I'm just looking for information and facts about sugar gliders dieing from getting wet.

no they wont die from getting wet. i think i know why your asking, but its VERY stressful. they dont need a bath, they clean themselves... incase thats why your asking.

This is not a simple black and white question.

Getting wet in and of itself will not kill a glider.

BUT

Getting wet and getting chilled, which can lower their body temperature can cause them to go into shock and yes, die.

Getting wet and getting chilled can compromise their immune system and cause them to get ill and yes, die.

Getting them wet and leaving them that way can cause them to stress and stress will compromise their immune system which can make them very ill and yes, die.

Aspirating water (which can easily happen when they are getting wet) can lead to pneumonia and respiratory infection can cause death.

With all do respect, disagree with this. Simply getting a glider wet will not cause death. Any animal or human that is wet in extreme cold can suffer and perhaps die. However under normal circumstances and in normal temperatures, none of that stuff will happen. I have heard of some gliders that enjoy getting wet and I have personally found occasions where I bathed gliders. All seem to thrived afterward.

Also most medical experts seem to agree that long term stress can cause health problems, however I've never heard of short term stress causing medical issues. Actually I've read where light short term stress can be beneficial to captive animals

I don't understand what you are disagreeing to?



With each of those possibilities I posted "CAN", not WILL DEFINATELY.

This is why I said


Because there is no simple black and white answer.



I have seen and experienced this. Some gliders do not handle even short term stress well at all. I've had gliders stress to the point of illness just in a short trip to the vet. Their immune systems are to fragile to start with and the stress CAN cause it to lower even more causing them to become ill. Lower immune system can allow bacteria and parasites that normally would not effect a glider (or any animal) to become more active and more than the glider can withstand. Again, this is SOME gliders not ALL gliders.

Loaded question, but... no, under normal situations getting your glider wet will not kill them.

I had a horrible incident when a joey got stuck in a glue trap. It was at my MIL's house, neat as a pin and been there thousands of times. One of my first joeys jumped off me and scampered across the carpet, I was not worried.

He jumped playfully under the bed. Still not worried.

Then peeked under the bed to see where he was... all I can see was a glue trap (I had no idea she need one).

By the time I threw myself to the other side of the bed... he was very very stuck.

Well, warm water, carful removal and a few out of fear bites later, all was well. I did have to use warm soapy water to get the bits of glue off of his fur. He was covered from head to tail in water by the time it was done.

I dryed him well and stuck him in a dry pouch in my shirt. Then later changed to another dry pouch until I was satisfied he was warm, dry and fluffy.

He did not suffer from the water (glue trap... maybe). But he did not die and you couldn't have gotten him any more wet than I did.

So can you get them wet? Yes. But it depends on how you do it.

Leaving a glider wet is never suggested.

I've also read they drown VERY easily, so I'd imagine it's not the greatest idea to have them near water for a bath or anything like that.

A long time ago when I was first learning of gliders, a friend bought me a newly weaned joey. I did not have a glider it's own age to put it with. The only other gliders I had at the time, were adults. From the moment she came to my house, she was stressed. I went anywhere near her cage, she was totally F R E A K I N G out.

Within 48 hours of her arriving, she was dead. vet necropsy said she died of a stress induced heart attack.

She was healthy otherwise. No parasites, and she had been weaned on to BML diet.

Yes. Gliders can die of short term stress related problems.

She became my poster child for never keeping a glider alone.

I have never gotten my gliders wet but I did have the boys in their bonding pouch one day and I happened to turnon the faucet and they both became very upset. I dont think they liked the sound of the running water and I am careful not to turn on the water when I am wearing them...I dont want to stress them out

I have to bathe Spencer on a routine basis, its done quickly in a warm room and then I dry him with a towel, then he stays in my bra the rest of the day or in a bonding pouch under my shirt where he is toasty! So I know you can get them wet. I also have had to bathe other ill gliders using same technique as above.

Dakota swam across two sinks of water when he was younger. It was not on purpose, he jumped into one, swam across, climbed out and jumped into the next and swam across and climbed out again. He was a very good (and fast) little swimmer. I dried him off and kept him close to me until he was dry and he was just fine.

