I am considering purchasing a sugar glider joey and I am kind of not hoping to spend extreme amounts of money on a cage. I was wondering if it’s ok to build a cage for the animal. And if so, what materials should I use? (Preferably non-expensive).
Should I buy or build a cage for a sugar glider?
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3 Responses to Should I buy or build a cage for a sugar glider?
I would recommend you don’t get a sugar-glider.
It’s just that you aren’t ready yet, if you don’t know that their housing is expensive and there’s no way around it… They are expensive, high-maintenance, and don’t do very well in captivity.
For most animals as pets, I tell people they should read at least one book on them. For a sugar glider, you should read the three most recently published books you can find on the animals as pets. Then you should sit down and do the math to see the cost of vet (make sure there is a vet in your area that sees them because a sugar glider that DOESN’T have at least one medical emergency is a miracle pet!), the cost of the cage and all of the supplies, and the ongoing cost of the food.
Their diet is insane. Before even considering a glider, you should sit down and make a few portions of their diet (which should vary because eating an unvaried diet kills them). You’ll probably see that that alone takes a lot of time.
Unless you are homebound, get two if you must get them. They will die if housed alone!
PLEASE reconsider this animal as a pet unless you are super educated on them and have successfully reared some other high-maintenance pets.
I have worked in two pet shops that sold these as pets. Most of them died before getting a home. Most of the ones that were purchased were brought back dead within a few weeks. Then both pet shops stopped carrying them, because they realized they just don’t do well in captivity. They shouldn’t be domesticated, really…. too many of them suffer horribly as pets!
Good luck.
ps- maybe you could consider a pair of rats, instead. They’re incredibly intelligent and trainable, and also while they do require plenty of maintenance, the care of rats compared to sugar gliders is seriously a cake walk.
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Well i cannot help you with the sugar glider i can tell you it is expensive to build a cage. I did so for my guniea pigs, but it was huge and so much better than any cage i could have bought. It takes a skilled person who knows there way around tools and can adjust to a simple mistake or miscaculation in measures. It was worth building a cage but it cost around 200 dollars alone just for supplies but i built a 2 story hutch
the internet as usual
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You can buy a good size cage off ebay for not too much. I got this cage for $150 (from this same seller too) and it’s huge! My colony of 4 has lived in this for about 2 years now and they love it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Bird-Ferret-Sugar-Glider-Chinchilla-Flight-Cage-cages_W0QQitemZ310037546245QQihZ021QQcategoryZ121854QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
You can build your own – I’d recommend checking out http://www.sugarglider.net under the housing section, I remember seeing quite a few neat ideas that didn’t break the bank.
Materials to avoid: Galvanized wire (even plastic coated, sometimes they can chew right threw the plastic) and any type of wood. The wood will absorb urine and rot, as well as harbor bacteria and the wire has been known to cause sores on the feet and urinary tract infections.
Hope that helps!
Owned by Aiden, Julz Echo and Botch
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