Sugar Gliders (Petaurus breviceps).

Feeding and Nutrition

There is much speculation regarding what a Suggie should eat, but there are a few basic rules.

• Never feed chocolate, anything from the onion family, millet, caffeine, canned fruit or Rhubarb. Avocado should also be avoided due to it’s high fat content.
• Ensure clean water is available at all times, use a water bottle NOT a dish.
• Always remove any uneaten fruit in the morning, this is a breeding ground for bacteria and will also attract flies and ants.
• Never feed rodent mixes, peanuts, sunflower seeds, corn or corn products. Gliders are not seed and nut eaters, not only can they be a choke hazard and possibly damage the intestine, but they are prone aflatoxin contamination which can prove fatal.
• The entire diet should have a calcium:phosphorus (ca:p) ratio of 2:1
• Leave a staple diet in the cage at all times, gliders have been known to wake up during the day and have a midday snack. This is especially important for pregnant and lactating females.

A healthy diet should consist of a protein source (50% source = approx 20% digestible), a calcium source, fuits and vegetables, nectar mixes and a vitamin and mineral supplement.

Protein sources can come in the form of chicken, tofu, egg, or Iams dried cat food (1+). With the exception of tofu and Iams, the protein sources have an inverted Ca:P which is one of the reasons I use Iams. Its Ca:P is 1:1.

Calcium: Calcium can be gleaned from the diet, but many use a calcium supplement. It’s important not to oversupplement the calcium as it can crystallise and when these crystals dislodge they may irritate or block the urinary tract which means a trip to the vets.

Fruits; most fruits are fine, I stay away from Rhubarb (because it’s toxic) and banana as they just don’t seem to like it! Try and use the fruits with good ca:p ratio’s like pawpaw for example. Make sure you remove all pits and seeds (except for in kiwi, tomato, raspberries etc) as they contain toxins which gliders are sensitive to.

Veggies; veggies tend to have poor ca:p ratio’s, try and stay away from the ‘flatulent’ veg such as broccoli and brussel sprouts - it’s not a pleasant experience when the glider sitting on your shoulder lets rip :oD. Also you should be aware that many of the leafy green vegetables contain oxalates and phytates, these bind with the calcium of that particular food item and prevent the body from absorbing it.

See here for a calcium:phosphorus table Green Ig. Society and this is a good one too Beautiful Dragons.

The diet I feed my suggies isn’t classed as a ‘proven’ diet by the US standards, but to me it is proven. I have used it for 5 years without any problem, I’m producing joeys that at 4 months OOP are as big as their father! A friend of mine has also used it for over a decade without any problems, so to me that’s proven.

PER GLIDER, I feed a heaped teaspoon of fruits (they won’t eat veg) which I whizz through a food processor along with any vitamins and calcium powder, this way they have to eat a bit of everything instead of picking out their favourites, it also ensures the vitamins and calcium are distributed throughout the whole mix rather than just on top. On alternate nights they get boiled egg (again whizzed through the processor) and on the other nights they have 4 or 5 Iams 1+ biscuits each, I put these in with the fruit so they soften.

Occasionally they will have a teaspoon of broiled chicken each or a very light sprinkling of grated cheese, I also give a piece of cooked pasta 1 night a week as they seem to love it.

I give a teaspoon of live Bio yogurt 2 or 3 times a week which provides calcium as well as live bio cultures which aids digestion, they especially love this one: Summer Fruit Biopots Mango, Papaya and Passionfruit and so do I!! Gliders are not lactose intolerant as originally thought, but don’t overdo the yogurt as it is fattening. Also avoid yogurts with aspartame or other artificial sweetners.

I also give nectar mixes, I alternate between Gliderade which is mixed with water and Nutra-Glider which is mixed with fruit juice. A tablespoon per glider every other night.

I also supplement with Glider Booster, GliderCal, Bee Pollen (2-3 times a week) which is full of protein and calcium and Acacia gum (2-3 times a week) which again provides calcium. As a result I do not use the GliderCal every night. Too much calcium can be just as harmful as too little.

The staple diet I use is Insectivore Fare, it is a moist pellet that my gliders love, I leave a tablespoon in the cage during the day.

I don’t feed live insects as part of the diet as they contain very little nutritional value, I do give them occasionally as treats though. Live insects can also be prone to alflatoxin contamination depending on whether they have been fed a corn diet.

Live insects and Acacia gum can be used as an enrichment tool for gliders, try drilling holes into non toxic branches and stuffing them with insects or acacia gum (mix the gum with fruit juice to make it more appealing), this encourages natural behaviour as well as receiving supplementation.

Calcium is probably one of the most important parts of the diet (as well as vitamin D3). Too little and your glider will suffer from a nasty condition called hind leg paralysis or nutritional osteodystrophy. If caught early enough HLP can be reversed, the first really noticable symptom you will see is the loss of use of the back end. The glider will show stiffening and less mobility in the early stages, but these can be easily missed. Because of the lack of calcium in the diet, the body will use the calcium stores within the body - the bones! If not treated, HLP can be fatal due to either complications such as pneumonia or the body will just shut down. Veterinary attention is crucial, even if your vet has never seen a glider, he will have seen nutritional osteodystrophy before.

However, calcium is not the only mineral required in the diet, to ensure they receive the full spectrum a vitamin and mineral supplement is required (Glider Booster).

A note about catfood.

Catfood is frowned upon by the US glider forums as, to my distress I discovered!! However, I use it because it has a neutral ca:p ratio, and I’ve researched each and every ingredient. Every one of them appears in at least one glider specific dietary product!! It is not to be used as a complete diet as it cannot provide the correct nutrition a glider needs, but as a part of a balanced diet it is a good protein source.

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I’ve listed just a few of the Sugar Glider diets below. As you will see there are many different ideas of what is right.

Click in a box to open

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