A few questions

Question
Hi!
Someone just gave me an around three year old sugar glider yesterday. I have never had sugar gliders before so I don't know much about them, but I am willing to learn. So, I have a few questions
First, the sugar glider I have seems to shake a lot when he walks. His previous owner thinks that it is because he chewed on some paint, which may have contained lead, in his cage when he was younger. After doing some research, I think it might be nutrition related or possibly because of muscle loss. His previous owner had only fed him fruit and yogurt and he didn't let the glider out of the cage at all. What do you think could be causing the shaking?
Also, I have been feeding him a mixture of things(honey, oatmeal, boiled eggs and egg shells), pears, apples, blueberry yogurt, carrots, sunseed suncription vita exotics sugar glider formula(its the only food I could find), and mealworms. I'm planning to get him some crickets tomorrow to try, but I'm not sure if he'd be able to catch them since he shakes so much. Is there anything else I should be feeding him?
I know that sugar gliders should be kept in groups, but I live in Massachusetts and they are actually illegal here so I can't get another.
I'm going to bring him to my ferret's vet(he's an exotic vet) on Tuesday to get him checked out as well. I'd just like to know your ideas on these things as well.
Thanks! (:

Answer
Sadly this glider will probably be a bad experience for you, the glider definitely has nutritional deficiency and since he likely didn't supplement calcium, I am almost positive he has MBD, which is a bone issue. He will likely become totally paralyzed.

If you hold him be very careful with him, its been thought (but not proven) that a glider with bone and nutritional issues also has nerve damage and it can be painful for him to be held. Again this is a un proven theory, but I like to mention it anyways. As far as his diet, he is NEEDY!! lol, read as much as you can.

Gliders need a good staple diet, I feed monkey pellets (can be found at most feed/exotic shops), they also need FRESH fruit and veggies daily ( your glider is like a toddler and will have his likes and dislikes) I will admit to being lazy and buying some mixed frozen stuff, but I generally try and do fresh as much as possible. He will also need a powder called gliderade and bugs and berries. You can google it and you will likely have to order it, these are staple in their diet and they can have nutritional issues if not fed these (as you can see). Also I highly recommend buying a calcium supplement, Repcal is my favorite. Dust a VERY small amount on his fruit or bugs.

Foods that are bad are corn, it will kill them, so no corn and no cat food. Also yogurt should be kept to a minimum as it can cause runny stools in them. Peanuts are a nice treat but moderation or they become obese and more health issues arise.

If he is sociable, I would get him out and let him sit with you or in a shirt pocket as often as possible, they really should be kept together but some cant always do that. In case you didn't, call your vet ahead of time. I have heard of some people having a family vet for years and then they will take a illegal exotic animal in ( monkeys, etc) and the vet will call on them for owning it. If he has already accepted it then GREAT!

Gliders are amazing pets, they are about as needy and costly as a newborn baby, but they are good pets. Again I am sorry you got one that was not properly cared for and you two are likely to have a long road ahead of you (depending on how sick he is and his age). But hopefully you can give him a better life than his previous owner. Let me know if you have any more questions about him! I really love these guys and am always happy to help.