Sugar gliders are marsupials kept as exotic pets in many countries, but their welfare needs are frequently unmet. Their social nature and nocturnal lifestyle present significant husbandry challenges.
Sugar gliders experience profound welfare problems in captivity. Social isolation causes extreme stress and self-mutilation where animals chew off their own limbs or tails in a condition called carpophagia. The disruption of natural nocturnal rhythms by being handled during daytime causes chronic sleep deprivation. Nutritional deficiencies are near-universal as owners struggle to provide the varied insect, nectar and fruit diet they require. The minimum space needs for gliding are rarely met. Sugar gliders' wild instinct to maintain a large territory - up to 50 hectares - cannot be accommodated in any domestic setting. These fundamental incompatibilities between the species' needs and captive conditions mean that sugar glider ownership is widely considered problematic by exotic animal welfare organizations.