I've observed on various forums that anytime a question is asked about the HPW diet, someone inevitably posts a response "Ask the source. Ask Peggy."

I've thought about this for a while. I thought, Good point! Why don't I go to the source with my questions! The Source being the Wombaroo-Passwell company. (Since the Passwell division deals more with bird foods, I'll refer only to Wombaroo.)

What followed has been a series of emails between myself, and Mr. Gordon Rich (I didn't ask, but since Wombaroo was founded by Roslyn and Brian Rich, and Gordon, with his experience as a Chemical Engineer, joined the company in 2005, I'm thinking Gordon Rich is the son of the company founders). Mr. Rich has been very generous with his time (and patience) in answering my many questions and explaining the Wombaroo recommended diet for sugar gliders, as well as some nutrition facts I found to be fascinating and educational.

With his permission, I'm able to share his emails and comments with anyone interested. He encouraged me to share the Wombaroo recommendations for diet. Additionally, if I didn't ask questions you would want asked, he encourages anyone to contact him with their questions. I have a complete transcription of our email exchange if anyone would like it. Just PM me. 

He shied away from calling this a "Wombaroo Approved" diet. His comments were that the policy is not to dictate, but rather to offer guidelines and answer questions. I have also available for anyone who wishes to see them, Mr. Rich's evaluations of Peggy's HPW and some of the modifications I offered to him for consideration. Additionally, if you wish to ask any question here, I can tell you if it is one I asked and he answered in his emails. If not, he has been warned to expect questions in his inbox!

So, with that said, here are the suggestions by the Wombaroo company for the feeding of Captive Sugar Gliders in the United States. Please note, I have made comments, based on our email conversation, where I felt it appropriate. My comments are in red. 

Rats! I don't know how to make it red! I'll just separate my comments in a quote for now.

<b>Wombaroo Food Products</b>
<i>Feeding Guidelines for Sugar Gliders</i>

These guidelines largely rely on using Wombaroo High Protein Supplement™ (HPS™) to provide the essential protein, fatty acids, vitamins & minerals in the diet.

The addition of other nutritional supplements or high-energy foods is not recommended as this can severely affect the balance of nutrients in the diet. However there is plenty of scope for variation within the food types presented in the diet as outlined in the accompanying notes.
The diet is based on a 130g adult animal at maintenance (basal metabolic rate1,2 × 2.5) with a calculated energy requirement of approximately 113 kJ/day.

Approximate feed proportions of diet are:

Daily Feed amount per animal
Proportion of diet (as fed basis)
Fruit & Vegetables
(supplemented with HPS™ powder)

• 20g diced Fruit & Veg with 2g of Wombaroo HPS™ (1 level teaspoon) dispersed over it - 75%
• Plain Biscuit (supplemented with HPS™ solution*) -
5 g plain Biscuit/Cookie (eg ½ an arrowroot or tea biscuit) with 2 ml of <i>Wombaroo HPS Solution</i><b>*</b> poured over it. - 15% <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">NOT a fortified toddler arrowroot cookie. These are not fortified: http://tinyurl.com/8yy8ozm <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
• Small Carnivore Food™ - 2g (1 level teaspoon) of prepared Wombaroo Small Carnivore Food™ made up as a moist crumble - 7%
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I have contacted Karen Milas about this. She expects this food to be imported by the end of May. In the meantime, Mr. Rich commented that Mazuri Insectivore Diet, while low in protein, had good ingredients and balance. 
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
• Live Food - 1g mealworms, crickets or other invertebrates - 3%

<b>*</b> <i>Wombaroo HPS Solution</i> is made by suspending 1 part HPS™ powder (25g) into 3 parts warm water (75ml) and mixing well. <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Mr. Gordon Rich thought the “green juice” made a logical and reasonable addition in our American diets. Substituting green juice for all or part of the water here seems like a good idea. Can also add honey. See his notes below about this.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Approximate analysis of the above diet (dry basis):
Energy 17.5MJ/kg
Protein 20.0%
Fat 11.0%
Calcium 0.50%
Phosphorus (available) 0.34%
Ca/P ratio 1.5

For breeding or growing animals increase the amount of Wombaroo HPS™ or Small Carnivore Food™ by 50%.

