Sugar Glider Enrichment
Sugar gliders are best to get around 8-12 weeks after they emerge from the mother’s pouch. This is the best age to socialize them with humans and get them used to being handled. The process may take many weeks to fully socialize them to humans. Sugar gliders live for about 7-10 years in captivity but have been known to live as long as 12-15 in some cases. They are nocturnal in the wild, however they can adjust to any schedule in captivity.
Sugar gliders like to be in groups so it is recommended to have at LEAST 2 housed together. If this is not possible the owner will need to spend a lot of time (at least 4 hours or more a day) with the solo sugar glider for interaction and to stimulate good mental health of the animal. It is best to neuter your male sugar glider to prevent unwanted behavior, unwanted pregnancy and possible self-mutilation.
SELF-MUTILATION
It is a common problem with sugar gliders in captivity to exhibit self-mutilation. This may occur for a number of reasons, the most common one being inadequate husbandry and enrichment. If you suspect your pet is self-mutilating make an appointment to see your veterinarian to rule out other possible causes. Appropriate housing, diet and enrichment is extremely important to keep your pet happy and healthy.
KEEPING YOUR PET HAPPY
In the wild, sugar gliders are arboreal (live in the trees) so your enclosure should be tall and with a lot of climbing available. For example, the appropriate cage size for 1 or 2 adult sugar gliders is 36” wide, 24” deep and 40” tall with horizontal bars. For climbing you could use fake plant branches or plastic chain to hang in the enclosure. Temperatures should be between 75˚ – 80˚ and the cage should be cleaned daily. They should have a heat source in their enclosure, a heat rock with a blanket or towel positioned over it for hiding and sleeping is preferred. You should provide them with toys and you may use dog, cat or rabbit toys but be careful of toys with loose wires or strings as they may be dangerous for them.
For exercise, a sturdy exercise wheel can be used in the enclosure but do your research on the best ones to prevent injury. The wheels marketed for other small mammals usually are unsafe for sugar gliders because they can injure their tails or other parts of their body on them. Letting them out of the enclosure is ok for exercise but make sure they are watched carefully to prevent injury as well.
REFERENCE
“A Quick Reference Guide to Unique Pet Species”
Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps) Pet Care
January 1, 2011 (published)
David M. Brust, DVM
Sugar Glider Nutrition
Proper diet is imperative for keeping a sugar glider healthy and happy. Nutritional problems are the most common problems seen by veterinarians and include obesity, malnutrition, low bone density, dental disease, heart disease, nervous system disorders, muscle disorders, and cataracts.
Past attempts at formulating diet for sugar gliders did their best to simulate the natural diet of sugar gliders, which consists primarily of pollen, nectars, insects and saps. Examples of these previous attempts included diet such as High Protein Wombaroo (HPW) and American Sugar Glider Diet (ASG). A person runs into problems when trying to feed these diets. Not only do they require a large amount of preparation time but they still fall short of meeting the nutritional requirements of a captive sugar glider. They tend to be inconsistent nutritionally and often are high in fat. Captive sugar gliders should be expected to live 2-3 times longer than those in the wild and spend far less time foraging. Today’s diet recommendations better reflect these two realities.
Pelleted Diets:
A good, quality sugar glider extruded pellet diet should make up approximately 75% of a sugar glider diet. Recommended brands include Exotic Nutrition’s Premium Diet, Mazuri Insectivore Diet, and Nutrimax sugar glider diet. Feed approximately 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup (2-3 oz.) daily.
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables:
Approximately 25% of a sugar glider’s diet should consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, equivalent to 2 to 3 tablespoons daily or about 1/8 of an apple. Wash thoroughly prior to placing into the cage, placing fresh in the cage in the evening and remove leftovers the following morning to prevent spoilage. Organic may be best to avoid exposure to pesticides and other toxic chemicals. Avoid fruits and vegetables with high levels of oxalates because these can sometimes interfere with calcium absorption. These include: blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, carrots, spinach, pears, lettuce, collard greens, and beets.
It is important to control the amount of fruits and vegetables offered as sugar gliders often will choose these sweet, tastier items over the more nutritious pellets.
Calcium-Balanced Multivitamin Supplement:
A calcium-based multivitamin should be sprinkled lightly over fruits and vegetables every other day or can be mixed with organic yogurt or natural applesauce and hand-fed. Recommended brands include VitaMax or Glide-A-Mins.
Treats:
Treats should make up no more 5% of a sugar glider’s diet. Appropriate treats are live insects such as mealworms or crickets, small amounts of flavored yogurts, and preservative free commercially available treats.
