Essential Pet Sugar Glider Supplies
The sugar glider is a charming exotic pet that many people find appealing due to its soft fur and adorable big eyes. These sociable and friendly creatures are easy to bond with and provide an interactive experience for their owners. However, it’s important to note that pet sugar gliders can live up around 10 to 15 years in captivity and require adequate enrichment, socialisation, and exercise to maintain their health and happiness.
If you’ve thoroughly researched and are prepared to take care of a sugar glider, you’ll need the following essential supplies to begin your journey with your new pet sugar glider.
1. Sugar Glider Cage
To keep your pet sugar glider active and happy, it’s essential to provide them with a spacious cage that accommodates their climbing, jumping, and exploring habits. A cage with ample vertical space, ramps, and levels for climbing is ideal. Since sugar gliders are social animals, a cage that is at least 24 inches in length, 36 inches in height, and 24 inches in width is recommended for a pair of pet sugar gliders.
This is only the minimum size, so it’s better to choose a larger cage if you plan to house more than two pet sugar gliders or add toys.
When selecting a cage for your pet sugar glider, keep the following points in mind:
- The wire spacing should not be greater than ½ inch.
- The bars can be oriented either horizontally or vertically, as long as there is ample space for climbing.
- The cage door should be spacious enough for you to spot clean and interact with your pet sugar glider.
2. Sugar Glider Travel Cage
A pet travel cage isn’t necessary, but getting one for your pet sugar glider can make travelling with them more convenient, especially when you need to take them to the veterinarian. It’s safer and more secure to travel with your household pet in a travel cage unless you’re comfortable with your traveling pet sugar glider in a bonding pouch.
There are many different models of pet sugar glider travel cages, but it’s best to choose one that is lightweight, rust-resistant, and durable.
3. Sugar Glider Cage Liners and Bedding
Bedding and cage liners are important components of a pet sugar glider’s cage as they trap dirt, uneaten food, secretions, and other messes within the enclosure. These materials are typically placed at the bottom of the cage, serving as an inner layer. Bedding or cage liners can come in different forms, such as sand, pebbles, cedar, shavings, or fleece.
Pet sugar gliders tend to be messy, so it’s necessary to place a layer of bedding or a cage liner at the bottom of their enclosure. This will simplify the cleaning process since pet sugar gliders tend to drop food, excrete, and gnaw on objects, causing a mess at the bottom of their cage. If you choose a pet sugar glider cage that has a flat pan that can be removed, using a cage liner will be more practical, preventing the hassle of cleaning up spilled bedding from the cage’s sides.
4. Sugar Glider Cleaning Materials
As a pet sugar glider owner, it is important to maintain a clean and safe environment for your pet sugar glider, including their cages and accessories.
For deep cleaning, you can use a variety of cleaning materials and solutions, but the following are some of the most effective:
• Hot water
• Mild detergent or dish soap
• Fabric conditioners or fabric softeners
• Microfiber cloth
5. Sugar Glider Food and Water Dishes
When choosing food and water dishes for your pet sugar glider, it’s better to opt for stainless steel bowls or ones that come with hooks that can be attached to the bars of a wire cage. These type of bowls are easy to clean, and they also minimize the risk of your pet sugar glider catching infections or diseases.
It’s important to choose a food bowl that is large as sugar gliders have a tendency to forage through their food and make a mess out of it. Additionally, having a water bottle at one level of the cage and a water dish at another ensures that your pet sugar glider has access to fresh water at all times.
To keep things organised, you might want to consider getting a matching set of food and water dishes that can be attached to the cage. You can also use an anti-turning food dish if you prefer to feed your pet sugar glider from a level in the cage.
It’s important to provide adult pet sugar gliders with a balanced diet, so make sure to choose a large bowl that can hold your pet sugar glider’s food, fresh fruits, and any multivitamin supplements that you feed them.
6. Sugar Glider Toys
Sugar gliders are interactive animals, they love to play and explore, which makes it very important to have a variety of toys as enrichment to keep them entertained. To prevent boredom, change the toys every month and rearrange them often, as pet sugar gliders can easily get bored if they are not provided with enough variety.
Pet sugar gliders love hammocks and tunnels, so instead of purchasing toys separately, you can get a collection of toys that you can change whenever necessary in the cage. Choose toys that encourage climbing and exploration, as this mimics their natural behaviour in the wild. Wooden chew toys are also a great option since sugar gliders enjoy chewing, which can keep them occupied.
7. Sugar Glider Exercise Wheel
It’s important to provide your pet sugar glider with an exercise wheel since they are very active. However, most exercise wheels are too small for sugar gliders. To ensure a suitable fit, choose exercise wheels with a diameter of more than 12 inches (30 cm) that won’t cause your pet sugar glider’s back to arch or have an extended axle that could catch their tail.
If you have more than a few pet sugar gliders in the same cage, you should consider purchasing two extra exercise wheels so that they can take turns running on the wheel. There are exercise wheels that can be attached to the cage or are free-standing on a sturdy base.
8. Sugar Glider Sleeping Pouches or Nesting Boxes
As sugar gliders are nocturnal animals, they spend a significant amount of time sleeping during the day. Providing your pet sugar glider with a sleeping pouch or a large nesting box can give them a comfortable place to rest. A sleeping pouch is also portable, making it a practical tool for your pet sugar glider.
Since sugar gliders are nocturnal and can sleep for up to 19 hours a day, it’s important to provide them with a large sleeping pouch or nesting box. Some can be mounted to the cage’s bars, saving space while providing a cosy sleeping area. You can add natural nesting material to ensure the bottom is soft and comfortable.
Although sugar gliders typically sleep together, it will be beneficial to offer them two separate sleeping areas in different areas of the cage.
9. Sugar Glider Treats
When bonding with your pet sugar glider, they may show interest in engaging in various activities with you. To strengthen your bond, it can be helpful to offer treats as positive reinforcement when they follow your commands. Some types of treats that can be given to your pet sugar glider include insects, nectar, or tree sap.
10. Sugar Glider Nail Clipper
One of the most important tools is the nail clipper or trimmer, as neglecting to trim your pet sugar glider’s nails can result in them growing long and sharp, which can be dangerous for both you and your pet sugar glider.
Conclusion
After purchasing the necessary items for your pet sugar glider, it’s time to prepare their new home and make it as comfortable and enriching as possible. Ensure that the cage you choose is spacious enough to accommodate your pet sugar glider and all the accessories you plan to add, without making it overcrowded.
While most of these pet sugar glider supplies are one-time purchases, you will need to restock on items such as food, bedding, and chew toys every few weeks as they run out.
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