in addition, there are shelters for exotic animals that can also have this species for adoption.
Before adopting any animal you must take into account all its needs and consider whether you can cover them. This particular species is very sociable so a single individual should not be adopted.
