With their big eyes, long tails, and undeniably cute appearance, sugar gliders have become popular pets. Unfortunately, their popularity often leads people to underestimate how much care they truly need. Proper sugar glider care is far more complex than many realise, and these tiny marsupials are frequently kept in conditions that don’t meet their physical or behavioural needs. This can have a serious impact on their health, wellbeing, and overall welfare. Understanding their requirements before bringing them home is essential to ensuring they live a happy, healthy life. In this article, we’ll discuss what sugar gliders truly require, helping (potential) pet owners understand how to provide the right environment, diet, and daily care so these special little animals can thrive.
About the sugar glider
Sugar gliders are small gliding possums native to northeast and eastern Australia, Papua New Guinea, Tasmania, and Indonesia. These tiny creatures are nocturnal, meaning they are active at night, and their large eyes help them locate prey in the dark. Their natural colouring is light brown to grey, though in captivity you may also see white varieties.
They have soft fur, a long tail, and a gliding membrane that stretches from the first digit of the hind foot to the first digit of the forefoot, allowing them to glide with ease. Sugar gliders also have relatively long lifespans, especially in captivity, and with proper care can live for around 10–15 years.
Cage
Almost all cages sold in pet stores are unsuitable for sugar gliders. Sugar gliders need plenty of space to climb, move, and play. For two sugar gliders, a suitable cage should be at least 120 cm high (not including any stand underneath) and 60 cm in both width and depth. Bigger is always better, and an aviary-style enclosure is ideal as it gives them enough space to glide.
Inside the cage, provide your sugar gliders with hammocks, braided ropes, vines, pouches, a safe exercise wheel without an axle (to prevent their tails from getting caught), food bowls, water bowls or drippers, toys, and plenty of enrichment materials.
Sugar gliders like to sleep in pouches and hammocks, so make sure to provide several in their enclosure. It’s important to regularly check all pouches, hammocks, and other fabric items for loose threads, as these can pose a strangulation hazard if a sugar glider becomes tangled.
Inside the cage, you can add braided ropes, perches, fringed vines, and similar items for climbing and exploring. When it comes to toys, every sugar glider has its own preferences. Suitable options include floor toys they can carry around, a small “ball pit” filled with pom poms for hiding and crawling, foraging toys, ladders, and more. Always ensure the materials you choose are safe for sugar gliders, such as fleece.
When selecting an exercise wheel, it’s essential to choose one designed to be sugar glider safe. A proper wheel has no central axle on the inside, as wheels with an axle pose a serious injury risk as sugar gliders’ tails can get caught, which in severe cases has led to tails being ripped off or other fatal injuries. Wheels can be cage-mounted or floor-mounted, but either type must be securely fixed to prevent movement.
It can also help to set up more than one feeding station to prevent food-related fights. If you use water drip bottles, always place two in the cage so that if one becomes blocked, your sugar gliders still have access to water.
Exercise and enrichment
When setting up your sugar glider’s cage, make sure they have plenty of space to exercise and include a sugar glider–safe wheel. If you keep your gliders in a cage rather than an aviary, they will also need regular time outside the enclosure so they can glide, as standard cages do not provide enough space for this natural behaviour.
Enrichment is essential. Sugar gliders love eucalyptus, and while they can live in various forest habitats, they are most commonly found in areas with eucalyptus trees. Adding pesticide-free eucalyptus branches and leaves to their cage is a great way to offer natural, stimulating enrichment.
Foraging toys are another valuable way to keep your sugar glider mentally stimulated. These toys encourage natural searching behaviours, giving them both purpose and a mental challenge. If you struggle to find suitable sugar glider toys, check the bird section, many bird enrichment items, including puzzle toys, are perfect for sugar gliders as well.
Feeding
Sugar gliders are omnivores, and their natural diet is complex, varying with the season and habitat. During summer, 40–60% of their diet consists of insects and arachnids, while in winter they mainly consume sap, honeydew, and gum. Most ready-made commercial foods sold in pet stores are not suitable for sugar gliders, and many of the health issues vets see are the result of an improper diet.
