Citrus tends to cause diarrhea so I think most of us stay away from it or feed it only on occasion. As far as the veggies...have you tried mashing them all up together? That was the magic solution for me OR cooking them in their egg. I don't boil them so I can't answer that one..sorry. :(

My boys seem to prefer raw vegetables, so if I were to cook them, I would cook just till tender or crisp-tender. However, each glider has his own individual preferences. You'll just have to experiment. If you're going to make a fruit-n-veggie smoothie, depending on the veggies you choose, it may blend better with them cooked. Never tried lemon, they have enjoyed the occasional small piece of orange or sweet red grapefruit.

You can cook nutrients out of veggies if you cook them too much so I wouldn't cook them too soft.

My gliders are great veggie eaters. I now feed 16 gliders, an their veggie bowls are always empty. What I do since 1 colony does eat certain things the other 2 colonies won't. Bst thing I've found that works for me is:

Mixed Bag of Veggie/corn, peas, green beans (bag size pends on # of gliders). Add Celery an possibly another Veggie. I pour the Mixed Veggies in another bag with Celery which is for the 1st week. Add Sweet Mini Peppers/red, yellow, green peppers at the being of 2nd week. Add Cuccumber or Zuchinie at the 3rd week. By the begining of the 4th week, I should have enough veggies to finish out that week. An 1st of the month I start all over again. Now all the gliders have a little of what they may or may not like, they can pick out what the don't want. It gives the gliders a chance to try other veggies each week that they may have turn their nose to, if only givin once in awhile.Plus I also give them French Cut Grean Beans along with the Whole Green Beans.

Sorry, guys, but ratios cannot simply be added together. Add the ratios and then divide by the number of ratios added. For example, if you feed them one food with a 2:1, another with 3:1, and a third with a 1:1, you have a 6:3 ratio, which simplifies [by dividing each side by 3] to 2:1.

As long as the portions are equal then.

So I went shopping today and purchased somemore fruits and veggies and protein items for my babies diets. I made my Ice cube tray tonight and will introduce that tomorrow night. My biggest problem is with my girl "Luna". I purchased her from a pet store who only gave her staple food, dried fruit and nuts and maybe if she was lucky some mealies. She's never had anything else. She is about 15 weeks old and I'm hoping in time I can get her to eat other things. My biggest problem with her is veggies. She just won't touch them (except corn and peas). I'll keep introducing something new each night. My little boy "Cosmo" eats much better but not as well as I'd hope either. Are my chances that she will come around good if I continue to try different things each night, if I do this and she doesn't eat them then what should I give her for that night?

I wish these pet stores would not sell these gliders if they cannot take care of them properly. It breaks my heart now that I know better about them. Everytime I go in there (it's the only place I can get mealies) and I see the other gliders they have and I know what they are getting fed and I see the small cages they are in and I see how filthy the cages are.

Thank you all for your patience with me and my questions and my fears. I know how dedicated you all are on educating people about taking in gliders and I wish I'd have been more educated but like most of you I was not. Now I feel I'm in over my head but I'm bound and determined to learn this and do it right and keep my babies instead of giving up. My little boy just loves all of us and my little girl is comming around. Thank you all again.

It gets easier, I promise! Yep, most of us were in the same boat so we can relate for sure. If you are feeding what you think is a good, balanced diet, then I wouldn't change what you feed. What I mean is, if you are trying a variety anyway, if they don't like something one night and they don't each much of it, it's OK. Leave it there anyway. They WILL eat when they're hungry. If they learn that you'll swap food out for something they like more, then they'll be training YOU. I do think she'll come around and start experimenting with more foods, but like you said, that's not what she's used to.

Can someone explain that rato thing that was mentioned last few postings up. So for exsample, use what I posted in my 2 cents of feeding veggies please. I would like to know just how much I do or don't know bout my babies still. I thought I was doing ok, cause vet I use said that my gliders had a good fat layer on them. Again, this was also on the 2 gliders that I'm still waiting for the tissue samples on their autopsy. But figured I was feeding ok cause the vet I use schooled/studyed/worked with the zoos & rescue shelters in Austr. HELP????

