Is it possible to potty train sugar gliders? Some say yes, some say no.
The truth is that sugar gliders cannot be potty trained. Simple as that. Now before you turn away disappointed, let me explain.
Gliders will go whenever and where ever they need to. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to be covered in urine all of the time or that those little brown blobs have to dot your carpet after each playtime.
Understand Your Gliders
Sugar gliders are very predictable when it comes to bathroom habits. They will always go right after they wake up. For some gliders, this might be as soon as they crawl out of the sleeping pouch. For others, it might take ten or fifteen minutes. The key is to know your gliders.
What I’ve taken to doing is this. I let my gliders get up, eat, drink, go to the bathroom and run around the cage for about half an hour before I take them out to play. During the next hour of playtime, the amount of pee/poo is extremely cut down. Yes, I might get one or two doodles on the carpet and maybe my shirt gets a little wet, but it is nothing compared to what it was like when I got them out right after they woke up.
Study your gliders. Learn their bathroom habits. Once you understand that, you can make a plan to limit the amount of waste that will come from them during playtime.
Marking Vs. Peeing
My gliders mark me every single time they come out of the cage for playtime. They put a drop of urine on my wrist or arm. This is different than them urinating all over me. They are claiming me as theirs and they do so by putting their smells on me.
They’ll do this to many people no matter how long you leave them in the cage after they wake up. It’s a sign of affection and trust.
It should only be a drop or two (easily wipe-able) and not a whole giant puddle. 😁
Understand Body Language
Once you’ve been around gliders for a while, it is very easy to recognize the body language that happens right before they poop.
They will push their behinds out slightly and lift their tails (not hugely but a bit) and they’ll become very still for a few seconds.
If you see this, you can grab a paper towel or something to clean it up with instantly or you can move the glider to a poop-safe area before the doodle hits the ground. *nods*
Diapers?
There are several places that sell sugar glider diapers. When I first got gliders, little naive me thought, “Hey! What a brilliant idea! This would take care of everything.”
However, diapers are not a good idea. First off, gliders absolutely hate to have anything put on them and it’s very likely that the diaper wouldn’t stay on more than five seconds. It will harm your bond if you are constantly forcing them to wear something uncomfortable.
Second, anything that is wrapped around a glider has the potential to harm them. They can’t glide with the diaper and if they jump from something, they’ll fall straight down and could injure themselves.
Instead, just learn your glider and its body and its ways. You’ll be much better off, I promise.
~Hattush
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