Sugar Glider University

It is recommended by Kevin Schargen, (BS, Animal Science, Cornell, past President, ISGA) that an at-home exam be performed monthly, with a trip to the vet annually.

HYDRATION: Pinch the back of your sugar glider. The skin should fall back down almost immediately.  If the skin is slow to return to its normal state, your glider is dehydrated. 

HEART RATE: Place index finger on chest and record the number of heartbeats in 15 seconds.  Multiply this number by 4. This is the beats per minute.  The resting heart rate may exceed 300 beats per minute.

TEMP: Normal glider temperatures range from 85 to 95 degrees.  Take your gliders' temps at different times throughout a few months to learn what is normal for your glider.  IMPORTANT: Obtain a thermometer made especially for small animals, and have your vet show you how to do this before you try it yourself.

WEIGHT: Purchase a scientific gram scale and weigh your glider.  A normal weight range is from 90 to 150 grams, with males weighing more.

EYES: Healthy eyes are black with no flecks of white or clouding.  They should be bright, alert and responsive, and not sunken in.

NOSE: A healthy nose is pink and moist with no discharge or crust.  Any noise while breathing is a sign to take your glider to the vet.

GUMS AND MUCUS MEMBRANES: Gums and membranes should be pink.

EARS: Should be free from lesions, and not appear or feel dry.  The ear should always spring back to its original shape.  No wax should be present.

FEET: Should be pink and soft.  Check for injured toes.  Trim toenails with small toenail clippers.  Avoid the pink portion of the nail.  If it is cut, apply styptic powder and pressure until the bleeding stops. Check glider grasping reflexes, and make sure they use all their toes and fingers when grasping.  Make sure they grasp with both hands and both feet.

POUCH: Make sure that in females, the pouch is not sticking out.

COAT: Should be smooth without any missing patches.  (This does not include the "bald spots" on males where the scent glands are). 

STOOL: Should be well-formed, with no parasites.

Compiled from "Sugar Gliders: Gotta' Love 'Em",  Critters USA 2003 Annual, page 88, "Southern Exotics Veterinary Service Questionnaire", and "What To Look For In A Sugar Glider" from TalktotheVet.com.

Glider Illness Prevention

To prevent mental illness, keep at least two sugar gliders.  Many people will tell you that one sugar glider will be perfectly happy as long as you play with it for several hours each night, but there is no way a human, no matter how bonded with a glider, can play and provide companionship the way another glider can.

To prevent intestinal blockage, trichomoniasis, thyroid problems, Hind-Leg Paralysis,  and other problems, make sure you are feeding your gliders a healthy diet with a good balance of calcium.

Be aware of diseases and illnesses found in sugar gliders.  Diabetes, pneumonia, urinary tract blockages, and other maladies are a few of the things to which gliders are susceptible.  Gliders usually only show signs of ill health when they are near death, so it is important to react quickly when abnormalities are noted.

Be prepared by developing and maintaining a Small Animal First Aid Kit