The nails of your glider are made to cling to branches, climb
trees, leaping and griping. Their little nails left untrimmed can cause
little punctures up and down your skin while you are letting them play
on you. This in turn could allow bacteria into your skin, which can
result in a condition known as dermatitis. Trimming the nails of your
glider is important not only to you, but as a safety precaution to them
as well. It may take 2 people to trim your gliders nails until you get
the hang of it.
 You
will need:
A towel
Nail Clippers
Another helping hand if available
Corn Starch, Nitrate Stick, or Blood Stopper
It is best to trim your gliders nails in the morning, when they are
tired. Some gliders will allow you to trim their nails quite easily as
they become used to the process. Use the towel to hold the glider, be
careful not to hold it too tightly. If needed, cover your glider's head
to reduce stress. Take the nail clippers and clip off the very end of
each nail. Be careful not to cut too much of the nail. It will bleed if
you cut off too much. Should bleeding occur, use cornstarch, nitrate
sticks or blood stopper to help clot the blood and stop the bleeding.
There are also other things you can do to help keep your glider's nails
down to size. Such as using a product from called the Nail-O-Matic from
Suncoast Sugar Gliders or the Pet-o-Cure from
Kindered Spirit Sugar Gliders. These products are both very helpful,
however the Emery Track is adjustable to fit in many different wheel
styles, and in my experience works faster, and holds up longer.
If you don't want to buy something, you can also try attaching a fine
finishing sandpaper, about 400 to 600 grit, to about 1/3 of the running
surface of you sugar gliders wheel. It is recommended that you replace
the paper as needed, and always use under supervision. Do not leave the
sand paper in the wheel for more than 3 days at a time. Nails that are
too short can cause problems also.
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