Sugar glider care — AEMV guide distilled
Sugar gliders are small marsupials native to New Guinea and Australia, living in trees as family units and gliding via a membrane from forepaws to ankles. They are highly social and nocturnal, with a ~16-day gestation and young that develop in an external pouch. Free-ranging animals are omnivorous — winter tree sap plus insects the rest of the year; fruit is not a major wild-food item.
Housing & environment
- Keep 70–90°F (21–32°C); most homes need heat supplementation in one cage area.
- Enclosure as large as possible, minimum 2 cubic feet (24 × 24 × 48 in / 61 × 61 × 122 cm), with wire spacing no more than 1 inch square to prevent escape, a wire bottom with pull-out tray, a tamper-free door lock, and a nest box placed high.
- Bedding: shredded paper-towel or recycled-newspaper pellets in the nest box. Give non-toxic branches (apple, citrus) for climbing/chewing. Avoid cedar, pine or corn cob shavings, toxic branches, bright/direct sunlight, and excessive humidity.
Diet & nutrition
Feed a nutritionally balanced pelleted kibble formulated for sugar gliders as the base, with a variety of insectivore/carnivore-appropriate foods. Feed fresh food in the evening; fresh water daily in an elevated crock or sipper bottle. Prevent access to excess fat (peanuts, seeds), chocolate, refined sugars, processed human foods, pesticides, tobacco smoke, and cedar/pine/corn cob.
Behavior & veterinary care
Best kept with at least one other sugar glider; a solitary animal needs considerable owner interaction. They sleep by day, are active at night, and should be let out each evening for supervised play. Purchase a captive-raised animal and take it to an exotic-animal veterinarian for a physical exam and fecal parasite check; AEMV recommends a bi-annual exam.
Common disorders
Many stem from improper feeding. AEMV lists blindness/cataracts; burns (landing on hot lamp bulbs); diarrhea/gastroenteritis/constipation/impaction; hind-leg paralysis; intestinal parasites; malnutrition; obesity; pneumonia; self-inflicted wounds (especially in solitary animals); stress-related disease (pacing, self-chewing, coprophagia, hyperphagia, polydipsia); and trauma.
Sources
aemv_care_guide_sugar_glider— AEMV Exotics Companion Care Series (sugar glider): marsupial, social/nocturnal, ~16-day gestation; housing 70–90°F heat supplement, min 2 cu ft, wire ≤1 in, avoid cedar/pine/corn cob; insectivore-appropriate pelleted base, avoid chocolate/sugar/fat; ≥1 companion; bi-annual exam + fecal check; disorder list incl. self-inflicted wounds.