I think I have that one figured out. Problem is getting my Luna to eat anything. Anyway using the ratio list of foods in this thread I figure it like this:

Fruit Pear = 1.0:1
Figs = 2.5:1
Veggies Spinach = 2.0:1
Mustard Greens = 2.4:1

Equals 7.9:4 divided by 4 = almost a 2:1 ratio

Is this correct? How would you get them to eat this combination. They would never eat a 2:1 ratio would they? Anyway this is what I think I understand about the ratio.

Yes, that's basically how I would do it as long as the portions were equal in size. Me personally-I'd mix all the greens in with scrambled egg. I'd also probably mash up the fruits together and mix it in with some yogurt. I know that was just an example...if anyone thinks I'm also doing this wrong, let me know! I'm open for doing it right but if the portions are the same size, I don't see why it wouldn't work.

I really haven't wanted to ask this question, because it's already confusing enough but ...how are the portions measured? A teaspoon of shredded leaf lettuce weighs a lot less than a teaspoon of peas. I've been doing it by weight, just estimated because I don't have a kitchen scale.

Now, I don't claim to be doing this right because I don't know the answer and have asked myself the same thing a million times but I personally do it by size, like Tbsp-for that exact reason.

Kyro, I still do appreciate all the help you have tried to give me. Thank you very much. I bought a bag of the spring mix that I see recommended all the time. What would you guess is the Ca:PH ratio in it?

Does it tell you exactly what greens are in there? If so, we can look them up individually and get a really close educated guess. I don't have that right now or I'd get it off the bag..I just have the spinach. Tomorrow is grocery day!!

I have that Spring Mix, if you mean the one from Wal-Mart in a plastic transparent rectangular carton. It usually has Baby Spinach Leaves, Radicchio (sp?), Baby Romaines (Red and Green) making up the bulk of the mix.

That's the one.....but my babies did not touch it nor did they touch the squash I cut up in it either. They barely touched the mellon and grapes bowl I made either. They did eat just about all the frozen ice cube I made for them out of baby cereal, spinach, their calcium and vitamins, boiled egg, honey and water. They just loved that. So at least they got something of nutritional value in them. I guess that's a start. Maybe the fruits and veggies will grow on them. Who knows. I'm thinking about doing a scrambled egg and putting some veggies in it tonight to go along with their Ice cube. Boy this is worse than trying to feed children. Ideas for eggs please?

You can put almost any veggie into the egg. Mine like the spinach in it the best.

Thank you. I tried the egg. put spinach and a few small pieces of brocolli and a little sesame for the calcium. Won't eat that either. I'm just at a loss. So far the only thing they will eat is the ice cube which I know is good for them and pellets, corn, peas, string beans, grapes, and some dried fruit and nuts, some baby foods if I mix the fruit kind in with the meat kind and mealies. They won't touch boiled chicken or any other veggie's or fruit. I am just completely beside myself with dismay. The amount of food I throw away. They eat better than my family does. I know I have to keep trying but I am so discouraged. I spend about 3 to 5 hours a day on here trying to learn anything new that I can. I never studied this hard in school.

They seem healthy and they are a beautiful color. Ears are nice, shiny fur, nice poop's not soft and very active as far as I can assume being so new at this and using threads from here to observe them. I have found a vet in the area and plan on a visit soon but they seem perfectly healthy to me. Oh well, off to try and learn some more things to try I guess.

What if you tried chopping up some chicken or egg and freezing it in with the other ingredients. Maybe make some with veggies or fruit added.

Well still no luck with the veggie's nor the fruit. Does their appetite change with the weather? Now that cold weather is upon us they seem to be eating less.

Anyway they love the leadbeater's diet. They pretty much eat all of that up. I scrambled an egg with nothing added but some parsley and my girl Luna is liking that. Didn't eat alot but she ate some so I may try and put a little veggie's, just one or two types another night and try that. I took the veggie's I would have feed them and chopped them up in the blender, mixed just a few, (mostly spring mix and 1 slice of a small squash) and added a few seedless grapes skin on and just a little baby food and a tiny bit of juice and chopped it up and am going to try the veggie's that way. I'll see what's left in the morning. So far I have just thrown away alot of food.

