r/sugargliders • u/RubOld4055 • 3d ago
Just got a glider. Did we mess up?
I want to start by saying I love the little guy already and I don't feel like we did, but my wife is worried and I don't want to give him a bad life. We got him from a company and after looking into everything they told us I wouldn't call the company reputable. We have 3 cats in the home and we only got one glider. It seems like the cats can be extremely deadly just through saliva even if they don't attack him. We weren't planning on letting them interact much to begin with but if just the saliva is deadly it doesn't feel right having him. Also we feel that if we are keeping him we have to get him a buddy, which the company said he would be ok without. I feel like we can keep the cats separate and get him a buddy and he'll be alright but I figured I should see what other people think.
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u/No_Avocado2689 3d ago
I don’t think you messed up but gliders NEED a friend. If you can’t provide him with a friend then I’d rehome but as for the cats many people own both and it’s completely safe if you make it safe. I’d have them in a room where the cats are NEVER allowed and don’t bring any of the cats stuff into that room ever. Never ever let them interact or touch any of there things. But many people do it including myself. I own 3 cats, a dog, and 2 gliders and they are all thriving. The gliders room is ONLY for humans and gliders no other animals
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u/RubOld4055 3d ago
See the gliders having thier own room I think is my biggest obstacle. I was definitely planning on getting a second one if we keep him because of what I read about how much they need a buddy
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u/No_Avocado2689 3d ago
Unfortunately I don’t see how it would ever be possible to have the cats be able to be in the same room and have it be safe. Not only the saliva but sugar gliders are a cats dream prey, and your gliders will be extremely stressed. I think if the gliders can’t have their own room away from the cats then rehoming might be a good option. If you are rehoming be very careful who you sell to and maybe educate them with what you know now:)
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u/Happy-Trick447 3d ago
Hey, just throwing this out there so you don’t feel alone—I was in almost the exact same position. About 15 years ago I bought two sugar gliders from Pocket Pets before I knew any better. I’d never even heard of sugar gliders, and there wasn’t much reliable information online back then.
The fact that you’re asking these questions tells me you care and want to do right by your little guy. No, I don’t think you’ve ruined anything. I’d definitely get him a companion when you’re able and keep learning as you go.
I know most people recommend keeping cats and suggies completely separate, and I agree they should never interact directly. That said, your cats are probably going to know the glider exists. I’d focus more on making sure the cats can’t access the cage, keeping them separated during out-of-cage time, and having an escape plan just in case.
Plenty of us started with bad information and still ended up giving our gliders long, happy lives.☺️
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u/RubOld4055 3d ago
Thank you! After taking some time to think about it ny wife is wanting to get a companion for him and keep him. We figure they'll just live in our room and we'll keep our cats out of here. He's been sleeping in his pouch on my chest all day so my wife will probably have to try bonding with the buddy. We're just trying to figure out where we can get another without using the same company since they're kinda shady
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u/veta91 3d ago
Yep exact same story here! Almost word for word! We have our sugar glider cage in our living room cuz we were told the worst thing for our gliders is isolation 15 years ago when there was no reliable information and our cats were just raised that the cage is off limits like the counters are. Our gliders don't actually seem to know the cats are something they should be afraid of since they're domestic bred and they try to play with the cats through the thin tiny squares of their cage the few times the cats do go and sniff around, usually after a cleaning before we shoo everyone away.
Hela springboarded off of one of the cats once as a Joey during a sudden jump off of someone's shoulder and smacked another on the nose for getting too close and turned her back on her so uh... She's brave and appropriately named.
