The Pet Glider Fresh Diet for Healthy Sugar Gliders

( To go straight to the recipe, please click here.)

There are several different theories on what you should feed a sugar glider on a daily basis. But most sugar glider experts agree that these wonderful animals, when raised in captivity, require a fresh diet variety of fruit, fresh vegetables and protein. We recommend The Pet Glider Diet every day with The Pet Glider Multi-vitamins with calcium sprinkled on top, staples in the habitats at all time, mealworms and healthy treats. We have one of the top reputations for healthy gliders and we believe it is because of this diet and of course the loving care we give our sweethearts on a daily basis. We know that our sugar glider food takes a little more time to prepare than powdered versions, but it is well worth your time. Your sugar gliders will thank you, always give compliments to the chef. Avoid feeding anything with preservatives, sugar or color additives. Gliders in the wild eat very low fat diets and get lots of exercise gliding through the rain forest. Gliders raised in captivity, without a healthy diet, can become fat and develop health problems.

Sugar gliders are very active animals with high metabolisms. Therefore it is important that you keep sugar glider food in their cage at all times. For the primary meal, we recommend you serve them the fresh diet listed here on a daily basis in the late afternoon, periodically providing healthy treats and mealworms. And of course make sure they have fresh filtered water at all times. In addition to the primary meal, keeping brunch and monkey biscuits in their cage as "free feed" options is highly recommended.

The Pet Glider Fresh Diet: The Pet Glider Fresh Diet consists of apple sauce, yogurt, calcium-fortified orange juice, oatmeal, protein (chicken, turkey or eggs), fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits. 1 ½ tablespoons per glider per day served in late afternoon.

Vitamins: You must sprinkle The Pet Glider Vitamins with calcium, on your gliders food everyday (1/8 teaspoons per sugar glider). These are made specifically for sugar gliders with calcium to phosphorous ratio of at least 2:1. DO NOT USE REPTILE VITAMINS FOR YOUR SMALL MAMMAL! The Pet Glider Complete Multi-Vitamin with Calcium is the only human grade vitamin supplement on the market. It is sold by many other breeders and supply companies all over the United States. We cannot stress enough how important additional vitamins are to the health of your sugar gliders. The sugar glider's high diet of fruits and vegetables contains inverse amounts of phosphorous to calcium. High phosphorus and low calcium leaches calcium from their bones making the bones brittle and easily broken or fractured. Calcium deficiency will make your glider sick, then will cause hind leg or total paralysis, and will kill them. If you notice any trembling or shaking (on a consistent basis, not just when scared), or any trouble climbing in the cage or hanging on to the perch, contact your exotic animal vet immediately. Neocalglucon or Calciquid (calcium glubionate in a sweet syrup), is an excellent product to rebuild calcium quickly, your vet (one who is very knowledgeable in sugar gliders) can instruct you on how much and how often to give this calcium supplement. Do not feed these high phosphorous foods: beef, most seeds, nuts and cottage cheese – eliminate these foods from your gliders diet. Corn is also high in phosphorus and should be fed sparingly and an occasional almond is fine. Just think moderation. Prevention is your safest bet, so use vitamins daily and we feel ours is the best. Click here for The Pet Glider Multi-Vitamin with Calcium.

Fresh Water: You must be sure to provide your sugar glider with fresh water daily. We recommend you use filtered water and never let your water bottle be empty. As an additional beverage, you can mix ½ filtered water with ½ 100% fruit juice; like 100% apple juice, but we recommend that only 3 times per week. WE DO NOT recommend Glideraide because it is high in sugar and it contains an unspecified amount of vitamins which could be too much when combined with other vitamins given on a daily basis. We recommend the Lixit glass water bottle and it is available on our store on our website in the 08 oz. Bottle or the 16 oz. Bottle .

Brunch (Cereal) & Monkey Biscuits: The premium cereal we use here at The Pet Glider is our own l imited ingredients, specially formulated as a healthy all day brunch snack for your special sugar gliders. Taste great, small sized for a sugar glider. Keep Sugar Glider Brunch available for your glider s  at all times . It's an "all day sugar glider brunch snack". We only serve the best! Keep a small bowl in the cage at all times. We recommend 3 to 4 pebbles per glider per day, this also depends on the glider's individual preference. Throw out old brunch & monkey biscuits, clean the bowl and put fresh staple in. These are not a nutritional requirement for our diet, however, it is a nutritional staple food they can snack on between meals. You can order Brunch & Monkey Biscuits HERE .

Mealworms: The favorite healthy treat of a sugar glider (and they have told us this) is the live giant mealworm. It is a high protein treat and can be given to them on a daily basis – no more than 3-4 giant sized mealies per glider. It is also a great treat to use when bonding with your sugar glider or having fun hand feeding your pet. You can order mealworms HERE.

