Stages Of A Glider Diet

 

Building a Proper Sugar Gliders Diet

Proper diet is one of the most important things to consider when raising a sugar glider. Yes, this is true of almost any pet, but especially so with a sugar glider. A proper sugar gliders diet should always be maintained as these animals are very sensitive to disease that is related to being malnourished. Without a healthy, robust diet, sugar gliders have been known to get very ill.

It is important to understand that no one diet will suit all sugar gliders. Adult gliders have very different dietary needs from young gliders, for instance. Below is listed some information that every sugar glider owner needs in order to properly feed their little friends. Unless one is an expert in sugar glider nutrition themselves, they would be advised not to stray too far from these diet plans.

Young Sugar Gliders Diet

For a young glider, a home made formula should suffice, this would include the following ingredients.

Puppy Milk, and make sure to use puppy milk, not kitten milk, as kitten milk is higher in lactose
Chicken with apple baby food
Vanilla yogurt, not non-fat
Leadbeater's mix
Rice and banana baby cereal
Diluted apple juice

Mix this formula up, adding cereal and thickness as needed to create a sap-like consistency. Warm to body temperature and use a dropper to feed your young gliders. For those two weeks or younger, four to six times a day will suffice. It should be easy to tell when the baby is hungry after a little experience, and don't try to overfeed them: if they're full, they'll let you know.

A Weaning Gliders Diet

For weaning babies, it is best to teach the gliders to enjoy a variety of food. It's a good idea to start mixing the formula together with the foods that they will eventually enjoy as adults, slowly giving them more and more adult foods and less formula every day.

Adult Glider Diet

Once a sugar glider has been appropriately weaned, any of the following can be considered glider-safe dietary staples.

Turkey and sweet potato baby food
Chicken and apple baby food
Baby food fruits and sweet vegetables such as corn, sweet potatoes and carrots
Leadbeater's mix
Monkey biscuits soaked in juice or nectar
Rice and banana baby cereal
Applesauce

Remember that gliders primarily eat sap for sugar and bugs for protein in the wild. For this reason, it is important to ensure that a glider is getting both of these nutrients in sufficient amounts.

Providing Gliders with Sufficient Water

Sugar gliders should be provided with plenty of water as they dehydrate quickly. Babies and younger gliders will require a water dish, while older gliders may enjoy a water bottle. It is important that glider owners do not remove the dish until they have witnessed the gliders drinking from the bottle. It is simply not worth the risk until one can be sure that the glider knows what the bottle is for.

If a glider owner notices malnourished, underweight or sick gliders, it is important to provide their gliders with the appropriate diet and address the problem immediately, either through further research or with help and advice from other glider owners.