Baby food for sugar gliders
The World of Sugar Gliders | Veterinarian in Goose Creek, SC
Sugar Gliders are tree dwelling marsupials from Australia, New Guinea, and Indonesia. Adults weigh about 90 to 130 grams and measure about 12" from nose to tail tip. Sugar Gliders have a thin membrane that stretches from their wrists to their ankles and allows them to glide from branch to branch like a flying squirrel. Sugar Gliders are nocturnal and are usually most active at night. They are communal animals and live in the wild in groups of 4 to 40 animals. They adapt well to humans and can develop strong bonds to their owners, but this takes time and patience. How close your pet bonds with you will depend on the time you spend together. A minimum of 2 hours a day is recommended, but more time is always better. Sugar Gliders can live from 12 to 20 years with proper food, housing, and companionship. Unfortunately poor care and/or companionship can severely cut the Sugar Gliders life expectancy.
Your Sugar Glider should have a cage large enough to allow plenty of room for exercise. The wire spacing should be no more than 1" by 1/2'' wide. The cage should be as large as possible to allow for the Glider to jump and play. A 2' by 2 1/2' by 6' cage is ideal for one to five Gliders to have plenty of running room. The temperature should be kept between 60-90 degrees Fin an area free from drafts and heating/air conditioning vents. You can give your Sugar Glider toys to play with. Large parrot toys, thick ropes, and ladders make good toys. You can also put an exercise wheel in the cage but make sure it is the larger, guinea pig size, NOT the smaller gerbil type. Sugar Gliders can catch their long tails in the smaller wheels and hurt themselves.
You can put branches in for your Sugar Glider to climb on but be VERY careful what type of wood it is. Some types of trees that are fine to use are: Apple, Aspen, Beech, Birch, Crabapple, Dogwood, Elm, Fir, Magnolia, Pine, Poplar, and Willow. Remember, though; if you aren't ABSOLUTLY sure about the species of the tree DON'T use the branches! Here are some trees to AVOID - Almond, Apricot, Black Walnut, Cherry, and Peach.
You also need to give your Sugar Glider a hiding place to sleep in. A wooden hiding box or a cloth pouch works well. This will be a safe place for it and is very important to your Gliders mental well being. They will become very stressed and ill if they never have any place to retreat to and hide.
When deciding what to feed your Sugar Glider there are a few things to keep in mind. First, in the wild, they have been found to have a 75% fruit/veggie/sap and 25% protein diet. This means that they mostly eat fruit, nectar, and sap and also insects and small animals/reptiles. Their fat intake should be kept to an absolute minimum! Even though they look very cute eating cookies, doughnuts, and candy, this will severely stress out your Gliders digestive system and can even kill them. Obesity is a serious problem with improperly fed Sugar Gliders and can shorten your pets life expectancy by many years. Some other toxic foods to avoid feeding are - any member of the onion family including chives, garlic, shallots, and leaks, seeds from peaches, cherries, plums, and nectarines, and ANY form of chocolate!
Here is a list to give you some ideas on things that are good to feed your Glider - apples, baby food (no preservatives) , apricots, bananas, berries, cantaloupe, carrots, cherries, corn, dried fruit (no salt/preservatives) , eggs (boiled WITH shell), figs, grapes, honey (small amounts), honeydew melon, insects (crickets-mealworms) , small pinkie feeder mice, peaches, pears, pineapple, pl ums, raisins (small amounts), strawberries, and sweet potatoes .
You can also give your Sugar Glider food treats from your own back yard if you do not use ANY FORM of fertilizers or pesticides of ANY KIND. Clover, dandelion flowers, honeysuckle , rose flowers, squash, melon , and cucumber flowers will all be fine to give your Glider. Always remember though, even a minute amount of pesticide or fertilizer can kill your Sugar Glider within a matter of hours, so if you’re not sure if a plant has been treated with anything, it 's best not to use it at all. There has been a lot of discussion about feeding dairy products to Sugar Gliders. Most marsupials are known to be galactose and lactose intolerant and it seems logical to assume Sugar Gliders may be as well. The best course of action would be to refrain from feeding dairy products altogether until there is conclusive evidence. Most Veterinarians tend to recommend that you try to keep Sugar Gliders' diets as natural as possible and yogurt is not found in the wild. Ultimately, when in doubt about the effects of a new or different food, don't feed it to your Sugar Glider until you consult with a qualified veterinarian familiar with these animals.