Foods to be Discouraged or Avoided:
Chocolate (toxic), dairy products (except small amounts of flavored yogurt as treats), cheese, milk, ice cream, foods high in oxalates (see above), whole kernel corn (dry or fresh), grapes & raisins, bird food, dog food, cat Food, nuts and seeds.
Transitioning Your Sugar Glider to a Healthy Diet:
It is important to transition gradually over about 30 days to decrease stress and help your sugar glider accept the new diet. Sudden changes in diet can lead to digestive problems, including diarrhea. Watch you sugar glider’s stool very closely and if diarrhea is noted, contact your veterinarian immediately. Remember, the transition is about getting your pet on a healthy diet. While a sugar glider may prefer sugary and fattening items, in the long run these items will lead to serious health problems.
For more information on Sugar Glider Nutrition visit the Association of Sugar Glider Veterinarians website at www.asgv.org.
Calcium Deficiency in Sugar Gliders
Calcium deficiency leading to nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism (NSHP) is one of the most common problems of sugar gliders. NSHP, sometimes known as metabolic bone disease or MBD, is very common in young growing gliders fed an improper diet. The diet may be deficient in calcium, have too much phosphorus, not enough vitamin D3, or some combination of these problems. The bones never mineralize, and end up weak and easily broken. A sugar glider on a bad diet may appear perfectly normal right up until the time you find it paralyzed at the bottom of it’s cage due to a broken back. Sometimes, a sugar glider on a bad diet may show problems climbing or walking as a result of bones that broke from being too low in calcium, often known as pathological fractures. Other signs of a bad diet are gliders that are underweight and small for their age.
A radiograph will help your veterinarian diagnose your sugar glider. The bones that are low in calcium will be grey. In the radiograph below, the skull is much brighter than the rest of the skeleton because that is the last bone to lose calcium combatting the deficiency.
A sugar glider with NSHP. All of the bones other than the skull are not well mineralized. The green arrows on the right point to the many different pathological fractures on its arms and legs.
Occasionally, a problem with the kidneys can create similar signs, so it is important to have your sugar glider’s blood tested whenever a problem with the skeleton is found.
Once your glider has been diagnosed with NSHP, you must realize you now have a special needs glider. It will likely have permanent changes in its skeleton as a result of the multiple pathologic fractures in its arms and legs, and it will be more prone to arthritis as it ages. It may never be able to climb normally, and may not be able to groom itself normally. If it cannot groom itself, you may have to clean its hind end with a warm wet wash cloth several times a day to remove the feces and urine that accumulates.
Your sick glider will need to be kept in a “hospital cage” in order to recover more quickly and prevent further bone injuries. It is important for this hospital cage to have smooth sides so that your glider cannot climb and remains at the bottom of the cage. A deep plastic storage container works well as a temporary hospital cage. A 20 gallon aquarium with a screen top is another good choice. Place food and water in shallow dishes on the bottom of its cage. Do not provide any climbing structures as the glider is not stable enough to climb. Minimize handling your glider to reduce the risk of further injuries.
Your doctor may precribe a calcium supplement such as calcium glubionate to be given by mouth twice daily for several weeks to months. Some pets need injections of calcium in addition to the oral medication. Some gliders may need weekly injections of calcitonin hormone and anabolic steroids if not showing significant improvement within 6 weeks.
Special liquid diets, such as Emeraid for Omnivores, may be needed to help improve your glider’s nutrition while it is recuperating, and as a supplement until it learns to accept the new diet your veterinarian recommends.
NSHP can be a painful condition so many gliders will need a pain reliever like meloxicam.
You will need to change your glider’s diet. Use a calcium carbonate powder (such as Zoo Med’s Calcium with D3) dusted onto the crickets and other insects, fruits, and vegetables at every feeding. A multivitamin supplement with vitamin A and vitamin D3 (such as Zoomed’s Reptivite with D3) should be used as a dust on the crickets and other insects and produce twice a week.
If your glider starts to tremble or if it starts to seizure, it is going to need a recheck and injections of calcium and other treatments as soon as possible. Seizures are emergencies and need attention right away.
Your veterinarian should recheck your glider within 1 to 2 weeks of starting on treatment. Your glider should have a radiograph after 6 weeks to check the mineralization of its bones. Be prepared for a lengthy treatment as many gliders take 3 to 6 months to recover. As mentioned above, gliders with severe NSHP, particularly ones with pathological fractures, may never be completely normal.
Further Reading
