How to Reduce Stress in Gliders

Written by: TMarie - GA Owner/Admin

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Stress is a big issue with any animal I think. This also includes humans. Stress can affect different animals and humans in different ways depending on the animal and also their personality. Yes, animals can have personalities. When figuring out the angle I wanted to take with this paper, I decided to first examine how stress affects me. With my personality, I need stress to motivate me. However, even with me there can be such a thing as too much stress. It makes me tired and unfocused and overall moody, cranky, and anti-social.

Sugar gliders can also feel stress. They might not know that they are feeling stress, but that feeling still exists in its own way. Certain things, I feel will cause stress in a sugar glider. Stress can be the source of over grooming, lack of appetite, and even severe illness in a glider. In this essay, I will state those ways and how the risk of stress can be reduced and/or eliminated. Please keep in mind this is only from personal experience.

Moving can be a big source of stress on sugar gliders. Think of how it affects humans. We have to worry about packing up all of our belongings and moving them all into a new space. Then we have to unpack and get used to our new environment and where everything is even if it is just a cage or room change. Even though sugar gliders do not have to worry about their own packing and moving, the new space can be quite intimidating. They have to figure out where they are and if they have the same owner. They are a little animal in a big space already. A new big space is even more for them to worry about.

Death of a cage mate is another example of something that can cause stress on a sugar glider. Just like a human, gliders become attached to the other glider(s) they are spending their time with. They play with them, eat with them, and sleep with them. If they are a breeding pair they even well, breed with them. When a cage mate becomes ill and passes away this can be traumatizing. They have no other glider to spend their time with and entertain them anymore. They may depend on their owner for more of their time or just not even have a clue of what to do and become very lost and stressed.

Receiving a cage mate can also be stressful for a glider, especially at first. While they may eventually welcome in the cage mate, they will be confused at first and need to get to know the other glider. There is also a change of two males fighting or a colony not getting along. Some gliders simply do not get along because they do not care for each other too; it might not even be a territorial issue.

Having a new owner is yet another way to cause stress in a glider. It is a whole new person and scent they must be accustomed to. The time spent by another owner may be different too. A new owner is just as stressful as a new cage mate.

A change in diet is the last cause of stress I am going to describe. It really is self explanatory, however. Change in diet could even cause stress in a human if you are not used to a foreign culture’s food and you are there for vacation or have moved there. Imagine the stress on a glider. They need awhile to get used to new foods also, if they ever get used to them.

I know these are not ways to reduce stress, but you must understand stress to learn how to reduce stress. All of these can cause serious problems in gliders. When any of these factors occur, the owner must pay extra special attention to the glider. Things such as giving them some of their favorite foods or more bonding or play time or things with your scent on them can help them to adjust to the new item in their life.

Limiting the number of items above that happen all at one time can greatly help reduce stress also. If you are giving your glider to a new owner, bring some of the toys and things with their scent on them to the new home too if possible. If you no longer need the cage, try to convince the owner to at least use the gliders old cage until he/she gets used to the new environment. This change would be a new owner and a new environment. The last thing you want is for the glider to start over grooming or not eating as a result of finding a new home.

I do not think I can stress enough how important looking at all these factors is. Please remember to limit the number of stress factors as much as possible. Make slow changes and your glider will be much happier, and so will you in the long run.

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