Sugar Gliders can be kept singly, in pairs, or in groups but several considerations should be kept in mind. If two or more males are housed together they will probably fight and injure one another, so it is best to only have one male in a group. Two or more females can usually be housed together without too much fighting or fussing. If you put an intact male in with an intact female YOU WILL GET BABIES! If you do not want a house full of Sugar Gliders you need to have one or both of the pair neutered or spayed. If your Gliders do breed there are a few things you need to know. Gestation is only 16 days. The babies are born, usually I to 3 of them, tiny and hairless and have to make their own way into the mothers pouch. Once there they attach themselves to a nipple where they stay for approximately 2 months before they start making ventures outside the pouch. You might at first see only a foot or even half a baby hanging out of the pouch, but under NO circumstances should you ever try to pull the baby out of the pouch! They are still physically attached to the nipple and removing them forcefully can cause serious damage to both mother and baby, and probably kill the baby.
Male Sugar Gliders are usually very good with the babies and help with care and feeding, so removing the male after breeding is not necessary or recommended. Also remember to keep your Sugar Gliders routine the same after breeding occurs and until the babies are completely weaned. Sugar Gliders will kill and eat their babies if they become too stressed out so moving them or changing their environment is not recommended at this time. The babies open their eyes about I 0 days after completely leaving the pouch. A month after that, they are completely weaned and the mother may become slightly hostile toward them at this time to get them to leave her alone so she can raise the next litter. Sugar Gliders reach sexual maturity at about 6 months of age, so proper care should be taken to remove any babies before inbreeding or male fighting occurs.
You should always keep daily tabs on your pet to make sure your Glider is doing fine. If your pet suddenly starts acting in ways that are not consistent with it’s normal behavior, it could be a sign of illness.
If you do suspect you Sugar glider is ill take it to a veterinarian immediately! Gliders are very small and can quickly become dehydrated and/or irreversibly ill if they don't get medical attention very quickly. Here are some things to watch for:
- lack of appetite
- lethargy
- coughing or sneezing
- vomiting or diarrhea
- difficulty breathing
- difficulty walking or dragging hind legs
- loss of fur
- runny eyes or nose
If you have any questions or concerns about your Sugar Glider the best thing you can do is call your local exotic veterinarian as soon as possible. Remember your Sugar Glider can be beyond help in a matter of hours so if you have any suspicion that your pet is ill, contact your veterinarian immediately.
Diet | Sugar Gliders *R* Us
Sugar Gliders need a well-balanced diet. We sell a variety of foods for Sugar Gliders that is in pellet form. These foods are a complete diet, however we recommend supplementing the pellets with fresh fruits and vegetables.
Glider Booster adds additional vitamins, calcium, and minerals that should be mixed with the dry food. I recommend putting ½ of the container of booster into the half gallon bag of pellets. Stir/shake it up really well so that the pellets are lightly coated with the booster. A tablespoon of dry pellets needs to be given to them every night. It is best to feed them at night since they are nocturnal and that is when they eat. You will want to alternate their diet between fresh fruits and veggies. We buy bags of frozen/fresh mixed vegetables (do not use canned vegetables) and fresh fruits. Please stay away from preservatives. It is also important to give them extra protein. Mealworms and crickets are very high in protein. We carry the freeze dried ones if you don't like to handle live bugs. You can find protein in boiled chicken and eggs (don't add anything to them) or perhaps raw nuts (only a few every now and then). Babies also love baby food such as chicken, fruit, and veggies. We also offer a variety of treats that our gliders love, but only need to be given as treats.
You will need to give them fresh filtered or bottled spring water every day. You can give them nectar, such as we sell for a treat drink. NEVER GIVE YOUR GLIDER CHOCOLATE! We offer ours carob drops as a treat. It tastes and looks like chocolate, but it's safe for gliders as a treat. This may sound like a lot to remember, but after you've done it for a while you'll see how easy it is. Next you will find a list of foods and feeding schedule.
Our weekly feeding schedule looks something like this. We recommend you start off with this feeding schedule. As you learn more about what your gliders likes and dislikes you can alter this schedule to accommodate their needs and wants.
