If you think it smells gross, your sugar gliders probably think it’s gross to live in. The cage will need to be thoroughly cleaned at least once a week, maybe more if you have more than 2 sugar gliders. You’ll probably need to do a quick spot clean at least twice a week. A clean environment will keep them healthy.

If left in the cage for a long period of time, the urine will start to turn into ammonia, which is incredibly damaging to the sugar glider’s respiratory system. Fecal matter, especially if it comes from an area where it gets wet, can give rise to harmful bacteria that can be ingested or even inhaled and make your sugar glider sick. Wet bedding or sand can cause fungal growth. A litter box or collection tray will help with stool. A clean cage will also help make your home environment healthier and odor free. Remember that if you can smell dirty cages it is much more extreme and stressful for the animals that live in them.

Step 1. Cleaning (removing visible dirt and debris) First, spray the cage with water to soften debris. Then clean the cage with a regular household soap, such as dishwashing liquid. A scrub brush and pressure hose nozzle will help you remove stubborn debris from the cage and accessories. Small accessories can be soaked in a sink filled with hot soapy water and scrubbed before disinfecting. This is only the first step in a complete cage cleaning.

Step 2. Disinfection (destruction of microorganisms or pathogens) Spray the cage and accessories with the chosen disinfectant. Let the solution stay on the items long enough to disinfect them (reading the instructions will tell you how long it takes each particular product to do its job). These solutions can also be used on floors and walls around the cage as long as you rinse them well. After viral outbreaks, use a cleaning agent that is specifically a virucide. Cleaning and disinfection solutions (always rinse well)

• Dishwashing soap – cleaner only
• Nolvasan (contains: chlorhexidine diacetate)-Bactericide and virucide
• Vinegar (contains: 5% acetic acid) slightly bactericidal
• 3% hydrogen peroxide (medical grade): slightly bactericidal, virucidal and fungicidal
• 35% hydrogen peroxide (technical grade) – bactericide, virucide and fungicide)
• Citricicide (contains: grape seed extract) slightly bactericidal, virucidal and fungicidal
• Household bleach (contains: 5.25% sodium hypochlorite) – bactericidal and virucidal
• Parvosol (contains: quaternary ammonium chloride) – bactericide, virucide and fungicide
• Antibacterial liquid soap – bactericide
• Spectrosol (contains: quaternary ammonium chloride) – bactericide, virucide and fungicide
• Oxyfresh (contains: stabilized chlorine dioxide) – bactericide, virucide and fungicide

Note: Lysol contains phenols and is not recommended for cleaning cages or fixtures.

Step 3. Rinse Thoroughly rinse the cage and all accessories. Make sure you do not feel or smell any residual cleaning solution. This is a very important step. Some of the cleaners can be harmful to your small pets.

Step 4. Drying You can air dry the cage and accessories or wipe them with a clean towel. Air drying in the sun is particularly good if you want to ensure that all organisms are killed.

The hospital cage Special care should be taken when cleaning the cage of a sick pet, especially if it will later be used to house healthy pets. Meticulous care must also be taken if it is a parasitic infestation. In these scenarios, use strong solutions that kill bacteria, fungi, and viruses. After sterilization, rinse well and dry in the sun. After an infectious disease, all accessories made of wood, wicker or grass should be disposed of. Following a parasite outbreak, these porous items should be thoroughly cleaned, disinfected, and not used for any other animals for a minimum of two weeks. Food dishes must be cleaned, sanitized, and then run through the dishwasher. Water bottles must be completely disassembled (be sure to remove the washer) and all parts must be cleaned and sterilized.

Cloth Accessories You will need to thoroughly clean all cloth items you use for your pet on a regular basis. Change bags, cage assemblies, tray liners, and other cloth items as they get dirty (between cage cleanings). Wash with hypoallergenic soap in warm or hot water in your washing machine. To clean fabric accessories that are particularly dirty, used in a sick cage, or contaminated with parasites, add a small amount of bleach or Oxyclean and use hot water. When using bleach or other disinfectant, rinse twice to ensure all chemicals are removed. Drying these items in the dryer on high heat for a minimum of 20 minutes will help fight microorganisms and parasitic infestations. cleaning tips

• Avoid scented household cleaners
• Spot cleaning between cage cleanings
• Keep a smaller cage for your pets to enter during cleaning
• Always clean in a well-ventilated area away from your pets
• Remove all accessories and clean well.
• Spray the cage with water to soften debris before cleaning.
• Be sure to remove all debris before disinfecting
• Let the disinfectant work for a minimum of 10 minutes.
• Take special care with the disinfection of hospital cages.
• Rinse thoroughly to remove all cleaning agents.
• Dry the cage before putting your pets back
• Use direct sunlight to dry and disinfect whenever possible
• Always sanitize and refill water bottles and food dishes.
• Clean nursery cages more often

The entire process can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour a week, but remember that it needs to be done. Just like you clean your shower and toilet, or wash your kitchen counters after cooking, sugar gliders need their cages to be as clean as possible because they can get dirty and if that continues to build up, it could not only put them in danger, but over time it could possibly endanger your health as well.