Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all. I recently adopted 3 sugar gliders. one un neutered male and 2 spayed females. i have read that they are not supposed to put off a strong smell but mine STINK...BAD! i washed their pouch and change their bedding daily but still the smell persists through my whole apartment. i've only had them for 4 days. what is the smell and how do i control it. i've heard there are special bedding materials you can buy to absorb some of the smell. is this true? what about the fact that the male is not neutered? does that have anything to do with it? could they be putting off a smell because they are new to the house and are stressed? please help, i wont have any friends left if they keep stinking up my house! LOL...

what type of cage do you have?

are you checking the area around the cage? and the walls?

i have a 6'x24"x25" sugar glider cage with shelves and lots of space to play in. yes, i wash everything from the cage to the toys, perches, pouches, walls, floor...etc!

Hello,

I understand what you're going through. I have 13 gliders in 4 cages......first off, spayed females is a SUPER rare thing.....more than likely you were lied to. Spaying a female sugar glider is a task that many vets will NOT undertake. It is easier & safer to have the males neutered. I have an excellent experienced exotics vet and he would never spay a female glider unless it was for emergency purposes. The smell is probably a result of their diet and also simple nature. They will "scent" everything in the cage as well as the cage itself. I would suggest that you look into getting your male neutered if you do not plan on breeding them......and keep a close eye on the females....I wouldn't be surprised if you get some "miracle" joeys in their pouches. I have my groups on the HPW diet along with fresh fruits & veggies and a dry pellet staple diet. They also get mealworms as treats every 3 days or so. I promise that when the male is neutered, the smell will lessen some. It will never go away completely though.

You may want to check out Glider Central Forums for some really good info.

This is SugarMama.....she is my oldest female at 4 years old