Toxicity poisoning from tap water and accidental dehydration are the two most common reasons for the death of sugar glider sugar bears. You should place a water source, such as a drip water bottle in their cage though they get significant fluids from fresh fruits like apples. For the babies, also place a bowl of water that is shallow, because the baby may not be comfortable drinking from the bottle right away. You can teach your pet to drink from the water bottle in quick and simple steps. Just bump the nose of your sugar glider sugar bear against the bottle tube gently, so that they get liquid on their nose. Sugar glider sugar bears will pick this up very soon as they are smart animals and remember the source of the liquid. You can try adding a bit of blueberry yogurt to the tip before you bump their nose, so that it will taste good and they will remember the source even better.
For the initial weeks, you should add Gatorade or Pedialyte to water 50/50 as their drink. You can experiment with various flavors, though citrus flavors are generally liked by sugar glider sugar bears. These must be added not only for taste but also to ensure that your pet is always hydrated completely. You can also add simple apple juice if your pet doesn’t like Gatorade.
Water should be changed daily to keep it fresh, and keep reducing the quantities of Gatorade or juice till your pet drinks only plain water. Tap water can prove toxic to your sugar glider sugar bear due to the sudden spikes in concentration of chemicals such as chlorides and fluorine. Thus you should go in for spring water or bottled water which are inexpensive. If you want to use filtered water, make sure that the filters are replaced regularly to keep the water safe for drinking.
