References
Neutering sugar gliders
Abstract
Sugar gliders have increased in popularity over the years, often being kept in teaching colleges as well as household pets. This article provides some basic information on their husbandry, with a focus on how to castrate sugar gliders and provide appropriate postoperative care. Ovariohysterectomy is rarely performed as an elective procedure in sugar gliders as a result of their unique anatomy, but is briefly covered in this article in the event of reproductive pathology requiring surgical intervention.
Sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps) are small, nocturnal, arboreal marsupials native to New Guinea and the Eastern coast of Australia. They are social animals, and in native conditions will live in a colony of 6–10 individuals occupying an area of up to 1 hectare (Johnson-Delaney, 2021). In captivity, it is essential that they live with other conspecifics, as a solitary sugar glider will be at high risk of developing stress induced self-mutilation. Sugar gliders are more frequently being seen in veterinary practice.
Sugar gliders require a large enclosure with branches and shelves at various levels to encourage their normal behaviour of jumping and climbing. Sugar gliders will need access to a sleeping area, such as nest boxes or fabric sleeping pouches. They are omnivorous and will need a diet to replicate what they would have in the wild, where they eat sap and gums, nectar and pollen, manna and honeydew, as well as a variety of invertebrates (Johnson-Delaney, 2014).
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