Sugar gliders are social marsupials that require very specific social, dietary, and environmental conditions that are difficult to meet in captivity and frequently lead to welfare problems.
Sugar gliders are among the exotic pets most poorly matched to typical captive conditions. In the wild, they live in social groups and glide through forest canopies foraging for nectar and insects. In captivity, they are frequently kept alone in small cages on inadequate diets, disturbed during their active nocturnal hours, and denied the companionship of conspecifics. Self-mutilation - including biting at pouches or limbs - is a documented consequence of inadequate social housing. Dietary deficiency causes calcium metabolic disease. The complexity of their needs means welfare failures are the rule rather than the exception in inexperienced hands. Animal welfare organisations generally advise against keeping sugar gliders as pets.