I have to say I'm very concerned about all the posts about using additives not normally found in Sugar Gliders diet. Sugar Gliders are not like other pets. They are hind gut fermentors and use the bacteria in there gut to break down there food and digest it. Too many vitamins and things like Iron in there diet leads to liver and kidney failure. Many deaths accur for unknown reasons but very well could be diet related. Sugar Gliders don't need such complicated diets and you shouldn't worry if there appetite fluctuates this is quite normal. They only need about 1 tablespoon of food a day and over feeding can also lead to obesity or storing fatty deposits that can lead to health problems. Don't think they need so much variety in there diet as to design new recipes just change the type of fruit and veg on offer and cut them up into small portions so they don't have as much choice. Tofu can sometimes be made with products like plaster of paris and course digestive problems. Personally I wouldn't add this to a diet when there are so many protein foods that are safe. Sorry but in the Wild Sugar Gliders would not be vegetarian as they would eat small mice and birds when available. Just keep it ballanced and simple. It's more important to keep an eye on the phosphorus to calcium ratio than to try to add honey and spices.

If you take a look at the diest of animals on offer at the zoos you will see some basic diest. I know they don't have the time to add too much variety but they also have fantastic histories of long lived animals so what does that tell you.

http://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au/Pdf%20Docs/HS%20Current%20Diets.pdf

Sugar gliders are listed on page 22 on the link Jett posted.

I find it interesting to read what the other animals like Tasmanian Devils, etc, are being fed.

How do you get/feed fly pupae? Seems like that would be TINY. Is it in granule form?

Hey Rita page 22 shows spices for Koalas?????

Where is suggie diet and how do you print it large enough to read????

Thank you Jett for this post...I know two of my suggies are overweight. I have 3 in a cage an do the 50% protein, 25% fresh fruit and 25% fresh or frozen veggies...they also get one ice cube gliderade..4-5 mealies each...a few times a week a teaspoon of yogurt. They have a wheel and lots of toys but Chip & Dale don't seem to be into excercise...and sometimes I am quilty of giving them over 5 mealies

They now have a glider room and I need to take them out more often for a longer period of time.....after reading your post I will make it a point to do that starting tommorow....I'll also cut back on honey for seasoning

I personally don't feed fly pupae.

http://www.deathonline.net/decomposition/corpse_fauna/flies/pupae.htm

It is ment to be very high in protein. I have been into the fly room at the sanctuary the smell alone put me off.

I have a concern with the high amount of honey so instead of the nectar mix I make a meat loaf with cooked chicken mince and same amount of Bird vitamins that are in the nectar it has also has the eggs and cereal and a small amount of honey. Some discussion has been going on about teeth decay from the high amounts of sugar in there diets. i have also herad a story about one of the gliders at the zoo attacking a keeper to get to the leadbeater mix, they think it was addicted to the honey so they cut right back on its honey intake and it became less vicious again.

I fed fly pupae once, NEVER AGAIN! the next morning most of them had turned into flies. I was swatting flies for DAYS after.

Very interesting to read the different diets! Thanks for posting it.

flys

Yeah, not interested in flies. LOL

Jett, I would love to see the recipe for the meatloaf. Ive heard you and Ko talk about it before. Hopefully, we would be able to get the ingredients here in the US.

Jett -

I currently own a ducorps cockatoo, and the similarities in their care between the 2 different animals is amazing. The cage space, toys, the time/attention required, cleaning, diet, wide variety of fruits/veggies, some meats, etc...(although my 'too won't touch worms or crickets). I do have different "bird bread" mixes, that include all sorts of goodies...do you think that would be a good treat here and there for a glider? My 2 boys tend to go more for the veggies I offer than the fruits actually. It just seems to me that they are very similar in a lot of ways to parrots.

critterchic - I agree with you. I have a sulpher crested cockatoo - and he loves a lot of the same things the gliders eat. Except he is more into eating fruits and they are more into eating veggies. He wont touch a mealworm either. Looks at one as if saying Ewwwwwww!!!

