Hello everyone,

I've a question on sugar glider and wheels in general. Is it natural for gliders to love the wheels and know how to 'play' with them?

I've been thinking about whether to get a wheel or not for months. I live in that part of the world where there is no glider safe wheel available locally and the cost of shipping the recommended brand wheels to my place cost the same price as the wheel itself.

I wouldn't mind spending if I know there is high chance my gliders will love it. It'll be a real bummer to sit in the cage a white elephant.

What is your experience? Do most of your gliders love the wheels?


P/s: My crabby Ellie is getting fat! Some exercise will be good for her

Our gliders either like the wheel or LOVE the wheels. Some will run a ton and others just some. And yes your glider SHOULD just get on it and figure it out quick. But there is a slight chance your glider will only use it alittle. But with him being alone, I would think some time during the night he will run alot.

Hello BYK_Chainsaw,

Thanks for replying. Sounds positive haha. I've been surveying and favoring Choice Cruiser so far. I sent her an email asking if she ships internationally.

I have 2 gliders, both female. Effie and Ellie. Effie is very active and has more out of cage time. She does all sorts of acrobatics in their room. Her weight has been stagnant since I gave her more out of cage time

Ellie is more shy, crabs at everything, LOVES to eat and very much prefer to stay in the cage. She comes to the cage door to see what I'm doing with Effie but doesn't really come out except for the twice a week tent time i carry her in her pouch into the tent. She's a good 15g heavier than Effie. I can see her bosom ballooning! She's the main reason I'm considering to get them an 'indoor gym'.

I'm a firm believer in a good running wheel for gliders. Sometimes they run on it a lot. Then they may go a little while without using it. But it's a good idea to have things in their cage that offer fun, stimulation, and exercise. I have the silent runner wheel from Exotic Nutrition. My little one was a little intimidated at first when I set it up in her cage and she saw this big orange thing coming towards her, lol. But she took to it very quickly and absolutely loves it! She's on the small side for gliders (74 grams...maybe because of all that running, lol). It is so much fun watching her. Sometimes she gets going so fast that she ends up flipping over. That seems to be her favorite part. I'm not sure who is having more fun, her or me

Hello Tiakristin3,

Thanks for your input. I've checked out Exotic Nutrition. 40USD for the Wheel set and 55USD for the shipping I'll place order one of these days by end of the month.

I love seeing them up and about too! My Effie fluctuate a lil from 70g - 76g. Ellie, steadily growing 70g to 75g to 81g to 86g now! There're 9 months old. She was only 37g when she first came

Thanks again for sharing.

this cage had 3 wheels. we then added a 4th wheel with 9 gliders. We are now at 7 gliders but still have 4 wheels for them

Sounds great! I know it's frustrating to spend so much for shipping but I have no doubt you (and they) will love their new wheel! I've heard that the Raptor and Stealth wheels are also good ones and might offer more economical shipping. Please keep us posted about their adventures

I understand your concern about their weight. When my glider got up to 80 grams someone told me she was "on the road to obesity". I was so paranoid that I started monitoring her food intake and eliminating treats like mealworms. Needless to say, stressing about it wasn't helping either one of us. So now I put that energy into feeding her a balanced diet, exercising, and making sure she's healthy. Effie and Ellie sound like they're at good weights. Enjoy your babies!

BYK_Chainsaw....that cage is awesome! What a fun environment for them!

Wow BYK_Chainsaw, that's a theme park! So funnnnn


Hey Tiakristin3, yes it's frustrating to have to pay double the wheel cost just for shipping. Bleh.. I've checked out a few of the recommended brands.. Raptor is so far the least expensive, still a total of 90USD.

I came across a local vendor that makes sugar glider wheels. Can you see anything wrong with the design? I'm trying to weigh the possibility of getting this as an alternative.




Haha yes! Am a little concerned for Ellie especially since she looks so round compared to Effie. She's not even big on jumping and gliding.. Prefers to take leisure stroll on the ground in the tent

Found this online.. Looks like i can't escape the shipping fee

atticworx.com/Freedomwheel.htm

I got two of these. One of my other wheels made from bucket lids (standard wheel) started to crack. Once that starts their is NO going back the $70 wheel was bad. I'm keeping it for parts for my other wheels.
But this wheel is ALL in one, seems solid and after 3-4 months I have had them, they are working great. At $40 this is my new go to wheel unless something changes.

Effsan, I am sooo glad you are doing your research . When I first looked at the picture of the wheel you were considering, I was afraid to reply about a wheel I'm not familiar with and haven't heard feedback on. I was concerned because there are so many things to think about when trying to protect our gliders. For instance, I purchased a toy called "The Critter Cruiser" from a reputable company that actually specializes in sugar gliders. Basically it's a wheel inside a plastic toy car (I've been trying to upload a picture but haven't been able to figure it out yet). It's meant for small animals like gerbils and hamsters, as well as being recommended for sugar gliders, so I assumed it was safe. My little girl loved it. But when I mentioned it to the vet I learned that it was actually quite risky because little gliders nails can get caught in the holes. As you found out, terrible things can happen that we wouldn't even consider. I'm sure you'd agree that your gliders safety and well being is of utmost importance so it's well worth the money to get a product that you know for sure is going to be safe for them. Having said that, I sure wish there was some way I could save you that annoying shipping fee, lol.

Thanks for all your feedback, both of you! Really appreciate it. Will update when there're here

Excited to see them on the wheel

A raptor wheel is finally coming my way!

. Sorry, I don't get on here so much for periods of time. I'm glad to hear you are getting a known, safe wheel!

Yippee! So glad it's on its way! Hoping to see pictures and hear stories soon!

Received on 27th Oct

To be honest I was a little disappointed, my girls didn't take much interest in it. I put them in the wheel, spins it a little, and mostly they just want to hop out. Every night, I'll repeatedly put them in the wheel 5-6 times, everytime telling them "Don't waste my money!"

Till finally about 5 days later, I caught them playing in it around 2am in the morning. The moment they notice me however, they jump right out of the wheel, to the cage door, wanting to come out. I realise then why I never see them playing in it when I'm sitting nearby

Additionally, I notice they eat and drink more in the last one week. Do you think it can be related to increase of activities in the night with the presence of the wheel?

Ellie is still quite a lazy bum though, she prefers hanging onto the wheel and spins with it while Effie does the running / hopping

So awesome and great to see that pic! The wheel is still pretty new to them so I'm guessing they will get even more attached to it over time. My glider is the same way....she stops what she's doing as soon as I look at her . Sounds like the increase in eating and drinking is related. They're probably working up an appetite. Keep up the good work!

They'll love it and I'm sure are very happy they have one!

It very well could be the extra exercise causing them to eat more.

I was the same way when I got mine their treadmill, but I've seen them on it. I at times had seen all three on it, went to grab my phone for a pic, but then one or two would jump off. I'm really sorry I didn't get a pic with them all on it now.

I know this is so late, but in my opinion, I would certainly get a wheel for your sugar gliders. During the night, when they are most active, they will want to run, to play. Having a wheel in their cage gives the another source of entertainment, however, you cannot guarantee that your sugar glider will use the wheel all that often. Some sugar gliders love their wheels, and will constantly be running on them. However others, do not really like them. I guess they are the same as humans.

Wheels can be expensive. Nearly all the wheels that are suitable for sugar gliders, are very expensive. The wheel alone is a lot of money, and then you have the shipping on top of that? I would say, just look around, see what options are available. A good wheel that many people recommend, is the stealth Wheel.

Good luck in your hunt for a wheel! Hope you find one soon, because your sugar gliders will certainly love you for it :)