I know of a couple of gliders that like to take showers with their owners. It is not something I do, but I know one of them actually put a bar up in their shower just for their glider. The glider jumps to their shoulder, plays in the spray and jumps back to their bar away from it. It goes back and forth several times. When the shower is over, he dries her off and keeps her in his shirt until she's dry.

I had one of my gliders jump into a pail of soapy water when I was cleaning their avairy... I thought I had taken them all out of the cage first... missed him thou. He sank like a rock, scared me to death as I scooped him out... since then I need to keep him away from all water because he LOVES it. He hiccupped bubbles for abit and I dried him completely in a towel and kept him in my shirt.

Personally I dont want my gliders getting wet so I dont let them. But in my experience there was no ill effect from being wet.

As for stress most of my gliders can handle it for short periods(tornado's etc) I do have one glider thou that gets very ill if she is stressed at all... She does have a weakened immune system due to other medical issues, my vet told me I am to paranoid and they are not as fragile as people think. So I try not to freak out at every little stunt they pull now.

I'm with Teresa. She said "can", not "will". And I would not gamble with the idea that short-term stress is a good thing, especially when there are plenty of cases to support the idea that a glider can easily suffer a rapid decline in health following such -- especially if water is involved.

Getting a sugar glider wet will NOT kill them. Yes, it will stress them out and you will most likely get very scratched up.

I always refer back to their natural environment. Austraila, New Zealand, Indonesia.... Rain happens.

So, they won't die. But, as I said, it's stressful for the lil tykes. I tried a bath with them, and it was tough. Never again! LOL!

I also think I know why you're asking (ugh), and I agree with Teresa. Every glider is different. There are some gliders who don't mind or even enjoy water. However, if water DOES stress them out or if they DO by chance aspirate it, you COULD have problems on your hands...not WILL, but rather COULD. To me, it's not worth the risk of A) them suffering, B) them being stressed out, C) high vet bills to cure or treat something as a result of water. Gliders groom themselves to clean themselves, they don't get into water to do it. JMO...

I had a rejected joey that used to get a bath after every time she ate. She was the messiest eater I've ever seen! So long as they aren't left near open water they couldn't get out of (ie the toilet)and are give supervised 'baths' and then dried and kept warm there should be no problem. As said in other threads, they can control their own body temperatures as adults but you don't want them to get chilled.

Just a quick correction here and totally off topic Gliders are not native to New Zealand.

I think we need to remember here, as many have suggested, that every glider is an individual. Some may like it, some may not.

As Marz suggested, look at their native habitat.

Is there a risk to it? Obviously, as many members have sited examples of what can POSSIBLY happen.

Water is not toxic. But the EFFECTS of EXPOSURE to it can have undesirable consequences.

I am sure in their native habitat there are gliders that hide when it rains, and gliders that still venture forth when it rains. Just like with all the cats I have owned, most hated the rain, 2 loved it and would sit in the rain)

Can gliders drown easily? YES

Take all safety precautions when gliders and water are involved? YES

Do gliders need a bath? NO unless they ended up in something really messy and dangerous for them to clean off themselves.

Do some gliders like water and some fear it? YES

Should FEAR of water be used to induce a favored behavior? MY opinion only here...NO

Oh no I was not weighing in on this debate at all...was just commenting that gliders are not native to New Zealand. Someone else mentioned looking at their native habitat

ooops! I see it was Biscuit.

havent had my full cup of coffee...

i heard that the biggest cause of death to sugar gliders is they get out and jump into the toilet because they usually can't swim due to their 'wings' getting heavy and drowning them.

Not so. Gliders swim very well, but they get tired easily and need a way out. Of every incident of drowning *I* have heard in regards to gliders, each and every one was because they couldn't get out because the side was too steep and slick.

Megs is right on that one....

Connie is an advocate of toilet ladders. Specially when there are people in the house that can't remember to put the lid down when they are done.

I put the pic that Suz has on her site of the lil glider with a lifejacket that also reads: Remember... Gliders don't float. Close the lid! Some may think me to be overboard. Maybe I am. But I love my furries just too darned much to risk it.

Agreed, I have these stickers on every single loo.

Those are cute Liezl!

Liezl, such cute signs!!!!

Thanks Jess.