neutering males

Question
QUESTION: My son just adopted two male sugargliders.  We think they are close to three
years old.  We read a lot of information before we purchased the boys, so we
were expecting a little odor.  We also have a guinnea pig and dogs, so we
know how to clean a cage.  Their cage is a two foot square, and 4 feet tall.   
We have been feeding them fresh fruits and veggies with a protein at night.  
A calcium/vitamin suppliment every other night and pellets left out all the
time.  We have been told on other forums that we are terrible parrents for
giving them pellets  (lol).  I'm not sure what to do about that.  The  boys are
not neutered and I've read that this can make them smell.  If this is true, will
neutering them now help?  Do you think is the lack of neutering or something
else we are doing (or not doing)?
Just a s a side note,  the boys LOVE my son.   They are always on him quietly
sleeping or snuggleing.  They love to eat yogurt or baby food off his fingers.  
i'd love any advise you can gve us.   Thanks,  Heidi

ANSWER: Thanks for writing in.. :)

as far as your initial question.. yes neutering is highly advisable for those who do not want to breed their gliders.. it will help with the smell but will not eliminate it altogether..

I have had a LOT of gliders turned into rescue that have a tenacious odor and I mean BAD.. I used to work as a Surgical Veterinarian Technician and have smelled some pretty bad things!.. lol .. and nearly 100% of the time the issue is fixed rather quickly with the addition of proper nutrition and cage care..

A Sugar Glider who has access to proper nutrition hardly has a smell at all! Tho you can NOT eliminate the musky smell all together you CAN keep  it at a minimal level..

Be sure to wash their sleeping pouches bi-weekly (often overlooked)

I realize that you have probably heard this before.. but I will say that a good starter suggestion is to stay away from those pelleted foods.. gliders eat nectar in the wild.. not pellets.. so keeping with a traditional liquid diet is always advisable as far as I am concerned..

NOT THAT YOU HAVE WASTED YOUR $$ THO..!! Tho it causes controversy in the land of sugar gliders.. the staple or "pelleted" foods CAN be left in the cage for daytime snacking.. I have also used them on occasion, as they come in handy for those long weekend camping trips and also extended vacations.. the world of science is improving these varieties of foods everyday.. and we should embrace the good changes along the way..

But my personal preference for 98% of the time is a liquid diet.. it works best for my little ones and they are super healthy and happy little fellows.. :)

The most popular diets that you will most likely come across are the BML & the Original Ledbeaters Diets.. I personally feed a modified Ledbeaters myself & have yet to experience ANY ISSUES with either my personal Gliders or any rescues we have had turned in.. This has worked wonders for us for many years now.. not only is it easy..!! but if doubled up it will make enough to freeze into smaller containers for a month or more depending on how many gliders you own.. one thing to note is this does NOT expand when frozen so no worries about filling it right up to the top..!!

My Mixture is as follows:

1/2 c Juice (anything all natural or no sugar)
1/2 c Honey
1 Boiled Egg (with shell)
1/2 c baby cereal (rice/oatmeal/mixed)
1 jar chicken/turkey baby food
1/2 c Wheat Germ
1 tsp Calcium (NO PHOSPHOROUS no D3)
1/2 tsp Vionate Multi-Vitamin
1 tsp of GliderAde (if avail but not necessary)

The CALCIUM & VIONATE will usually NOT BE FOUND in a local pet shop
and therefore will need to be ordered online..

I have successfully used the following companies:

PetRX.com = http://www.petrx.com/search.aspx?find=vionate
ReptileSupply.com = http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=119 or http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=2670

Of course we also feed either FRESH or FROZEN Veggies 4 or more times a week as well as a variety of fresh fruits and meal worms on occasion as a treat..

The key is to think VARIETY.. meaning that unlike your average cat or dog our suggies LOVE VARIETY in their diets.. they don't like the BORING and ROUTINE..!! So feel free to switch things up from time to time.. Like the FLAVOR of juice you use in the mixture.. some nights give them a little cottage cheese.. or applesauce..

But stay away from the following:

Nuts (or any high fat content foods)
Lettuce
Cheese (or any dairy other than yogurt)
Corn (or any foods where the Phosphorus ratio is higher than the calcium ratio)
Bird seeds or parrot food
Grapes
and of course Chocolate..!!

I think that no matter which diet one chooses as long as the basic protein / calcium ingredients are there for the optimum health of the glider each one should be nutritionally balanced & complete overall.

Best of Luck 2 You and Your Family

O_o kaden

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much.   Going to the store right after this for the wheat germ.  
We  actually have everything else.  How much should I put out for the boys.  
Again, we have 2 adult males.  I just want to make sure I'm giving them
enough.  Also, do you leave this in the cage all the time, or give it to them at
night and clean the bowl out in the morning?   Any secrets to cleaning the
cage besides the obvious, or washing the sleeping pouches often?
Thanks again, Heidi

Answer
You are very welcome..!!

Quantity will greatly vary on how much your boys eat..!!
I use little square plates about 2" x 2" in size.. this allows me to set up more of a buffet style dinner where they can pick and choose the goodies they want to eat!

From the fresh fruits to the fresh or frozen veggies or cottage cheese..

GLIDERS LOVE VARIETY.. not only in their food,.. but also in their cage/environment.. just think of them as little explorers ;)

The calcium can be really hard 2find too..
I use REP_CAL but have used other brands successfully..
just remember.. NO VITAMIN D & NO PHOSPHOROUS

I have used the following company successfully..
http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=119
Meal Worms on the other hand.. are left to the owner's discretion..

Wheat Germ that I use is Quaker http://www.quakeroats.com/products/more-products-from-quaker/content/cereals/kre

tho variety may vary depending on what region you live in.. :)

We feed them @ night and remove the bowls and any other remnants of food in the morning..

No shortcuts for cleaning that I am aware of.. we don't use those fancy cage protectants here.. just good ol' hard work.. Cages here are cleaned biweekly inside and out.. we just wheel them out  to the deck and scrub them down with soap & water only.. washing the sleeping pouches ate the same time..


Hope this helps!

kaden O_o