I would love to have some of your birdie bread recipes. The one I have has cornbread mix, mixec veggies and a raw egg including the shell.

tofu- water soybeans soy protein gluconolactone (non-dairy coagulant derived from non gmmo corn starch) calcium chloride
Now what? plaster of paris?? What are you talking about?

quote:

---

Making Tofu
The process of turning soy milk into tofu is similar to turning cows’ milk into cheese, but a different type of coagulator is used. The coagulators used for making tofu are various calcium of magnesium salts, the tow most readily available being calcium sulphate (plaster of Paris or gypsum) and magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts). The traditional coagulator which achieves the finest flavour and texture is nigari, which is a mixture of calcium and magnesium salts extracted from the sea. I would like to digress for a moment because the way nigari is obtained is fascinating!

Many moons ago, when my interest in self sufficiency was just starting, I was reading about making salt from sea water. The book said that the easiest way was just to boil up sea water until the salt crystals were left in the bottom of the container, but that this method left impurities called “bittern salts” which gave the salt a bitter flavour. This is where the book left it, with no hints on how to extract the bittern salts and get decent tasting salt, so I filed that information away in the back of my mind and carried on. Just recently, while reading up about tofu, I read about the process of making nigari. First make sea salt by the boil-down method, then put the salt crystals into a Hessian bag and suspend over a trough or pot in a humid atmosphere (like by the sea!).

The nigari is exceptionally water soluble and it absorbs water form the air and liquefies, dripping into the pot underneath, where the water can be boiled off again leaving bitter crystals. So there you have it, the Japanese not only worked out a way to extract he impurities from their salt, the found an important use for the impurity. Amazing!

If you want to use the traditional coagulator but don’t want to go to all that trouble, it is available in Australia form the old traditional health food shops (if you can find ‘em).

You and start the process of making the tofu off as soon as you have extracted the soy milk, or put the soy ilk in the fridge and then pull it out and do it up to a week later. I find that the soy milk will keep a week to 10 days in the fridge. If you are using fridges soy milk you will need to reheat is to a simmer for five minutes, removing it from the heat once this has been accomplished.

To coagulate the soy milk resulting from our hypothetical one cup of dry soy beans requires about one and a half teaspoons of dry coagulant (nigari or Epsom salts) dissolved into half a cup of water. The plaster of Paris is not water soluble but a similar amount will need to be stirred with water before addition to the soy milk. The liquid coagulant is then poured over the top of the hot soy milk, one third of the volume at a time, and mixed gently through it. Then cover your pre-tofu and leave it stand for 10 to 15 minutes to finish coagulating.

---

From:

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/soyamilk.htm

Large amounts of soy has been known to cause digestive and reproductive issues in animals as well. Tofu should really be given in moderation.

I want to find recepies to make cookies or like a mealworm salad or something! My glider is getting sick of eating the SAME thing over and over again. Where are they?

Where are the recepies? R-E-C-E-P-I-E-S?

I would just do a search on "bird bread". There are all sorts of pre-made (like a cake mix) mixes out there, in all different types of flavors, fruity, sweet, spicy, etc. You usually add an egg and some water, cook it. Many parrot people make the bread, and cut it up into small squares and give to their birds. Never heard of one that did not like it. My guy likes the spicy stuff (my cockatoo) and it appears the ingredients in many bird bread recipies/mixes are safe/healthy and good for gliders. There are tons of recipies out there, different flavors. Some have you include the egg shell when mixing in egg, I believe I read that gliders should not have the shell, but you could just not do that. Google or run a search for "bird bread" and you will find all kinds of stuff. I get the pre-mixed stuff, since there is so much in it, be harder/more costly to get and mix everything yourself. If anyone tries it let me know.

