Making sure your sugar glider is healthy is a top priority for sugar glider owners. There are a few factors that are crucial to ensuring good health. The first big factor is diet. Most of the common health problems that are seen in sugar gliders are the result of a poor diet. The second main factor that affects health is hygiene. Finally, stress is another factor that can really affect the health of your gliders.

Before discussing these factors in more detail, there is something worth mentioning first. Remember that sugar gliders are exotic animals, and although they have been kept as pets for years, they still retain much of their wild instincts.

One of their natural instincts is to hide illness. This is a self preservation tactic because sick sugar gliders are often rejected by the other members of their colonies because it makes the entire colony more vulnerable to predators.

So, as unfortunate as it may be, your sugar glider is going to hide any illnesses from you for as long as it possibly can. In some situations, it may be too late by the time your glider shows any obvious signs of illness. However, it is still possible to detect illnesses sooner, but you have to really watch them for any unusual behaviors or changes in habit or personality.

Knowing your sugar glider and its behaviors and routines is so important because you will be able to tell when something is off. If you notice anything is off, that is the time to go see a veterinarian for a check up. You can never be too safe if anything is slightly off.

Speaking of veterinarians, it is a good idea to have annual wellness checks just to make sure your glider is healthy. The first wellness check should occur within a couple weeks of first getting your sugar glider.

One of the factors that you can control to make sure your sugar glider stays healthy is diet. Providing a nutritionally balanced diet of 50% protein, 25% fruits, and 25% vegetables is key. You also need to maintain a calcium to phosphorous ratio of 2:1.

Hygiene is also an important part of keeping your sugar glider healthy. Keeping up a regular cleaning routine is important. You want to make sure your sugar glider’s environment stays clean and this will also help to cut down on odors.

Finally, you want to make sure to keep stress levels down. If your sugar glider is stressed, they will become more susceptible to illnesses because their immune system is not at its best. Over grooming is a sure sign that your sugar glider is stressed. Changes in eating and sleeping habits may also be signs of stress.

One of the major causes of stress is loneliness. For this reason, it is really important to keep sugar gliders in pairs at a minimum. Single gliders are very likely to become stressed due to loneliness because it just isn’t natural for these colony animals to live on their own. Even though your glider may be bonded to you, you just are not a proper substitute for a companion of their own kind.

These are some of the basic factors that affect the health of your sugar gliders. If you suspect anything is out of the ordinary, it is important to see a professional to get a proper exam and diagnosis.

For more information on health, check out this sugar glider book:

http://www.amazon.com/Sugar-Gliders-Complete-Glider-Guide/dp/1475080336