Sugar Gliders
Sugar Glider
Petaurus breviceps
Petaurus
(pronounced pet-or’-us)
means rope-dancer
breviceps
(pronounced brev’-ee-seps)
means short-headed.
Petaurus breviceps
Petaurus
(pronounced pet-or’-us)
means rope-dancer
breviceps
(pronounced brev’-ee-seps)
means short-headed.
Did you know?
The skin membrane which
extends from the hand to the foot
is called the patagium.
The skin membrane which
extends from the hand to the foot
is called the patagium.
Animals Exotique
Before acquiring a sugar glider, take the time to adequately research everything you can about
them. Please make sure that you can commit to providing your new sugar glider with the best
housing and diet available and to their long-term care.
Natural History
The Sugar Glider is a marsupial that occurs in most of the northern and eastern areas of mainland
Australia, all of New Guinea, on some of the islands of the Bismarck Archipelago, and all of
Tasmania (where it was possibly introduced). There are several subspecies, with differences
varying from the obvious (length of tail) to the not so obvious (geographic location).
Sugar gliders were so named in part because native peoples often called them “sugar squirrels”
because of their love for eating honey, sugar and jam when captured and, of course, their ability to
glide from tree to tree. They can glide up to 165 feet.
They live primarily in forests and woodlands but have adapted well to agricultural land use. Sugar
gliders are arboreal and nocturnal. They use tree hollows lined with leaves for nests during the day.
Supposedly they can tolerate a wide range of temperatures by huddling together (they are very
social) and they have been known to go into torpor during extreme conditions.
Diet
In the wild sugar gliders primarily eat the sap of acacia trees and certain Eucalyptus trees (often
referred to as gum trees), nectar, pollen, insects and spiders. During the summer which is also
their breeding season, they eat more insects. As the abundance of insects decreases in the colder
winter months, sugar gliders will rely more heavily on plant sources for food. Sugar glider teeth are
designed to compress fluids out of what they eat. They suck the juice out of a food item then spit out
the rest.
Research on the proper diet for sugar gliders kept as pets is still in its infancy. Once you begin
doing research you will find that there is a lot contradictory information, leaving you wondering what
is right. Most all diets are based on a three or four part system composed of:
1. A staple
2. Fruits and vegetables
3. Insects and/or other sources of Protein
4. Vitamins
The ratio of these items is what is most conflicting. Some advocate 25% protein to 75%
fruit/vegetable to an even split of 50:50 to the complete reverse of 75% protein to 25% fruit/vegetable.
I have found only limited scientific literature on sugar glider diets. I did find one paper (Dierenfeld, E.
Thomas, D., & Ives, R. Commonly Used Diets on Intake, Digestion, Growth, and Health in Captive
Sugar Gliders. Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine, Vol. 15, No 3 (July), 2006: pp 218-224) that compared
3 widely used diets. One aspect they looked at was the protein supplied in these three diets.
Previous research found that the protein needs of sugar gliders are about 248 mg of crude protein
for a 100 gram sugar glider per day. A lactating female would need four times that amount (992 mg).
The three diets they evaluated ranged in protein contents of 19-26% and they found that all three
provided from 1330 mg to 2270 mg, considerable more than 992 mg needed even for a nursing
female.
At Animals Exotique, we use a diet based on the best information we have on sugar glider nutrition.
1. Staple
The staple of our diet is Insectivore-fare (also called ZooKeeper’s secret or Zoo-fare). This is a soft
food that our sugar gliders love and is designed for insect-eaters! If you feed a hard pellet or cereal
to your sugar gliders, you will notice that they will go through a lot more water than they would if you
feed Insectivore-Fare and other moist foods. Dry, hard pellets contain very little moisture, making it
necessary for a sugar glider to use extra water to compress the nutrients out.
Because most of us don’t want to eat the same thing everyday, and we have found that our sugar
gliders don’t either, we offer additional staples and reduce the insectivore-fare a little at least 4
nights per week and usually 6. Most of the time we will offer the additional staple a few nights in a
row as our sugar gliders sometimes take a night to try it, decide they love it and then get tired of it.
