Being dedicated glider lovers, it’s important that we know the accessories every sugar glider owner needs.
With many years of learning and caring for sugar bears, I found the most important accessories you need to have for them.
With this guide, you don’t even have to leave your home to find what your gliders need to live good and healthy lives!
These are my must-have accessories that every glider parent needs for their adult and baby gliders!
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Table of Contents
What Accessories Does Every Sugar Glider Owner Need?
1. Sugar Glider Cage
The cage is the home of your sugar glider, so it is important that you get a cage that’s good-quality, strong, durable, and has all the features you’re looking for.
I usually tell sugar glider owners to select a cage set up that provides enough room for their pet animals.
Experts have a recommended cage size for a single glider.
“A large sugar glider cage is suggested. It should be at least 24” x 36” x 36” with a secure lock,” says Rosemary J. Booth, BVSc of the Department of Environment and Resource Management. [1]
Don’t worry, it’s just a recommendation, you can purchase any type of cage as long as it is deep and spacious enough for a glider to be able to climb around, jump, glide, and play inside it.
In choosing a sugar glider cage, consider the following:
- The wire spacing should not be more than ½ inch
- Bar direction can either be horizontal or vertical, so long as it has spaces for climbing
- The cage door needs to be big enough for you to be able to spot clean, play, and interact with your glider
Choosing a sugar glider cage is a tedious task, and if you’re inexperienced, you’ll find yourself stuck between different cages.
So, here’s a review I wrote about the best sugar glider cage setups you can choose from!
Apart from a cage setup, it’s also important to have a travel cage for your little friend so it has a comfortable habitat while traveling.
Travel Cage
Travel cages aren’t necessary, but they can make your life easier when you’re traveling with your glider, like when you go visit your vet, for instance.
Unless you’re comfortable traveling with your household pet in a bonding pouch, you would want to secure a travel cage for better safety and security.
There are many different models of sugar glider travel cages, but the best ones would be those that are lightweight, rustproof, and durable.
Don’t worry though if this is confusing, because I compiled the top picks of sugar glider travel cages and why I consider them the best for everyone.
Cage Set
You’ll need a cage set if you have little-to-no experience with sugar bears because it’s like a starter kit that contains everything you need for taking care of sugar gliders. These sets contain many accessories, such as:
- Cage/Habitat
- Sugar Glider Pouch or Nest Box
- Food and Water Dishes
- Bedding
- Added Accessories
You’ll find a lot of them in the market, but it’s not easy to always distinguish the best from the worst.
Check this review me and my team wrote about the best sugar glider cage sets for your furry friends.
Vets have recommended cage sizes, as you learned above. Find out more about the right cage size for gliders in this video.
2. Cage Liners and Bedding
Bedding and cage liners are like the peanut butter to the jelly –they always go hand in hand with cages because it serves as the inner layer of it.
It’s the component that catches the dirt, uneaten food, secretions, and all other mess inside the cage. In case you’re not sure of what it is, it’s the material that’s at the bottom part of the cage.
It can be anything from sand, pebbles, cedar, a layer of shavings, fleece bedding, and many others!
I can’t tell you how many options you have with beddings and cage liners. What I can tell you about, though, are the ones I’ve tried and tested over my years of maintaining and caring for sugar gliders.
3. Cleaning Materials
Being sugar glider guardians, you need to make sure that their cages, as well as other accessories, are kept clean and free-from danger.
Any cleaning material would do, but the following are what I found to be the most effective for deep cleaning:
- Hot Water
- Mild Detergent or Dish Soap
- Fabric Conditioners or Fabric Softeners
- Microfiber Cloth
QUICK NOTE: Some experts recommend using a mixture of hot water and vinegar as some chemicals may be dangerous for your sugar bear’s health.
Here’s a quick guide on how to clean your sugar glider cage! I also included the vinegar and hot water mixture here, so take time to read!
4. Food and Water Bowl
There’s a wide variety of water and food dishes you can purchase in the market. The materials you can choose from include plastic, stainless steel materials, glass, and even wood.
Out of all the materials you can get, go for a stainless steel bowl. They’re easy to clean and they don’t rust up. Rust is one of your biggest enemies because it can tamper with their food and fresh water.
In addition to that, because it is easy to keep clean, it can keep your glider safe from picking up infections and diseases.
Adult sugar gliders need a balanced diet, so instead of buying a regular small food bowl, get a bigger one so it fits everything without spilling.
Make sure that it will fit glider food, fresh fruits, and the multivitamin supplement of your choice.
You have a heap of options for the food and water bowls you can purchase, but here’s a list of the best ones I’ve tried so far.
QUICK NOTE: For baby sugar gliders, you want to use water bottles because baby gliders aren’t skilled enough to drink from water bowls.
You don’t want a dehydrated sugar glider, right? So make sure that you purchase the correct water bowl or glass water bottles for your glider!
Vitamins
Vitamins are important to include in the meal of your household pet. However, there are certain supplements and minerals your furry friends need to take, they include [2] :
- Calcium Supplement
- Multivitamin Supplement
- Protein Supplement
The calcium supplement, multivitamins, and protein supplement can be taken once per day per glider.
You’ll find a lot of variations on sugar glider diets, but here’s a quick look at the sugar glider TPG diet to give your sugar bear the daily nutrition it needs!
Treats
Sugar bears, when you bond with them correctly, will want to engage in several activities with you. And for you to become closer with them, give them treats every time they do as you say.
You can use many different types of treats like insects, nectar, or tree sap. However, I usually use sugar glider fish sticks and fruit treats.
