What to Feed Your Sugar Glider

When feeding sugar gliders it is important to remember proper nutrition is essential to their health and a natural or even longer than normal life. Because of their fragile, tiny, little bones calcium is a big concern. For this reason It is a must, to sprinkle the food with a calcium supplement every day. The supplement should be made especially for sugar gliders or a reptile calcium supplement with no phosphorous and no vitamin D3. It should state this on the label. I use Rep-cal Calcium. Only a light sprinkle is needed, as too much can be as harmful as none. Without this calcium and a proper fresh food and dry food diet they will become sick or paralyzed and eventually die. A small amount of sour cream or cottage cheese, once in a while, will be beneficial.

Now, you may ask, "what am I sprinkling the calcium on? What do sugar gliders need to eat?" The answer to that question is a serving of protein, a serving of fruit, and a serving of vegetable. One small serving of each, every night. Topped off with a sprinkling of calcium. Do not offer more than these 3 courses at once, as they will be picky and only eat their favorites. So, to insure they are eating balanced meals keep the choices minimum but change up the menu each night so they don't become bored with the same foods. Food variety is one of their joys in life. They might enjoy cabbage, avocado, broccoli, green beans, snap peas, peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes, watermelon, papaya, mango, bananas, cherries, apples, grapes, cantaloupe, melon, (green or other) and strawberries. You can freeze most of these and thaw as needed. They will have different likes and dislikes but continue to offer a good variety. No citrus fruits for sugar gliders under 6 months old and only sparingly after 6 months, if at all. For two gliders, give 2 small slices or chunks of fruit or veggie. Also you can substitute fresh foods with baby foods sometimes, just keep it simple like cherries or peas. No mixed foods, and no meats other than plain chicken or turkey baby food. No red meat. No foods with additives of any kind, like canned foods.

Protein is very important too. The best source of daily protein, I have found, is half a Gerber baby meat stick per glider, These are found in the baby food section and look like Vienna sausages but are much healthier. Again, only Turkey or Chicken. On occasion, I have fed mine Chicken and carrot meat sticks. Sugar gliders may also be given, boiled egg (1/2 of egg for 2 Gliders) with shell, scrambled eggs, peanuts, cashews or any nut (only unsalted, and only occasional,)(they are high fat), mealworms and crickets. Bugs need to be purchased from a pet supplier, not a fishing store as these are not healthy for them.

In addition to their daily meal, it is a good idea to keep a dry food in constant supply in some sort of feeder in their cage. You can purchase sugar glider food or formula in most pet stores and on line. Also very important is water. They must have water at all times. They can very easily dehydrate in a short time. Below are some sample menus to get you started and give you the general idea. Remember, small 3 course meals, different foods daily and servings should be 1 small slice per Glider. One protein, one, fruit, one vegetable. It is okay to go with 2 fruits or 2 vegetables once in a while instead of the combination.The following examples are meant for 2 sugar gliders, adjust as needed.

Sample menu One - 1 chicken Gerber stick, 2 snap peas, 2 small apple slices - Don't forget the calcium sprinkle!!

Sample two - 1 Gerber turkey stick, 2 green beans, 2 chunks of melon- Calcium sprinkled over.

Sample three - 1/3 cup of scrambled eggs OR ten small mealworms, 2 small sprigs broccoli or 2 small baby carrots, 2 seedless grapes(cut in to halves)(they like to leave the skin on grapes) or a large strawberry (cut in halves) and your calcium.

Finally we have treats, Offer these by hand. They will almost certainly love licking honey from your fingers. Just make sure it is pure honey with no additives. They may also enjoy nuts, don't give too many. A fat Glider is not a happy or healthy glider. Cheerios are delicious and fairly healthy also. Treats can also be purchased but beware of the ingredients. My Sugar Gliders love fruit juice. Give fruit juice no more tha once a week and ensure it is 100% juice,like baby juice. If you correctly feed your glider, you should have happy little gliders that live a full life. Please be aware that sugar gliders can breed a lot, up to 3-4 times a year, but will kill those joeys if they aren't properly fed and a nursing glider or one with joeys in pouch will need extra special nutrition so please don't buy a male and female unless you are sure you can do thorough research on breeding gliders. Instead, sticking with two males or two females can save a lot of heartache and extra trouble as well as unhealthy gliders. Breeding and nursing is a whole other thing and their diet will need tweaking.