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Understanding the sugar glider’s natural habitat helps captive gliders in several ways. It benefits owners by supplying them with the knowledge necessary to provide a captive glider with the proper nutrition. Through what is learned, the owner of a captive glider is also enabled with the ability to provide the right environment to support both the glider’s physical and emotional well-being. Studies and observations done of sugar gliders in the wild have provided captive glider owners with much insight when it comes to understanding the dietary requirements of their gliders. As a result of these studies, captive glider owners can better attempt to mimic their wild diets in an effort to supply necessary nutrients that might otherwise have gone overlooked. Supplying the proper nutrition to a captive glider can directly affect the glider’s physical health. Knowledge of the sugar glider’s natural habitat also helps an owner to promote their physical well-being in many other ways. An understanding of the glider’s wild environment enables an owner to better tailor the captive glider’s enclosure in order to allow for the proper level of stimulus that is required to keep the glider both fit and active. The amount of a glider’s physical activity can have a direct effect on their emotional health. Applying adaptations of, or learned concepts from, the glider’s natural habitat can greatly promote a captive glider’s emotional well-being. This is of large concern since it seems that sugar gliders are prone to depression and self-mutilation due to lack of socialization and other stimulus in captivity. By mimicking the communal situations and environmental conditions a glider would experience in the wild. The owner of a captive glider can preserve their proper state. The following text addresses specific aspects of the wild sugar glider’s natural habitat, offering suggestions as to how an owner can make allowances for possible issues and incorporate similar features into their captive sugar gliders environment. In the wild, sugar gliders are arboreal, or “tree dwelling,” creatures that are native to both the temperate forests and tropical rainforests of Australia, New Guinea, and certain surrounding islands. Since wild sugar gliders live in the treetops, instinctively they have no concerns as to where they urinate or defecate when outside of their nest. Therefore in captivity, we must take into account that our sugar gliders cannot be “potty trained” and keep their feeding dishes elevated in order reduce the likelihood of contamination of the glider’s food or water. An owner can attempt to mimic the forest habitat by outfitting their sugar glider’s enclosure with glider-safe branches, thick ropes, perches, and swings. Environmental conditions can be simulated by the following: situating the sugar glider’s cage in warm (75 – 85 degrees Fahrenheit), draft-free room, making sure that the air is kept slightly humid, and using light filtering shades in order to diffuse any direct sunlight. Wild sugar gliders are very active and capable of gliding long distances. It is very important that captive sugar gliders are provided with an ample opportunity to exercise. Three ways to promote exercise within a sugar glider’s enclosure are by: 1) providing safe, stimulating toys 2) supplying perches, ropes, and non-toxic branches that encourage climbing and 3) adding an approved exercise wheel. Be careful not to overcrowd the cage or there will not be enough space left over for the sugar glider to run, jump, and play. Captive sugar gliders also require a daily time span outside of their enclosure, preferably, allowed to roam freely while supervised within a glider-safe room. This will provide the captive glider with extra space required to run, jump, and glide unrestricted. An owner can use this time to interact with and exercise their sugar glider by attempting to engage it in play or by encouraging it to glide on command. The diet of a wild sugar glider is mainly composed of bugs, saps, and gums. Be sure to supply a captive sugar glider with an ample supply of suitable insects. Live insects are more beneficial to a captive glider because, in addition to their nutritional value, the thrill of the hunt provides both necessary exercise and added mental stimulation to the sugar glider. Acacia gum can be purchased in a powdered form and either sprinkled over the sugar glider’s food or reconstituted to a gummy consistency. Powdered Gatorade or Gliderade can be used as a nectar substitute after adding enough water to create the solution that the individual sugar glider desires. Wild sugar gliders are very social animals and live in colonies of up to14 gliders. They are known to sleep in the hollows of trees and, occasionally, a male may get ejected from the nest for a night of two by the rest of the colony. In captivity, an owner can mimic this scenario by electing to house their sugar gliders in small-scale colony settings or minimally as pairs. Sugar gliders thrive equally well in same sex pairings as well as male-female pairings because a sugar gliders main focus is on companionship, not reproduction. Please keep in mind that two male sugar gliders, when introduced at the adult stage, are not compatible and a female sugar glider should never be introduced to a male pair or fighting will result. In addition, placing the sugar glider’s enclosure in a quiet, yet prominent, location within the home encourages regular human interaction with the glider. In conclusion, a greater understanding of the sugar glider’s natural habitat can be extremely beneficial to both captive gliders and their owners alike. Proper adaptation of key points into the captive glider’s environment can reduce stress levels experienced by the glider and promote better health over all. It all boils down to the following statement… Happy gliders = Happy owners. If you desire to learn more about the wild sugar glider’s natural environment, please visit the following links: http://johnrowland.customer.netspace.net.au/gliderweb/gliders.htm |
