“What kind of cage do I need?” “Can I make my own cage?” “What size spacing do I need?” These are all questions that we hear a lot. And the answers that you get will widely vary. I personally would rather have a cage that is bigger. I also tend to spoil our gliders.
The one thing that is universal is that they spacing shouldn’t be any larger then 0.5 inches. If you don’t have anything to measure with when looking at cages you can try the dime test. If you can put a dime flat through the smallest part of the opening then its too big. As for the full size of the cage, that has always been up for debate. But, for us we believe that bigger is always better. Our rescue cages are 30″x 24″x 36″ and can house 2-4 gliders. Some will say that you can use smaller, and you can. Just remember that all of their active time will be spend in the cage. We definitely don’t agree with anything smaller then 24″x 24″x 24″ for more then one glider.
You are also welcome to make your own cage as well. this can sometimes run you just as much as buying one. it really depends on how big you are making it. One thing that we stress, NO GALVANIZED STEEL AND NO EXPOSED METAL. Exposed metal is a quick way to give your glider a UTI. There are many ways to make your cage and we are willing to help you if you are looking to do that.
Another thing that we stress is no wooden construction. Though the idea seems good and looks great once its done, we have found that it’s hard to clean and holds the smell in. We use PVC coated 0.5 inch wire mesh or extruded PVC mesh and PVC pipe. Both of these materials work very well. HINT: Make sure you make it small enough to take it outside to be cleaned, we have also learned this the hard way. Any way that you make it, it needs to be cleaned weekly. This will ensure that your gliders will be in a healthy and safe environment.
Cochran Clan Sugar Glider Rescue 