When it comes to short travels, like going back to your hometown or kampung, if you are not taking a plane or public transportation, it is best to bring your gliders with you. Even if it is a short vacation and you are staying in a hotel, it is still safe to bring because gliders are pretty small and they do not make very loud noises like dogs would. So you can safely and carefully travel with your gliders. But what sort of cage? Should you be bringing your 3ft cage with you? How about food? How about toys and the Wodent Wheel?
When travelling short term, like say less than 2 weeks, you can happily bring your gliders along with you. Pack a travel pack for your gliders and also a good portable cage that you can easily dismantle and travel with. I honestly rarely travel on vacation so there hasn’t been a need for me to bring my gliders along, and with 30 gliders it would be too stressful for me hahaha….
Anyway, here is a list of things to bring:
- Carry your gliders in their bonding pouch. They would feel safer in their pouch.
- Bring some snacks. An apple or pear or some cut up fruits in a little container would do the trick. You can bring their favourite insects as well.
- Other snacks include yogurt drops, dried fruit pieces (Make sure it is organic and preservative free) and pellets if your glider eats them.
- Water bottle. Gliders should always have their water bottle available for them. And during long travels, our suggies can get dehydrated so always offer them a bottle cap of water once a while.
- Wet wipes. This is to clean up any poop or pee on them and also on you.
- A few hanging bird toys. Get those with bells or with colourful attachments.
- Food bowls for their food.
- Some fleece pieces for blankets. Air conditioning in hotels can be cold for them.
- Their sleeping pouch.
- A packet of instant food like HPW Diet Ready. All you need is warm water to make this HPW for your gliders.
Then you need a first aid kit in your pack.
- Have a syringe ready. This is for cases where your glider may suddenly need you to syringe feed.
- A bottle of Gatorade. This is in case your glider gets dehydrated and needs vitamins and minerals to hydrate the body.
- A little calcium supplement. This is to sprinkle on the food if you are just feeding fruits.
- Some cotton. This is for cases where you need to clean your glider’s delicate eyes or face. Tissue can be rough and damage the eyes.
Now how big should the cage be? Well, it can be up to you. Some people would get the collapsible cage like the ExoTerra Eplorarium. Some would get simple small bird cages. Do not get the tiny ones. Even a hamster cage is ok too. Here are some examples:
This is the typical 1.5ft cage. I would recommend this, I think shops are selling this now for around RM60 to RM75. This is half the size of the usual 3ft cage.
This is the standard small bird cage. Slightly smaller than the 1.5ft kind. As long it is more than 30cm in length, it would be ok for a 2 week stay.
An Explorarium is great. A little costly but it is portable. But beware, if your glider is a chewer, it may be able to chew itself out. The mesh is a thin nylon mesh, not a good travel cage for destructive and chewing gliders.
Never EVER EVER get this cage. It is too small. I know some sellers are selling sugar gliders along with this cage as a “free” cage or package deal. This is even too small for hamsters! I know it is cute but never ever buy this. Your glider would suffer.
Hamster cages like this is ok, not the best choice but still ok. Get the most basic hamster cage, without the tubes and holes on the side. A plain cage with a platform is good enough.
If you have some money to spend, another good travel cage would be a doggy or cat travel backpack. I know, you may be wondering “Hun! You’ve gotta be joking right?”…. Hahaha…. no I am not joking. I have seen one of my friends with this bag and she bought it to carry her 4 gliders. I checked the bag myself, and it is really safe. The mesh is not the soft nylon but the solid kind that can withstand cat calws. And it is easy to carry around, just like a backpack. Large enough too for 2 gliders to stay for 2 weeks. Just that for cleaning, you need to put some fleece blankets and paper towels in to absorb pee.
Of course, always check if the bags have secure zippers, no holes and openings and no loose strings or threads in it before you purchase.
Alright, this is all just a basic guide. Just remember, when you travel locally, just make sure you have packed your glider stuff properly. And do not leave your gliders unattended in the hotel room. Coz most hotels do not allow pets, so…. play smart….. keep their cage hidden in the wardrobe when you are not around. Still, the best way to travel with your glider is to travel during the day, not the evening or night. When they are asleep, they are less stressed.
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