I just have to keep trying and I appreciate all the examples of things to try that everyone is suggesting. Thank you all.

Ok. If I am feeding my little suggies the rep-cal herptivite vitamin supplement and the rep-cal calcium supplement do I still need to worry about the ratios? I know not to just feed them the same fruit and veggie every night.

My babies Love their mixed veggies. I do to because it's easy. I'm a new sugar mommy also so I am learning and you post and all the answers have helped SO much!! So how do you prepare potatos? I feel like I have SO much learning to do! My babies bring me so much joy! How is bonding going for you and your new little ones? Ours going ok we still have alot of trusting to do. I got mine on the 23rd on Nov. Thanks

I don't think that many of us feed potatoes regularly. Potatoes are kinda like ballast. There really aren't many starches that I would recommend for them. Occasionally though, mine love a dab of mashed potatoes without salt.

I tried the potatoes and like everything else they don't like them so thank goodness I only prepared one of each, a sweet and a white. When I'm buying something for them I just purchase a small amout of it using the ratio list to determine what to buy. At this point I think I have just about a little of almost everything on that list. I've been trying something new every night. I did finally find one thing they would eat. I bought a bag of cole slaw mix. They ate that plate all up. I was impressed. They liked kiwi and and pears too. I bought one each of every kind of pear in the grocery store. I'll try a different one each night. They did like the plain scrambled egg I made and I boiled a little chicken in water and pineapple juice and they liked that too. I was so happy I learned to scramble egg in the microwave. It was great.

From what I'm to understand if you use the mixture for the ice cube that's suppose to be 50% of their diet. The other 50% comes from the fruits and veggies that you give them following the 2:1 ratio for Ca:PH.That's what I've been trying but they don't care for it much. I give them a few mealie's about three times a week. Hand feed them about two of them three times a week and doing chicken or an egg on some other nights. Then the fruits and veggies. All I can do is keep trying and keep learning. As discouraged as I am I don't want to give up cause I LOVE THEM and can only hope I'm doing it right. Maybe one day they'll eat better. They are still new here, not even a month yet.

Is there any vegetables or fruits that are actually bad for them?

Onions, garlic, raw lima beans are toxic and should never be given; too much broccoli or cauliflower (supposed to cause upset tummies); print out the chart on the previous page and avoid anything on the bottom of each list unless it's balanced by something from the top. For instance, if you give them corn then be sure you give them something high in calcium, like papaya or raspberries. It all sounds really complicated, and in a way it is; but after a couple of weeks it'll be second nature, I promise!

Another thing: don't give up on serving a food just because they won't eat it the first time offered. Sometimes they'll ignore it the first time and gobble it down the second time. Weird little critters!

Even if u don't get the ratios just right, like stated above they may not eat it. So u need to keep an eye on not what u feed but what is left over and adjust. For instance if they love corn an dont really eat the papaya then give less corn and more papaya. Thus if they get hungry enough they just might start eating more of the papaya. If I buy something new I check on the ratio's but I don't over it. I say as long as they are on a good diet and eating most of it they should be fine. But that is my worth.

guys watch out for the dark, leafy green veggies. They are high in oxalates which bind to the calcium forming calcium salts in the digestive tract and there for the calcium in those foods does not get absorbed (not metabolized). So while kale, spinach, etc. have other fine properties, DO NOT feed them thinking your sugar gliders are actually getting Calcium from those foods. So when you use the (excellent) recipe calculator here, you have to manually back-out the calcium from high oxalate foods.

Here is a document that explains some of this:
http://files.meetup.com/768852/Ratios.pdf

According to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, it is fortunate that the interaction between oxalitic acid and calcium seems to be constrained to the food in which they are contained. So the oxalates in the spinach don't wreck the calcium in the other foods you serve with it.

you can also use dried, powdered egg shells to introduce calcium into a glider's diet, as well as Rep Cal with D3. Calcium-fortified Orange Juice is another way to pump up the volume on calcium. Please check out the nutrition section here and the recipe calculator for help on adding up all the values.