Hello All,

I'm new to gliders; my husband just got one. I knew some very basics about them; that they're omnivores, nocturnal, and will eat mealworms, crickets, fresh fruits and veggies, and need rep cal and herptevite on their prey items. She came with a wodent wheel and various toys that she doesn't appear to play with. I've hand-crocheted her a pouch, and all seems to be doing well. Before we go out to the store and buy a bunch of fruits and veggies, I was wondering if there's anything she CAN'T have. The issue of her gender is confusing me at the moment, as I want her to be more comfortable with us before I flip her over and start staring at her nether parts. I will say that she has bald patches on both sides of her stripe on her head, so I'm kind of leaning towards a male?

Anyway, I also have a lovebird, and I normally pick up basil and/or parsley for my birds. I do believe basil was on the safe plants list for gliders, but how about parsley? And for veggies, are we talking carrots, broccoli, stuff like that, or do they eat leafy things as well? We already know she loves apples, but are there any fruits she can't have? I know grapes cause issues in dogs, but I have no idea. I was planning on grabbing strawberries and bananas and some more apples, and hubby wants to go to the store now, but if she can't have any of those, I can definitely say they'll have a home in my tummy! We'll get her a bigger variety once I figure out what she can have. I think cucumbers were on the safe list as well, and they're a personal favorite of mine anyway, so I'll just have to learn to share!

I know that onions and garlic are on the "No No" list, chocolate, cheese and aspertame (Excuse my spelling!)

I found a list here of plants they can't have

http://www.sugarglider.com/gliderpedia/index.asp?GliderToxicPlants

and I'll see if I can find the list from the other sites as well.

They also need a protien source, and watch out for calcium to phosphorous ratios! But congrats!

I was told they can have chicken baby food. I picked up a turkey one as well...is that alright? She's had at least 20 small meal worms (we have 100 larges in the fridge) and 2 large crickets today, and I'm getting ready to prepare her some fruit and veggies. Here's what we picked up.....anything an automatic no?

Red Grapefruit
Apples
Pears
Strawberries
Broccoli
Celery
Carrots
String Beans (green beans)
Dried Apricots (if this is a no, that's perfectly fine!)

I have 3 baby foods, and a supply of large crickets and mealworms.

What does the calcium to phosphorous ratio need to be? I have Rep-cal calcium and Rep-cal Herptivite. The rep-cal is phosphorous free, and the herptivite has 11,000mg of phosphorous per kg, and calcium between 22,000mg and 23,000mg per kg. No idea what that means though.....

Essika: thanks for the reply. I didn't see parsley on the list, so I guess that's safe...? Probably better safe than sorry though. Good thing I don't eat onions. I don't eat bell peppers either, and was debating if I should get her one or not. I got Jullian (yes, from Madagascar x.x ) from a lady that owns horses, and she's living alone for the time being, and has for the past three years. She said Jullian's about four. The lady said she simply didn't have enough time for her. She was feeding peanuts, cheerios, fruits and veggies daily, and a generic, Petsmart glider food. Oh, she would do the baby foods as well.

My biggest question, is on her proposed diet (protein sources being baby food, dusted crickets and mealworms, and her fruits and veggies varying every two weeks), does she still need to be on a pelleted diet, and which ones would you recommend? I'm pretty sure it's going to be an internet order thing; the only one available in my area is Sunscription Vita.

Also....I need to figure out her gender, and if there's an easy way to tell if she's been fixed. We found two boys available with their cage and everything for $75 in our area, but we're nervous about them fighting over a female, and possible babies. I don't know too much about their behavior and if these would even be issues. Suppose I need to post around some more and find out! Sorry for posting twice; I haven't figured out if there's an edit button somewhere yet....off to go make the other half of her dinner!

Oh...I didn't see this the first time. It is not normal for EITHER a male or female to have bald spots on the sides of their stripe. This is usually caused by overgrooming/stress. A male (non-neutered) will have one distinct bald spot in the middle of their head. A neutered male probably wouldn't have one. Also, females should not be spayed. Most vets will not do it because it is way too risky.

Calcium to phosphorous ratio should be 2:1. There's so much info I want to give you! I'll need to post some links for you.

http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=18406&whichpage=1

http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16712&whichpage=1

http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19229

Baby food should be used as a last resort - like when you have no eggs, chicken or other source of protein. Some owners who live in hurricane prone areas keep baby food on hand in case electricity goes off or they have to evacuate. It's ok every now and then but not everyday.

They shouldnt have anything canned due to salt and preservatives. Also no fruit packed in sugary syrup. Its best to buy fresh fruits and veggies, cut them up and freeze them or buy frozen.

