Ok so there's this yellow crusty stuff on the wodent wheel, on the inside it's not very noticeable but if you look at it from the outside it looks like the cracks are oozing this yellow crusty stuff. And I see my sugar glider picking at it and eating it all the time, I've heard from someone who had a hamster that it's dried pee but that was a hampster plz help also I kno it's not making my glider sick cuz he's been eating this for idk how long but he's healthy. I wish I could post a pic

Glider Pee and Poop that has collected in the wheel.

You need to take the wheel apart and scrub it frequently.

Also if I get a mesh wheel are you sure it's safe cuz I get their nails trimmed at the vet once a year but they grow very fast and curl at the end so I don't want it getting stuck and ripping their nails off when they try and run, especially Elliot, he runs constantly and his nails seem to grow faster than Olivia's, and when I go to the vet Olivia is fine getting hers trimmed but she's the older sister and more friendly, Elliot is the younger brother and is scared skiddish and jumpy and will fight you to the death if you try to pick him up or scoop him out of his puch so the vet has to sedate him to trim his nails and it's expensive, I take them both to the vet every year to get their yearly check up, stool check and nails trimmed and it ends up costing almost $300. And I did a lot of research before I chose my vet and this one has a Vet that specializes in sugar gliders so it's the only vet within an hour from my house, the rest are over 2 hours away. So sorry for rambling but I just want to make sure a mesh wheel will be safe for their long and curled at the end claws/nails

Why don't you trim their nails yourself?

Because they do not like to be handled they won't let anyone pick them up

quote:

---

Originally posted by In6inchheels

Also if I get a mesh wheel are you sure it's safe cuz I get their nails trimmed at the vet once a year but they grow very fast and curl at the end so I don't want it getting stuck and ripping their nails off when they try and run, especially Elliot, he runs constantly and his nails seem to grow faster than Olivia's, and when I go to the vet Olivia is fine getting hers trimmed but she's the older sister and more friendly, Elliot is the younger brother and is scared skiddish and jumpy and will fight you to the death if you try to pick him up or scoop him out of his puch so the vet has to sedate him to trim his nails and it's expensive, I take them both to the vet every year to get their yearly check up, stool check and nails trimmed and it ends up costing almost $300. And I did a lot of research before I chose my vet and this one has a Vet that specializes in sugar gliders so it's the only vet within an hour from my house, the rest are over 2 hours away. So sorry for rambling but I just want to make sure a mesh wheel will be safe for their long and curled at the end claws/nails

---

You really MUST trim their nails more frequently. Trimming them once a year is very dangerous. They should be trimmed every week or biweekly depending on growth. Letting their nails grow too long lets them get hung up on fabric and causes broken fingers all the time. If they don't break their fingers they can grow long enough to grow into their paw, this curling often causes pain and by this time their abilities to groom themselves has been limited tremendously. Since gliders do not need to be bathed [in fact this is dangerous for various reasons] and the only way they are cleaned is by grooming themselves.

www.sugarglider.com/gliderpedia/index.asp?NailTrimming

Mesh wheels are much more hygienic than solid surface wheels and gliders can perform more energy intensive moves in mesh wheels because it gives them more control.

The more you trim his nails the more he will get use to being handled. Do it in the early morning when he is not full of energy, offer many many treats, and use a pouch so that he only has a single way out.

I have to trim my babies nails once a week, they grow so fast!

I don't have a set date or anything, but if i let them out of the cage and their nails start sticking to my clothing then i know its time for a trim