Clothes?

As ridiculous as it sounds I have seen clothes for sugar gliders.  If I had to guess they are probably home-made by "sugie parents" or are recycled doll clothes.  I personally would not dress Tinki and Telly up because I would not want to hurt their little wing flaps.  But I will admit to having put Barbie hats on their heads with hilarious results.  Tinki and Telly also get use of some of my old Barbie and doll furniture during play-time which also produces hilarious results.



Here are some of the silly outfits/accessories that I have found on Google.

http://static.gotpetsonline.com/pictures-gallery/exotic-pictures-breeders-babies/sugar-glider-pictures-breeders-babies/pictures/sugar-glider-0025.jpg

http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/Photos/12089/sugar_glider_bee_costume.jpg

https://33.media.tumblr.com/ea576e35de40741b50f2b67a10092800/tumblr_mzbh4jPbRJ1r7ufbxo3_500.jpg

http://www.sugar-gliders.com/images/carriage.JPG

Legailty

As with all exotic pets, it is very important to check and see if sugar gliders are legal where you live.  There are multiple states in which sugar gliders are illegal or require additional documentation to own.  A quick Google search should help determine if sugar gliders are legal where you live.

Here's a map that depicts in which states sugar gliders are legal to own (green), legal to own with additional documentation/ a permit (blue) and illegal to own (red).

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?oe=UTF8&ie=UTF8&msa=0&mid=zI7wYKg41rD4.kY9q_c2e7jx0

There are even some places in Australia (the natural home of sugar gliders) where sugar gliders are illegal to own due to the lucrative &illegal trade of exotic animals.  With that being said, also make sure to get your sugar glider from a legitimate, legal, and humane breeder.

Relationship with Other Pets

One thing that my sister and I are very careful of is letting our other pets come into contact with Tinki and Telly.  Our hosehold has six pets; two sugar gliders (Tinki and Telly), 3 cats (Tiggir, Leo, and Meowth), and one dog (Koia).  While our animals would never maliciously hurt Tinki and Telly, it cannot be forgotten that they have natural instincts to hunt small animals, and when Tinki and Telly are down on the floor, scampering around they look just like cat toys.

Here's Leo watching Telly have a snack.

For the most part the three cats and the dog are more scared of the sugar gliders than the sugar gliders are of them, but that does not mean that I trust the cats and the dog around the sugar gliders.  My sister and I always make sure that the other animals are not in the room if we are going to play with Tinki and Telly on the floor.  It is also important to know that if you want other animals to become familiar with sugar gliders, then you should "introduce" them to each other while holding the sugar glider in a bonding position on your thumb.

Here's Koia spying on Tinki through the cage bars. 

Play-Time

Along with playing with the toys inside their cage, Tinki and Telly get a healthy dose of play-time outside the cage as well.  When my sister and I take them out to let them play on the floor, we tell everyone else in the house so they know to be careful around us.  My sister and I keep a good eye on them and keep them close because it would be very easy for them to get lost due to their tiny size.  We let them run, walk, and hop around the carpeted floor, but we also actively play with them.  They love to chase our fingers as well as string.

Plastic string, like we use to play with Tinki and Telly.

All my sister and I need to do is dangle a little piece of string in front of Telly and he will chase it uninterrupted for minutes at a time.  Tinki is a little more cautious outside of the cage, but she also enjoys playing with the string.  After seeing them play with string, I am curious to know if they would be as excited to chase a laser light across the floor.

Bonding

It is important to socialize with pet sugar gliders.  Sugar gliders are naturally very social creatures, so the more you interact with them, the more they will accept you into their "colony".  An important aspect of humans socializing with sugar gliders is referred to as "bonding".  Although bonding occurs whenever you are in contact with the sugar glider, their is a special technique that I learned about.  This technique involves holding the sugar glider in one hand and having them wrap all four of their feet around your thumb.

Here's Tinki bonding with me.

Another way to bond with sugar gliders is to put them in one of their pouches and tuck the pouch into your shirt.  By doing this you keep the sugar gliders warm and also they are near you so they will be inhaling your scent which helps then recognize you.

Here are Tinki and Telly snuggled into their bonding pouch.

Bathroom Habits

Here's a word of warning: Sugar gliders like to go to the bathroom right after they wake-up.  So that means if you wake them up to take them out of their cage be prepared to get pooped and/or peed on.  And yes it has happend to me more times than I can count.  The good thing is that because sugar gliders are tiny, so are their poops, which makes them easy to pick up with a tissue. Another plus is that their poop and pee is fairly odor-free.

For reference, here are a few sugie poops in relation to a dime.

In order to prevent unwanted messes, my sister and I wake up Tinki and Telly and put them on the second level of their cage and leave them there for about five minutes to take care of their bathroom business.  Then we come back and take them out of their cage and we do not have to worry about them going to the bathroom on us (unless they have an unintentional accident of course!).

Claws!

A photo of Telly showing off his nails!

CAUTION: Sugar Gliders have sharp claws!  It does not matter if they are running, jumping, or simply sitting on you, you will most likely get scratched.  Sugar glider claws are extremely sharp and thin, so they are more apt to get stuck in your skin than simply scratch it like a cat.  As with any type of small animals, make sure to wash your hands after (and really before) handling sugar gliders.

This is not the best picture, but it shows the tiny red marks of
devastation that can occur after handling sugar gliders.

It is important to keep your sugar gliders nails taken care of.  My sister and I use a running wheel with an insert that files their nails as they run.  Some people use human fingernail clippers to trim the nails of sugar gliders, but I would not recommend it because their fingers and claws are so tiny and it would be very easy to clip if more than you intended to.

A nail trimmer insert from Pocket Pets that is similar to the one my sister and I use.