There is a lot to know about sugar gliders, especially if you want to keep one as a pet.
While their behavior will adapt to being a pet, some of their wild behaviors will shine through. Once they bond with you, you must maintain that contact or they may revert back to their natural ways.
Continue reading to learn about the most common behaviors that you will see in a sugar glider.
What Is a Sugar Glider?
They are not rodents! A sugar glider is a very small arboreal marsupial. Like the koala, they prefer to live in trees. They have a pouch for their babies to develop in for the few months of their lives.
The sugar glider hails from the North or East of Australia mainland but can be found in the following countries including New Guinea and Tasmania. They can also be located on a number of isles: the Indonesian isles, the Halmagera Islands, the Louisaide, and the Bismarck Archipelagos.
1. They Keep Their Babies in a Pouch
Much like a kangaroo, gliders will keep their young in the pouch for the first 8 or so months of their lives. These marsupials only tend to have one or two babies at a time, once per year. When a glider meets maturity, they will still want to sleep in a small, warm pouch.
When they are pets, you will notice that they like to do the same. You can replicate a pouch for them to sleep in. They’re known as “pocket pets” because they like to nuzzle into small, warm places, like a pocket.
Good luck getting them out of your pocket once they get comfortable.
2. They Are Nocturnal
Sugar gliders have perfect night vision that will allow them to find their way around after the sun sets. If you hear noise coming from their cage at night, don’t worry.
You can expect that a sugar glider is going to be more active at night. They will likely be sleepy during the day. They don’t like to be awoken from their naps.
3. They Have a Distinct Way of Communicating
A sugar glider will let you or their colony know what they want or need by crabbing, barking, hissing, sneezing, chirping, and chattering. Each of the noises that they make will either alert their colony of in intruder or tell their human companion that they’re scared or hungry.
Sugar glider crabbing and the other sounds that the critters make have a distinguished sound and clear meaning.
4. Sugar Gliders Crave Companionship
If you want to have a sugar glider as a pet, you need to make sure you have enough time to show them attention. If you can’t do that, you should have two gliders so they can thrive in each other’s company.
If a sugar glider doesn’t get enough attention, they will become distant and get sick.
5. They Need a Complex Diet
Their diet is difficult to replicate in captivity, though it is not impossible. Sugar Gliders are omnivores. This means that they eat meat and plants. They are also classified as insectivores meaning that a big part of their diet comes from insects.
Protein, fruits/vegetables, and vitamin/minerals are what the daily sugar glider diet needs to be comprised of. Most sugar glider health issues come from an unbalanced diet. Simple, pre-packaged food supply will not keep your sugar glider in the best health.
6. They Mark Their Territory
Scent marking is something that male sugar gliders do in the wild to identify their family and home. This is usually something that the alpha male in the colony will do.
They will also mark their owners when they are kept as a pet. Male gliders that haven’t been neutered will do this more aggressively. It is a good idea to have them neutered to minimize this.
7. Climbing So That They Can Jump/Glide
Sugar gliders will “fly” from one tree to another in the wild. When they are kept as pets, they may climb up your body and use your limbs to jump from.
8. They Bite To Express Fear and Anxiety
If a sugar glider is scared, their reaction is to start crabbing and then bite the perp. If you have them as a pet, you will know when they are scared and be able to reassure them that they are okay and can calm down.
9. Sugar Gliders Will Groom Themselves
Sugar gliders don’t like being dirty. They will groom themselves and other gliders, much like that of a cat. It will sound like they are sneezing when they spit in their hands to get them wet in order to clean themselves.
Over-grooming can be a problem that leads to self-mutilation. If this happens, you need to take your pet to the vet, as soon as possible to get them help.
10. They Use Their Teeth to Get Sap
Sugar gliders love to eat the sweet sap from trees. In order to get the sap out of the trees, they scrap the bark with their teeth. When they become pets, they may have the instinct to do so to your legs.
11. They Are a Lot Like Dogs
Sugar sliders have similar mental capabilities to dogs. When sugar gliders become domesticated, they can learn tricks and will respond to their names!
Getting a Sugar Glider as a Pet?
Sugar Gliders are known for their ability to glide from great heights and to have a hankering for the sweet stuff. They make great pets as long as you give them a proper diet and plenty of attention.
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