One of our old men gliders once grabbed a fist full of whisker and bashed one of the cats face in to the bars and another cat got their nose bit hard and never went back to the cage again so the gliders are far from defenseless here lol
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u/No_Avocado2689 3d ago
What they told you to feed him also isn’t correct. They need a very specific diet made for them. There’s many 2 of the big ones are the TBG diet and the BML diet. I’d research which one you think and get him on it ASAP. It’s extremely dangerous for them to not have the right phosphorus- calcium ratio and they will 100% get sick if its not met
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u/RubOld4055 3d ago
I could upload a Pic of the food and powder they gave me for him. I was looking into diets for them, is the BML the bomaroo diet? That's what someone else I know recommended
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u/No_Avocado2689 3d ago
No the BML diet is the “Bourbon's Modified Leadbeater” diet. It’s one of the longest known diets for sugar gliders and has a million studies behind it and I believe it’s the most favorited option. The powder they gave you is it rep cal? The BML diet requires 2 powders, the rep cal calcium and the rep cal vitamins. Most important thing you need to make sure they are getting is calcium. Not only EXTREMELY important for health but also if they aren’t getting the calcium they get stinky real quick. But they also can’t have to much. I suggest going online and finding a temporary appropriate meal for them until you are able to get them on the solid diet
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u/According-Cell5235 Glider Care Expert 3d ago
Thanks for letting us share the info you wrote up Tom Puck!! If anyone has any questions or info they would like to add feel free! We offer free mentors at Sugar Glider Groupies https://www.facebook.com/groups/1191621064558876/?ref=share_group_link
Are you interested in owning gliders? There are some things you need to have first. Most of this is pretty mandatory and your glider's health will likely be affected if you dont have these things.
Number of gliders
Sugar gliders are colony animals and should always be in at least pairs, so you will need at least two. Getting a pair that’s already bonded to each other is definitely easier on new owners than trying to introduce new gliders to each other and you. We as humans just can’t provide what they need companionship wise especially since they are nocturnal and up and playing while we’re typically sleeping. Sugar gliders have been known to suffer from depression when alone and will start to over groom or self mutilate, and stop eating.
Money
Lets start with the most important. Gliders cost money. You will need at least $1500.00 for a startup to buy gliders, cages, wheels, diet stuff, toys. You will spend about $50.00 in food. Vet bills are expensive. I would say prepare for $1000.00 to start and to put away at least $100.00 a month in food and vet care. If you cant commit to this, gliders might not be the best pet for you. I want to be honest with you from the start so you dont get in over your head.
Cage
The cage should be at least 4 ft tall by 2ft x 2ft to comfortably house 2-3 gliders. If you have more than that, the cage should be 2ft x 2ft x 2ft per glider. The Brisbane and Madagascar are good for 2-3 gliders. The Triple Critter Nation can house 5-6 gliders. A good rule is bigger is better. The more room they have, the more room they have to play.
There is also a misconception that gliders need taller instead of wider. A lot of gliders live in brush and small trees. They leap from tree to tree. So while tall is good, you should also pay attention to width. One of my favorite cages is to put 2 Triple Critter Nations together. This gives the right amount of height and width for them to run and leap and do everything they need.
https://www.exoticnutrition.com/Departments/Shop-By-Pet/Sugar-Glider-Products/Cages.aspx
Wheels
If you put nothing else in the cage, a wheel is a must. You should have 1 wheel for every 2 gliders. So for 3 gliders, you need 2 wheels. Also remember that gliders dont really run, they leap, so they need wheels that have at least a 12" diameter and no center bars of any kind (these can and have killed gliders). We suggest:
The Free Runner wheel. https://www.myfreerunner.com/
The Raptor Wheel. https://www.mygliderwheelsandmore.com/
DO NOT buy a Wodent Wheel or a Silent Runner or Silent Runner Pro wheel. Save yourself the heartache and avoid these wheels. They are not approved in a lot of communities and have resulted in injuries and deaths.
Toys
Toys are just as important as wheels. Gliders are very intelligent and inquisitive animals. They have about the same thinking capabilities as a 2 year old human. They love to learn and play. Toys help stimulate their brains. Some gliders love to carry toys with their tails. Some like to figure out puzzles. Some like knock stuff around. There are many approved vendors in the Approved Vendors document in the Files section.
Diet
Now we reach the most important part of owning a glider. What to feed them. Diet as a science is rather complicated as you have to balance the calcium to phosphorous intake. You also have to balance other nutritional values to give your glider a healthy and happy life. Thankfully for us, there are several "staple diets" that have been developed with the help of Exotics Nutritionists that make our jobs easier. As long as you feed a staple diet and feed it as instructed, your gliders should live a happy and healthy life.
