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Providing housing for your sugar gliders is very easy and requires low maintenance for you because gliders are such clean animals. You can use a bird cage, but it’s less expensive to make your own. Whichever you choose, the cage should be made of nothing smaller than 1" X .5" welded wire; this is so the babies can’t escape and it gives the gliders something to climb on. Your cage should be no smaller than 20" X 20" X 20"., and the bigger the better for your gliders. Of course you will want a bigger cage if you have more than one glider. The bottom must be made of wire so that the droppings will fall through. Make sure you keep your sugar gliders away from drafts and vent so they won’t catch a cold. The best temperature range for gliders is 60-90 degrees F. Be aware that if you have a door on the cage that lifts open, you must put a latch on it as the gliders will be able to figure out how to open it and so will children.
Gliders need to have live fruit tree branches in their cage. Gliders love to climb and need to do so for exercise to stay healthy. Tree branches also provide a natural environment for the gliders and the wood keeps their teeth healthy. Gliders are not like hamsters and rabbits, who will gnaw on anything; gliders will only chew on natural substances, nothing artificial. The best branches to use are wild apple, sassafras, or oak. You should avoid the toxic branches, which almond, apricot, black walnut, cherry, and peach. Beware, though, that you must never use any branches that have been sprayed with pesticides as to avoid poisoning your gliders. You can go to your local pet store and find bird toys or other small animal toys that your pet can climb, push, or carry around. Gliders love to find new toys that you have placed high in the cage for them to discover. Never put anything made of cloth in your gliders’ cage as they may eat loose threads or become entangled in them.
Your gliders will also need a nest box in their cage; this is where they sleep during the day if they aren’t in your shirt pocket. You will only need one box because gliders will all sleep together. You must make sure that the box is in a shaded are of the cage so the gliders have a place to get away from direct sunlight, which is harmful to their eyes.
You can purchase bird nesting boxes from pet stores, and these work very well for gliders. You can locate the box either on the ground or in a tree branch, put take care not to put it too near the roof of the cage as gliders can tear their thin gliding membrane by rubbing their elbows on the roof.
For bedding, most sugar glider owners prefer to use corn cob bedding. Pine bedding gets the paws of the gliders sticky and should not be used. Some owners use newspaper, although the ink can transfer to the glider’s feet. If you do choose to use newspaper, be aware that colored ink is deadly to many species of gliders. You can also choose to use moss, cotton, leaves from a live branch, or even wood shavings. Whatever you use, make sure that the bedding is natural changed as about every two weeks.
You will also need to place food containers in your gliders’ cage. Make sure the containers are just large enough for the food you give them and too small for the gliders to sit in so they cannot soil their food. You should always replace perishable foods on a daily basis so their food doesn’t spoil, attract bugs, and make your gliders sick.
Taking care of your sugar glider really is a relatively easy task, and if you do it properly, you will enjoy a long, healthy relationship with your glider.
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