So by doing two nights we catch the try it and love it phase. Occasionally, I will offer something three
nights in a row if the gliders seem especially excited about it, but if I go longer than that they usually
get tired of it. Any hard pellet (cereal) we offer is dampened (usually with nectar).
2. Gums/Nectars/Fruit
Current literature suggests that gums may be more important to the health of sugar gliders than
was previously thought. We know that they eat gum year round in the wild, even in the summer when
insects are more plentiful. It is believed that gums are important to a sugar gliders gut since they
have a huge cecum for fermenting soluble fiber. We change the presentation and sometimes offer it
mixed with water or nectar or we may just sprinkle it on the food. Not all of our sugar gliders took to
the wet gum right away so we had to sprinkle it on the food in addition to offering it mixed with water
for awhile.
3. Insects/Bee pollen/Yogurt
Though insects are a good source of protein, the downside is that most of the insects available to
us are high in fat and sugar gliders will fill up them before they eat all the other nutrients they need.
There are not a lot of insect options available either, though every few years I see a new insect
offered, particularly in the reptile circles. We try to offer live insects several times a week. We aim for
1 gram in weight which is about 2 large mealworms or 1 large grasshopper or 3 large crickets etc. I
feel this is very enriching for the sugar gliders. We do feed more insects in the spring and summer
to stimulate a more natural life cycle for them.
Additional protein sources we will use are bee pollen (which is a natural food for wild sugar gliders),
yogurt, eggs and chicken. Yogurt has a nice amount of protein in it and the sugar gliders really like it.
It should be a variety that contains live bacterial cultures and does not contain artificial sweetners.
They do like different flavors but most love the strawberry and the peach flavors. Limited amounts of
hardboiled or scrambled eggs and boiled chicken add variety to their diet but both are higher in
phosphorus than calcium.
4. Vitamins
Formerly sugar glider owners had to choose from supplements made for small mammals, birds
and reptiles. Now there are several sugar glider specific vitamins available. To decide which is best
for you, look at the ingredients and guaranteed analysis (if either of these are not listed – don’t use
it!!). Pay particular attention to the calcium: phosphorus ratio. Ideally it should be 2:1. 1:1 is
acceptable but you never want it to have more phosphorus than calcium. Calcium deficiency is a
common ailment reported by vets that treat sugar gliders.
Some vitamins are in a powdered form and are designed to be sprinkled over food while others are
designed to be added to water or juice. We use Glider Booster. If we use nectar enriched with
vitamins (Nutra-glider) we do not give glider booster that day. Vitamins can be a two-edged sword.
Too little can be a problem and too much can be a problem. Follow the instructions labels and
consult with your veterinarian.
Water
An ample supply of fresh water is very important because gliders dehydrate quickly. We use only
filtered water as we have a well.
Enrichment
Novelty/variety is so important to any animal’s mental and physical well-being. We try to present our
sugar glider’s diet in a new way everyday. We always offer Insectivore-Fare daily so that our sugar
gliders have something they are familiar with just in case the rest of the offered diet doesn’t pass
the taste test. We also always offer vitamins and gum. But everything is varied either through
presentation; apples vs. applesauce, yogurt vs. yogurt drops; everything mixed together vs.
everything separated or through type, papaya vs. blueberries, mealworms vs. crickets, all insectivore-
fare for the staple vs. insectivore-fare and canned marmoset. The options are endless.
them. Please make sure that you can commit to providing your new sugar glider with the best
housing and diet available and to their long-term care.
Natural History
The Sugar Glider is a marsupial that occurs in most of the northern and eastern areas of mainland
Australia, all of New Guinea, on some of the islands of the Bismarck Archipelago, and all of
Tasmania (where it was possibly introduced). There are several subspecies, with differences
varying from the obvious (length of tail) to the not so obvious (geographic location).