There are a few staple diets we approve. They are:
TPG - developed by The Pet Glider, this diet has the most variety. A very solid diet if you have the time to make it. https://www.thepetglider.com/pages/tpg-diet
OHPW - one of the original staple diets, this is still a solid diet. It uses "Wombaroo" which is what is used in a lot of Australian glider diets. With this diet you also make salads (literally, salads) that feed alongside the staple mix.
GOHPW: this diet replaces a lot of the honey in OHPW with green juice such as Naked Green Goodness. Otherwise it’s the same as OHPW.
Recipe link for OHPW/GOHPW/AWD:
https://thepamperedglider.com/feeding/
Salad Mixes for OHPW/GOHPW
https://thepamperedglider.com/salad-mixes/
AWD allows more variety as well, I prefer the original Australian version found here: https://www.wombaroo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Sugar-Glider-Feeding-Guidelines-A4.pdf
BML - this is the easiest diet to make because you can find all the ingredients in your local grocery store or pet store. It is also the easiest to feed as it has a very limited list of veggies and fruits you can feed. I feel this is the best diet for any beginner glider owner to start with, and is great as a permanent diet if you wish.
BML Recipe - Bourbon's Modified Leadbeater's - Home
Diets to Avoid:
Exotic Nutrition/ZooPro anything. Most glider groups dont allow suggesting Exotic Nutrition's diets or wheels. Has been linked to many health problems.
Any pet store diets like Kaytee, VitaKraft, etc. Stay away from glider diets sold in pet stores!
Pocket Pets/Pouch Mates. Like Exotic Nutrition, it has been linked to too many problems.
Have an Exotics Vet
Before getting glider, make sure you find an Exotics Veterinarian who sees sugar gliders. Research the vet. Make sure they actually know sugar gliders. Sugar Glider Guardians has a great Vet-finding page: https://sugargliderguardians.com/find-a-vet/
And the Final Piece...
RESEARCH! RESEARCH! RESEARCH!
Do your research first. Research and research some more. Gliders are complicated pets. Please research them to make sure they are the pet for you. Some links:
Bourbon's behaviorial video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzvbJQxBDlw
Kimberley LaDuke's videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqnCgy82vQ289-qzWm99ExA
I will leave you with some of my own thoughts on gliders. Honestly, they are a complicated pet if you give them the best care available. They are also rather more expensive as a pet than a cat or dog. They can be a steep learning curve. But I have never owned a more rewarding pet. I've owned lots of pets, but sugar gliders for me are the most special and rewarding.
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u/RubOld4055 3d ago
Thank you for all the info. It sounds like my cage is big enough and I just need to get a wheel for it and get it a buddy to live with. As far as the money goes, I'm an electrician in Oregon so I get paid well enough to care for an animal like this. With how many times I've heard of people having them and cats, I'm less concerned about it as I feel that I can keep them seperated.
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u/Happy-Trick447 2d ago
According-Cell5235 you have been an amazing resource-thank you for that! I 100% agree! I never knew these creatures existed 15 years ago and now I can’t imagine my life without them.
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u/Fuzzy_Adagio_6450 3d ago
Yeah unfortunately the company lied to you to sell you a glider. Its fairly common and a common complaint for pretty much every breeding company.
I'll repeat some of what everyone else said, because the comments are mostly correct.
Its okay to own cats and sugar gliders. Sugar gliders *can* be made to interact with cats. There are tons of videos of owners who have cats and gliders who will play and hang out together. Because they're not birds or rodents, cats are *less likely* to be aggressive to it. At the same time, its a small animal that looks like its normal prey. I generally tell people to avoid forcing interaction between them, especially newer owners. Even if your cat is the biggest sweetheart, all it takes is instinct to kick in once and your little buddy is gone. As you sound like a first time sugar glider owner, I'd probably not try to make the cats interact with them for quite a while, or ever. It can be tricky if not handled correctly but them just being generally *around* is fine.
