Diet For Sugar Gliders

Sugar Glider Diet-What To know

Most people who do not know what a sugar glider diet is all about think that when they hear the name, that these animals live on sugary foods or fruit. That could not be further from the truth. In fact, too much sugary food can be very detrimental to a sugar glider. Though in the wild they do have as part of their diet various saps, fruits and nectar’s as a part of what they eat. But the good news is that sugar gliders are omnivorous, which means that they eat a wide variety of foods.

Sugar Gliders Wild Diet

One of these food groups as you might call it is insects. In fact, sugar gliders will eat mostly insects in the summer months when they are plentiful, such as crickets and grasshoppers. This gives them a high protein diet that is necessary for their good health. This is also the time when gliders breed so it stands to reason that this is an important part of the diet for breeding sugar gliders. In the winter months when insects are scarce or non existent, gliders will eat plant products such as acacia gum, eucalyptus sap and other nectar’s which make up the majority of the seasonal diet.

Diet In Captivity

This where the fun starts. Sugar gliders are extremely sensitive to what you feed them in their diet. Too much fruit can be bad thing as well as certain vegetables. Sugar gliders need to have vitamins added to their diet to help them keep healthy. One of these is calcium. Certain foods that are high in phosphorous can elevate disease in your glider and reduce calcium consumption. One of these foods to avoid for example is giving too much corn as this is high in phosphorous. Carrots are good for vitamin A when given in the right amounts and in the right form. Basically you need a balance of protein, vitamins and fruits and vegetables. Insects such as grasshoppers, June bugs, crickets and meal worms can be given but only as a treat. For vitamins you can add a pinch of Vionate and Rep-Cal. A word of caution, to much of a vitamin can be as bad as none, so use sparingly and never add it to their water and only every other day.

You should also have a food staple that is available all day in the cage. Giving glider pellets as it’s main staple is considered by most as the way to go. This food has been in development for a few decades and is considered one of the best foods to use. Also keep abundant clean water available for your gliders at all times.

Basically you are looking to achieve a 75:25 % ratio of staple protein to fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. Any fruit you give should be after they have eaten their protein and vegetables and not left in the cage so it can spoil if not eaten right away. Treat giving fruit like you would a dessert to a child because to much and they can get fat and unhealthy.

While this article is just touching the surface on this topic it should give you some idea of what is involved in caring for sugar gliders. There are numerous variations on the web and elsewhere of diet combination’s for feeding gliders. I have just given a few and you should do some research on this and also experiment within sound guidelines to see what works for your glider(s).
My name is Allan Stewart and I have several websites dedicated to health and well being for people and pets. Want to learn more about sugar gliders: sugar glider diet Or visit my website at Sugar Glider Care for more facts about sugar gliders. Also see my other article for Celestron Telescopes: Celestron C8 Telescopes