Sugar gliders can be a great pet! If you are considering one for your family, I am going to tell all you need to know before you decide to rescue or adopt a sugar glider.

Understanding the needs of a pet before bringing it home is critical so that you – and the pet can be happy for the long term. Below are some tips about care and needs that sugar gliders have as well as adoption tips.

Remember that these are considered exotic pets so they do need some special care!

What To Consider Before Adopting A Sugar Glider

Before are some important things to consider before you choose to adopt a glider! Knowing what is required will help you decide if it is the right pet for your home.

• Their lifespan in captivity can be 10-15 years.
• They have unique dietary needs to keep them healthy and happy.
• Sugar gliders are very social animals and do best with other sugar gliders to play with. If you only want one then it may not be the best pet option for you.
• Finding a veterinarian to care for a sugar glider may be a challenge. They may not need to go often, but it would be good to know you have a local vet you can visit if needed.
• They are active critters that need a lot of stimulation including toys and wheels.
• Gliders are not allowed everywhere so you should make sure there are no laws against owning them.
• Their fragility means they should be kept away from other pets.

What to Do After Rescuing a Sugar Glider

The first time I got my gliders, it took me a lot of time to figure them out. And I can imagine how clueless one can be if they’re handed a glider with no prior preparation – which is always the case in most rescue missions.

So, here are the first things to do once you rescue a sugar glider.

Take the Glider to the Vet

This is the first thing you should do after rescuing any pet. It helps detect any health issues, and deal with them before they reach critical levels.

For sugar gliders, some of the things that the vet will check include:

• If they have external and internal parasites. This will help treat them and avoid spreading them to other pets.
• If the sugar glider is male, they’ll check if he’s neutered. This is vital because un-neutered gliders are prone to mutilating themselves. It also helps him exist well with other male gliders without fighting. This is probably the most expensive part of rescuing a glider.
• Checkup for any other illnesses. The vet will check for signs of any diseases, and in most cases, recommend antibiotics.

The sugar glider medical checkup is the most delicate process of rescuing one. Kindly take them to the vet as soon as you can, but make sure you choose one that has experience with exotic animals.

Feed them with the Right Diet

Many rescued gliders suffering from neglect have spent their entire lives eating the wrong diet.

We had an instance where we rescued a sugar glider who was fed only junk food. Someone took the “sugar” part of their name way too literally and the result was an overweight and nutritionally deprived glider.

Gliders need more than just sweet treats.

Like most creatures, they require a balanced diet with fresh fruits, vegetables and proteins. There are several right ways of feeding a sugar glider out there. They seem complicated at first, so don’t let them scare you.

Finding and making nutritious sugar glider food recipes really isn’t hard as it seems. For gliders dealing with nutritional deficiencies, your vet will guide you on the right combination of foods to get him back into shape.

You can also buy the glider some treats to help you with the bonding, depending on how long they’ll be staying. I also recommend a wheel to encourage them to exercise and shed off excess weight if
they’re obese.

Behavior

Just like any rescue pet, a glider will need some time to adjust to their new surroundings. I know you want to bond with your new pet as quickly as possible – but you need to allow them time to feel comfortable and safe.

You can try hand feeding small treats or leave a trail to you that they can eat to encourage positive interaction.

What if you rescue a sugar glider that turns out to be aggressive?

First, don’t assume he has issues just because he nipped you on your first day together. Give him time to learn to trust you and bond with you before you consider it aggressive. It may be afraid or insecure. Just give them time and space!

This applies to introducing a rescued sugar glider to other gliders too.

They may not be very receptive at first, and you may need to give them time. In this case, rub each glider with a piece of cloth, and when you’re sure the clothes have their natural scent on – switch the clothes for familiarizing.

I know this seems like a really long shot, but it can work on making that adjustment easier.

Rehoming a Sugar Glider

This section depends on whether you decide you keep the glider or not. If you decide to keep the glider, then skip this section.

After rescuing a sugar glider, you want to ensure they don’t end up in the same mess again.

Here are a few sugar glider rehoming tips to help you with the screening process.

• Prioritize people who have experience with sugar gliders. If you can get someone who has experience raising sugar gliders, they might be the right candidate because they know how to take care of one.
• Ensure the new parents have a life plan and are probably done with college. I know this sounds harsh but having a sugar glider is a 15-year commitment. It’s important that they’re adopted by an individual who has somehow settled.
• Ensure they go to a family who is ready to give them favorable living conditions. For example, sugar gliders are pack animals, and they’re happier in a group. Is the new family ready to adopt another glider to give the rescued glider company? If no, then they might not be the right parents.

Lastly, you can sign a document stating that the new parents can always return the glider to you if they change their mind about having them. This will help you re-home them instead of them ending up being neglected.

Many new pet parents regret getting pets within the first few days because they realize the fun doesn’t begin on day one. It’s even harder for troubled pets because they may still be in their coping mode.

How to Rescue a Sugar Glider

All animals are innocent, sweet, and adorable, and they don’t deserve to suffer. Unfortunately, they end in the wrong hands all the time. And sometimes they live in ugly conditions.

It’s noble to give them a second chance whenever an opportunity presents itself. You can either adopt a sugar glider when you rescue them or take them in, nurse them and re-home them to another family

I hope this blog post has given you useful tips on how to rescue a sugar glider and what to expect if you never handled one before.

Sugar Glider Rescues

Finding a sugar glider to adopt should not be too difficult.

There are local animal rescues and shelters that that may have some available. You can see our list of pet adoption websites which you can use to see if there are sugar gliders available near you.

PLEASE AVOID Sugar Glider Adoptions which claim to be be an online resource for adoption, but I found quite a few posts that show this may not be all that it seems. They have a lot of complaints about recommendations for how to care for sugar gliders which seem to be focused on selling product – not actually properly caring for your pet.

While they claim you are “adopting” it seems that many of their gliders actually come from breeders. On their Facebook they call themselves a “pet store” which is the opposite of what their website states.

Below are some resources about this website:

• Change.org
• GliderCentral

Final Thoughts

I really hope this article helped you decide whether a sugar glider is a good fit for your family. If you have one please share your thoughts so others can learn!