How to Your Trim Your Sugar Glider's Nails

Now that you have been a “new parent” for a few days, you might notice that your baby(ies) nails can get pretty sharp over time – and they can even make uncomfortable little red marks or scratches when they run up and down your arms.

Now, to be clear, a lot of people don’t mind this. For example, my wife has pretty “thick skin” (she would have to in order to put up with me and 4 kids.. and 11 sugar bears in our home :-) – and even an adult’s nails don’t bother her at all.

I, however, am a self-admitted WUSS – and unless our sugar glider’s nails are “ground down” once a week – after just a few minutes of playing, I look like I have the chicken pox …

Well, over the years, our team of experts here at PocketPets have tried – and extensively tested – every possible way of dulling-down a sugar bear’s nails. This includes:

1. different methods of clipping (a big NO-NO),
2. cement branches and ladders (used with large birds)
3. abrasive inserts for exercise wheels, and
4. filing with an emory board.

Of all these options, abrasive inserts for exercise wheels work the best – but until very recently, we could never find one that actually STOOD UP to the test of time (i.e. durability). They all CLAIM to be tough – but in reality they fall apart after just a few uses.

Because of this, after years of trying all the others, we FINALLY developed our OWN proprietary Nail Trimming Insert, called the EZ-Trim II. It’s made specially to fit our Wund-R-Wheel Exercise Playwheel, and works like a charm. To find out more about how this insert works – including a short video on how to install it – just go to online store on our website.

No matter which method you choose, the important thing to remember when using ANY nail-filing device is simply to use it in MODERATION. In the case of exercise wheel inserts, most of these devices work VERY quickly – and will continually keep your sugar bear’s nails at a perfect comfort level for almost anyone. However, if you leave them in the cage too long – your sugar bear won’t be able to hold onto anything when it’s running around on you – and it’ll slip and slide all over the place…

Luckily this is a very easy problem to fix by simply taking the nail-filing device OUT of the cage every few days. In the case of our EZ-TRIM II insert, just keep in it the cage for 2-3 days a week, and then reverse it to the “smooth-side” for the remainder of the week. It’s been specifically designed so that you can reverse the running track in less than a minute – and it’s completely reusable and washable.

If you choose to use a cement branch or ladder (the type normally used for birds) these are much less efficient, but you can generally leave them in the cage all the time. Just be prepared for slightly sharper nails…