Sugar Glider Care Information

What's a Sugar Glider? A Sugar Glider, or Petaurus breviceps is a small nocturnal marsupial from Australia. They measure about six (6) inches in the body with the same length in the tail. Sugar Gliders have a "mink"-like coat that is gray, with a black stripe that goes up the body. They also have excessive skin between the front and rear legs. They use this when gliding...making them look like a kite.

Sugar Gliders only weigh between 90 and 130 grams. They can live about 8 years in the wild, 15 years in captivity.

Feeding,: In the wild, whether it be Australia, Indonesia, Papua-New Guinea to name a few places, Sugar Gliders are more carnivorous than herbivorous.

The name 'Sugar' Glider is really deceiving. They were so named because it is cute and because they have been known to lick the sap from trees and get the nectar from flowers. (they actually tear the flower apart to get to the nectar and pollen within it).

What they really like to eat is baby mammals, baby birds, baby lizard type animals and lots of insects. They do occasionally 'drink' sap and nectar, but this is a supplement to their diet, not a major part of it. They have also been known to eat fruits and vegetables.

When winter comes, fresh meat is hard to come by and this is when the gliders become more herbivorous than carnivorous.