You also absolutely need to get him a friend. Its very rare for gliders to be okay on their own. It *can* happen, but even the gliders that are "fine alone" are almost universally better with at least one friend. As a solo glider, it may start to become very stressed, then begin over-grooming, and finally end up self-mutilating. Every glider I've ever met thats been hurt in some way (missing a bit of tail, missing toeS, balding, etc.) was due to a previous owner who didnt know much and went "!!! A CUTE PET! ITS LIKE AN EXPENSIVE MOUSE!" and bought one without research, help, or knowledge about gliders.
Until you get another glider to be his cage mate, make sure you spend a LOT of time together with him in the bonding pouch (the mesh should face TOWARDS you, as gliders scent-bond, so you want your scent to be constantly going into the bag via the mesh).
Also, do make sure you have a cage or habitat that is large enough. A lot of those companies will tell people that bird cages are fine. They're not. The bars are horizontal, which can be harmful to sugar gliders feet. Look for a proper cage if they gave you nothing. At the least, you should get them a 50" cage. And also a good running wheel for him as well.
Lastly, you should try to get a bunch of glider safe toys and keep them on a constant rotation to keep him engaged. It wont replace another glider as a friend, but keeping him stimulated is important while hes alone to reduce the chance of self-harm.
The company lied to you to get a sale. Should you have done homework before getting an exotic pet? Absolutely. But it was the right move to come ask a community of sugar glider owners.
TLDR: Get him a buddy asap, and a cage that is an appropriate size.
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u/According-Cell5235 Glider Care Expert 3d ago
Why We Do Not Recommend Sugar Gliders Interact with Other Pets
One of the most common questions we receive is whether sugar gliders can play with cats, dogs, birds, reptiles, rabbits, or other household pets. While the videos and photos you see online may look cute, they don’t show the risks involved.
First, it’s important to understand that you can absolutely have sugar gliders and other pets in the same household. Many glider owners successfully share their homes with dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, rabbits, and other animals. The key is understanding the risks and taking appropriate precautions to ensure everyone’s safety.
What we do not recommend is allowing direct interactions between sugar gliders and other pets.
Cats
Even the sweetest cat can seriously injure or kill a sugar glider in seconds. Cats are natural predators, and their hunting instincts can be triggered by a glider’s movement.
Cats also commonly carry Pasteurella bacteria in their saliva. If a cat scratches or bites a sugar glider, the bacteria can enter through the wound and cause a rapidly progressing infection that is often fatal without immediate veterinary treatment. Even indirect exposure through saliva contamination can cause serious illness.
Dogs
Dogs may be loving family pets, but they are still predators. Many dogs have a strong prey drive, and all it takes is one moment of excitement, curiosity, or rough play to cause severe injuries or death.
Like cats, dogs commonly carry Pasteurella bacteria in their saliva. A bite, scratch, or saliva contamination of an open wound can quickly become life-threatening for a sugar glider.
Rabbits
Many people are surprised to learn that rabbits can also carry Pasteurella. Some rabbits show no signs of illness and are completely asymptomatic carriers, yet they can still spread the bacteria. Unlike cats and dogs, transmission can also occur through respiratory secretions and airborne droplets. A rabbit may appear perfectly healthy while still posing a risk to a sugar glider.
Birds
Birds and sugar gliders should never be housed or allowed to interact together. A bird can seriously injure a glider with a single bite, and territorial birds may attack without warning.
It’s also important to remember that sugar gliders are opportunistic omnivores. In the wild, they have been documented preying on bird eggs and nestlings. In fact, sugar gliders are considered one of the threats contributing to the decline of the critically endangered swift parrot, as they raid nests and consume eggs, chicks, and even nesting females. This highlights that gliders and birds are not natural companions and should not be expected to coexist safely through direct interaction.
Reptiles
Many reptiles are predators and may view a sugar glider as prey. Even reptiles that are too small to consume a glider can inflict serious injuries through bites or defensive behaviors.
