The following is an article written by Alexis Soltis. She has successfully potty trained her sugar gliders and has generously written this guide to use on our website.
"Some people say you can’t 'potty train' a sugar glider but I disagree! Although every animal does have accidents. I first decided to try to potty train my sugar gliders when my first would occasionally pee on me while in my shirt. With that being her favorite place to be, I used that to my advantage.
I started taking her out of her cage and going to a sink or trash can to hold her over.
First I would hold her cupped over the edge of my hand, at first she was squirmy and would sometimes go on my hand over the sink, but every time she went potty over the sink or trash can she would get a treat, which would be being able to get into my shirt!
Sometimes she will be more stubborn and not want to go potty, even though I knew she would soon, she would always potty on me within 10 minutes of having her out of her cage. So I quickly learned if I rub her tummy with my finger while having her cupped over the sink, she will most likely go potty. But if that doesn’t even work, I put her on top of her cage and sit there playing with her tail until she would go.
But with my other two, it’s a bit more complicated, they don’t always have to go right when I take them out! But every glider is different and it’s easy to start noticing a pattern before they use the restroom. My second suggie is an active girl, she is always on the move, and the only time she ever seems to sit still is when she is going potty on me.
I started noticing this and holding her over a place she could potty when she would start to slow down or sit still. She doesn’t like being cupped like I do my first one so she usually just stands off the edge of my arm and after she does she gets a yogurt treat, or to do her favorite thing which is sit on my back while my friends and I play board games!
My third baby however, I just got her 3 weeks ago. I haven’t started trying to potty train her yet, but I have noticed that she doesn’t usually potty on me right out of her sleep pouch, she usually sleeps for a while, but after she is awake I’ve realized if you hold her flat on your hand and play with her tail she will usually potty in my hand. So soon, I will be using that information to try to potty train her as well!
Overall, the key to potty training your sugar glider is patience, learning your gliders behavior pattern before they potty and knowing their favorite thing or having a treat nearby to reward them with. I would not say my first suggie is fully potty trained, even though she is my most potty trained, as she does occasionally poop on me, but it is very rare that she will pee on me. She gets very squirmy and wiggly in my shirt or in my carry pouch when she has to potty and it is her way of letting me know she has to go. Other than that, I just frequently take her out and offer her to potty so she has less accidents!"