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Additionally, I will continue to add Milk Thistle powder for a time, especially to rescued gliders, or those fed a poor diet. Milk Thistle has both preventative and healing affects on the liver. Since necropsies have shown liver diseases in American sugar gliders, I feel it is beneficial in some amount of Milk Thistle as a “prophylactic” maybe to undo damage by other diets or “non-diets” that gliders, especially rescues, have been fed mainly pellet-based diets.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

 
<b>Notes:</b>
<b>Fruit & Vegetables</b> (75% of diet) These are offered as a major carbohydrate (energy) source in the diet. Sugar Gliders are able to readily digest both simple sugars and complex carbohydrates4. Fruits tend to be more palatable than vegetables due to higher sugar content. We generally feed about 75% fruit and 25% vegetables but this can vary based on seasonal availability and animal preference. A large variety of fresh fruits may be accepted including (and not limited to) berries, apple, pear, citrus, stone fruits, rockmelon (cantaloupe) with seeds, paw paw (papaya) with seeds. Likewise an assortment of vegetables may be offered including cucumber with seeds, sweet potato and grated carrot. As long as these foods are supplemented with the recommended amount of Wombaroo High protein Supplement (HPS) then all essential nutrients are properly balanced. There is little need to be concerned about the calcium to phosphorus ratio of individual food items as this is balanced out by the addition of the HPS.
<b>
HPS Solution with Plain Biscuit/Cookie</b> (15% of diet) This provides another energy source, which uses the biscuit as “vehicle” for the liquid HPS™ solution. The HPS™ solution may also be used as the basis of an artificial nectar diet which can be made more palatable by the addition of honey, blended fruit or juice. If using these other food items (which are high in carbohydrate) then the amount of biscuit can be reduced accordingly or removed altogether. Alternatively one can also use Wombaroo Nectar Shake n Make™ as a nutritionally balanced nectar diet. <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I don’t believe this Nectar Shake n Make is available in the US.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

<b>Small Carnivore Food & Live Food</b> (up to 10% of diet) Wombaroo Small Carnivore Food™ is used as a live food (insect) replacement. Effectively our suggested diet can use either Small Carnivore Food or “Live Food” or a combination of both. The Small Carnivore Food™ has the advantage that it is fully balanced with vitamins & minerals, whereas insects are generally deficient in calcium. However live insects are a natural part of a Sugar Glider’s diet and are a favoured food which offer behavioural enrichment. When feeding insects it is important to offer a variety as feeding one type alone may be nutritionally deficient. The larval stage of insects (eg mealworms, fly pupae) tend to be higher in fat, so should only be used as a treat. Adult stage insects (eg crickets, moths, cockroaches) have a higher protein content and are therefore provide a better source of nutrition in a captive diet. In all cases feeder insects can be fortified by growing them on a nutritional substrate such as Passwell Insect Booster™. It is interesting to note that sugar gliders also feed on spiders in the wild. Spiders contain elevated levels of the sulphonic amino acid taurine, which may be particularly beneficial in the growth and development of young gliders. Both Wombaroo HPS™ and Small Carnivore Food™ contain added levels of taurine. <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I don’t believe the Passwell Insect Booser is available to us, either. I’ve been using this: http://tinyurl.com/7dynvy6 <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

<b>Blossoms & Foliage</b>
It is also recommended to provide as much native (Australian) blossom and foliage as possible (eg eucalypt, acacia, callistemon, grevillea, banksia). Larger branches of eucalypt are also beneficial to stimulate natural foraging behaviour such as chewing of bark.  <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">We can get euc from eucproducts.com. Additionally, there are many flowers that are edible.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"> 

<b>Pollen</b> Pollen from native plants is a natural part of the diet and is often consumed by gliders in conjunction with nectar3. However most commercial forms of pollen (ie Bee Pollen) are harvested from bees and are not nutritionally equivalent to the native plant pollen consumed by gliders (bee pollens are large agglomerations of pollen grains bound together with carbohydrates). As a result, bee pollen is significantly less digestible and offers little additional nutritional value to captive gliders already being fed a balanced diet. The range of amino acids, vitamins and minerals found in plant pollen are also contained in Wombaroo HPS™, so we believe the addition of pollen to this diet is unnecessary.