There are times when I use mealworms, but take note, you should only give them about six mealworms a day per glider.
5. Sleeping Nest
A nest is the piece of furniture that your sugar glider sleeps in. Without it, it’ll have to settle sleeping on top of the bedding or the cage liner.
This is equally important because sugar gliders sleep for extended periods, of about 12 to 14 hours of sleep per day. After which, they’ll wake up for a few hours and will stay up until early morning.
For the nest, you can choose from nest boxes or nest pouches.
Nest Boxes
From its term alone, a nest box is a box that’s specialized for a sugar glider to sleep in. A nest box can come in all different forms, shapes, styles, and sizes.
My nest box is a simple 4” x 3.5” x 5” wooden box with dull leaves and safe wood shavings.
You can buy a nest box from a pet store, or you can come up with your own!
Nest Pouches
Nest pouches, on the other hand, are made from cloth that is comfortable enough for the glider to sleep in.
Also referred to as a bonding pouch, a nest pouch is an important tool for your household pet because of its portability.
You’ll find many different shops and stores offering nest boxes and nest pouches, but here’s a list of the top bonding pouches I’ve used.
6. Toys
Being nocturnal animals doesn’t necessarily mean that they hate moving around or doing activities; in fact, they’re social animals and they love playing and interacting!
That said, as a sugar glider owner, you need to fill their cages with enough toys so they can promote curiosity, interest, movement, and interaction.
You can choose from standard baby toys like plushies, bird toys, and even no sew sugar glider toys that promote activity like how they are in the wild!
Their placement inside the cage needs to move from time to time, as per Dr. Laurie Hess, DVM, DABVP.
“Gliders will definitely enjoy bird toys, swings, as well as smooth-sided wheels. You need to change its location inside the cage to keep their interest and to keep them mentally stimulated.”
A toy is a perfect fit for a sugar glider, and here’s a list of the toys you can choose from:
- Chewy Toys
- Hammocks
- Sleeping Pouches
- Plushies
- Squishy Toys
- Exercise Wheels
- Safe Wooden Toys
QUICK NOTE: For wooden toys, ensure that the toys aren’t sharp or pointy. It’s better to keep your glider safe than in danger and bored!
I also wrote a review about the best toys for sugar gliders that you can place inside your sugar glider cage, check them out!
Exercise Wheel
Sugar gliders are exotic animals that can glide, play, and run.
And because of this, it’s important to invest in a safe wheel for inside the cage for them to exercise.
Not only does this keep them in shape, but it can also make them entertained inside the cage at night (while they’re awake).
You can invest in hamster wheels or mice wheels, but I found a few wheels specific for the size of sugar gliders.
Check this review I made about the best and safest sugar glider wheels for your furry friend.
7. Cage Accessories
Cage accessories are additional things you can place inside the sugar glider cage. There are a lot of dedicated glider lovers like me that place anything inside the cage for the purpose of entertainment.
One thing I can suggest is to make sure that your sugar glider temperature is just right through heat rocks!
So long as the accessories are safe, then there’s no reason to be afraid. Some of the most important glider accessories I would recommend include:
- Hoops
- Tunnels
- Plants
- Bridges
- Ropes
- Branches
QUICK NOTE: You can purchase both glider accessories and cage accessories in bundles, which can offer discounted rates so you can save money!
Here are some great vet-approved accessories for your glider.
8. Nail Clipper
Last, but most definitely not least is the nail clipper or trimmer. Nail trimming and cutting are important because your glider’s nails will grow like that of a koala bear –long, sharp, and oftentimes, dangerous.
So, check their nails from time to time. In my case, though, the nails of my pet sugar glider don’t grow very long for a week, so I only have to do it once a week.
Purchase a nail trimmer that’s designed for pets, not for humans!
Check this video from Sugar Glider Diaries as she discusses the top Amazon must-haves for a sugar glider lover.
FAQs
Still have a too few questions about accessories and other relevant items you need to consider for your glider? Here are some of the most-asked questions about them!
How Do You Prepare For a Sugar Glider?
In preparing for your first-ever sugar glider, make sure that you have all the necessary accessories ready.
Moreover, you need to make adjustments to the different things inside your house. Keep all cabinet doors closed, keep the toilet lid closed, and keep the door going outside closed.
Is it Better to Have a Pair of Sugar Gliders?
Yes, in order to make sure that you have a healthy sugar glider, make sure that you house them in pairs.
If you have a single glider, make sure to play with it regularly to keep it company.
Conclusion: Do You Now Know What Accessories to Get?
Are you now aware of the accessories every sugar glider owner needs to kickstart your journey of being a parent?
Keep all these cage accessories and glider accessories in mind and make your life easier!
What are your favorite accessories for sugar gliders? Please share with us!
References:
- 1. “Rosemary J. Booth, BVSc | Author.” MSD Veterinary Manual, www.msdvetmanual.com/authors/booth-rosemary. Accessed 16 Apr. 2022.
- 2. “Sugar Glider Care Recommendations.” MedVet, 8 Dec. 2016, www.medvetforpets.com/sugar-glider-history-care-recommendations/.
Alina Hartley is a small-town girl with a ginormous love of bearded dragons. It all started with Winchester, a baby bearded who was abandoned at the shelter by his former owners because of a birth defect that caused one front leg to be shorter than the other. Alina originally went to the shelter looking for a guinea pig, but one look at Winchester and it was love at first sight. From that day on, Alina has dedicated her life to learning everything she can about bearded dragons. She loves helping new beardie parents start their incredible journey with these magnificent reptiles.
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