Sugar Glider Pictures - Information - Supplies

Feeding Sugar Gliders

I hear a lot of people complain that it's difficult to feed a sugar glider.  Personally, I don't find that an issue because they eat pretty much what I do (except for bugs).  Their diet is mostly composed of fresh fruit, fresh veggies, protein, dry food staple, nectar, treats, and water.  I have composed a list of do's and don'ts when it comes to their feeding and watering.  If you don't see what you want to feed them on the list, please email and ask or just don't give it to them.  Always play it safe so you won't be sorry!

WATER

Water should be kept in the cage and available at all times. Use bottled spring water.

DO NOT use tap water or distilled water.  Tap water contains chlorine and other chemicals that are dangerous to their health (as well as ours). Distilled water has had any nutritional value and minerals removed and is not giving them what they need nutritionally.

 Some gliders will not drink much water, but you also have to consider how small they are.  If you are concerned about dehydration, do what is called the "tent test".  You gently pull the skin up on the back of their neck.  If it stays up, then they are dehydrated, if it goes down quickly and lays flat, they are just fine.  If they flat out refuse to drink at all, take them to a vet to see if there might be another reason they are not drinking.  Sometimes mixing a small bit of apple juice in their water encourages them to drink more because it's sweeter and that attracts them to it more.  I also tend to put a drop or two of vinegar in their water.

Protein

3-4 insects (large mealworms, moths, grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars)

heaping tablespoon of yogurt

heaping teaspoon broiled chicken or duck

scrambled or boiled egg yolk

Fruits

1/2 tablespoon of fresh (in season) papaya, apples, strawberries,  blackberries, cantaloupe, grapes, mango, kiwi, peaches, honeydew, blueberries or frozen fruit.

Vegetables

1/2 tablespoon of fresh cucumbers, yellow squash, any in season squash, bell peppers, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, bok choy, jicama, green beans, spinach

Daily Staple

Small cup of Insectivore Fare (also known as Zookeepers)

Supplements

Enrichment supplement

Acacia gum powder mixed with water or diluted, unsweetened juice

Acacia/eucalyptus branches live

Commercial nectar supplement made for sugar gliders

Daily Vitamin/Mineral Supplement

The Pet Glider Complete Multivitamin (1/8 tsp sprinkled over food per glider)

Vionate (a small mammal multivitamin, found in pet stores) plus calcium in a nectar form, 1 tablespoon of the following mix per 2 gliders:

4 ounces unsweetened juice plus 1/8 teaspoon Vionate plus 1/4 teaspoon calcium (available at most pharmacies) DO NOT FREEZE!

Mix 1/2 teaspoon Glider-Cal with 1/2 teaspoon of Glider Booster per pound of food.  Can also be sprinkled on live insects as a coating before feeding.

KML

I found that my gliders didn't care much for the BML recipe, so I altered it to carry things they would have in the wild and removed the things they didn't like in the mixture.  Here is my own recipe, Karin's Modified Leadbeaters:

1 cup of honey (not raw)

1 cup of non-fat plain yogurt

1 cup of baby rice cereal

3 eggs boiled or scrambled (I do not use the shell, they don't like the texture)

4 teaspoons of Repti-Cal Calcium with no Phosphates

2 teaspoons of Repti-Cal Herbtivite

4 Teaspoons of Acacia Gum

4 Teaspoons of Bee Pollen Powder

4 Teaspoons of Wombaroo Milk Replacement Formula

2 cups of 100% juice - unsweetened (Here I use various flavors to give them a little difference in taste.  Juicy Juice has a lot of great juices like Watermelon, fruit punch, strawberry-kiwi and more.  Just do not use a "Drink" because that is not 100% juice! You can also use any Apple juice, but DO NOT use any juices with Citrus!)

BML

http://www.sugargliderinfo.com/NutritionAndDiets/leadbeat.html