Treats: Excellent treats for sugar gliders include yogurt drops, dried fruits such as pineapple and mango, dried vegetables, and more. The Pet Glider store carries all of these treats along with other sugar glider supplies, and you can order them by clicking on their names. Also cutting up fresh fruit such as watermelon and oranges, or sweet potatoes will make your sugar gliders jump for joy. A variety of treats are available HERE

The Pet Glider does not recommend the following:

Chocolate of any kind, candy of any variety, bread, cat food, dog food, seeds or any food with high sugar content. We do not feed our gliders any type of nuts. An occasional non-seasoned raw almond would be ok, but our rule of thumb is NO NUTS. Any vegetable that is high in phosphorous is not good for sugar gliders. And we ask (pretty please) that you do your homework before you buy any item that is pre-mixed, has more than one ingredient, claims to be the answer to all your needs, or seems to be too good to be true. Your new best friend(s) depend on you to keep them safe, healthy and happy.

Recipe For The Pet Glider Fresh Diet

This recipe is enough for 2 gliders for 30 days

Note to those currently on The Pet Glider Exotic Diet:
We have not changed our base recipe. The following recipe is formulated with two gliders in mind. You can continue to prepare it the way you always have, do not let this confuse you!

Notes to the beginner chef and the seasoned cook: Nutritional variety is important for healthy, happy sugar gliders. We recommend that you try making several versions of this recipe (changing the fruits, veggies and protein) at one time so you can feed your gliders a variety during the month. However, if time does not allow for this, be sure you change up your recipe on a monthly basis and give them a variety of healthy treats.

Amount

Ingredient

Notes

2 cups, 16oz.,

2-4 different fruits mixed, totaling 2 cups.

Fresh or Frozen Fruit

At least 2-4 different types

Not Canned

Either finely chop or use a food processor.

Favorites include: oranges, papayas, tangerines, pineapples, mangos, cantaloupes, bananas, kiwi, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and cherries that have been pitted. If you peel a fruit before you eat it, then peel it for your sugar glider.

DO NOT FEED RHUBARB.

2 cups, 16oz.,

2-4 different veggies mixed, totaling 2 cups.

Fresh or Frozen Vegetables

At least 2-4 different types

Not Canned

Either finely chop or use a food processor.

Vegetables – fresh or frozen  - not canned. When using frozen vegetables, get regular mixes (no sauces or Asian flavoring). Favorites include: sweet potatoes, kale, collards, green beans, , beets, peas, lima beans, carrots, jicama, bok choy, squash, red bell pepper and snow peas. Small amounts of corn are ok but be very careful. Corn is high in phosphorus and it is fattening and of course sugar gliders love corn so they will always eat that first. Small amounts of broccoli and cauliflower are ok, but overdoing produces excess gas in the sugar glider and that makes them very grumpy. DO NOT FEED GARLIC, LEEKS OR ONIONS OF ANY KIND.

6-8 ounces

Plain, Whole Milk, Yogurt - No Artificial Sweeteners

Such as Stoneyfield Farm or Dannon

6 Tbs.

Calcium Fortified Orange Juice Concentrate

You can substitute regular orange juice if you are unable to find one that is calcium fortified.

6-8 Tbs.

Uncooked oatmeal

Use five minute regular oats, not the quick cooking kind. The oatmeal is nutritious and thickens your mix. More or less will be needed depending on the water generated by your fruits and vegetables

32 ounces

Applesauce

Unsweetened is best

6-8 ounces

Protein

Protein – Favorites include cooked chicken, ground turkey and eggs. You can boil, broil or roast the chicken, pan cook the ground turkey using extra virgin olive oil and scramble the eggs. We do not recommend you give your sugar gliders pork or beef because of the high fat content and once again, fat gliders are not happy and health.

1-2 tablespoon

Ground flax seed or wheat germ (Optional)

This is optional if you are using fresh fruits and vegetables.

Directions:

1. Finely chop your fruits and vegetables. We recommend using a food processor. If you do not have one, make sure you chop your fruits and vegetables into small pieces. Remember the size of the animal you are preparing food for.

2. Cook your protein – chicken, turkey, or eggs.

3. In a large bowl, put all ingredients except the oatmeal and stir vigorously. You want to make sure all ingredients have been incorporated and mixed thoroughly.

4. Depending on the thickness of your mix, add oatmeal. You do not want a runny or too thick of a mix, but one that has the consistency of a cake mix.

5. You will want to divide the mixture in smaller containers to freeze. Here are some recommendations.

a. Use ice cube trays. Measure 1.5 - 2 tablespoons of the mixture into the individual ice cube holes. After they have frozen, you can pop them out, put them in a freezer bag, then into a plastic freezer container and take out to thaw on a daily basis to feed your babies. You also have the option to feed the portions frozen because they do thaw quickly.

b. Or you can divide your mixture into 10 smaller containers and freeze. Each container will last 2 gliders for 3 days. You would not want to divide your mixture into larger containers because you want the mixture to be fresh. You do not want the mixture to be in the refrigerator longer than 3 days.

6. Sprinkle your multi-vitamin with calcium on top of the food your serve each day. Use 1/8th teaspoon of vitamins per sugar glider. Always keep your multi-vitamins with calcium powder in the refrigerator, but do not freeze. Do not mix into your batch, only sprinkle on top before serving.

You can also watch our sugar glider video on preparing fresh diets and other scrumptious meals for your pet glider.