Random questions

Question
Hi I have a couple questions about getting a Sugar Glider. One, is keeping
the cage in your bedroom a bad idea? Due to the fact that I heard they can be
rather noisy and loud. Two, since they are out of their cage so much, is there
a way you can keep it from pooping all over your house? One more thing, if I
am able to spend at least five hours a day with it, will it be lonely if I go to
bed around eleven, and get up between 7am and 8am? Please get back with
me soon. Thanks.

Answer
Dear Shakura:

I kept sugar gliders in my bedroom for about a year.  They can be noisy as they run on their wheels at night and, especially when they are lonely, but even when they are not, they will bark.  It sounds like a small dog.  It can go on for a few minutes or a half hour.  I do not keep my gliders in my bedroom anymore.

There is no way to keep them from pooping wherever they are.  They cannot be potty trained.  They will poop and pee on you or any area on which they are allowed to run and play.  They also mark, so finding a room in which to keep them with cleanable surfaces and lots of toys is the best place to play with them.  You can also use a small 2 person tent, often referred to as a "bonding tent."  You can zip yourself in the tent with them and let them run and play on you without fear of them getting loose and not being able to catch them before they are bonded.

Remember that the sugar gliders are nocturnal.  They wake up anytime from 7 to 11 pm and play all night.  So if you go to bed at 11 and wake up at 7 or 8, your glider will be alone for most of its waking hours.  They really do best in pairs.

Best of luck to you and thanks for researching prior to getting your glider.

Laurie