There really isnt any convenient way to properly feed gliders. You are going to have to shop, chop, freeze and cook their meals. Gliders are sap suckers and need moist foods - so pellets are not recommended as a main food source.

Mealworms are not a good source of protein - they are mostly fat. They should be used for treats.

Oh, I don't expect it to be convienient, lol. I have nothing but fresh stuff on hand now. We got her last night, and she had already eaten for the day. Are crickets a better source of protein, or should I boil chicken for her? I picked up a bunch of small containers that I can put cut up fruits and veggies in, that way I only have to prepare it every other day or so. The red grapefruit pieces I got were the only thing that has already been prepared, and it has grapefruit, water, sugar, and then a preservative. If that's too sugary, I'll just give it to my mum; she'll eat it. I'm guessing the dried apricots are out because the sucking wouldn't work too well.

As for the bald spots on her head, is there anything I can do to help them go away? I would say leaving her alone would cause her less stress, but with how social they are, I'm really not sure. Her coat is in a wonderful, almost chinchilla-like condition; its just those two spots. Would too cold a temperature cause this? Her previous owner kept her in 70 degrees with no heater. Maybe it was the lack of socialization that caused her the stress. I'll just have to try giving her the luvins she needs and see if that helps.

I'm going to go check out the links now. Once hubby is done taking pictures of her, I'll have a few pics of her, the pouch I made her, and her habitat.

What's the best way to get her used to me? She's running around under my shirt while I'm on the computer right now. Is that enough for right now? I liked crocheting her her pouch, as it got my oils in her living space. Is this low-key enough to not stress her out, while still helping with her socialization needs?

Citrus should be fed in moderation, not more than once a week. Gliders manufacture their own Vitamin C; and too much Vitamin C increases the absorption of iron which can lead to liver disease. I just found this really interesting study today, while looking for something else. http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/vetmed/Exotic-animal+medicine/Feeding-behavior-and-nutrition-of-the-sugar-glider/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/628666

The calcium:phosphorus ratio should average 2:1. Here's a great link to help you figure out how to achieve this: http://files.meetup.com/768852/Ratios.pdf Remember that too much calcium can be just as harmful as too little. You'll want to compare the actual amounts in the food, not just the ratio. The article explains how to do this, and gives lots of other information as well.

Parsley is a good source of calcium, as are most green leafy vegetables. One favorite of almost every glider is Spring Mix, baby greens in the bagged salad section. My boys get it usually every other day, and eat it all up.

Here's a good article on how to tell her gender: http://bmxglider.tripod.com/glideranatomy.html If she's got bald spots on either side of her stripe, as Kyro said, it's a sign of overgrooming due to stress. The best thing would be to find her a companion, but you should never have two males to one female, as you surmised. Even neutered males will fight over a female when she goes into heat, and you would end up with a real problem. Try to find a neutered lone male, a male-female pair, or stick with all girls.

I forgot to add: low fat, so no fried foods, butter, etc. No salt or preservatives, or artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners. And if you check the Resources tab, there's a Nutrition section with recipes we've come up with for several things. Dahlia has made some fruit and vegetable relishes with the right ratios; my boys love the omelet Florentine; LGRS Suggie Soup is another good recipe. Check it out, it's pretty neat.

Ive been feeding my gliders Spring Mix for a couple of years now and they DO love it! That's one bowl I can always count on to be clean in the morning.

Papaya is an excellent source of calcium. You can buy then fresh, cut them up and freeze them. Most gliders love papaya.

If you can chop up the parsley (or use dried) and put it in a scrambled egg, thus giving both protein and a calcium boost. Scramble eggs are made with no butter, oil or seasonings. Herbs are ok.

Yeah....I've had my share of "small animals" and normally they say to have two females per male. I wasn't sure if that would hold true, but I figured it was a decent guess. I'll have to try and find a breeder or rescue that needs to find a home for another little gal, or a single boy. But, that will probably have to wait until January, unless it's a $75 dollar deal! I'm in North Carolina, and we don't mind driving, so if anyone knows anyone, I'd appreciate the info passed our way! Even a trade would work, technically; a female for one of the males. I have no idea what condition these boys are in though, so I'll probably just pass them up for the time being. Our one source we trusted for gliders is no longer to breed them as the state law changed, so we're starting from ground zero again. We really want to do right by her, and I'm going to keep the calcium/phos chart in mind when I make her her dinner. Probably bring the laptop in there with me until I can borrow my neighbor's printer tomorrow. Thank you all for all the wonderful information. I found a forum for my great dane when I first got her, and I figured if I could find a sugar glider forum, I'd get a lot of the more important information much faster this way. You all are awesome, and I'll probably be on here all day tomorrow with her under my shirt ^-^

One source I was looking at said three to four hours a day minimum socialization for them. If she's only been handled once a week, should we start out with shorter periods and slowly get her used to us, or as long as she's hiding under our shirts and doesn't seem bothered, are we good to go?