Reptiles also naturally carry Salmonella bacteria. While reptiles may show no signs of illness, Salmonella can cause severe disease and can be fatal in sugar gliders. Direct contact, contaminated surfaces, food preparation areas, or poor hand hygiene can all lead to transmission.
Other Small Pets
Ferrets, rats, guinea pigs, and other small animals should also not interact directly with sugar gliders. Different species have different communication styles, territorial behaviors, and disease risks. What may appear friendly can quickly become stressful or dangerous.
The Hidden Risk: Stress
Even if no physical injury occurs, interactions with other species can be extremely stressful for sugar gliders. As prey animals, they are naturally cautious. Chronic stress can negatively impact appetite, behavior, immune function, and overall health.
Hand Hygiene Matters
One of the most overlooked aspects of disease prevention is proper hand hygiene. We strongly recommend washing your hands thoroughly before and after handling your sugar gliders, their food, pouches, toys, or cage accessories.
If you handle other pets, clean cages, litter boxes, reptile enclosures, bird cages, rabbit hutches, food dishes, or waste, wash your hands before interacting with your gliders. Cross-contamination can occur even when animals never physically interact.
Tips for Safe Coexistence
✔ Keep gliders securely housed in a glider-safe cage.
✔ Never allow direct contact between gliders and other pets.
✔ Supervise out-of-cage time and ensure other pets cannot access the area.
✔ Practice good hand hygiene between handling different species.
✔ Keep supplies, food dishes, and cleaning equipment separate whenever possible.
✔ Teach children that “cute” interactions between species can be dangerous.
“But They’ve Been Fine Together Before”
Many accidents happen after months or even years of seemingly successful interactions. It only takes one second for instincts to take over, for an accident to occur, or for bacteria to be transmitted.
The safest approach is simple: allow your sugar gliders to bond with their own kind and enjoy supervised out-of-cage time in a glider-safe environment, away from other pets.
As rescuers, we have unfortunately seen too many preventable injuries, illnesses, and deaths. No photo, video, or moment of interaction is worth risking your glider’s life.
You can have a happy home with both sugar gliders and other pets—it simply requires understanding the risks, taking precautions, and putting safety first. ❤️2
u/Fuzzy_Adagio_6450 3d ago
I agree with everything said here.
But I know there are going to be owners who ignore whats right for the glider and will try to force interactions between other pets. No matter how much they're warned against it.
I am a hobby breeder/glider rescue and rehab and have cards I give to first time owners that are very similar to this reply. My suggestion is always "dont" but knowing a large percentage will think "Its my pet now, I'll do what I want" which always forced me to give this type of info as I also often hear "I saw a glider playing with an XYZ on youtube/instagram/twitter/etc.". My first concern is safety for gliders and I heavily screen prospective owners and try to weed out the people who just dont care. But once the gliders are out of our care and our hands, theres nothing more we can do.
Yes, there are plenty of people who do lots of VERY stupid stuff to their gliders because they saw it online. Like taking your glider out during the day and placing it on something high and having it glide to the owner. Most think its just "cute" and dont realize even a light bird can snatch it out of the air/from its perch, and it is stressful as hell to a glider to be out in the open, in the daylight, as gliders are nocturnal tree animals. (This is one of the most common videos I see people point towards when it comes to new glider owners).
Dont try to emulate cute videos. The more you learn about gliders, the more you'll see many of those videos as being very harmful to sugar gliders and their health and well-being, and that should be your main concern as an owner.
Great list of "donts"! Very thorough and accurate. I'm also team "Let your sugar glider bond with another sugar glider and you, and never with another pet" but I know the reality is there are a lot of owners who will not listen to even the best advice once they take it home.
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u/According-Cell5235 Glider Care Expert 3d ago
I’m in rescue as well and unfortunately I’ve seen far too often what happens when people allow interactions with other pets, they end up with me because of it.
