(Oh boy were to start?) Let me start by telling you if some one says Sugar Gliders are cheap and easy to keep they are wrong! First of all, everyone has a different idea of what hard or easy, expensive or cheap is anyway!  And second: sure YOU could be easy and cheap to feed too, but how healthy will YOU be and how long will you live eating say, bread and water? You need to research Sugar Gliders! This page is meant to be a BASIC place to start.

BASIC CARE:

This is a big area of controversy in the sugar glider community. When you do research on housing and diets it seems there are always disagreements. But a few areas where everyone seems to agree is that these intelligent little furred creatures need as much enrichment and attention as a human creature! Please be prepared to be committed to your little one BEFORE you buy one! And just like a child, if things don't work out it is very stressful to be given away (but even in those situations sometimes that MAY be best). We have a responsibility to the Creator to take care of them the best we can. We improve what we do by doing research and always asking if this is the best it can be. Always start with good housing, clean environment, healthy diet, lots of enrichment, and most of all: TRUE LOVE!

HOUSING:

Larger is better! While they can "survive" in a smaller cage, ask yourself if you want to live in a small room everyday 24/7? So I recommend the biggest cage you can handle. Be sure to give an exercise wheel safe for gliders and plenty of "enrichment". VERY IMPORTANT: remember these are very small and intelligent creatures. BAR SPACING on the cage should be 1/2" or less. Any larger and they can squeeze out. Be sure that locks on doors are not easy to open! I have heard stories of gliders learning how to unlock their cages. The preferred cage SHAPE is taller as opposed to wider. The Sugar Gliders seem to prefer the height of a cage. Please be prepared to clean the cage regularly, at least twice a week.

You will also need to provide pouches or boxes for them to sleep in. Fleece is the preferred and safest material to use. Be sure there are no loose threads for little nails to get caught in!

ENRICHMENT:

You need to provide exercise and other things to do to keep you Sugar Glider happy and healthy. An exercise wheel is great! Please do NOT use the type that has a wire holder and open sides you typically see used in mouse and rat cages. These types are very dangerous as Sugar Gliders like to take "flying leaps" out of the wheel while it is spinning and this type of wheel can do great damage to tails, feet, and their "patagium". "Wodent wheels" are popular, though some have reported injuries on these wheels as well. There are many types of wheels considered safe by some for Sugar Gliders. Silent Spinners are a good choice, but again, you will have some people who disagree, and some "accidents" have been reported with those. Like any item in your Sugar Gliders environment, care and caution should always be used!

Toys should always be provided. They need something to do! Puzzles sold for birds are good. As well as natural branches that are considered Glider safe. USE YOUR IMAGINATION! And if you don't have one, check out the forums for some good ideas. Toys safe for human babies are a good start. THINK LIKE A SUGAR GLIDER! And change the toys regularly so they don't get bored!

A "glider safe" room is the best thing to play in, although tents are recommended also. They should be able to come out to play at least everyday for an hour.

DIETS:

The BIGGEST area of debate among Sugar Glider "slaves". I cannot even begin to recommend what to feed as I don't want to promote MY diet even though I like it (so far). There are so many diets out there and all have good and bad points. A very important thing to remember in sugar glider diets is a calcium to phosphorus ratio. They have very small bones and if these two minerals are not balanced properly, many health issues can result. You will need to become a nutritionist!

In the wild sugar gliders eat saps and gums which are comprised of sugars (mostly sucrose types) and carbohydrates. They also consume insects and honeydew, which are secretions from insects (gross) and perhaps a small bird or egg from a nest. They also consume flower nectar and pollen. Pollen is a funny thing with MY gliders. They don't like the pollen I buy ("bee pollen") but readily eat the pollen from flowers I pick.

What I will say with "captive" gliders is that variety is the best in a diet. Don't feed them the same thing everyday. First of all if you are not feeding them what Nature intended then something will always be lacking in the diet and by using some variety hopefully you will fill in those nutritional "holes". Variety is good too because it keeps them from getting bored with the food. Do YOU want to eat the same food everyday?

There are pellet sugar glider diets out there, but be careful! Read the ingredients! If you decide to use it, the pellets should be a small part of the over all diet!

Fresh fruits and vegetables are recommended by almost everyone! Some people recommend a high quality catfood as well, BUT ONLY AS A TREAT! NOT I repeat NOT as a main diet! I strongly suggest insects as this is a natural part of the diet and they love them! WARNINGS on insects: There is concern over "aflatoxin poisoning" and insects, so you need a reputable provider. Do not catch insects outside your home! They could be contaminated with poisons! Even if you dont use any chemicals your neighbors could and the little critter could come over to your place before it dies. And NEVER ever feed slugs or snails to your sugar gliders. Never feed lightning bugs! I would probably steer clear of flies too. Meal worms, wax worms, crickets are my favorite choices. I purchase them freeze dried by a reputable company and am happy with them.

Ok, I feed 2-3 fruits and 2-3 veggies every night. I use a variety and don't repeat anything 2 nights in a row. I use a lot of "exotic" fruits also. I also use 4 different pellets and alternate between them, they get a small amount. A couple times a week a very small dollop of yogurt. And I also make my own "nectar" they get a few times a week. Every morning (1:30am) I get up to play with them for an hour or so and I hand feed them the insects. To make my nectar I tried to copy nature and what they eat in the wild and the closest I could get to that in this country. To that I add a VERY small amount of vitamins and other supplements to try to fill in those "holes".

BONDING AND TRAINING:

PATIENCE! Did I mention patience is needed in this area? There are as many different techniques in this area as there are people. And not ever technique will work on every sugar glider. They are individuals after all! But you do need to learn your sugar gliders' language and respect how he feels. Don't ever push trying to be friends. Take it slow! It may take weeks, months, or even years to develop trust. I have one that took almost a year. the MOST important things to get them to bond: (in my opinion)for ANY animal
1 patience
2 consistency (this builds trust, they know what to expect)
3 learn their language and when they say "bug off" leave them be
4 look at number 1 again
5 be a provider of good things, such as food, gentle messages, soft voice and for gliders...no loud smells! haha
6 may sound funny but it works...think good safe calm thoughts when handling them. But don't try to "project" anything
7 did I mention patience?
I have trained multiple types of animals and this works. My girls also respond to a few commands. Such as their names, "stand" and "wait", and "jump". "Training" is good as it increases intelligence also as well as develops a "partnership" feeling between you. This may help with bonding also. It did with Gizmo. Every time you do give your little one a treat, softly say their name the same way every time, they will eventually learn to associate you and the name and the treat as a happy occurrence.

Tents are highly recommended as a safe areas to play with your glider until they bond to you. It is safe, enclosed, and small so they have to interact with you. DO NOT chase them around in the tent. Let them come to you! You need to prove to them you are safe! And chasing is not allowed until they KNOW you! And bring treats in the tent! Food is a great way to show you are fun to be with! Once your sugar glider has bonded to you, then perhaps try a sugar glider safe room. Test you glider and make sure they come to you if something startles them. If so, it MAY be safe to go outside with them. But again, you need to decide for YOURSELF if this is something you want to risk. I would NEVER recommend taking them out at night! And even during the day has its risks. Even strongly bonded sugar gliders can become startled, frightened, and disoriented and do something they shouldn't, like go up a tree and you may not get them back! So use care and caution in this area!

 TRUE LOVE:

"Love is long suffering and kind...Does not look for its own interests...Does not keep account of injury...It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things...Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (in part)