hi i just wanna know if anyone has ever kept them outside. im thinking of creating a big cage so that they have more space to play when i dont have time for them but im worried about the rain, when it does. but i figured if i make a good enough roof it should be ok right? since they do live outside in the wild it should be ok right?

any suggestions pls. and pix of cages if you have any.
thanks

[:"green"]It really depends on where you live as to whether an outdoor aviary would be feasible or not. I know that there are some members that live in Australia who successfully have their gliders outdoors, but I'm not sure about in the States.
There is an entire thread on Cage Pictures that you can check out.
Please keep in mind that gliders are very social animals, so spending time with them is crucial if you want them to be tame...

In my opinion, there are a great deal of risks associated with keeping them outside. Here are a few of the ones that come to mind.

One... gliders are wonderful escape artists. I would be afraid of them getting loose.

Two...out side preditors. I would be afraid of a preditor either getting my gliders or a preditor trying to get them causing them a great deal of stress.

Three... environmental hazzards such as pesticides being sprayed in the area or the gliders getting ahold of bugs that have been exposed to pesticides.

Four... Weather and temperature variations.

Five... The fear of "out of sight, out of mind" (them ending up getting less attention)

Six... Fear of someone trying to steal them and either succeeding or allowing them to escape.

I'm sure there are other reasons against keeping them outside. These are just the arguments against that came to mind.

I agree with Dancing. There are a lot of potential dangers for gliders outdoors in the U.S. The lady I got my first babies from (Glidin4luv) is a rescuer, and she said that she knew someone who kept her gliders in cages in her patio. One morning all her gliders were dead. An airplane had passed overnight spraying pesticides over the neighborhood.

Sugar gliders are also not the highest on the totem pole. Cats, dogs, snakes, and so many other wild animals would probably come up to the cage at night and try to get them.

Sometimes when it rains, it doesn't rain straight down. Wind carries rain sideways, which would hit the gliders.

I know it's sometimes difficult to find the time for them, or to want to play with them after a long day, but I don't think keeping them outside is the answer.

I have to agree… that for me the risk of out side housing is just not worth it… I love the idea of making one huge cage and having a great outdoor set up,,, but I don’t think I would get any sleep worrying about them, we have stray cats, a opossum (or two), the occasional snake, and raccoon… plus we once had a parrot stolen from our backyard, we are still not sure how that happened,,, just not worth the risks… but that IMO….

Gliders in the wild don't live very long. Too many predators and weather problems of course many other reasons. They live long here because we control their weather, diet, etc. sounds nice to build a huge outdoor cage for them, but not worth the risk IMO.

thanks for everyone's opinion

Wild gliders and captive gliders are very different. Wild gliders have away of getting away of anything that is a threat and out of the weather and have the survival instinct. Gliders in a cage outside have no way of getting away.

However...all that being said...

A huge PLAY cage would be wonderful! Just not for permenant housing.

A number of us Australian do keep them outside, me included. I have a very large avairy with a door that you go into then another door to go into the cage. This prevents any escapes out the door. The avairy has a large dome on top so the gliders can escape any predators. Mainly stray cats hear. I did have a fox in my yard but it wasn't interested in the gliders. I make sure they have very warm bedding with lot's of fleecy in it. Part of the cage is covered on top and I have covered one end in hard plastic for some wind protection in winter. In summer on any day over 30 celcius, I bring the pouch inside and place them in a cage in a cool room. Every night I take them outside again. They love playing in the rain and catching insects. On very cold nights they don't venture out as much. When I go into the cage they jump all over me. I also have a seat inside the avairy and can sit and watch them. I have the cage locked so that no one can steal them. Their bed is in a corner not exposed to the weather or predators. The extreme temperatures in the states may make this more difficult. they have not bred yet so I think the weather is making a difference to their breeding cycle. I think I will have to wait till spring for Joey's

There are too many roaming neighborhood animals for me to ever consider caging my sweeties outside and that is not even mentioning the Illinois weather down here. Besides, how could they greet me at the cage door in the morning if they were outside? I need to see those fuzzy faces everyday when I first wake up. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> For me, caging my sugs (or any of my pets) outside, just isn't an option.

Jett, I would love to see a pic of your avairy

wow! me too! PLEASE show pictures!

You do need to consider the fact that your babies are probably hand-raised. Am I correct? If so, they aren't used to living outside as they are domesticated and no longer considered wild.

It's like us and air conditioning and electricity. Our forefathers were able to live in the great outdoors, but I personally find that impossible