Carolina Sugar Gliders
And Other Small Exotics
Tips, Tricks, Diet, And Housing
Bonding Tips
- Spend as much time as possible playing with your new joey.
- Sleep with a piece of fleece in your cloths. In the morning, put the fleece in the gliders pouch so they can sleep with your scent. This will help your joey associate your scent with good things.
- If your glider bites, do not throw, hit, yell at, lunge, or jerk away. All these have long-lasting ill effects on your glider. Instead, continue to hold the glider and talk in a soft voice until it calms down. Also, do not put the glider away if it bites. Just like a child, your glider will realize that if they bite you, you will put it away. Always be patient and understand that these are exotic pets and you have to gain their trust.
- Hand feed your glider treats and allow them to lick yogurt or baby food from your fingers. This will allow your glider to associate you with good things.
- Talk to your glider in a soft, soothing tone. Also place you gliders cage in an area where they can hear you. This way they can become familiar with your voice.
- You may also want to place an unwashed fleece blanket on top of your gliders cage like one that has been on your bed for a few days. This is another way for your glider to become accustomed to your scent. Keep in mind that your glider may pull the cloth into their cage so if at all possible we recommend using fleece.
- Tent time is another great way to bond to your glider. Using a tent allows you and your glider to move and play freely without worry. We recommend sitting inside the tent with them to help with bonding and to get them accustomed to you without feeling forced.
Sugar Glider No-No's
- Never use pine, cedar, or cat litter as a substrate in the bottom of your glider's cage. All three are toxic.
- Never feed your glider any dry diets that are not made for sugar gliders (Ex. cat, ferret, hamster, or bunny food). None of these foods have the nutritional requirements that gliders need. Dry foods in general should be avoided, the homemade diet is much more nutritious.
- Never skip on giving your gliders their calcium supplement. Without the proper amounts of calcium in their diet, they can develop hind leg paralysis or die.
- Never give your glider a bath. Gliders groom themselves and hate water. They also cannot swim so baths are not a good idea. If they must be cleaned, a baby or pet wipe is a good choice.
- Never give your glider tap water. Always give them purified or bottled water.
- Be cautious letting your glider run around the house. Gliders are small and can get in tight places making them hard to find. There are also things like standing water, refrigerator fans, and pets that may harm your glider.
- Do not allow young children to hold a sugar glider unsupervised. They can make sudden moves, noises, or squeeze them which could injure or scare the glider.
- Never use heat rocks or heat lamps. These can become very hot and dehydrate or burn you glider.
- If you ever see a red string type thing that splits on the end hanging out of their rear Do Not pull it!!! That is the males penis and pulling it can result in permanent damage and/or death. A lot of people mistake it for a red string that might have been digested and is trying to be passed.
Feeding Your Sugar Glider
- 8 ounces / 1 cup Fresh or Frozen Fruit
At least 4 different types
Not Canned
Either finely chop or use a
food processor. Safe Fruits are Listed Below.
- 8 ounces / 1 cup Fresh or Frozen Vegetables at least 4 different types. Not Canned. Either finely chop or use a food processor. Safe Veggies Are Listed Below.
- 6 ounces Plain Non-Fat Yogurt Such as Stoneyfield Farm and Dannon or Greek Honey Flavored.
- 3 ounces Calcium Fortified Orange Juice. You can substitute regular orange juice concentrate if you are unable to find one that is calcium fortified.
- 2-3 ounces Uncooked oatmeal. Use five minute regular oats, not the quick cooking kind. The oatmeal is nutritious and thickens your mix. More or less will be needed depending on the water generated by your fruits and vegetables.
- 32 ounces / 4 cups Applesauce. Unsweetened is best.
- 6 ounces Protein – Favorites include cooked chicken, ground turkey and eggs. You can boil, broil or roast the chicken, pan cook the ground turkey using extra virgin olive oil and scramble the eggs.
- 1 tablespoon Ground flax seed or wheat germ (Optional). This is optional if you are using fresh fruits and vegetables.
- 1. Finely chop your fruits and vegetables. We recommend using a food processor. If you do not
have one, make sure you chop your fruits and vegetables into small pieces. Remember the size of
the animal you are preparing food for.
- 2. Cook your protein – chicken, turkey, or eggs.
- 3. In a large bowl, put in all ingredients except the oatmeal and stir vigorously. You want to make
sure all ingredients have been incorporated and mixed thoroughly. Using a Food Processor or Blender helps also.
- 4. Depending on the thickness of your mix, add oatmeal. You do not want a runny or too thick of
a mix, but one that has the consistency of a cake mix.
- 5. You will want to divide the mixture in smaller containers to freeze. Here are some
recommendations
- 6. Sprinkle your multi-vitamin with calcium on top of the food your serve each day. Use 1/8th
teaspoon of vitamins per sugar glider. Always keep your multi-vitamins with calcium powder in
the refrigerator, but do not freeze.
