What to feed your adult Sugar Glider!
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Experienced caretakers seriously recommend that sugar gliders' diets be prepared carefully and home-made. Fruits and vegetables need to be fresh since a lot of canned products have contents and preservatives that can be very harmful to sugar gliders. Sugar gliders can also get easily choked. Therefore, a variety of fruits like apples, cantaloupes, and pears need to be cut/chopped into small pieces as well as a variety of vegetables like carrots, corn, and cucumbers. When preparing these, you can decide either a single kind or a variety of fruits and vegetables as long as you feed them different kinds each day.
Sources of Protein
As insectivores, they eat things like meal-worms, grasshoppers and crickets. Just like feeding fruits and vegetables, you also want to feed them a different kind each day as long as you feed them a gut load. However, young sugar gliders, also known as joeys, are not ready to consume this source of protein. As substitutes, sugar gliders can be fed animal protein, such as chicken and feeder mice. Prior to feeding, you need to take serious consideration into fat intake since excess fat will present heath problems for sugar gliders.
Diet Supplements
Sugar gliders' diets should also involve occasional intake of vitamins and calcium. You can mix both elements into any portion of fruits, vegetables, and protein. While doing so, you need to be careful not to overdose the vitamins. Another thing to watch is the importance of calcium supplements for sugar gliders' health. They need to be 2:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio in order to prevent hind-leg paralysis.
Important!
Well Balanced Sugar Gliders' Diets
Cut or chop fruits and vegetables into smaller pieces so your sugar gliders won't get choked easily.
High portion of calcium supplements are very important in order to prevent hind leg paralysis.
Consult this guide in order to prepare a well balanced meal for your sugar gliders.
What Not to Feed
Besides canned products and food high in fat, here are some things that should not be fed due to its toxicity or lack of nutritional value:
Wild insects: One may catch them around the yard or around the house, but they may have parasites or pesticides on them.
Seeds or nuts: Besides the high fat content, they can provide choking risk.
Don't feed your SG
What NOT to feed your Glider!
For those people, who may be wondering what they should not be feeding sugar gliders, this article may be of some help. Following is a list of some foods that people should never feed to these pets, as well as, some foods that many people may be feeding sugar gliders, but that are highly controversial. A great rule of thumb is that if people are unsure of whether to feed something to their sugar glider, then it would probably be best not to feed it to them at all. It comes down to the old adage, better safe than sorry.
Some foods that people should never feed their suggies include garlic, cheese, fried foods, chives, chocolate, coffee, raw eggs, leeks, processed meat, onions, millet, tea, soda, scallions, raw meat, rhubarb, salt and soda. Other foods people should avoid feeding their gliders are sugar, milk, peanuts or various insects. They should also never feed them baby food that contains either garlic or onion and canned foods, as they contain salt and sugar. Some foods that sugar gliders can eat, but only in small quantities include dog food, iceberg lettuce, various nuts and sunflower seeds. As far as insects go, some are allowed and you should contact an exotic veterinarian to find out what kinds and how much to feed and when.
Although many sugar glider owners feed their pets tofu and soy products, many breeders do not like this idea as research has shown that tofu can adversely affect the animal’s digestive system. Although these studies did not focus on sugar gliders, there is still controversy as to the effects of tofu upon the glider’s digestive system, as well.
Grapes and raisins are other foods that many people commonly feed these pets. However, some breeders have found that there may be a connection between suggies eating these foods and kidney failure. This is true for other animals, as well.
Other foods, that people commonly feed their gliders, are fruit pits, fruit skins and fruit seeds. While there is controversy among some breeders as to whether people should remove the pits, skin and seeds from fruit before they feed them to these pets, there is no solid reason as to why. Most suggies will not eat the pits, skin and seeds anyway; however, it is always best to be safe and remove them.
For those people, who may be wondering what they should not be feeding sugar gliders, this article may be of some help. Following is a list of some foods that people should never feed to these pets, as well as, some foods that many people may be feeding sugar gliders, but that are highly controversial. A great rule of thumb is that if people are unsure of whether to feed something to their sugar glider, then it would probably be best not to feed it to them at all. It comes down to the old adage, better safe than sorry.
Some foods that people should never feed their suggies include garlic, cheese, fried foods, chives, chocolate, coffee, raw eggs, leeks, processed meat, onions, millet, tea, soda, scallions, raw meat, rhubarb, salt and soda. Other foods people should avoid feeding their gliders are sugar, milk, peanuts or various insects. They should also never feed them baby food that contains either garlic or onion and canned foods, as they contain salt and sugar. Some foods that sugar gliders can eat, but only in small quantities include dog food, iceberg lettuce, various nuts and sunflower seeds. As far as insects go, some are allowed and you should contact an exotic veterinarian to find out what kinds and how much to feed and when.
Although many sugar glider owners feed their pets tofu and soy products, many breeders do not like this idea as research has shown that tofu can adversely affect the animal’s digestive system. Although these studies did not focus on sugar gliders, there is still controversy as to the effects of tofu upon the glider’s digestive system, as well.
Grapes and raisins are other foods that many people commonly feed these pets. However, some breeders have found that there may be a connection between suggies eating these foods and kidney failure. This is true for other animals, as well.
Other foods, that people commonly feed their gliders, are fruit pits, fruit skins and fruit seeds. While there is controversy among some breeders as to whether people should remove the pits, skin and seeds from fruit before they feed them to these pets, there is no solid reason as to why. Most suggies will not eat the pits, skin and seeds anyway; however, it is always best to be safe and remove them.
About SGs
A sugar glider can live up to 12-14 years. The commitment to a sugar glider equals that of dogs and cats. Can you commit to provide the best care for that long?
A sugar glider needs to be fed fresh meals daily. It only takes a few minutes a day. Do you have the time to attend properly to their nutritional needs?
Sugar glider cages need to be cleaned once or twice a week, depending on how large the cage is; do you have the time to attend properly to their hygiene needs?
Are you aware that sugar gliders are nocturnal? You can play with them and handle them during the day, but they will be up playing most of the night.
Do you have enough room to provide a reasonably large cage for your sugar glider and can you afford to purchase them a variety of toys to stimulate their clever little minds?
A sugar glider does not make a suitable pet for young children; gliders are not domesticated "feed and forget" pets like the hamsters and mice you see at the pet store. Are you willing to supervise constantly while a child is holding a sugar glider?
Sugar gliders are extremely social creatures. They are best kept in at least pairs. Can you afford to purchase / keep at least two sugar gliders? (same sex together is OK) Can you commit time each day to spend with your sugar gliders?
A sugar glider can live up to 12-14 years. The commitment to a sugar glider equals that of dogs and cats. Can you commit to provide the best care for that long?
A sugar glider needs to be fed fresh meals daily. It only takes a few minutes a day. Do you have the time to attend properly to their nutritional needs?
Sugar glider cages need to be cleaned once or twice a week, depending on how large the cage is; do you have the time to attend properly to their hygiene needs?
Are you aware that sugar gliders are nocturnal? You can play with them and handle them during the day, but they will be up playing most of the night.
Do you have enough room to provide a reasonably large cage for your sugar glider and can you afford to purchase them a variety of toys to stimulate their clever little minds?
A sugar glider does not make a suitable pet for young children; gliders are not domesticated "feed and forget" pets like the hamsters and mice you see at the pet store. Are you willing to supervise constantly while a child is holding a sugar glider?
Sugar gliders are extremely social creatures. They are best kept in at least pairs. Can you afford to purchase / keep at least two sugar gliders? (same sex together is OK) Can you commit time each day to spend with your sugar gliders?