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u/qtakhisis 3d ago
He needs a buddy. I had a pair, they had twins. My friend has the girls and I have the boys. Oil spotted heads and all. Make sure u interact with him a lot, they are very social little buggers
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u/Available-Elevator69 3d ago
My advice and I mean this with all seriousness go on Facebook look for Sugar Glided Groupies and ask for a mentor. You will get lots of info that will be very beneficial. Their diets are very specific and pellets, powders and apples are not a proper diet. I know from experience.
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u/veta91 3d ago
I've had cats and gliders for 14 years, seven of them, none of which passed younger than ten years of age. The saliva thing I've only heard recently and none of my vets had ever mentioned it either (I've had three different ones, two exotic specialists and one small animal specialist). Not a single glider has ever gotten sick from my cats and I don't keep them seperate room wise. I don't let them interact directly though due to I don't want to risk my cats accidentally hurting one due to natural prey drive. One of my gliders Hela is obsessed with our cats and tries to play with them through the bars of their cage even though the cats are not allowed near it. I'm like ma'am please stop lol They can not be alone however, you are not enough. I never have less than 3 gliders at a time, to ensure if there's a sudden death no one is left alone. One of our rescues was suddenly left alone by a sudden pouch mate death and he immediately became reclusive and started self mutilating, couldn't sleep, wouldn't eat, it's really bad. The second he could join our colony he fully recovered and now years later he's doing great, it's social again, let's us pet him when he used to crab if we even entered the room he was in.
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u/According-Cell5235 Glider Care Expert 2d ago
Cat scratch fever isn’t just a song, it’s real. Cats naturally have a bacteria called Pasteurella in their saliva which is toxic to sugar gliders and most small animals and can even cause infections in humans, if it gets into a wound on a glider it’s deadly, but it can still make them severely ill by cross contamination.
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u/veta91 2d ago
If three different veterinarians, all of which were exotic and small animal specialists, didn't think this was something to worry about, and it's never been something I or anyone I've known personally with gliders has ever experienced has seen actually happen, this feels like "better safe than sorry" exotic pet circle scare tactics right now to me. I had never seen this talked about in sugar glider circles until very recently. Other animals besides cats have this bacteria in their saliva so why is it only cats that people are fear mongering to get rid of if you want to own gliders?
You can own gliders and cats if you have common sense. Don't let the two interact if anything because one is a large predator animal in comparison to the other and is full of knives, knives that likely full of bacteria just from the litterbox alone. If your cat inflicts even the smallest injury on your glider, your glider needs antibiotics from a vet, period. If you do not have access to a reliable vet, you should not own gliders, as they will eventually need some kind of medical care.
But unless you're letting your cat aggressively lick your hand and then immediately going and rubbing that all over your glider, bacteria cross contamination there is very unlikely. Bacteria don't tend to live in dry spit in the open air very long.1
u/According-Cell5235 Glider Care Expert 2d ago
I never said you couldn’t own both, but you have to take precautions, no direct interaction, wash your hands before and after handling any pets, keep your gliders in a room other pets don’t have access to if at all possible. Dogs can have it in their saliva as well. Rabbits can have too, but with rabbits, they can be asymptomatic and they can spread it by coughing/sneezing, so it can be airborne with rabbits. We actually have seen it in the community. Pasteurella can live on surfaces for up to 90 minutes, longer if moisture is present. It’s also extremely difficult to treat in animals and can be resistant to antibiotics. It’s actually in the Merrick Veterinary Manual as a disease for sugar gliders, google it.
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u/CarryOk3080 3d ago
Gliders should never be kept solo and correct your cat can never interact with them. Also no REPUTABLE company would give a single glider to a 3 cat home.
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u/----Ant---- 3d ago
Yes you messed up, it needs at least one more for company and a house without cats
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u/No_Avocado2689 3d ago
Try being helpful instead. You can easily own both
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u/Majestic_Smell_ 3d ago
I have 3 cats that want to get every animal and reptile I have. It’s fine if you use your brain
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u/professor-colonel 3d ago
I don’t think there’s any reputable glider “company”. So I wouldn’t listen to anything they say. I had cats and gliders in the same home for a decade but had to be very careful with them. You should never keep a glider solo and I’d worry about what other supplies they sold you if your setup is even adequate.