Proper Foods & Treats
Fruits
- Apples
- Apricots
- Bananas
- Blackberries
- Cantaloupe
- Cherries (sweet)
- Coconut
- Cranberries
- Dried Fruits (see website)
- Figs
- Grapes
- Honey
- Honeydew Melon
- Kiwifruit
- Mandarins
- Mango
- Melon
- Nectarine (not every day)
- Orange (navel and valencia) not everyday
- Papaya
- Peach
- Pear
- Pineapple
- Plum
- Prunes
- Raisins
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Tangerine (not everyday)
- Watermelon
Vegetables
- Alfalfa
- Artichoke
- Asparagus
- Avocado (stay away from the pit)
- Broccoli (spears/sprouts)
- Brussel Sprouts
- Cabbage (red and green)
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Corn (yellow, not everyday)
- Cucumber (With or without skin)
- *Dried Vegetables (see website)
- Green beans
- Kale (not everyday)
- Mushrooms
- Greens (Collard, Mustard, Turnip)
- Okra
- Peas (not everyday)
- Peppers (sweet)
- Pumpkin
- *Salads To Go
- Spinach (not everyday)
- Squash (Acorn, butternut, Hubbard, spaghetti, summer, winter & zucchini)
- Sweet Potato
- Tomato
Protein
- Chicken/Turkey (make sure its boneless & cooked) boiling it in water is best
- Eggs (scrambled or hard boiled)
- Insects (live farm raised) crickets, mealworms, grasshoppers
- *Bug Blend
- *Cricket Crunch
- *Groovy Grasshoppers
- *Insect Eater Diet
- *Insectivore Fare Diet
- *Insectivore Diet Premium
- *Yummy Wormy Treats
- *Berries & Bugs
- *Bugs & Veggies
- *Monkey Biscuits
- Yogurt (Do not feed everyday)
- Baby Food stage 1 without onion powder, onion, garlic or other seasonings
- *Tutti Fruiti
- *Buffet
- *Grub
- *Nectar & Honey
- *Peach & Honey
- *Complete Plus
- *Pretty Glider
- *Glider Love
- *HPW Diets
Foods To Avoid
These are foods to avoid: Baby Foods (containing onions or garlic for seasoning), Caffeine (coffee ,tea, soda, chocolate, etc.
) Canned foods or meat (most contain added salt or sugar), Canned Fruit (Added salt and sugar), Cheese (intestinal blockage or binding - constipation), Chocolate (It causes toxic chemical reaction in many animals), Dog Food, Fatty Foods, Fried Foods, Garlic, Wild Insects, KeelsIceburg Lettuce (non-nutritional), Milk, Millet (Or other small seeds), Nuts only as a treat, Onions, Pits From Fruit, Processed Meat, Phosphorus, Raw Eggs, Raw Meat (except for live insects), Rhubarb (stalks can be toxic to mammals if not cooked, foliage mat contain toxins even after cooking.), Scallions, Seeds/Pits (including fresh fruit seeds) with exception of unsalted sunflower seed and pumpkin seeds possible, Excess Sugars (Refined sugar, table sugar) or foods with added sugar.
Sugar glider as a pet
Exotic
Contents
Sugar gliders are becoming more and more popular as time goes by and we are learning more about these adorable little marsupials. Petaurus breviceps - Latin name for the sugar glider, meaning "short-headed tightrope walker".
Lifespan
Sugar gliders live in captivity for about 10-15 years, so they are long-lived pets.
Dimensions
The sugar glider is about 12-15 cm long, with the tail adding about 15 cm more (it acts like a rudder when flying). They weigh only about 100 - 160 grams.
Origin
Sugar gliders are native to Australia (eastern part), Papua New Guinea, Tasmania, several neighboring islands and parts of Indonesia. They can be found in rainforests where they plan from tree to tree and make their homes in tree cavities. They rarely touch the ground at all.
Anatomy
Sugar gliders are marsupial, which means that the babies are born immature and grow in their mother's pouch for 60-70 days (like a kangaroo or an opossum).
Sugar gliders have furry, thin, elastic membranes that extend from the wrists to the ankles (this membrane is called the patagium), allowing them to glide up to 45 meters through the air.
What is the fastest flying insect?
- Dragonfly
- Tsetse fly
- Chafer
- Wasp
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Answer at the end of the article 🙂
In the wild, they move from tree to tree by gliding, not by flying. The hind foot has a large, opposing thumb with which they grasp branches, while the second and third toes form a grooming comb. Their other toes help them catch insects and connect the patagium.
These small marsupials are characterized by large eyes, which help them navigate in flight and adequately assess the landing site.
