If you’re thinking about buying a sugar glider, you may be wondering how to feed it. While gliders are omnivorous, their diets should be tailored to their specific nutritional needs. The right balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins should be fed to your guinea pig. You can even make your own sugar glider pellet diet if you’re not quite sure how to start. Listed below are some guidelines to help you choose the best diet for your pet.
Avoiding foods high in oxalates
Providing your sugar glider with fresh, clean fruits and vegetables is a vital part of keeping your pet healthy. Avoid serving fruits and vegetables with their pits, especially broccoli and blackberries. Additionally, avoid serving your sugar glider with tap water. The toxins in tap water can kill your glider, so be sure to use bottled drinking water or spring water instead. Other vegetables to avoid are Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and leeks.
During feeding time, your sugar glider should receive fresh fruit as a 25% of his or her diet. The recommended daily portion of fresh fruit is one eighth of an apple. You should wash fruits thoroughly and always opt for organic fruit. Avoid adding oxalates to your sugar glider’s diet, as these can interfere with calcium absorption. You can add calcium-based multivitamins to your sugar glider’s diet by lightly dusting them over the fruits. You can also feed your glider organic yogurt or natural apple sauce.
To avoid the risk of your sugar glider developing dental and cardiovascular disease, you should also avoid feeding them with food that contains high amounts of oxalates. These types of foods can limit the sugar glider’s calcium absorption and lead to other health issues. You can create sugar glider nectar from baby cereal, which gliders love! Insects are a common source of oxalates in their diets.
Choosing a homemade diet for your sugar glider
Using a homemade sugar glider pellet diet is one way to provide your pet with a healthy, varied diet. You can choose from three to four different kinds of fruit. Make sure not to give your sugar glider any fruits that have been peeled or have rhubarb seeds. Also, you should avoid artificially sweetened foods and food additives, such as chocolate and honey. Fresh fruits are also available, but they are expensive and may have too short a window between ripeness and mold. A variety of dried fruits and vegetables can be easily fed to your sugar glider, including figs, papaya, green beans, cabbage, apple, squash, and zucchini.
Most commercial sugar glider pellet brands contain beef or pork byproducts, which are toxic to your sugar glider’s livers. These products also cause brown secretions, which are signs of toxicity. The liver works overtime to eliminate the toxins in pellets and eventually fails. This can also lead to other health issues in your sugar glider. Toxins in your sugar glider’s diet can cause them to vomit and to become overweight.
When choosing a sugar glider pellet diet, you should follow the manufacturer’s instructions for feeding your pet. Sugar gliders should have fresh bottled water daily. Also, you should carefully monitor your glider’s weight to ensure that they are getting enough nutrients. Changing the diet should be done gradually over a two-week period. If you do not feel confident, consult your veterinarian before introducing any new foods or adjusting their current diet.
Feeding a sugar glider pellet diet
A sugar glider is one of the most popular exotic pets, but proper nutrition is key to their good health. In the wild, sugar gliders feed mainly on insects, nectar and pollen, and sap from eucalyptus trees. Their diet includes mealworms, crickets, and other protein-rich foods. You can follow this guide to feeding a sugar glider pellet diet:
When choosing a sugar glider pellet diet, you need to consider a variety of fruit and vegetable choices. You can provide fruit that is already peeled and pitted or chopped vegetables. Fruits are better for sugar gliders than vegetables, which may require peeling and cooking. If you can’t find a variety of fruits and vegetables, consider a homemade mixture. Make sure it’s rich in vitamins and minerals.
You can use an ice cube tray to serve a small portion of the BML diet to each glider. This way, you won’t waste any food. You can fill the ice cube trays halfway or more. You can also offer small snacks at mid-day. The size of the ice cube trays should be sufficient for two gliders. If you plan to feed your gliders for several days, you can freeze the worm mixture for later use.