Adult sugar gliders need an estimated 18–35 kcal per day, though growing gliders and those that are reproductively active will require more. Their protein needs are moderate to low, ideally making up 20–30% of their diet. The nectars, saps, and gums they naturally eat are very low in protein. Their calcium needs are estimated at around 0.5%, and phosphorus between 0.2–0.5%. It’s important to choose a diet with the correct calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, which should be 2:1. When this ratio is off, especially when phosphorus is too high, sugar gliders can develop serious health issues such as nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism. This condition causes the body to pull calcium from the bones, leading to weakness, fractures, neurological problems, and, in severe cases, paralysis. Maintaining the right ratio is therefore essential to support strong bones, proper muscle function, and overall long-term health.
Among sugar glider owners, there are a few well-known diet options that contain the nutrients gliders need in the right proportions and ratios. These feeding plans have been assessed and are considered appropriate and safe for sugar gliders.
- Australian Wombaroo Diet
- BML-Bourbon’s Modified Leadbeaters diet
- Critterlove
- The Pet Glider/TPG/Priscilla’s diet
These staple diets are often fed alongside a specific mix of nuts, certain fruits, vegetables, and/or insects that are calculated to match the requirements of that particular feeding plan. This helps ensure your sugar glider receives all nutrients in the correct ratios.
The following foods should not be given to sugar gliders (and this is not a complete list): Grapes, onions, garlic, fruit pits, seeds, raw bitter almonds, and chocolate.
Treats
Good treats for sugar gliders include insects such as mealworms, crickets, and earthworms. Never feed insects caught outside, as they may contain pesticides. Because insects are high in fat, they should be given sparingly unless your chosen diet specifically instructs otherwise. Remember that if you are following a structured diet plan, adding extra insects can alter the nutritional ratios.
Nuts are another popular treat. Always choose raw, unsalted nuts, and feed them sparingly as they are also high in fat.
Social
Sugar gliders are incredibly social animals and, in the wild, live in close family groups. A sugar glider should never be kept alone, as isolation causes significant stress and can seriously affect their well-being. No matter how much attention you give, a human can never replace the companionship of another glider. Lone gliders are known to self-mutilate due to stress, which is why keeping them in pairs or groups is essential.
Cleaning
Daily tasks include cleaning your sugar gliders’ food and water bowls. If you use a water dripper, check it each day to make sure it isn’t blocked. Spot clean any messes and remove old fruits, vegetables, or other perishable foods.
Once a week, give the entire cage a thorough clean, including all toys, perches, and accessories. Use a non-toxic cleaner such as a diluted vinegar solution or diluted soap, and make sure to rinse everything very well afterwards.
Some sugar glider owners prefer to clean the cage in stages to help maintain familiar scents, which can reduce stress. For example, you might clean the toys on Monday, wash pouches and hammocks on Tuesday, and clean the cage bars on Wednesday.
Care
Sugar gliders groom themselves, so they do not need brushing or bathing. Keep a close eye on your sugar glider’s health by monitoring their appetite and stool. A loss of appetite, or stool that looks unusual, should be checked by a vet. You should also regularly examine their body for wounds or sores (including under the feet), and look at their overall appearance, such as their breathing and the condition of their fur.Sugar gliders have 40 teeth and are diprodonts, which means their two lower incisors are much longer than the upper ones and point forward.
In captivity, sugar gliders often need nail care, as their nails usually don’t wear down enough on their own and will require regular clipping. If their nails become too long, they can easily get caught in fabric and injure themselves. For more guidance on how to trim them safely, you can read our blog “Understanding Pet Nail Care”. Any abnormal signs should be checked by a vet sooner rather than later, as sugar gliders are tiny, fragile animals and health issues can progress very quickly.
Sugar gliders are nocturnal, which means they are active at night. Their large, round eyes are very sensitive to light. For their comfort, consider using a red light. If you need to handle them during the day, you can close the curtains and switch on the red light so they are not exposed to bright sunlight.
Conclusion
Proper care for sugar gliders is more complicated than many people realise. Their care, diet, and proper cage setup all require a thoughtful approach and a fair investment. By sharing this information, we hope to support owners in improving the welfare of sugar gliders kept as pets, and to help anyone considering one make a well-informed decision about whether a sugar glider is the right pet for them.
Did you know we also pet sit sugar gliders? Our pet sitters understand their unique needs and will care for your glider as if it were their own. Feel free to contact us for more information about our pet sitting service.