If she likes being with you under your shirt - then you are good to go! Most gliders like the warmth of our bodies - and its a wonderful way for her to get used to your scent.

You are correct in that 2 males and 1 female wont work. Now 2 females and 1 neutered male is a great combination.

Oh wow, two replies while I wasn't looking! I didn't know they'd eat leafy veggies while I was at the store, but it appears I'll be picking up a bag of spring mix! And I'll definitely have to check out those recipes! I'm thinking about broccoli and pears for dinner tonight. I'll have to start getting some raspberries to help with the calcium/phos ratio. I didn't even know about that when I went shopping!

She ended up getting parsley, celery, string beans, strawberries, and carrots, tossed in a vitamin that has a perfect 2:1 ratio. Hopefully that's good enough for tonight. There was only enough strawberry and carrot to add color and give her some variety. I have some spaghetti squash in the fridge, so I think that will make up part of tomorrow night's dinner. Should I cook it, or feed it raw?

Also, my lovebird's food has dried papaya in it, but they are semi-moist on the inside. Should I offer her some of that? I know fresh would probably be better, but just to see if she likes it? I'm not a big papaya person, so I'd hate to get the whole fruit just to find out she doesn't like it.

helo..wads spring mix??

Dried papaya treats are fine. If you get a fresh whole papaya, you can cut it up into chunks, lay them out on a baking sheet and freeze; then put them into a freezer bag or container. Freezing makes it taste better and gets rid of that stinky-foot smell.

I noticed she didn't get any protein last night. She'll need a protein source every day. I cook ground turkey and chicken and freeze; buy a package of frozen salad shrimp; and scramble an egg a couple of times a week. They'll also get lean ground beef (but not too often, beef's not the best choice), salmon when we have it, and very occasionally a piece of lean pork tenderloin. Variety is the key, mine don't like the same thing two nights in a row, which is one reason I don't use a diet like BML or HPW.

Hideabeat:

quote:

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Originally posted by snusie

... Spring Mix, baby greens in the bagged salad section.

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Oh, I forgot I gave her about a tablespoon of chicken baby food. It was getting late. She's going to get egg tonight, can't pick between boiled and scrambled. She also got a few crickets yesterday as well. I like the freezing idea with the papaya...if she likes it, I'll have to try that!

Figured I'd post a few pictures for you all, first one being Jullian and her bald head *sigh*



Here's the pouch I made for her....


Hanging out in her pouch


Her cage


Just a curiosity, as long as they're properly introduced, how many gliders do you think this cage could comfortably handle? My husband was hoping three, but I wanted to check. I'm notorious for giving critters a lot more room than "needed". But we got her and the cage for $125. The green thing in the corner is actually a reptile hammock, but she seems to enjoy it just fine. Her wodent wheel is behind the burlap piece, and that came with her cage, along with the brown cuddle thingie.

I would take out the burlap. She could very easily snag a nail on it and injure a toe. Be very careful with the crochet pouch also, make sure she is not catching nails on the yarn. Most of us make or purchase fleece pouches for our gliders to sleep in. Fleece reduces the chance of toe snags.

Your cage would be fine for 3 or maybe 4 gliders. I have a quad in one that size and they have plenty of room even with two stealth wheels.

It might be easier to decide what to feed her if you looked over the recognized glider diets. I have links to them on my web page that might help you. I also have my own Blended Diet posted on the web page.

I also have a diet calculator (excel spread sheet) that you can use to figure the calcium/phosphorus ratios. There is also a printable nutrient list for 1 TBS food portions since that is the amount usually fed each night.

Good luck with your new glider.

Yeah, I wasn't too happy with the burlap, but hubby and I have some differing views on what constitues "safe" for the critters.

The crochet I felt kind of safe with, because I have crocheted products for my cats, and I've let them really tear into them, and there hasn't been the least bit of unraveling with the yarn, or fraying or fuzzing. I am in the room she's in for about 70% of my day, so I'll keep an eye on the pouch. But, seeing as hubby's in the field for this week, the nasty burlap can come out ^-^

I have been doing diet research, and I like quite a few of the recipes I've found, so I'm going to try some of those out here shortly

With the poles arranged how they are, do they pose a risk? They were all straight across the cage when we got it, but hubby tried to have some fun and make it "funky".

No problems. These guys would like them if they were vertical. Little acrobats!