Sugar gliders are popular exotic pets but have complex social, dietary, and environmental needs that cannot be met in typical pet-keeping contexts, resulting in widespread welfare compromise.
Sugar glider welfare in captivity is severely compromised on an enormous scale, driven by the appeal of their small size and social behaviour and the lack of public understanding of their complex needs. These colonial marsupials have social, nutritional, spatial, and temporal needs that are rarely met by typical pet owners. Solitary housing causes self-mutilation — gliders chewing their own skin, tail, or genitalia in a behaviour driven by extreme psychological distress. Inadequate diet causes metabolic bone disease. Daytime handling violates nocturnal rhythms. Insufficient space for gliding causes frustration and prevents essential exercise. The exotic pet trade in sugar gliders should be discouraged and regulated — most animals sold by chain pet stores will experience shortened lives under inadequate care.