Ok, so im a new, or was a new, sugar glider owner. I bought Icarus (my sugar glider) a week ago and he seemed fine. He was a little skiddish but he was very young and new to my room so i expected that. He had a decent sized cage with 3 floors to it with a running wheel and a little igloo with bedding in it. I noticed the second night that he was shivering so i turned off my a/c and hung the bottom half of a clean insulated sock in his cage and he seemed to really like that. The person at the pet store told me not to touch him for a week but i noticed he wouldnt eat out of his bowl and would only eat out of my hand bby squeezing my fingers through the bars of his cage. I also notice that is sleepung habbits were odd. He would wake up at around 8 or 9 pm but then would quiet down and fall asleep when i fell asleep and then woke up in the morning when i did and was back asleep by noon. A few days ago i put my hand in his cage with the intent of interacting with him for the first time. At first ge was scared but within a few seconds he was nibbling on my fingers and seemingly attempting to climb on my arm. Last nigh i went to a party so i left him with plenty of food and water, but realized that his food bowl and water hadn't been touched by him for atleast a day or two. I came back early this afternoon and it looked like he was sleeping in his igloo, which he hasnt used since i put the sock in his cage. I thought it was odd but figured it hust had something to do with him getting more comfortable. 11:00 pm rolled around and he hadent starred scurrying around yet so i went to check on him and he was dead. Does anyone have any idea what happened.

There are many questions you need to answer. Where did you get your glider? Did it look healthy when you got it? How old was your glider? (A glider's tail should be fluffy not smooth when you get one. If it's tail was smooth then it was too young to be removed from its parents) What temperature was the room it was in? What type of bedding did you use? (Pine bedding is toxic) What where you feeding it? What type of cage did you get, with what type of coating on the bars?

It sounds like the pet store doesn't know much about gliders. Only eating from your hand and waiting a week to interact with them is ridiculous. When you buy a glider they should be eating from a bowl. Gliders should never be sold alone. Gliders can self mutilate from being lonely. Always get at least two gliders.

Sorry to hear about your loss. It is possible that the glider was sick before you got it. If you choose to get gliders again do a little more research before getting them. Always get more than one. The only safe material to put in the cage is fleece. So no more socks. The getting a sleeping pouch made from fleece and hang it in the cage. Look at the diet page on this website to learn of approved diets for gliders. Look up some glider safe wheels, because most other wheels including wodent wheels can be dangerous for gliders. Try looking at some glider safe cages. After getting a glider bring them to the vet for a wellness check, just to be sure that they are ok. If you notice that they aren't eating or sleeping well take them to the vet asap.

Thank you those were very good tips

You're welcome. Did you try to get a refund or something from the pet store? I know I would complain.

The only way to possibly know what he died from is to have a necropsy done on the remains. If it was an existing condition the pet store would probably be more obliged to replace/refund with proof from a necropsy report.

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Originally posted by Ruhl

Ok, so im a new, or was a new, sugar glider owner. I bought Icarus (my sugar glider) a week ago and he seemed fine. He was a little skiddish but he was very young and new to my room so i expected that. He had a decent sized cage with 3 floors to it with a running wheel and a little igloo with bedding in it. I noticed the second night that he was shivering so i turned off my a/c and hung the bottom half of a clean insulated sock in his cage and he seemed to really like that. The person at the pet store told me not to touch him for a week but i noticed he wouldnt eat out of his bowl and would only eat out of my hand bby squeezing my fingers through the bars of his cage. I also notice that is sleepung habbits were odd. He would wake up at around 8 or 9 pm but then would quiet down and fall asleep when i fell asleep and then woke up in the morning when i did and was back asleep by noon. A few days ago i put my hand in his cage with the intent of interacting with him for the first time. At first ge was scared but within a few seconds he was nibbling on my fingers and seemingly attempting to climb on my arm. Last nigh i went to a party so i left him with plenty of food and water, but realized that his food bowl and water hadn't been touched by him for atleast a day or two. I came back early this afternoon and it looked like he was sleeping in his igloo, which he hasnt used since i put the sock in his cage. I thought it was odd but figured it hust had something to do with him getting more comfortable. 11:00 pm rolled around and he hadent starred scurrying around yet so i went to check on him and he was dead. Does anyone have any idea what happened.

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Chances are he ate himself from being lonely. You went to a part and left him alone which was a sign, and also not petting him for over a week or touching him without him having a partner or friend could be rough on him and make him lonely. Also, since he is nocturnal, you might not have had enough time for him to play and he was probably really again, lonely. Always buy sugar gliders in pairs.