I have never owned sugar gliders before. They have been my dream pet sine I was three years old. Two days ago, I acquired 2 females. One I believe has been abused and they both have not been fed right. I have been tryingto give them a calcium supplement sprinkled on fruit, or mixed into applesauce or baby food. They will not eat it. They will only eat grapes and boiled eggs (sans calcium supplement). I tried kiwi and a different kind of baby food last night and they sniffed it and walked away. They are both very active. One seems a little overweight (Chewie)and the other has a major biting problem(Stripe). Chewie was sweet ans loving at first. She loed to come out of her cage and be held and played with. Now, she does not want to leave the cage. I take her out and she freaks out and climbs all over the cage trying to get back in. When she finally gets back in she goes stright for her pouch and hides. Stripe is well strange. She is the one that I believe has been abused. She is missing her back right leg. She stalks me when I cam near the cage (kind of like a cat). Then she lunges at me and if I am near enough or have my hand in the cage she bites me. The first couple of times she did it it startled me but fif not really hurt. Now, she is lliterally taking chunks out of my finger tips. Today, when I tried to take Chewie out of the cage and she went berserk tring to get back in, Stripe went berserk inside of the cage trying to get to Chewie. It was like they did not want to be seperated at all. Honestly, the man I got these two from was not a nice person. He knew nothing of glider care (he had fake leaves and wood ships in their cage that they were chewing on), along with a green tree boa in the cage. Now, I am not saying that I am an expert, but I do love these little girls. I know that they have reasons for acting as they do, I just need some advice on how to be a good momma and make sure that they have everything they need or could want. They have been in a bad place and now I want them to feel safe and loved. Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
First things first - you need to get them on a good, approved diet. HPW and BML are the most popular and the most widely tested to be safe. the Pet Glider diet and the suncoast diet are also popular and safe. they NEED a diet that is balanced in vitamins and minerals and has a balanced Ca:P ratio. Do this ASAP and give them the staple only until they begin eating it well. When they are hungry, they will eat. I have only ever had one glider turn down HPW.
Secondly, they NEED a wellness check from a qualified vet ASAP - this should include a fecal float and fecal smear to test for parasites and infection. A UA should also be completed.
THEN, you need to leave them be for a bit until they get used to their surroundings and smells and such. Then you can start bonding with them. For more information on bonding, please register at
and read, read, read in the bonding and behavior sections.
Remember, they are not mean, they are TERRIFIED. Your very presence scares them, so you must go S-L-O-W.
A glider that feels well will be more apt to trust. They WILL feel better once they are on a diet which provides everything that they need. Start with diet change and a wellness check and then go from there.