- Apples
- Apricots
- Banana
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Cantaloupe
- Cherries (Sweet)
- Coconut
- Crab Apples
- Cranberries
- Dates (Apple)
- Figs
- Grapes
- Grapefruit (Not Every Day)
- Honeydew Melon
- Kiwi
- Kumquat
- Lemon
- Lemon Peel
- Lime
- Mandarin
- Mango
- Melon
- Nectarine (Not Every Day)
- Orange Peel (Not Every Day)
- Orange (Navel And Valencia) (Not Every Day)
- Papaya
- Passion Fruit (Purple)
- Peach
- Pear
- Pineapple
- Plum
- Prunes
- Raisins
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Tangerine
- Watermelon (Not Every Day)
- Asparagus
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Brussells Spouts
- Cabbage (Green And Red)
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Collard Greens
- Corn (Yellow)
- Cucumber
- Dandelion Greens
- Eggplant
- Green Beans
- Mushrooms
- Mustard Greens
- Okra
- Peas (Green)
- Peppers (Sweet)
- Potatos
- Pumpkin
- Squash
- Sweet Potato
- Tomato
- Yams
- Crickets
- Meal Worms
- Super Worms (If Alive, Remove Heads)
- Wax Worms
- Chicken (Boiled, No Seasoning)
- Turkey (Cooked, No Seasoning)
- Eggs (Boiled, Scrambled, No Seasoning)
- Honey
- Yogurt Drops
- Dried Fruits (No Added Sugars Or Salts)
- Cherrios
- Pasta (Cooked, No Seasoning)
- Meal Worms
- Baby Foods (Containing Onions Or Garlic)
- Caffeine
- Canned Foods
- Cheese
- Chives
- Chocolate
- Fried Foods
- Garlic
- Onions
- Pits (From Fruit)
- Lima Beans
- Raw Eggs
- Raw Meat
- Rhubarb
- Salt
- Sugar
- Wild Caught Insects (Due To Possibility Of Insecticides)
Housing, Accesories, Decor, Etc.
Caging
We recommend buying a cage that is at least 32''L X 19''W X 36''H (The Larger The Better) with bar spacing 1/2 inch or less. Ebay usually has a good selection of cages at an affordable price with free shipping. http://www.exoticnutrition.com/ also has good sugar glider cages.
We do not recommend making cages out of wood. Certain woods can be toxic and all woods will absorb urine creating and holding odors. Also metal that is not coated is unsafe.
There are other options if you are wanting to make your own cage. The PVC cages and Coated Metal Shelf Cages are a safe and sometimes cost effective way to build large custom cages. Plans for these can be found on Google.
Pouch Sets And Bonding Pouches
We currently have Brand New, Custom Pouch Sets in various sizes and patterns as well as Bonding Pouches here for you to look at and purchase when you pick up you Gliders. Pouch Sets are safe, easy to clean items that hang in you cage for them to climb, jump, and swing on. They also include the necessary pouches for them to nest in. Bonding pouches are sleeping pouches with a zipper top, screen vent, and carry strap used for bonding and taking them places securely. All of our sets and bonding pouches are made by a highly recommended seamstress Christine Glover. She makes excellent quality, safe sets for a very affordable price. If you are wanting to order ahead of time or if you need a new/extra set contact her via her email. She usually has some pre-made sets or can make you a custom set in your choice of fabric. She is working on getting a website, but for now you can contact her via her email at mgloverc@nc.rr.com. Let her know Carolina Sugar Gliders sent you.
Cage Pan Liners
You will want to have something in the bottom of the cage pan to absorb their droppings. We find that these liners do the best job!
We recommend Jana's Suggie-Shoppe at www.gr8pots.webs.com/ for her wonderful custom cage liners. It is by far the most affordable thing to use for a liner in your cage. They are washable and absorb odor better than anything else I have ever tried. Let them know Carolina Sugar Gliders sent you!
Wheels
Sugar gliders love a wheel to run in. If you are looking for a quality safe/silent wheel for your glider, check out the Raptor And Stealth Wheels. They can be purchased here http://atticworx.com/1Stealth%20Wheels.htm
Toys
Gliders love enrichment and foraging toys. There are lots of differnt items available on Etsy. https://www.etsy.com/search?q=sugar%20glider%20foraging%20toys
Treats
Our gliders love yogurt drops, meal worms, and dried papaya as a treat. We usually purchase these from http://www.exoticnutrition.com/suglhetr.html.
If you have found something that you like that is not on the list and you don't know if it is safe for your suggie, please don't hesitate to email and ask. We will be more than happy to help you make sure you purchase the right supplies for your new baby.
