Although they are small and don’t take up much physical space, Sugar Gliders require a ton of care and attention. One of the best ways to keep these little mammals entertained is by giving them appropriate toys to play with. Not only do toys encourage their natural climbing and hunting instincts, but interactive toys will also mentally stimulate them.
The downside of pets like Sugar Gliders is that they do not get to interact with the natural world as they would in the wild, and it is important to try and replicate their wild environment in their enclosure as closely as possible. Regular play and interaction, both with their owners and appropriate toys, will help teach young Sugar Gliders the vital skills that they would otherwise learn in the wild by exposing them to new textures and shapes. Toys are also essential for coordination skills and as an outlet to release pent-up energy, and they are also a great way to bond with your furry friend!
There are a ton of toys for Sugar Gliders available on the market, and the wide variety available to choose from can quickly become confusing. That’s why we created this guide of the best sugar glider toys that we could find, to help you choose the right toys for your pet’s unique needs. Let’s get started!
A Quick Comparison of Our Winners (2024)
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Best Overall
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Niteangel Small Animal Trio of Fun Balls |
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Best Value
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Kaytee Perfect Chews Toy |
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Premium Choice
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Living World Teach N Treat Toy |
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Oxbow Apple Stick Bundle Chew Toy |
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Oxbow Play Table Toy |
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The 5 Best Sugar Glider Toys
1. Niteangel Small Animal Trio of Fun Balls — Best Overall
Our pick for the best overall Sugar Glider toys is the Niteangel Small Animal Trio of Balls. This pack has three fun balls made from all-natural materials — seagrass, water hyacinth, and rattan — that have an ideal variety of textures that your Sugar Glider will love. There is no glue, plastic, metal, or artificial materials used in the balls’ construction, so you can rest easy knowing that your Glider has a perfectly safe-to-chew toy to entertain them. Each ball is 2.6 inches in diameter and can be stuffed with treats to provide hours of engaging entertainment.
While these balls are made from all-natural materials, the broken or chewed-off bits do present a potential choking hazard, so keep a careful eye out.
2. Kaytee Perfect Chews Toy — Best Value
The best Sugar Glider toy for the money according to our research is the Perfect Chews Toy from Kaytee. The toy is perfectly safe to chew and can help keep your Sugar Glider mentally and physically engaged and their teeth clean and healthy. It has a built-in metal clasp that makes it easy to install in any wire cage and is made entirely from 100% pet-safe materials. This toy satisfies your Glider’s natural instinct to chew with a variety of safe textures and will provide hours of chewing fun in their cage!
While this toy is perfectly safe to chew, it may not last long with the sharp teeth of a Sugar Glider, as it is designed primarily for hamsters. This keeps this toy from the top position on this list.
3. Living World Teach N Treat Toy — Premium Choice
If you are looking for a premium, unique, and interactive toy for your Sugar Glider, look no further than the Teach N Treat Toy from Living World. This educational toy provides a fun and unique way to encourage your Glider’s natural foraging instinct through careful observation and learning, and it will keep their mind active and alert. The toy has three different levels of challenging puzzles that they must work out to obtain a hidden treat, keeping them engaged, active, and alert while rewarding them for their hard work. This toy is a great way to stimulate your Glider’s natural curiosity and foraging instincts while keeping them physically active and mentally engaged.
Sugar Gliders are smart animals, and some customers report that their Glider solved the hardest level within minutes. Also, some Gliders may not be interested in having to work for their treats! This and the high price keep this toy from the top two positions on this list.
4. Oxbow Apple Stick Bundle Chew Toy
The Apple Stick Bundle chew toy from Oxbow is about as natural as toys for pets get, and it is made from all-natural, untreated apple sticks. The toy is 100% pet-safe and has an exciting texture and irresistible flavor that your Glider will not be able to get enough of. The chewable sticks are small, the perfect size for the small jaws and teeth of a Sugar Glider, and they will keep them entertained and safely stimulated for hours. You can give the entire bundle to your Glider or separate the bundle into individual sticks for them to chew on.
This toy is about as simple as it gets, and some Gliders will not be interested in it. You may need to use it interactively with your Glider, as they may not show much interest on their own.
5. Oxbow Play Table Toy
The Play Table Toy from Oxbow provides a wealth of safe and stimulating entertainment that your Glider will adore. The table is made up of wooden posts with dangling ropes, balls, and woodblocks that are 100% pet safe and chewable, providing a wide variety of colors and textures to keep your Glider stimulated for hours. The chewable parts are great for maintaining dental health, and the variety of textures will meet most of your Glider’s natural chewing instincts in a highly stimulating and enriching environment.
