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Do All Sugar Gliders Smell As Bad As Mine Do???
Do All Sugar Gliders Smell As Bad As Mine Do???
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Jun 15 2012
09:21:15 AM
I have two female sugar gliders; they are on the LGRS diet. They have a very large cage. I have had them for about six months. I am having a very hard time with their stink. They smell horrible. Before I was introducing them they were in two separate cages. They didn't have such a strong odor then. I don't recall doing anything different then, but now their smell is very strong. I clean portions of their cage as recommended so they still have their scent in the cage. I have tried cleaning everything and still by the next morning it has a strong odor as bad as it was or worse. Is there something I am missing to help with their smell? Should I use less fleece? My questions are... Why they stink SO much, how can I fix it, and do all gliders smell as bad as mine? Any pointers or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank you!
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Jun 15 2012
11:00:07 AM
Candy Cuddle Bear Visit Candy's Photo Album FL, USA 8110 Posts
What kind of wheel do you have? I originally had a wodent wheel and boy did it hold the smell because of the solid track. Adding the sandpaper nail trimmer only made it worse.

I use stealth wheels now and they do not hold the smell. If I put on the sand paper it does need to be replaced often because the rough surface does make the smell more obvious.

Some folks are just more sensitive to smell in general - eventually you will get used to it.

If your gliders have not had a recent well check up you might make sure the smell is not the result of parasites or other illness.
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Jun 15 2012
11:13:26 AM
JRMMJONES Face Hugger GliderMap Visit JRMMJONES's Photo Album USA 405 Posts
I used to think my boys smelled. Now, I think it smells kind of like vanilla, and it doesnt bother me. But there's a difference between glider musk, and dirty cage. They will pee all over the cage, walls, everywhere. It just drips down the cage. I make sure I clean the cage really well with baby wipes, doing one side each night, and then once a month, i powerwash it. And their pouch will stink like crazy if I dont change it. I leave a little blankie in there, and put a new pouch in, and leave the blankie, then the next day, take that blankie out and put a fresh one in. Keeps the smell for them, and not for me.
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Jun 15 2012
12:09:55 PM
GliderGirl157 Joey Visit GliderGirl157's Photo Album GA, USA 14 Posts
I do have a wodent wheel and it is a huge part of the stink. Do you think it has made a big enough of a difference to buy a whole new wheel? I looked them up... and they are not one of the cheapiest out there.

I LOVE the idea of washing a side a night with baby wipes.

I have been doing the blanky thing and it does help. I have two pouches I ushaly put both in. How often do you wash your pouch? I wash them about twice a week. Once a week for each pouch.

Thank you for your help!
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Jun 15 2012
12:31:24 PM
Candy Cuddle Bear Visit Candy's Photo Album FL, USA 8110 Posts
Sometimes the baby wipes can compound the smell. Unless they are the unscented type, they leave a smell that can just encourage your gliders to mark the cage more heavily to get their own scent back. The scent of the wipes combined with glider pee can get pretty strong also.

I clean my 3 cage pans with plain water and put fresh paper in every couple days. I hose wash the cages outside about every month or two with just Dawn dish soap, rinse well and dry in the sun.

Unless you clean the wodent wheel almost daily, it will hold the smell. Investing in one of the mesh running track type wheels will really help.
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Jun 15 2012
12:41:43 PM
GliderGirl157 Joey Visit GliderGirl157's Photo Album GA, USA 14 Posts
Wow... I have to clean my cage like three times a week!!! I think I will get some unscented baby wipes tonight and look harder into a new wheel. If I was to get a new wheel... what do recommend?

Thank you SOOO much!
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Jun 15 2012
12:59:54 PM
Candy Cuddle Bear Visit Candy's Photo Album FL, USA 8110 Posts
I have 6 Stealth wheels (two in each cage) and have not tried the others that are now available.

The FastTrack and Raptor wheels are similar in design to the Stealth and I am not sure gliders would have a preference between these three wheels.

The Custom Cruiser is made a little differently and has a bounce to it that many folks like for their gliders.

The Wodent is the ONLY wheel with the solid track and a sometimes hazardous center bar (can injure tails) that I would not recommend for gliders.
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Jun 15 2012
01:14:31 PM
BuzzAndJessie Glider GliderMap Visit BuzzAndJessie's Photo Album USA 152 Posts
What type of cage liner do you use? Some liners will smell more than others. We use puppy pads, and I change them every other day. I can't smell our gliders at all. I scrub the cage down once a week (Saturday) with hypoallergenic unscented baby wipes. I wash all the fleece and switch out the toys once a week (Wednesday), as well.

