Have you recently purchased sugar gliders? Many people are starting to buy sugar gliders as pets these days.
They’re adorable little pets that can be fun to care for. You have to put in some effort to bond with them at first, but it’s very rewarding overall.
When caring for these pets, you want to make sure that you keep them safe. You might have heard that they’re sensitive to chemicals.
Is it safe to use vinegar to clean a sugar glider’s cage? Or is that potentially harmful to sugar gliders?
Read on to learn whether or not vinegar will hurt sugar gliders. This should allow you to make safe decisions for your pet.
Vinegar Doesn’t Harm Sugar Gliders
Vinegar is actually safe to use around sugar gliders. It’s good to be wary of using cleaning products near sugar gliders because they’re very sensitive.
You’ll find that vinegar is safe because it’s a natural type of cleaner. Many people use vinegar mixtures to naturally disinfect things.
This is going to work out well when you have pet sugar gliders. There are so many cleaning products that you need to avoid using too close to the sugar glider’s enclosure.
You want your pet to stay healthy. Using certain products could wind up endangering your sugar glider’s life.
Vinegar is perfectly safe, though, and it’s going to be your go-to cleaner. It’s important to keep the enclosure clean, and that means you should keep vinegar stocked in your home.
What to Use to Clean a Sugar Glider’s Cage and Accessories
You have a few options that you can turn to when cleaning a sugar glider’s cage and accessories. As mentioned above, using vinegar as a cleaning agent is acceptable.
Since vinegar cannot harm sugar gliders, it’s a great option when you wish to disinfect and clean the sugar glider’s cage. Vinegar can be used to disinfect, get rid of germs, and make things smell better.
To get started, you should mix up a bucket of vinegar and water. One part vinegar and two parts water will make a good cleaning mixture.
Mix things up in the bucket and then you can start wiping the cage down. You can also use this cleaning mixture for any accessories that you have for the sugar glider.
Use a clean cloth to wipe the cage down. Get it wet with the vinegar mixture and then wipe the bars of the enclosure.
You can wipe all of the accessories individually as well. It shouldn’t take too long to get things nice and clean.
Other Cleaning Options
There are other cleaning methods that people use that you might want to try. Perhaps you don’t like the smell of vinegar, and you’re looking for an alternative.
Many sugar glider owners use unscented baby wipes to clean sugar glider cages. These baby wipes will be safe to use on the cage without harming your pets.
It’s even possible to clean the sugar gliders themselves with baby wipes if you must. Just be sure to use the unscented kind, and everything will be okay.
This isn’t the only option for cleaning the cage that you have. You can also use a little bit of dish soap and water to create a cleaning mixture.
Standard dish soap is safe to use when cleaning sugar glider cages. You use a drop of dish soap in a bucket of water and then swish things around.
You can then proceed to wipe down the cage thoroughly using a rag. It shouldn’t take a lot of effort to clean things this way, and it’ll help you to get rid of odors.
This cleaning method won’t cover up smells quite as much as using vinegar, though. Even so, some people prefer it since vinegar also has a rather strong smell.
How Often Should You Clean the Cage?
You don’t want to let the cage get too dirty. It’s best to clean the sugar glider’s cage somewhat often to avoid encountering issues.
It’s recommended to clean a sugar glider’s enclosure every two weeks. You might want to do some minor cleaning multiple times per week to avoid having the cage get stinky.
Then, every two weeks, you can do a larger cleaning session. During this time, you’ll use white vinegar and a hot water mixture to wipe the cage down and get it really clean.
This is going to be the easiest thing to do when you want to keep the cage clean. It’ll prevent the cage from smelling bad, and it’ll keep your sugar gliders safe.
If you wish to use alternative cleaning options, it should be fine to use dish soap and warm water. Just be careful to use standard dish soap.
Remember that chemicals can harm sugar gliders. You want to avoid using most cleaning products since they could negatively impact your sugar glider’s health.
Wear a Mask and Gloves While Cleaning
It’s for the best to wear a mask and gloves while cleaning the sugar glider cage. This will protect you from fumes and keep you from touching sugar glider poop.
Since sugar gliders are carriers of salmonella, you’re not supposed to touch their poop. Also, you’re supposed to wash your hands thoroughly after handling them.
Airborne transmission can be a problem as well. So wearing a mask when near a dirty sugar glider cage is highly recommended.
A simple mask and standard cleaning gloves will do the trick. You can get the job done in a timely fashion, and you won’t need to worry.
Final Thoughts
Vinegar doesn’t harm sugar gliders. It’s actually the best cleaning solution that you can use.
Using vinegar and hot water to clean the sugar glider cage is easy. It can help to keep things smelling nice in your home.
It disinfects and kills germs. You should clean the sugar glider’s cage every two weeks.
Don’t let the cage get too dirty because it’ll smell terrible if you do. Be responsible and continue to keep up with a regular cleaning schedule.
Now that you know what to do, it’ll be easy to keep the cage clean. Avoid using cleaning products that likely contain harmful chemicals, and stick to using white vinegar.
I have a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When I’m not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, I’m at home with my wife, two daughters and a dog. Outside of family, I love grilling and barbequing on my Big Green Egg and working on projects around the house. Growing up, I had pet dogs, cats, deer, sugar gliders, chinchillas, a bird, chickens, fish, and a goat.