Feeding Your Joeys & Adult Gliders
Feeding Your Joeys & Adult Gliders
Feeding a proper, nutritionally complete and balanced diet is crucial to your joey's long-term health and longevity. There are many nutrients that need to be balanced, including the Calcium to Phosphorus ratio, which tends to get the most attention. However, the Calcium to Phosphorus ratio of the diet is not the only one to be concerned with. Many vitamins can react adversely with each other. Some will prevent the absorption of certain minerals and vice versa. For example, too much Vitamin C will prevent the absorption of Calcium.
In addition, it should be noted that too much Calcium is just as harmful as not enough. When too much Calcium is given to a sugar glider, the result can be kidney stones, crystals in the urine, gall stones and/or Calcium deposits on the bones, joints, muscles and organs.
There are several recommended diets available. These diets have been devised in consultation with veterinarians and nutritionists to ensure overall nutritional and mineral balances for the complete health of sugar gliders. Any of the recommended diets should be followed exactly and you should not "pick & choose" from the various diets and combine them since this will throw off the nutritional balance of the diet. In addition, you should not add any other items to any of these diets. Some diets call for a staple food, such as a soft pellet, to be left in the cage 24/7, others do not. Make sure that you do what the specific diet you choose calls for since adding or removing components can also throw of the balance of the diet. Some of the recommended diets available for sugar gliders include:
- Overseas BML Recipe (for use in Eurasian & African countries)
Coobah and Carina Forage for Mealies in their toy from Xtreme Gliders
It is also very important to keep fresh water in their cage at all times since sugar gliders can dehydrate very easily. At first, have water available in a small, non-tippable bowl as well as in a water bottle. Do not take away the water bowl until you have seen your joey use the water bottle.
Sugar gliders need to have a low-fat diet. Therefore, although they love to eat sunflower seeds and nuts, these should only be offered as occasional treats. NEVER give your glider table scraps or human junk food. Although they might eat them with gusto, they are NOT healthy for your glider. Acceptable treats include mealworms*, crickets*, dried fruits, fresh fruits, fresh or frozen vegetables and yogurt (avoid the type that is made with aspartame). It is also important to read the ingredient labels on any foods that you will be giving to your joey. Avoid those with garlic and/or onions, as these can be toxic to gliders.
Also, although there are many pelleted foods and "diets" available for gliders, I do NOT recommend any of them, except the soft pellet that is part of the Suncoast Diet. Hard pellets can scrape the roof of a glider's mouth, causing a passage for bacteria to invade the respiratory sinuses and subsequent infection can be severe.
*Please note, crickets and mealworms can be carriers of Aflatoxins. For more information about them, please read the article about "Aflatoxins: What are they and why are they dangerous?"
Continue reading about Sugar Gliders and their care by going to Sounds Your Joey Makes