Sugar-Gliders
These animals are rarely kept in Hong Kong, which is a good thing as they require huge amounts of space, which is not available in most apartments. They are all tree living animals and therefore they need to climb and run and require large high cages with plenty of branches to run around on.
As they have not been fully domesticated they are often quite ‘wild” and difficult to handle, as well as needing peace and quiet (another item in short supply in most Hong Kong flats).
They are extremely cute and this is why many people would like to own one BUT there are many problems and difficulties that you can read about below that you MUST think about before you buy one !
Diet
Sugar gliders require a special diet that cannot be bought in a pet shop like dog or cat foods – they cannot be healthy on dry pellet type foods. Sugar gliders are an exotic wild animal and they require an exotic diet that can get complicated. If you are squeamish around mealworms, crickets and other bugs, you should not own a sugar glider. Please read our ‘Care of Sugar-gliders’ handout under ‘Home Care’ to learn more about the speical diet that must be prepared for them.
Housing
Sugar gliders live in treetops and run and glide large distances every night to feed. Their cage requirements are far beyond what would be needed for a comparable sized pet, such as a hamster, gerbil, or small bird. A typical “healthy” cage would need to be the size of an outside aviary.
Smell
Sugar gliders are very scent-driven and can be smelly animals. They have scent glands on their bodies which they use to ‘mark’ their territory (which may include their owner!). They also mark constantly with their urine. If they are kept in a small cage it becomes very smelly and messy after a few days and needs to be constantly cleaned.
Noise
Sugar gliders are noisy, and what is worse, they are noisy all night long. Being nocturnal animals they are awake when you are sleeping and they are sleeping when you are awake. Owners miss most of the pet’s awake time, but their barking and squeaking and hissing and various cage noises, including clanks, bangs and constant exercise wheel’s running, may keep you awake
Messy
Sugar gliders are indeed very messy animals. They will empty their bowels (poop) as they move around, while it is eating, out for play and running on you. While in the cage, they spend much of their time climbing up on the bars and therefore they pee, poo and even throw food and waste outside of the cage.
Reproduction
Sugar gliders in captivity have the capability to breed constantly. It is common to have a litter of 1 to 3 babies up to 3 times a year. This is a strain on the female and certainly becomes a problem for the keeper when there are too many animals to care, especially when the male is housed in a cage with a number of females. Overpopulation has become a very big issue with many unwanted sugar gliders living in bad conditions.
Biting
Sugar gliders are an exotic wild animal and some will bite. Some people have needed to get stitches because of how deep a sugar glider can bite. Their teeth are designed to peel bark off trees, therefore when they bite their owner they can easily cause a deep wound.
Longevity
In captivity, sugar gliders can live up to 15 years.
Companionship
Sugar gliders are a social animal and are not meant to be alone. Human contact is absolutely not a replacement for a family of their own kind. A minimum number of animals is two, do not ever plan to have just one.
Solitary kept Sugar gliders frequently develop problems such as self-mutilation or biting due to depression. There is no replacement for sleeping with and interacting with their own kind.
Health
Sugar glider health problems can be bizarre as well as emotionally and financially draining, especially the psychological problems that develop.
Overall we do not recommend keeping these types of ‘exotic’ pets as a companion animal.