Sugar Glider advice

[Akane]

Most people find the HPW and BML (modified leadbeaters) are some of the best for controlling smell. Neutering can also help. We have one neutered male and 2 females now and personally I don't find ours smell at all except when the pouches need washed since they will mark the outside of them. Even then it only smells when you hold the pouch near you. Over washing everything in their cage will make them want to mark more and actually increase smell. Any of the diets in the links I listed are pretty much accepted across the board by glider owners. Some just say they are unnecessary and try to simplify it like the millbreeders in order to get people to buy their gliders. The millbreeders have also set up a variety of websites across the net and even their own veterinary group under various names so you don't know it's them. It makes it confusing for new owners which is why I highly suggest sticking with the glidercentral and other forums they recommend. They also have a links section for everything from vets and vendors to breeders. I've found them to be the largest and most knowledgeable group of people on sugar gliders.

Gliders can take a looooong time to fully tame. Especially if they weren't handled young and/or are from parents that weren't very tame. Expect months, hope for weeks, and be prepared for years before they reach the completely friendly, rarely bite, and don't complain about their cage being messed with stage. Feeding from hand and using licky treats (yogurt, applesauce, honey on your finger) is one of the main ways of taming them and preventing biting. Gliders like to lick up sweet things rather than bite so as long as you pull your hand away before the treat runs out or as soon as you feel they may try testing it with their teeth (biting a tree or fruit gets you more sap/juice when it runs out) then you will actually be discouraging biting and encouraging licking nicely to test things on and in your hand. To help with our pouch protective gliders I also held treats in front of my fingers when I stuck them in the pouch so when they went to bite they found a treat and would usually then retreat with only mild grumbling while they ate their treat. Eventually they realized biting was unnecessary and good things happened when something was stuck in their pouch. Only the male occasionally nips me for reaching in his pouch but that's mostly because I've been forcing them out twice a day to give the female medicine. Our older ones that came tame very rarely bit. You had to do something to really upset them like holding them tightly and not letting them move to get bit.

 

[TeamChaos]

I'll admit it, I squealed out loud when I saw the pic of the baby glider! Eee, it's been so long since I've seen those little ears!

Akane- I had no idea about the glider diet drama, but I was very surprised the first time I saw a "complete glider chow" in a pet store- knowing first hand how varied a diet should be to ensure health. I'm sorry to hear that breeders are still trying to make money by mainstreaming an exotic even though gliders aren't for everybody.
Eating for gliders, like most animals, is about more than satiating hunger; it's a major outlay of energy and activity in the wild and I tried to replicate it as much as I could in our life together. I had some sterilized bone I'd hide treats in and some chew-safe wood sticks that I'd skewer fruit on etc. I used to order some eucalyptus based kibble to add into my leadbeaters, I'd have to google for the name of it... if it's still produced!

The cage looks great and it sounds like you've got it set up for some fun glider antics! How wide are the spaces in the cage? Gliders will slip and sneak and astound you in how much they can compress their bods. I used to trim my glider nails with bird scissors and I added a few of the "rough perches" (not sharp enough to tear up the fleshy hand, mind you) so that in the course of climbing the gliders could file them down too. Yes, the nails can get too long and snag on toys/pouches etc. and lead to broken toes- no good!

Girls that little probably aren't gliding yet, so enjoy holding them in your hand and in the pouch. Although they look to be right on the cusp of exploring!

I didn't have the "pee" problem as Salunra did- they will 'dribble' a little when they mark something and, yes, they will mark you when they consider you their own 'tree'. Have they crabbed at you yet? Sounds kind of like a dentist drill from hades. And the open handed "i dare you" pose? That how I knew a treat was really tasty, when they'd threaten fisticuffs