Your Joey's Cage
Your joey's cage should be at least 2'w x 2'd x 3'h. The height of the cage is important since sugar gliders like to climb. The width of the cage is also important, the wider it is, the more your glider will be able to "fly". Of course, the larger the cage is, the more exercise your glider will be able to get. The bars on the cage should be no more than 1/2" apart and should run horizontally if at all possible. Many owners purchase large birdcages or aviaries for their gliders, and these work quite well for them. Another popular option is Apogee's Reptariums (100 gallon minimum size for regular use -shown above with 38 gallon Rept inside for introductions).
When purchasing a cage, keep in mind that the cage will need to be cleaned regularly. For large wire cages, this involves taking them outside and hosing them down (as shown above). Reptariums are much easier to clean - just take the mesh cover off and wash it in with your laundry and wipe down the framework.
If you travel at all, you may need a travel cage as shown here. This size cage also makes a wonderful hospital cage.
Since sugar gliders are nocturnal, be sure that the cage is not in an area with a lot of noise or human traffic. It is also important that the cage is in an area where there is a noticeable light difference between night and day; otherwise, your glider will become confused about when to be awake or asleep. However, direct sunlight is very harmful to your glider's nocturnal eyes and should be avoided! Make sure the cage is not set on the floor unless it is a very tall cage (over 5 feet high). Setting the cage on a stand of some sort is optimal. Sugar gliders need to feel that they are as high up as they can get.
You will need to use some type of pad and/or litter in the bottom of the cage to absorb the urine and its odor. Do not use any type of pine bedding/litter: it is toxic to sugar gliders. Care Fresh Pet Bedding. corncob bedding or recycled newspaper litter all work well. I don't recommend cat litter because your glider may try to eat it and would end up with an obstructed bowel. The litter will need to be changed weekly. An alternative to using litter and puppy pads is to use fleece pads. You can purchase inexpensive fleece and cut a double-layer the size of your glider's cage bottom to line the bottom of the cage. Simply shake it clean daily and change the pad every few days. The dirty pads can be machine washed and dried on low-heat. This is an inexpensive and simple way to keep your glider's cage sanitary. Since your glider will scent-mark the bars of the cage, the cage should also be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis to avoid bacteria growth & to eliminate odor build-up (at least once a month, preferably twice a month). Do not use any caustic chemicals to clean the cage - they could make your glider very sick. I have found that Lysol's Anti-bacterial Kitchen Cleaner works very well; always make sure the cage is thoroughly rinsed off and dried before putting your gliders back in it!
Gliders tend to throw their food around. There are a couple of ways you can deal with this messiness. One simple solution is to use a Glider Kitchen. Simply purchase a Sterilite Fun Box. Set the Fun Box upside down over the glider's food dishes. Your glider will crawl through the hand-hold holes to get to its food. Clean the Fun Box as needed (I wash mine in the dishwasher). Another solution is to hang a Fleece Wall Protector on the wall behind your glider's cage. This wall protector can be taken down once a week for laundering - it's much simpler to clean than the wall itself.
Sugar gliders are most comfortable when the temperature is between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Much variation from that range can be detrimental to their health. There are some people that keep a heater in their glider's room to keep the area warm. This is fine as long as precautions are taken so that the room does not become overheated and to prevent fire hazards. Personally, I keep my house at 70 degrees all year, so I do not use any extra heating for the gliders.
A nesting box will provide your joey with a place to curl up and go to sleep during the day and also a place where it can hide and feel safe. In the wild, sugar gliders nest high up in trees, so try to place the nesting box fairly high up in the cage. Sugar gliders will use their scent glands to make their pouches smell like them, so it is a good idea to have several pouches available in order to rotate them for cleaning; otherwise, the pouches can become quite smelly. Another option, instead of a nesting box, is to attach a "cage pouch" to the side of the cage. Again, it is a good idea to have several of these on hand for cleaning rotations.
Sugar gliders are very playful animals and enjoy having a variety of toys to play with. I have some toys available on this site. Bird toys are readily available at pet stores and gliders just love them: but make sure there are not any small parts that could become dislodged from the toy and injure your joey. Sugar Gliders love to run. A good way to encourage this is with a hamster wheel. If you put a hamster wheel in the cage, make sure it is one of the solid, plastic ones so that your joey's tail won't get caught and injured in it. The Wodent Wheel is a good starter wheel - it has a solid running surface and openings in the front to allow your glider access. It also is very quiet! Another fun option is to get an exercise ball that is made for hamsters. The mid-size ball is about 6" in diameter and is the perfect size for sugar gliders. If you have a cat in the house, don't be surprised when your glider discovers that it is safe in the ball and starts to "attack" the cat! (Of course, never leave your glider unsupervised when in the proximity of your cat.) Just be careful that there are not any open stairways in the vicinity when the glider is in its ball. Be patient, it may take a few experiences in the ball before your joey gets used to it and knows how to go where it wants to. It is a good idea to clean your gliders toys regularly so that bacteria doesn't have an opportunity to grow in your glider's cage. I don't recommend cat toys for sugar gliders because they frequently have catnip in or on them (although they may not be marked as such). Catnip is highly toxic to sugar gliders and has been a harbinger of death among gliders.
Live (green wood) branches are also a wonderful accessory for the cage. Not only will your Joey run along them, but it will also enjoy being able to chew on them. Branches should be replaced when they become dry or brittle, or when about 1/2 of the bark has been stripped off. Make sure you only use Fresh Eucalyptus, commercially-dried Eucalyptus is dried with preservatives, which can be harmful to your glider. Some types of wood are toxic to sugar gliders and should not be used. A brief list of safe and unsafe varieties follows: this is not a complete listing.
Safe branches:
Apple Elm
Ash Magnolia
Beech Maple (except Red)
Cottonwood Poplar
Crabapple Sassafras
Dogwood Willow
Fresh Eucalyptus
Unsafe branches:
Almond Cherry
Apricot Nectarine
Black Walnut Peach
Cedar Pine/Fir
For a more complete listing of toxic plants, go to: www.adoptarabbit.com/articles/toxic.html
Another excellent resource of Safe & Unsafe plants & trees can be found at Moondance Sugar Gliders