Cheerio Chains -- Abrashea
Using 100 pound test fishing line, attach a bell at the bottom and string Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios and Multi Grain Cheerios together. Tie to the cage--they love it!! You will hear their enjoyment! You can also make hoops and swings! Keep in mind; you will have to remake them every few days!
________________________________________
Glider Grandpa's Shredded Wheat Pancakes
• Crushed, plain shredded wheat
• Eggs
Mix together and scramble like a pancake.
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L'Omelette de Fruits de Poulet
• Cooked shredded chicken
• Eggs, beaten well
• Mixed vegetables
• Apple, chopped
Make omelet, and top with melons, grapes, pineapples and a sprinkling of The Pet Glider Complete multivitamin. Variation: Turkey, sweet potato and apple with sugar snap peas, red bell pepper & peaches. Delicious!
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Helwiggle's Mealie Salad
• 2 oz torn salad greens, thoroughly washed
• 2-3 dried papaya pieces
• 8 mealworms
• Pinch of Gliderade
Toss and serve! Serves two gliders.
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Pina Colada Smoothie Mix
• Frozen mixed fruit
• Container Pina Colada flavored yogurt
• 1/4 tsp Karo syrup
• Apple or orange juice to blend
Blend together and serve! Delicious!
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Dana's Glider Birthday Cake
• Pancake mix, prepared with applesauce instead of oil
• Sunmaid Dried Fruit Bits
• Fluker's Freeze Dried Crickets
Add enough fruit and crickets to make the batter full, but still stick together. I halve the smallest recipe, and there was a lot leftover. Put them in tiny cake cups and then bake at 350 until firm and springy! Yum!
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Berry Smoothie Mix
• 1 1/4 cup Frozen Mixed Berries
• 1/2 can water
• Gerber or Heinz Rice Cereal
• 11.5 oz. Can Libby's Kerns Nectar With Calcium Added, Any Flavor
In blender or food processor, blend frozen berries with nectar and water. While blending, add rice cereal until ingredients have the consistency of a malt. May be frozen.
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Free-For-All Fruit Smoothie Mix
• 1 1/4 cup frozen fruits
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups apple juice
• Gerber or Heinz Baby Rice Cereal
In blender or food processor, blend frozen berries with juice and water. While blending, add rice cereal until ingredients have the consistency of a malt. May be frozen.
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Super Charged Egg Smoothie
• 1 Hard Boiled Egg, shell removed
• 1/4 cup Special K Cereal
• 1/4 cup apple juice or Libby's Kerns Nectar With Calcium Added
In blender or food processor, blend all ingredients well. Serve immediately.
________________________________________
Homemade Glider Nutri-Nectar
• Frozen fruit, any variety
• Water
• 1/2 tablespoon Dannon non-fat yogurt
In blender or food processor, blend all ingredients to a thin, liquid consistency.
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Chicken Apple Mango Peach Crunch
• 1 sm apple, peeled, diced
• 1 chicken breast, skinned, boiled, boneless
• 1/4 cup Mott's Healthy Harvest Unsweetened Peach Medley Applesauce
• 1 1/2 cups Honey Nut Cheerios
•
1 egg
In mixing bowl, mix ingredients well. On nonstick cookie sheet, place spoon-size balls one inch apart, and bake 20 minutes at 300 degrees.
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Chicken Pot Pie
• 1/2 cup diced chicken breast, boiled, skinned, boneless
• 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
• 2 raw eggs
• 1 small sweet potato, boiled, peeled and chopped up
In mixing bowl, combine ingredients well. Spray mini-muffin pans with Pam and fill to top. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until beginning to brown, at 350 degrees.
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Chicken Egg Drop Soup
• 1 chicken breast, skinned, diced
• 2- 2 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cup frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 raw egg, mixed well
In saucepan, boil chicken for 10 minutes. Add mixed vegetables. Cook an additional 10 minutes. Bring to another boil. Slowly stir in raw egg, stirring only in one direction. Turn off heat as soon as you start pouring in the egg. Let cool and serve. Before serving, sprinkle with vitamins, if desired.
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Glider Boost
• 1 quart water
• 2 teaspoons molasses
• 1 teaspoon all natural apple cider vinegar (the kind you buy in the health food store)
Fill quart jar halfway with water. Add other ingredients. Shake to mix well. Add the rest of the water. Give to gliders once every two months to boost immunity and reduce the male scent.
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Glider Elixir Use for medicinal purposes only!
• 1 part Wombaroo milk replacer
• 1 part Pedialyte
• 1 part Gerber Baby Rice Cereal
• 1 part fruit flavored yogurt
Mix. Give one to two teaspoons twice daily. Use this if a glider is depressed or has diarrhea until you can get to the vet (hopefully first thing in the morning).
Recipes gotten from Sugar Glider University
Last Updated ( Friday, 07 December 2007 )

