Sugar gliders are sensitive social possums known for their ability to glide through the air. They are about 5 to 8 inches long and weigh between 2 to 5 ounces. These animals are not for the ones who are beginner pet owners.
Only experienced personnel should plan about owning sugar gliders. It’s because substantial effort, as well as dedication, is necessary to educate oneself. Like any other pet having sugar gliders also possess some shortcomings.
However, there’s not much if you are aware of what it’s going to take to ensure their health, security, and prosperity. It’s just that you need to take certain proactive steps in the case of sugar gliders.
Drawbacks Of Having Sugar Gliders At Home
Like any other pet, sugar gliders also have some drawbacks. Sugar gliders are not good for beginners. It is because they need lots of care and it takes time to be able to take care of them well. They need to eat healthy food and the cage needs to provide two feet of space if it is horizontal or vertical.
The space is needed so that the sugar gliders can glide between the bars when they are in an exercise mood. Other than this, lots of time needs to be devoted towards them so that they get used to their owner and start accepting them.
Let’s list some of the drawbacks of having sugar gliders
- Sugar gliders are sensitive social possums known for their ability to glide through the air. These animals are not for the ones who are beginner pet owners.
- You need to make sure that you provide them with a healthy diet and secure at least 2 feet of horizontal space made available for them.
- Overcrowded cages are not suitable for Sugar gliders because they end up causing stress and spreading diseases amongst themselves.
- Another drawback is that you should make sure that you clean the cage daily to keep it free of odor.
- Sugar gliders are nocturnal creatures which means that they like to move around during the nighttime.
- You should also remember that sugar gliders love to eat their own kind’s poop. This habit is known as coprophagy and you will find them indulging in such behavior more often than not if they are kept in a small cage.
- You should not keep them in a place where the floor is covered with carpets because their claws are sharp and they will rip apart the carpet.
- They might also lose their lives if they are not fed properly. The reason is that lack of nutrition will make them weak and they may fail to defend themselves against any external threats.
- Gliders are also known to carry various parasites which means that you should make sure that they are well taken care of.
- They are likely to pee out on the furniture, clothing, and other household items if they are not trained properly.
List Of Drawbacks For Having Sugar Gliders As A Pet
Let’s get into the detail why Sugar Gliders are bad for you.
Sugar Glider Require Special Process For Bonding
Sugar glider needs a lot of care, time, and attention. In the wild, they live in the form of a colony consisting of at least 20 sugar gliders. That means they prefer living in groups from the day they are born. They value more of a physical presence of other companions than being alone.
Gliders have resilient trust issues with humans in the initial phase which are hard to win. But once won, you will never be alone for even a second. Your sugar glider will be with you 24/7.
Bonded sugar gliders are a pleasure to have but if they are not then they can be the most irritating and violent pet. They will bite you, will not obey what you say, will not accept anything you offer. Think how hard it will be.
These gliders will always try to escape and will set you in turmoil by any means they can. So, to accept all those things and to tolerate them patiently requires a lot of hard work and courage. It might take several months or years to catch a strong connection and build trust with them.
One of the reasons you want to bond with your glider would be you never want them to feel alone or depressed. You planned to raise sugar gliders to make them feel loved rather than making them feel caged. Therefore, to reach that goal you need to make the effort situation demands.
Sugar Glider Need High Maintenance Costs
If we think of buying any sort of things be it gadgets, pets, motorbikes, or anything, we evaluate its maintenance cost rather than the initial buying cost. If the cost of maintenance is higher then we decide not to keep it because the unwanted costs are incurred.
Similarly, in the context of sugar glider both the costs at the time of buying and maintaining is very high. Let’s talk about several areas.
Sugar Glider Have A Strict Diet
The diet is the topmost factor where you need to spend a lot of money raising sugar gliders. They survive on a strict diet. All the necessary and essential diet should be fed according to their bodily requirement.
Humans as well as other living creatures can live having irregular diets. But this is not true for sugar gliders. Their daily nutritional requirements, if not met then instantly the reactions might show up and you have to rush to the hospital for treatment.
This is the reason why I told you that gliders are sensitive creatures. The diet inculcates foods inculcating optimum amount of minerals, proteins, vitamins, fibers, calcium, and other healthy fats. So, think how much it’s going to take.
Sugar Glider Need Spacious Housing
Similar to the dietary requirements, undergoing through housing setup is also quite expensive. The cage should be made as big and huge as possible in order to allow them to glide, jump, and roll around.
Sugar gliders cannot be left freely at home like any other pets. Compared to the other pets, sugar gliders are clumsy, naughty, and dangerous. There are incidents like falling into the toilets, being caught by electric current, suffocating themselves, and dying.
We have to lock the cage and fill it with every little playthings and space they require. So that we can avoid those unnecessary worries and chaos.