Sugar gliders were so named in part because native peoples often called them “sugar squirrels”
because of their love for eating honey, sugar and jam when captured and, of course, their ability to
glide from tree to tree. They can glide up to 165 feet.
They live primarily in forests and woodlands but have adapted well to agricultural land use. Sugar
gliders are arboreal and nocturnal. They use tree hollows lined with leaves for nests during the day.
Supposedly they can tolerate a wide range of temperatures by huddling together (they are very
social) and they have been known to go into torpor during extreme conditions.
Diet
In the wild sugar gliders primarily eat the sap of acacia trees and certain Eucalyptus trees (often
referred to as gum trees), nectar, pollen, insects and spiders. During the summer which is also
their breeding season, they eat more insects. As the abundance of insects decreases in the colder
winter months, sugar gliders will rely more heavily on plant sources for food. Sugar glider teeth are
designed to compress fluids out of what they eat. They suck the juice out of a food item then spit out
the rest.
Research on the proper diet for sugar gliders kept as pets is still in its infancy. Once you begin
doing research you will find that there is a lot contradictory information, leaving you wondering what
is right. Most all diets are based on a three or four part system composed of:
1. A staple
2. Fruits and vegetables
3. Insects and/or other sources of Protein
4. Vitamins
The ratio of these items is what is most conflicting. Some advocate 25% protein to 75%
fruit/vegetable to an even split of 50:50 to the complete reverse of 75% protein to 25% fruit/vegetable.
I have found only limited scientific literature on sugar glider diets. I did find one paper (Dierenfeld, E.
Thomas, D., & Ives, R. Commonly Used Diets on Intake, Digestion, Growth, and Health in Captive
Sugar Gliders. Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine, Vol. 15, No 3 (July), 2006: pp 218-224) that compared
3 widely used diets. One aspect they looked at was the protein supplied in these three diets.
Previous research found that the protein needs of sugar gliders are about 248 mg of crude protein
for a 100 gram sugar glider per day. A lactating female would need four times that amount (992 mg).
The three diets they evaluated ranged in protein contents of 19-26% and they found that all three
provided from 1330 mg to 2270 mg, considerable more than 992 mg needed even for a nursing
female.
At Animals Exotique, we use a diet based on the best information we have on sugar glider nutrition.
1. Staple
The staple of our diet is Insectivore-fare (also called ZooKeeper’s secret or Zoo-fare). This is a soft
food that our sugar gliders love and is designed for insect-eaters! If you feed a hard pellet or cereal
to your sugar gliders, you will notice that they will go through a lot more water than they would if you
feed Insectivore-Fare and other moist foods. Dry, hard pellets contain very little moisture, making it
necessary for a sugar glider to use extra water to compress the nutrients out.
Because most of us don’t want to eat the same thing everyday, and we have found that our sugar
gliders don’t either, we offer additional staples and reduce the insectivore-fare a little at least 4
nights per week and usually 6. Most of the time we will offer the additional staple a few nights in a
row as our sugar gliders sometimes take a night to try it, decide they love it and then get tired of it.
So by doing two nights we catch the try it and love it phase. Occasionally, I will offer something three
nights in a row if the gliders seem especially excited about it, but if I go longer than that they usually
get tired of it. Any hard pellet (cereal) we offer is dampened (usually with nectar).
2. Gums/Nectars/Fruit
Current literature suggests that gums may be more important to the health of sugar gliders than
was previously thought. We know that they eat gum year round in the wild, even in the summer when
insects are more plentiful. It is believed that gums are important to a sugar gliders gut since they
have a huge cecum for fermenting soluble fiber. We change the presentation and sometimes offer it
mixed with water or nectar or we may just sprinkle it on the food. Not all of our sugar gliders took to
the wet gum right away so we had to sprinkle it on the food in addition to offering it mixed with water
for awhile.
