Maintenance

Sugar gliders need regular maintenance, like all other animals. However, they don't need as much as cats or dogs!

• Nail trims
  
  
• It is crucial to clip your glider's nails! You will find out in a hurry during Tent Time why. Also, long nails can easily get caught in bedding and toys. This can lead to injury or self mutilation.
• You can either bring your gliders in and we can trim them up for a fee
  or
• You can trim them yourself. I wrap my gliders in a hand towel snugly but not too tight. I then find each of their feet and pull them out of the towel one at a time. I will use a toe nail clipper to cut their nails.  
• Grooming
• Gliders are very clean animals and groom themselves. They will sneeze on one another followed by combing through the fur with their claws to clean it. 
• Gliders have two fused back toes. These are used as a comb to groom. 
• All this means--you don't have to do anything!
• Baths--gliders don't need baths, unless of something like a diarrhea explosion in the pouch. Just make sure IF you have to give a bath, make sure you keep your babies warm until they are dry.
• Warmth
• Gliders are from Indonesia/Northern Australia. That means they like to be warm!
• Keep the area that they are in at approximately 65-90 degrees F (most people keep them at 75-80). If it is not warm enough, you run the risk of the glider going into a faux hibernation that can be lethal. 
• do NOT use heat rocks. Gliders, like all animals, can and will fall asleep on the rocks and can unintentionally burn themselves. They might not feel hot to the touch to you, but they can still burn themselves. You also have the issue of putting an electrical cord into their cage. Some gliders are chewers. Cord+chewing=disaster!
• Cage Cleaning
• The bottom of your cage can be lined with news paper (cheapest), puppy pads (expensive), paper towel (expensive), or polar fleece (reusable).
• change out bedding 1-2 times a week or more as needed
• Clean the inside of the cage with diluted bleach or a pet friendly cleaner about every other week. Make sure your gliders are NOT in the cage or anywhere near the chemicals while cleaning. 
• Give the cage a heavy scrubbing (bringing it outside, bleach it, rinse it, let it dry) monthly if possible. I live in an apartment, so this is easier said than done. 
• Bedding/Cage Set Cleaning
• I would suggest cleaning the fabric items in the cage at least once a week. I personally change out pouches about every other day. Just throw them in the wash and you're good!
• Toy Cleaning
•  About monthly you should clean your glider's toys. If they are hard toys, just throw them in the dish washer or wash them in diluted bleach. If you use the bleach method, make sure you rinse them well and let them air dry before giving them back to the gliders. 
• Soft toys can be spot washed or thrown into the washer/dryer.