However, this toy is fairly poorly constructed and may break easily with determined Gliders. It is also rather small, and it may be difficult for Gliders to get underneath and access the hanging toys.
Buyer’s Guide: Picking the Best Sugar Glider Toy
Adequate mental and physical stimulation is key to keeping your Sugar Glider happy, and happiness is key to keeping your Sugar Glider healthy. Gliders kept as pets can easily become bored and depressed, especially when kept alone, and this can lead to a host of mental and emotional issues. In the wild, these little marsupials live in pairs or small colonies and are highly active, so you want to ideally keep your Sugar Glider in pairs and provide all the mental and physical stimulation that they require, both from regular interaction and appropriate toys.
A great way to keep your Glider adequately entertained is by emulating their behavior in the wild as closely as possible. There are a massive variety of toys available that can replicate their play, foraging, and hunting instincts and promote interaction and bonding with your pet.
While you should encourage playtime out of their cage, pet Sugar Gliders will still spend a large portion of their lives inside a cage, so it needs to be equipped with a variety of stimulating accessories. Good-quality, safe toys can provide your Glider with all the stimulation that they need to thrive.
Types of Toys for Sugar Gliders
There are a ton of toys available for small mammals like hamsters or mice, and many of these can be successfully used for Sugar Gliders too. Popular toys among Sugar Glider owners include the following.
Chewing Toys
All-natural wood toys are a great option for Gliders to chew on because they are safe and generally long-lasting. Of course, the toy should be all-natural and free of glues, paint, or toxic treatments. Try to avoid woods like cedar, oak, and red cherry, as these are considered unsafe for ingesting, so try to stick to natural pine. Chewing toys are great for keeping your Glider’s dental health in good shape and are ideal for them to exercise their natural chewing instincts.
Puzzle Toys
Sugar Gliders are natural foragers in the wild, and puzzle toys are a great way for them to exercise this natural instinct. These toys are also great for their mental and physical health and will tap into their prey and foraging instincts. Puzzle toys can range from tunnels and mazes to toys with hidden treats that your Glider must figure out how to gain access to.
Sleeping Toys
In the wild, Sugar Gliders love to cuddle up in their small colonies for warmth and companionship, and this can be replicated by small plush toys and hammocks. Not only do these toys provide warmth and companionship, but they can also help your Glider feel safe and secure.
Climbing Toys
In the wild, Sugar Gliders love climbing in trees, so their cage should be full of ropes and ladders to encourage them to exercise this natural instinct. It’s even better to have natural fixtures made from wood that replicate the kind of climbing that they would do in trees.
Running Wheels
Running wheels are great forms of exercise for most small pet mammals, and Sugar Gliders are no exception. Wheels will encourage them to exercise regularly and avoid getting overweight, and they are endlessly entertaining. Just be sure to purchase a running wheel that is safe and sturdy enough for your Glider.
Safety
The most important factor when choosing a toy for your Sugar Glider or any other pet is safety. The toy you choose should be constructed from materials that are non-toxic and safe for Gliders to potentially ingest. Sugar Gliders love to chew and are highly likely to chew on the toys that you provide for them. For this reason, it’s best to avoid plastics and choose toys that are made from natural materials, like untreated wood, rope, and other plant fibers.
Remember that in the wild, your Sugar Glider would be exposed to a massive variety of textures and colors in their environment, and your aim should be to replicate this as closely as possible. We recommend that you give them a wide variety of toys to keep them from getting bored. There are toys for climbing, exercise, cuddling and sleeping, and mental stimulation, and you should aim to have at least one of each in their environment at all times and change these toys around as much as possible.
Conclusion
Our top choice of toy for your Sugar Glider is the Niteangel Small Animal Trio of Balls. These three balls are made from all-natural materials, are free of glue, plastic, or metal, and will provide hours of safe and stimulating entertainment for your glider.
The best Sugar Glider toy for the money according to our reviews is the Perfect Chews Toy from Kaytee. This toy is safe to chew and will help keep your Sugar Glider’s teeth clean and healthy, is a breeze to install with a built-in metal clasp, and is made entirely from 100% pet-safe materials.
There are a ton of different toys available for Sugar Gliders these days, and the variety to choose from can quickly become overwhelming. Hopefully, our in-depth reviews have helped you narrow down your favorites to choose the best toy to suit your Sugar Glider’s unique needs!
Featured Image Credit: Monkeyoum, Shutterstock