We have an eco-raptor ($25 + $11 shipping). It does hold a bit of smell after a week, but it's nothing a good scrubbing won't fix. I clean it when I clean the cage.

Another thing that helps with odor is eucalyptus oil. I put 10-20 drops of 100% eucalyptus oil in about a cup of water and spray their cage and fleece every three days.

*Edit We also feed LGRS.

Edited by - BuzzAndJessie on Jun 15 2012 01:15:19 PM
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Jun 15 2012
02:47:18 PM
LHill Super Glider Visit LHill's Photo Album LHill's Journal VA, USA 347 Posts
I have the raptor and fast track I clean them weekly or the stink will build up since they pee and hop at the same time.. lol
Also if you have any wood in the cage it will hold the smell, and usually just needs to be pitched since the smell doesn't wash out.

Also I found until I put a wrap around the cage that the walls and rug were getting gross with smell so once I washed them down really well I hung a sheet around my babies (leaving top and front open).

Good luck, but yes the wheel is definitely a problem with smell.
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Jun 15 2012
03:10:26 PM
karensink Face Hugger GliderMap Visit karensink's Photo Album 802 Posts
Wodent wheels stink for sure! I don't wash my pouches that often, the babies seem to mark less. Even females mark. You might also look into a glider kitchen to contain stinky food droppings. Mine are messier than human babies
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Jun 15 2012
06:47:57 PM
GliderGirl157 Joey Visit GliderGirl157's Photo Album GA, USA 14 Posts
Thank you everyone!
I definatly will look for a new wheel. I can't wait to try the eucalyptus oil too. I use just plain old packing paper for the liner of the cage. I don't belive it has any smell. I don't keep any wood or absorbent things in the cage. I've read it holds the stink very well. I made a glider kitcken a while back, but stopped using it because none of my plates fit in it well. If the kitchen works and helps the smell I will try it again. It is worth a try! I do wrap the cage with fleece and it helps some with the smell (and so I don't have to mop as much).
Thank you all again!
Question
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Jun 15 2012
09:45:43 PM
SugarLoafin Fuzzy Wuzzy GliderMap Visit SugarLoafin's Photo Album CO, USA 1755 Posts
I have 2 girls and rarely have an odor problem. I don't clean their stuff that often. I don't use a liner. I do have a stealth wheel. I also have 2 manzanite branches that have been in their since March 2011. Their cage is in the living room 3' from where I normally sit. Might just be your wheel. I really think you would be happy and so would they.
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Jun 16 2012
08:59:00 AM
ResaJane Face Hugger Visit ResaJane's Photo Album 411 Posts
It is def your wheel. As soon as I switched my wodent wheel for a raptor and stealth the smell was gone. I switch between puppy pads and fleece for lining and have a sheet around their cage. I use vinegar and water solution to wipe the cage sides down twice a week or less and use Odoban on the pull out tray when I clean it out.........and I have four 4 month old joeys.

Resa
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Jun 16 2012
09:50:11 AM
TJones09 Goofy Gorillatoes Visit TJones09's Photo Album 3524 Posts
I clean everything about once a week, but in stages over a few days usually, and I only wipe down half the cage walls and roof each week, wash half the fleece each week, so that really ends up being everything every 2 weeks. I do change out paper and & clean drop pan 1/wk, and I wipe down wheel, floor toys, & cage floor every week, so they do get cleaned 1/wk. I use vinegar & water solution to wipe down.

My girls came with a wheel that is like the stealth, raptor, or fast track, I just don't know which. I bought a wodent because I thought they'd like it better, they didn't. Then I read about a tail "rip off" from one with the guard on, so I took out the wodent right away. It was bothersome to clean anyway, so I would just try wiping in out without taking it apart. Well, I now disabled the ww, and it functions as a floor toy play box. It's easier to clean because I don't have it held with pin, I just place the lid on top of the track & guard and it holds well enough when flat on cage floor, making it simple to clean. So you don't have to throw away the ww, you can use it this way, (just a suggestion). I throw everything you would put in a pit that's small enough to fit in holes (so they can take stuff out if they want to), but not so small it's unsafe, & leave room for them to run in & out of holes and can move around inside (not jammed packed). I have a few small colored plastic eggs, some fleece strips & blankets and just added a few plastic bracelets. Looks like this: (You will see pellet remnants in there, because I place about 10 around in their toys & hides.


Do All Sugar Gliders Smell As Bad As Mine Do???

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Sugar Gliders
Do All Sugar Gliders Smell As Bad As Mine Do???