Avian & Exotic Pet Clinic of Roanoke

Did You Know....

• Sugar Gliders are marsupials, the same family as kangaroos and koala bears.
• Male Sugar Gliders go bald! Actually, they just have one bald spot on their head, which is really a scent gland.
• Sugar Gliders' hands and feet each have four fingers and opposable thumbs

New Owner Corner

Here are some documents and links to help get you started with your sugar glider friends

• Sugar Gliders.com
• Association of Sugar Glider Veterinarians
• North American Sugar Gliders Association

F.A.Q

Life expectancy is up to 15 years
Food (ingested percentages): Feed a good quality insectivore diet (50%), Leadbeater’s mix (25%), A mix of chopped sweet potato, carrot, mango, papaya, grape and apple (20%), Gut-loaded crickets, mealworms or waxworms (5%). Provide a cuttlebone or a calcium carbonate mineral block in the cage for additional calcium access if needed. Leadbeater’s Mix: 150 ml warm water 150 ml honey 1 shelled hard-boiled egg 25 grams high protein baby cereal 1 tsp vitamin mineral supplement (Vionate) (Mixed extremely well and refrigerate) *Many of the problems seen in sugar gliders are related to malnutrition:
Sugar gliders need a very large cage for exercise (up to 2’wx6’hx6’l). They need a quiet daytime location since they sleep during this time. At night, when they are active, they prefer very dim lighting. Gliders prefer to have a cage mate, but introduction of a new cage mate requires appropriate precautions.
$150 - $250
Do not purchase wild-caught individuals, feed too much fat (excess peanuts, seeds), use cedar shavings in the cages, allow free roam of the house.
Health tips: Annual veterinary examinations (including dental exam), appropriate parasite screening and treatment. More frequent exams may be needed at they get older. House males separately. Do not begin breeding females that are older than 6 months of age prior to being bred as they commonly have birthing trouble and could require surgery. Bedding should be changed frequently to prevent urine and fecal build-up leading to health problems. Have nails trimmed regularly. Have a veterinarian trim any corns from the front feet. Monitor weight regularly to check for abnormalities.