3. Insects/Bee pollen/Yogurt
Though insects are a good source of protein, the downside is that most of the insects available to
us are high in fat and sugar gliders will fill up them before they eat all the other nutrients they need.
There are not a lot of insect options available either, though every few years I see a new insect
offered, particularly in the reptile circles. We try to offer live insects several times a week. We aim for
1 gram in weight which is about 2 large mealworms or 1 large grasshopper or 3 large crickets etc. I
feel this is very enriching for the sugar gliders. We do feed more insects in the spring and summer
to stimulate a more natural life cycle for them.
Additional protein sources we will use are bee pollen (which is a natural food for wild sugar gliders),
yogurt, eggs and chicken. Yogurt has a nice amount of protein in it and the sugar gliders really like it.
It should be a variety that contains live bacterial cultures and does not contain artificial sweetners.
They do like different flavors but most love the strawberry and the peach flavors. Limited amounts of
hardboiled or scrambled eggs and boiled chicken add variety to their diet but both are higher in
phosphorus than calcium.
4. Vitamins
Formerly sugar glider owners had to choose from supplements made for small mammals, birds
and reptiles. Now there are several sugar glider specific vitamins available. To decide which is best
for you, look at the ingredients and guaranteed analysis (if either of these are not listed – don’t use
it!!). Pay particular attention to the calcium: phosphorus ratio. Ideally it should be 2:1. 1:1 is
acceptable but you never want it to have more phosphorus than calcium. Calcium deficiency is a
common ailment reported by vets that treat sugar gliders.
Some vitamins are in a powdered form and are designed to be sprinkled over food while others are
designed to be added to water or juice. We use Glider Booster. If we use nectar enriched with
vitamins (Nutra-glider) we do not give glider booster that day. Vitamins can be a two-edged sword.
Too little can be a problem and too much can be a problem. Follow the instructions labels and
consult with your veterinarian.
Water
An ample supply of fresh water is very important because gliders dehydrate quickly. We use only
filtered water as we have a well.
Enrichment
Novelty/variety is so important to any animal’s mental and physical well-being. We try to present our
sugar glider’s diet in a new way everyday. We always offer Insectivore-Fare daily so that our sugar
gliders have something they are familiar with just in case the rest of the offered diet doesn’t pass
the taste test. We also always offer vitamins and gum. But everything is varied either through
presentation; apples vs. applesauce, yogurt vs. yogurt drops; everything mixed together vs.
everything separated or through type, papaya vs. blueberries, mealworms vs. crickets, all insectivore-
fare for the staple vs. insectivore-fare and canned marmoset. The options are endless.
Some ideas of other staples you
can offer to add variety:
Canned Marmoset by Zupreem
Insectivore-fare by Reliable Protein
Monkey biscuits by Mazuri
Insect-eater by Exotic Nutrition
Bugs and Berries by Avico
High Protein Supplement by
Wombaroo
Sugar Glider pellets/cereals
by Exotic Nutrition
can offer to add variety:
Canned Marmoset by Zupreem
Insectivore-fare by Reliable Protein
Monkey biscuits by Mazuri
Insect-eater by Exotic Nutrition
Bugs and Berries by Avico
High Protein Supplement by
Wombaroo
Sugar Glider pellets/cereals
by Exotic Nutrition
Gums and Nectars
Gum Arabic is the most
commonly available gum.
Sources of nectar include:
Nectars made for Sugar Gliders
Gliderade
Nutra-Glider
Nectars made for Loris.
Goya Nectars
Gum Arabic is the most
commonly available gum.
Sources of nectar include:
Nectars made for Sugar Gliders
Gliderade
Nutra-Glider
Nectars made for Loris.
Goya Nectars
Don't limit your sugar glider to
just crickets and mealworms.
Many reptile stores carry other
insects as well. Sugar Gliders
love grasshoppers, waxworms,
and other beetle larvae.
just crickets and mealworms.
Many reptile stores carry other
insects as well. Sugar Gliders
love grasshoppers, waxworms,
and other beetle larvae.
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