How to Reduce Sugar Glider Odor

A clean cage makes for a healthy environment and helps ensure a long life for your sugar glider. Having a clean cage is also key to keeping the odor in check that sugar gliders tend to produce. Here are some tips to help reduce sugar glider odor.

Things You'll Need

  • water
  • bleach
  • old dish rag
  • latex gloves
  • Pureayre spray
  • disinfectant wipes
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Instructions

    • 1

      Sugar gliders do produce an odor that is all their own. This odor comes mainly from their urine, but sugar gliders also have scent glands. Males have extra scent glands. Therefore, before deciding that you want to be responsible for a sugar glider, make sure that you understand this and that you will need to put forth extra effort to keep their cage clean. You also need to realize that you will not be able to eliminate the odor completely. I have been successful at keeping the odor at bay using the following steps and doing a little cleaning each day. Make sure you do the cleaning during the day while the sugar glider is asleep.

    • 2

      Each day remove any debris such as droppings and food left over from the night before. If your sugar glider cage has a wire mesh bottom, which is ideal, you can simply use a paper towel to sweep any debris into the catch tray underneath.

    • 3

      Each day use a disinfectant wipe to clean the catch tray under the cage. You can also remove the catch tray completely and take it outside to clean it.

    • 4

      Every day remove any toys from the cage. Run a sink full of hot water and wipe down the toys. Rinse well and let the toys dry. You can use the bleach water solution in step 5 to clean the toys as well. If your sugar glider plays on a wheel, be sure to clean it too.

    • 5

      Now run some water into a sink and add 1/4 cup of bleach. Put on latex gloves and saturate the dish rag with the solution. Wring out and wipe the bottom of the cage with the solution. Wipe it down several times. This will also remove any urine that is present. Wipe down the sides of the cage. If the cage is wood, make sure it is sealed with several layers of shellac before cleaning with water. Shellac is non-toxic. Of course if the cage is wood, it should have already been sealed to prevent urine from soaking into the wood. Using bleach will neutralize the cage odor.

    • 6

      Once a week or every two weeks you will need to launder the sleeping pouch. Provide an alternative sleeping pouch for your sugar glider until the pouch is clean and dry.

    • 7

      After cleaning and in between cleaning use Pureayre spray to neutralize cage odor. This spray is non-toxic and all-natural and can be sprayed directly on the animals as well. Use the spray on the pouch, hammock and everywhere on the cage.

    • 8

      Another big odor contributor is natural tree branches placed in the cage to entertain your glider. You need to plan on replacing these often. You cannot clean natural tree limbs so replacement is the only option here. Sugar gliders will choose to urinate on the branches if they are in the cage. Replacing them often will significantly cut down on odor.