Hi there, I am a new sugar glider owner and am just getting to grips with everything. Having taken my glider out of his cage to give it a wipe down (on only one side), I am now getting paranoid about the wipes I have used for it after looking properly at the ingredients. They are Hartz Nodour cage wipes and state on the website that they are safe for sugar gliders. But I'm suddenly not so sure.

The ingredients are: Water, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (which concerns me somewhat??), Maiodor Counteractant, Fragrance, Tetrasodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin. They state they are rinse-free, but I have now wiped the cage down with plain water where I used the wipes, but am still too scared to return him to his cage and am kicking myself for having used them.

Has anybody used these wipes before? Are they fine and I'm just being over-cautious? If they are not fine and any of the ingredients are cause for concern, what can I do to make the cage safe again?

Any help or advice would be muchly appreciated,

Thanks a lot in advance!

My wife uses a mix of just (I think) water and vinegar. We do NOT use wipes, as the chemicals are a worry to me.

We picked up 3 rescue gliders and they did NOT groom, had some nasty hair on back side, we got the gliders dropped off and they gave us babe wipes? we asked what they are used for? they said the gliders were stinky so they cleaned them off with the baby wipes. After they left I told my wife to throw away the wipes, we have 3 NOT grooming gliders and they are cleaned with wipes full of chemicals?
After sometime they seemed to be doing just fine, we cleaned them just a few times with a just slightly damp paper towel with water only. After that we let they start cleaning themselves. We rehomed 2 and found them in great condition.

So I would feel you are safe with the wipes on cage, but I would look up the vinegar/water cage cleaner.

I think most people agree, the more natural the better. But don't be hard on yourself. We do the best we can and trust people who give us advice. I've heard that Sodium Laurel Sulfate is not very safe for humans so I would think it shouldn't be used for pets either. Some people use unscented baby wipes on their gliders, and I admit, I did in the beginning. But after I stopped using them it seemed that their grooming was enough and I haven't noticed any strong smell. For the cage, I use this product and it works really well.

www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=25747

It's a lot cheaper on the website than in pet stores. I would think that the water/vinegar option that BYK mentioned would be even safer though.

If you're able to take the cage outside, you can always give it a good wash with a garden hose. Occasionally I'll use dawn soap to clean cages and toys, making sure to rinse thoroughly.

Enjoy your baby!

Thank you both so much. Mine is a rescue, somebody found him in their garden with a very injured foot and leg. The vets approached me and asked if I would take him in and I initially said no. I then did my research and made sure I was somewhat clued up and eventually agreed. I think he's lovely and I have quickly become very invested, but also feel so anxious to make sure I'm doing right by him!

He's in a fairly small cage at the moment due to his injury, and so it gets quite smelly fairly quickly. I hosed it down initially in the garden with plain water and a sponge, but it very quickly became more smelly than it had ever been (I now know the error of my ways!!). So I thought I would use these (supposedly sugar glider safe) wipes to wipe down only one side of his cage. But then when I looked at the ingredients I became so scared, and didn't want to put him back in the cage! As an eczema sufferer myself, I avoid ingredients like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate as best I can, and hated the idea of exposing such a small animal to it.

I feel I'm in a constant battle of trying to figure out what is best for him, but I'm sure I will feel more comfortable soon.

Again, thank you both for your help. I will try your suggestions, hopefully they'll help me to find a happy medium between a smelly and a healthy sugar glider haha!

personally I'd avoid wipes and sprays that don't need rinsing. If it's a no rinse solution, it's going to have residue build up.

For a all natural, gentle way to clean get a steam cleaner to steam the cage. Steam, wipe the bars Steam some more. Steam cleaners are affordable and easy to use. you can use them on the cage itself, water bottles, fleece, everything. Steam kills bacteria n germs, freshens fabric, is powerful enough to get stuck on food off.


Is the glider intact? If he hasn't been neutered he himself is going to smell more and make his cage stink more.

The more you clean, the more it's going to smell. Your trying to remove the smell and the glider is just going to work that much harder to stink it up again and make it smell like him.

Try cleaning in stages so you leave some of his stink. Wipe the cage down but leave his pouch alone. Next time wash the pouch and leave the cage alone. Alternate what you clean so your not cleaning everything at the same time, with the exception of the drop tray that can be cleaned regularly. Even though your leaving some of his stink, it won't be as bad as deep cleaning the cage regularly, he won't feel the need to mark as much.


Every now n then it will need a heavy clean, take outside n wash with dawn dishsoap and a little vinegar. Rinse well and let dry in the sun.