Sugar Glider Need Escape Proof Home
This is one of the basic and most important things you need to look after if you are having sugar gliders. As they are smart escapers, you need to block all the possible leakages from where gliders can escape.
After blocking the prospective escape points, you should also block the ports from where electric current flows. Gliders often manage to get into the smallest boxes and get stuck resulting in suffocate and sometimes can die.
So, get rid of these kinds of boxes. Also, close toilet doors every time so that sugar girders won’t fall in the tubs or inside the pots. So, you have to be really cautious and pre-prepared.
Sugar Glider Can’t Be Trained For Toilet User
You have read it right! Sugar gliders cannot be potty trained. They piss and poop wherever they want to. Inside the cage, outside the cage, anywhere in your home, they won’t care. If you are holding them in your hands they might piss you right there.
Moreover, if you are keeping them inside your pockets, they might also poop in your pocket. You cannot get rid of this. So, this is one of the hectic disadvantages of owning sugar gliders.
Sugar Glider Produces Unusual Sounds At Night
Sugar gliders cannot communicate properly. The only means by which it communicates is with sound. The varieties of sounds that it produces are barking, crunching, hissing, clicking, and many more.
These sounds produced in the daytime might seem cute and funny but what about the nighttime. Just think about it! Won’t you be mad and irritated? This is an obvious yes. Who won’t be?
Sometimes sugar gliders climb up in the curtains and will be unable to climb down. You might be murmuring saying aww.. or so cute… right now. But stop right there. This would be interesting and fun work to do in the daytime.
However, while you are asleep then what? Would it be fun to get up break your sleep and play with your glider? So think about it, my friends.
Sugar Gliders Are Wild Animals
Since they are social creatures like humans, they live in their king of society known as a colony. They enjoy and become happy when they are with their own troops. They prefer being wild and jumping here and there in the jungles.
No matter how much care, love, and attention you offer deep inside they always want to be wild. They belong to forests and somewhere at some point you will question yourselves like; Can sugar gliders really be domesticated?
You will not feel natural to have them as pets because they will always try to escape and exhibit frustrating behavior unless and unless bonded property. And I have told you how difficult it is to go through the process and make it work. Thus, this is one of the heavy drawbacks that you will experience if you keep sugar gliders.
Sugar Glider Need Proper Sanitation
Even if they poop, pee or eat like a pig throwing and spattering food everywhere, they require proper cleaning and care. If you do not maintain proper hygiene then gliders may infect with various diseases.
The sugar glider’s cage should be cleaned and sanitized at least once a week. Sugar gliders can produce a foul smell if fed with an improper diet. So, nutritional requirements should also be kept in check.
Furthermore, apart from cage cleanliness, gliders should also be bathed in at least a month or two. Generally, it is not necessary to take bath. Sugar gliders are supposed to be clean without the need of taking bath with dry shampoos. Regular bathing is not good for sugar gliders’ health.
Sugar Glider Is a Nocturnal Possums
As we all know that sugar gliders are nocturnal creatures, they are highly active at night. Bonding and making connections with them happen at that particular time period which will be quite impossible for some people who are professional day workers.
Gliders want you to play with them and will disturb you by making strange noises. If you are unable to do that then consider that you will never be establishing proper bonding with your sugar glider. It’s better not to have them than to dwell and tolerate such helpless situations. So you need to prepare yourself.
Sugar Glider Has Health Problems
Sugar gliders are prone to numerous health problems several bacterial and parasitic diseases. Among them, the most common diseases are obesity, anxiety, depression, malnutrition, metabolic bone disease, and dental problems.
Gliders become obese when they are overfed and introduced to less physical activities. For this, the treatment could be feeding with less portion size, exercising, and less consumption of fatty foods.
The bone disease might occur due to a deficiency of calcium and potassium intake in the body. For this, we should make sure that the sugar gliders are fed a balanced diet. In addition, Sugar gliders can have stress-related problems like depression commonly.
This happens when you left gliders alone for a long time or when they stay with no companion. To get rid of this problem, you should house them in pairs and give them enough space to socialize with anyone they want.
Sugar Glider Has Legal Constraints
Before you make the decision to have sugar gliders in your home, it is equally important and indispensable to go through the legal constraints of owning them. In most countries, sugar gliders are illegal to own so do go through the legal requirements.
In states like California, Alaska, and Hawaii, it is completely illegal. But states like Georgia, New Mexico, and New York, it is legal but with certain restrictions. Each country has its own set of protocols so going through it is a must.
Conclusion
In the end, I would like to say that sugar gliders are lovely pets but they are very different from the other pets. You need to work on yourself, on your home, and in many other things to welcome sugar gliders in your home.
If you went through all these shortcomings and think that you can tackle these, then you are ready to go. Get ready to start a new life and have a companion who never lets you feel lonely after successful bonding.