Well, ALMOST! Hey there, I have been speaking with a respectable and responsible breeder, and was recently approved after a questionnaire she sent me acknowledging the amount of time, dedication, and knowledge required to own sugar gliders. I only open with that to show I'm not an impulse buyer and have been preparing for months to adopt. I found two female Joey's through a breeder recommended by this very forum. I'm so excited!

1st question- I built their cage using a how to guide ALSO found through this forum (this place rocks!) and finished last night. It was definitely a learning experience on building, and many of the tools I used I had to borrow and no longer have access to. The main thing that concerned me before even building was the space between the swinging door and the frame. Given every sugar glider seemingly has ninja genes, I tried thinking of a way to reduce the gap. Also with my amateur building skills, I managed to make it so both doors are ever so slightly ajar, meaning they aren't perfectly even with the frame of the cage. It's not awful, but it's lack of perfection irks me. My solution for the moment has been to wrap the frames with fleece secured with zip ties enough to close the gaps, but would like a second form of protection and looking for suggestions. I'm really hoping it doesn't result with rebuilding the entire cage as its taken most of my free time over the past few weeks, but if it's what's best for the girls I won't question it. After much contemplation I came up with the idea of using a rubber sealant that would be used on the bottom of a door for weather resistance, attach it to all inside surrounding each door completely, so it would be completely sealed off with no gaps between the doors and the frame of the cage.
Example- My concern is whether they might find rubber to be appetizing, and if it might be harmful? And if so, whether there might be another workaround?




My 2nd question is regarding the five trillion zip tie ends that could be considered sharp. Most of them they won't have access to, but the middle ledge has about thirty or so they could touch and I'm wondering how to safely remove the potential sharp edges of them? Upon viewing of the almost finished cage, please let me know if you see anything else of concern. I followed the instructions provided exactly, other than I spray painted the pvc black using the rustoleoum brand recommended Again by this forum, that said it's not harmful to suggest.

Sorry for the novel, and if you made it this far thanks for letting me join the community! I've studied quite a bit and the breeder I'm in contact with has also been very helpful in choosing a diet (ohpw) and other things, I know I'll learn a lot along the way so forgive me for any rookie mistakes. But hey that's why I'm here:)

You want a novel, you should see some of my posts! I'm surprised people put up with reading me!

I wouldn't use the rubber someplace they can reach. Some gliders are chewers & all four of mine started that way (some have already grown out of it). I have trouble telling how bad the gaps are in your cage. Are they less than 1/2"?

If you're really wanting to cover up that gap with something additional, try finding some plastic sheeting (hard, not the kind you lay down for painting) from a craft or hardware store to use like you were planning on using the rubber. It is often near poster boards &/or balsa wood panels, & is thin enough to cut with a utility knife. I recommend gloves & a straight edge of some kind (a ruler would do to save cost).

The zip ties are an easier one. Either pick-up a cheap pair of diagonal cutters from a hardware store or use the utility knife from above, & cut the excess as close (& straight across) as possible.

Hope that helps.

I'm a bit new to this glider stuff myself, but in my opinion your cage looks nice from what I can see in the pictures. You're right, they can be ninjas so make sure there are no gaps bigger than a half inch.

Not sure if you're planning to or not, but I would recommend adding a drip pan underneath to catch their excrements and food spatters (they are pretty messy eaters), and that will make clean up a bit easier.

Also, for the sharp zip ties, have you tried a nail file or sand paper to smooth them out some? Maybe that would help the sharpness.

Good luck with your gliders, you've found a great place for information.

!

I agree with Hutch on the side cutters. You can also take lighter and burn them a touch then push with your thumb. An empty hot glue gun tip will melt enough too.just smooth over. The lighter is very tricky not to burn yourself or surrounding areas.

And yes their little hands and feet are a bit tinder to those types of things.

Thank you all for your responses, very thankful to have access to such a knowledgeable community. I'm considering the empty glue gun, it seems efficient.

Regarding the hard plastic, should I just screw it into the frame? I'm almost considering just bending my excess hardware netting and zip tie it, though I'm not sure I ever want to hold a zip tie again after the past few weeks . The gaps are borderline 1/2".

I am currently searching for a 30x36" drip tray. I'm sure there's more to it than I realize, and not trying to be cheap, but it's hard to justify spending $40 on a flat piece of plastic! I'm seeing if maybe I'll come across something that will work, but may just bite the bullet if I don't find anything before the girls come home.

Yes, I would just screw the plastic on. One more place you can try: Large office supply stores. If you have trouble finding that, laminated presentation board might work but won't be as durable.

As an cheap alternate to a drip pan, you could lay down some fleece or a shower curtain. Trim it so it is about 6" larger than you cage's footprint & it should catch most of the mess. It would also have the benefit of being able to be shaken off & go in you washer as needed. Made even easier is you design is light or has casters

I want to add to Hutch's advise on floor cover. If you decide to go with an oversize piece of fleece, instead of setting the cage on fleece, you could cut square corners out that allow the fleece to be laid out around the feet and when you need to replace or clean, flip each side over and pull the fleece through the front ( between legs)in order to keep poo and food on it while removing. (Make sense? )

You might also want to protect the walls by using a cage cover or a shower curtain on the wall behind cage.

I'll go to Lowes over the weekend for the plastic bit. As for the fleece drip pan, I read that about 5 minutes after waking up this morning so you may as well have been explaining Einstein's theory of relativity. After a cup of coffee though, yes that makes perfect sense!

Regarding the shower curtain, I never considered that. Would it be ok to drape along all sides other than the front? I would prefer to do that, but if somewhat covering three sides of their cage would hinder their quality of life in any way, then I'll just put it on the walls. My thoughts are as long as I need protection for the walls, it might be cool to give them a "foresty" backdrop.

Oh and hey I just now saw you're from SW Missouri, I'm near the Springfield area. Any local meet ups, recommended vets (I scheduled a wellness exam with James River Animal Hospital a few days after I pick up the girls), or anything like that I should know about?