This also helps them find food as they are nocturnal and hunt at night. Both sexes also possess distinct scent glands, sharp teeth, and extremely soft fur.
Temperament and behavior
Sugar gliders are social and need company. This is beneficial for taming them, but even if you can provide enough attention and are willing to spend the necessary time with your glider, it still needs its own company.
Sugar gliders have their own language and live in colonies of 30 individuals. Leaving a pet to himself is fraught with behavioral, mental, emotional, and even physical problems.
It is highly recommended to keep more than one glider. People cannot provide them with the same type of communication and socialization.
Diet
In the wild, sugar gliders eat different foods depending on the season. They are omnivores and, like other pets, they are often fed specific diets recommended by experts and zoos. These are mixed diets that include baby food, honey, fruits, vitamins and other ingredients, supplemented with fresh fruits, vegetables and insects.
Special food is produced for them, but it is not recommended, as it is defective. The needs of sugar gliders have changed as more has been learned about them.
Health
Sugar gliders, like other exotic pets, suffer from many diseases that affect them. Most often, they are prone to metabolic and digestive disorders due to malnutrition, bruises and parasitic infestation.
Answer to the question: dragonfly.
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BML diet for sugar gliders
Review
- Operating time: 20 min.
- Yield: 20 servings
Leadbeater's Modified Diet (BML) is a version of Leadbeater's original diet, the well-known complete diet for pets. The BML diet is widely accepted and can be easily prepared at home.
The BML Sugar Glider Diet should not be used in conjunction with other diets such as Brisky's Sugar Glider or Sunseed Sugar Glider Formula. If any part of the recipe is changed or replaced, your glider will probably not eat it (gliders can be picky).
After preparing a portion of the BML diet, you will have a real time savings on food, as this recipe will create ready-to-eat food cubes that you can feed to your sugar glider every day.
What you need
Equipment / Tools
- Blender
- 2 ice cube trays
Materials
- 1/4 cup apple juice
- 1/2 cup honey (do not use raw or unfiltered)
- 1 hard-boiled egg (no shell)
- 4 oz Gerber yogurt and juice mix (banana or fruit mix or substitute 2 oz plain yogurt and 2 oz mixed fruit juice)
- 1 teaspoon Rep-Cal Herpivite (blue label)
- 2 Rep-Cal Non-Phosphorus Calcium Supplement with Vitamin D3 (pink label)
- 2 Cans Baby Food with Chicken (5 oz total)
- 1/4 cup wheat germ
- 1/2 cup Gerber Dry Baby Cereal (blended or oatmeal, but most sugar gliders prefer fruit-flavored rice)
instructions
-
Blend honey, egg and apple juice in a blender until smooth.
-
Turn off blender and add Gerber Juice and Rep-cal Herpivite Vitamin Supplement. Blend until the mixture is smooth and then turn off the blender again.
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Add Rep-cal Calcium Supplement (buy on Amazon) to chicken baby food, wheat germ, and dry baby cereal. Stir for the last time until it becomes homogeneous.
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Pour mixture into standard size ice cube trays, filling each compartment only half way. Then place the half-filled ice cube trays in the freezer.
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After the mixture is frozen, simply place one BML diet cube in your sugar glider's food dish a few hours before feeding time (usually in the evening) to melt the cube a little. Remove it the next morning to avoid spoiling food and attracting unwanted insects.
The BML diet should be fed with fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables at every meal. If you are using frozen foods, you can put them in the dish at the same time as the frozen BML Diet Cube so that everything thaws together.
By the time the sugar paraglider is ready to eat, its food will be soft.
Serving Size and Whole Foods
A full ice cube is approximately 2 tablespoons and the BML diet should be served in 1 tablespoon increments along with 1 tablespoon fresh or frozen fruit and 1 tablespoon fresh or frozen vegetables each evening. That's why you only fill half the ice cube slots with BML when you cook it. If you prefer, smaller ice cube trays are also available that can be completely filled.
Small snacks such as mealworms, fresh fruit, or treats can be offered mid-afternoon along with this diet if your sugar glider is very hungry, but the recipe for the BML diet itself should not be changed.
Sugar Glider Dietary Requirements
Sugar gliders have special dietary requirements that keep them healthy and happy. For example, a diet lacking in calcium and related vitamins can contribute to the development of metabolic bone disease (MBD) in your sugar glider, as is common with reptiles, and make their legs more prone to fractures.