BASIC VEGETABLE RELISH:


1 - 32 ounce bag of mixed vegetables, defrosted

(green beans, sweet corn, carrots and peas)

4 - fluid ounces of White Grape Juice (100%)

4 - TBSP of Honey



BASIC FRUIT SMOOTHIE

1 - 32 ounce bag of mix fruit, defrosted

4 - fluid ounces of White Grape Juice (100%)

1 - Small Dannon Vanilla Yogurt

4 - TBSP of Honey



* * * * * * * * * * *



Put half of all ingredients into blender / blend until consistency of relish.

Do the same with other half and then mix together in a bowl.

Freeze in ice cube trays and give 1 cube per 2 gliders.

Recipe of the one I have been using:

For veggies:
These are all frozen: A LARGE bag of green beans, a large but smaller bag of baby carrots, a small bag of peas and a small bag of corn. There are other things you can mix in. I found a bag of greenbeans / wax beans / baby carrots which worked well. Also a bag or two of chopped collard greens. (I use roughly equal to the size of the bag of green beans.) Then one LARGE, fresh sweet potato.

Cook the sweet potato in the microwave until it is quite soft. Then peel it and mash it with a fork into the mixing bowl. Put the bag of collard greens (poke a hole or two) in the microwave for about 4 minutes. You can do these things the day before - which is usually when I get everything out and set it on the counter to defrost.

In the food processor, chop up the green beans and carrots until they are in small (about the same size of the peas) chunks. Put all that into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the collard greens and the now-mashed sweet potato. When that is well mixed, if it is too dry to stir well, add some fruit juice. I use either cranberry juice, or the Gerber juice with yogurt. I usually don't have to use much at all.

Put a small amount of peas and corn into the bottom of ice cube trays. I kinda cover the bottom of each cube. Then, press the mixed up veggies in on top. I really pack 'em in tight - get as much as I can in each cube. Then - freeze 'em!

For fruit - I use mixes of frozen, also. (Mine don't like strawberries, so if I buy a bag with frozen strawberries, I take those out and treat myself!) The fruits I use are pineapple, peaches, melons, apples, pears (mine LOVE pears!), and blueberries (and sometimes raspberries. Oh - AND a fresh ripe Papaya. Peel this, then take the seeds out and mash it. If it is ripe, it will mash pretty easily. You can run it through the food processor - it will be a kind of pulp. I set aside the berries. Then I use the food processor to chunk up all the fruit. Again - put it in a large mixing bowl and stir it all together. Then put a few berries (whole) into the ice cube trays, and pack the fruit mix in on top. You won't need any extra juice at all.

This writes up very long, and sounds complex. But the whole thing takes me about 1/2 an hour once a month for 12 gliders. (well, 1/2 hour for fruit and 1/2 for veggies)

I give each pair of gliders one fruit cube and one veggie cube. They don't eat a whole bunch of fruit, but they tend to finish the veggies. Each night, I put in the fruit and veggie cubes into one bowl, microwave it on medium power for about 20 seconds, then put the HPW in another bowl and feed 'em!

AGAIN - My ice cube trays hold more than a Tablespoon of stuff each, but I give them a whole cube of both Fruits and Veggies every night. Some nights there are no leftovers, most nights there are. I'd rather have leftovers than hungry gliders!

kind of been collecting these but haven't read them all yet....