I got a 5 year old female sugar glider about three weeks ago.

This is my first sugar glider, so I wanted to see if anyone could help me out with some things. First, I've read that sugar gliders should have a companion, but since she is already 5 years old and hasn't had a companion sugar glider yet, should I still try to find her a friend? if so... a baby? an adult? male/female?

Also, are there certain common foods that are a big "nono" for her to eat, perhaps that would be poisonous?

She has adjusted pretty well in the last 3 weeks and uses me to climb on and hides in my shirt, I usually put her in a fanny pack that I lined with fleece when I get home from work in the afternoon. Though, she freaks out when I try to pick her up or anything. Will this probably change when she is more used to me? Her little nails get caught in everything, I know they say to clip the nails, but she wont let me hold on to her to do it. I'm just worried she will hurt herself trying to get unsnagged from things.

Are there any cleaning supplies that are dangerous to Suggies when cleaning the cage? And, how do I give a sugar glider a bath? Should I just take a damp cloth and try to wipe her down? They make pet wipes for cats and dogs... anything like that for small animals?

One last thing, we have raw cedar walls in my house, which she loves to climb up and around on, she doesnt seem to have very good aim when jumping though... should I worry about her falling and hurting herself? She always seems very unfazed by any falls she's had, but it still makes me nervous.

Thanks to anyone that can offer me some advice.

First of all, welcome! No, it isn't too late to get her a companion. You may want to consider getting another female. You won't have to deal with the neutering/joey issues and they tend to intro better. Nothing's guaranteed with any glider at any age, sex,etc...Sometimes it just doesn't work out. What is important is that they are similar in size.

No garlic, onions, raw lima beans, excessive soy products, chocolate, anything high in sugars, salt, fats and/or preservatives.

It is possible she will never let you hold her. It's rare for a glider to allow someone to do that. You'll find that she hangs out on you though. You have to get her nails clipped. Your vet can do it for less than $10. She should have a well check anyway. They can hurt themselves badly if they get stuck.

She should not need a bath. They clean themselves and should keep clean. If you do need to get something off her, use a washcloth and warm water but dry her off quickly. Anything with harsh chemicals will be a risk to her. You can wipe the cage down daily with hot water. When it needs a good cleaning, you can take it outside and hose it down or wash it with vinegar and water inside.

Don't worry too much about her aim being a little off. Some of mine are that way too. They just get up and keep going. I don't know why some misjudge and others are darn accurate but I'm sure she's OK.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Read through all the posts on diet, housing, bonding, etc... There's so much info!

Well I can not think of a think to add to Kyro's answer...she covered everything.....

So I will just say welcome to our glider world....keep reading all the information on this site..post questions and come into chat..live ppl to chat with about your newest member of the family.

Same as above. I would try and wheel that they can run in that u can put a nail trimer in. I did this for mine and they use it all the time. So much I had to take the nail trimmer out because when they would try to climb on me they had no grip and kept sliding down. Now I need to put it back in because they can hold on to everything now. Scracth city. MIne are still babies about 12-13 weeks so that might have someting to do with it. Can't hurt to try.

P.S. well come

You don't need to worry about picking her up and clipping her nails well yes you do but if you buy a certain wheel at www.sugar-gliders.com they also sell a nail trimmer that you attach to the wheel. Hope I helped

I also use the nail insert in the woodent wheel, But before I got mine, I just would leave them in the pouch and close it tight and pull foot by foot out and clip that way. That way they couldn't bite at me if they wanted to.

Thanks for the tips everyone, I didn't even know they made the wheels with nail file inserts.

I just noticed something that concerned me a little. When she first wakes up, especially, she has this milky white film over half of one of her eyes, but not the other. After shes awake a while, I dont really notice it much. Is this something to worry about?

Also, is it unhealthy to wake her up in the day, just to put her in a pouch to carry around, and have her sleep in that? Or is it better to leave her sleep uninterupted?

They quickly go back to sleep. It's a great bonding time for both of you. as for the film on her eyes? I'm not sure about that but when my girls were younger, I often noticed a little white film on their eyes when they woke up as well. After they groomed themselves for a while and were up and about, it was gone. I haven't seen it in a good year though. If it does not go away or if even when she's wide awake and it's still there, you may want to take her to be checked-just to be on the safe side. I don't want to tell you it's no big deal and be wrong-especially since she's 5. Hopefully, it's nothing. :)

DO NOT GIVE YOUR GLIDER CAT NIP! I reccomend not even getting her a cat toy because it could have cat nip on it and not say. And the cedar in the walls may be bad for her to eat, but I am not sure. You can google toxic plants for sugar gliders and you should find a lot of lists. Good luck with your new girl! :)