Sugar gliders are small marsupials increasingly popular as exotic pets, but their complex social and dietary needs mean welfare problems are widespread when kept in inappropriate conditions.
Sugar glider welfare in captivity is frequently poor due to inappropriate housing and social isolation. The most common welfare problem is keeping single animals - sugar gliders kept alone develop stereotypic behaviour, self-mutilation and depression. Enclosures must be very tall to allow vertical movement and gliding. Dietary management requires knowledge of their complex omnivorous needs; commercial pelleted diets alone are inadequate. The exotic pet trade in sugar gliders frequently sources animals from mills with poor breeding conditions. Prospective owners should thoroughly research needs before acquisition and always adopt in pairs.