<b>Iron Storage Disease</b> Excessive dietary iron can induce Iron Storage Disease (ISD), which is the accumulation of iron in body organs and tissues. In prolonged cases ISD can lead to organ failure and death. Some nectarivorous and frugivorous species are prone to ISD, and these species normally have low levels of iron in their natural diet. Although iron storage disease has not been widely reported in sugar gliders, evidence of tissue iron deposition has been seen in gliders at necropsy4. Many commercial human foods (eg baby foods) and supplements are fortified with iron and these should be avoided when feeding sugar gliders. Some commonly fed glider “recipes” may contain excessive iron content4. Wombaroo High Protein Supplement™ contains less than 40ppm Iron and thus provides safe levels of iron in the diet.

References
1. 1. Dawson TJ, Hulbert AJ (1970). Standard metabolism, body temperature, and surface areas of Australian marsupials. Am J Phys 1970;218:1233–8.
2. 2. Nagy KA, Suckling GC (1985). Field energetics and water balance of sugar gliders, Petaurus breviceps (Marsupialia: Petauridae). Aust J Zool;33:683–91.
3. 3. Smith AP. (1982) Diet and feeding strategies of the marsupial sugar glider in temperate Australia. J Anim Ecol;51:149–66.
4. 4. Dierenfeld E.S. (2009) Feeding Behaviour and Nutrition of the Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps). The veterinary clinics of North America Exotic animal practice Volume: 12, Issue: 2, Publisher: Elsevier Ltd, Pages: 209-15, xiii-viii.

I'm very interested since I feed OHPW....

Sorry, posted as you were posting....Thanks so much for this info.

Ok, I have to admit,....I'm a bit overwhelmed and trying to figure out what to do with this info. now....

It is actually very simple - his notes are to clarify - so don't let them bog you down initially.

It is fruit and vegetables with Wombaroo powder sprinkled on top.
An arrowroot cookie (half) with a solution of 1 part powder to 3 parts liquid on top.
Insects and/or Carnivore Diet.

That's pretty much it.

I would be interested to know if the Paswell folks had any input into Exotic Nutrition's "Instant HPW", or if they were made aware that Exotic Nutrition is selling repackaged Wombaroo High Protein Supplement with the bee pollen added for making Peggy's recipe for her original HPW Diet.

I am a bit cautious when it comes to Exotic Nutrition's adding ingredients and repackaging the WHPS under their own label.

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by valkyriemome</i>
<br />It is actually very simple - his notes are to clarify - so don't let them bog you down initially.

It is fruit and vegetables with Wombaroo powder sprinkled on top.
An arrowroot cookie (half) with a solution of 1 part powder to 3 parts liquid on top.
Insects and/or Carnivore Diet.

That's pretty much it.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Ok, what does this mean to me if I currently feed OHPW? I mix it as directed...I don't sprinkle the powder on anything.

Where do we acquire these arrowroot cookies and Carnivore diet? And I'm curious about the milk thistle...where does that come in? Sounds like it could be beneficial.

Original HPW diet has nothing to do with the Wombaroo company. It was never a diet they recommended, and it wasn't how they intended their product to be used.

I put in a link for the arrowroot cookies, and I explained about the Carnivore diet, also.

Milk Thistle is something I first heard about from Val. However, when my dog was diagnosed with liver cancer, the vet said we'd put her on something to help her liver function. What the vet recommended was milk thistle. Which rang a bell with me, since I'd already heard Val mention it. Val started using it as a result of the necropsy studies, I believe.

Ok, got it....had to re-read.

Did he say what his thoughts are on the OHPW?

Very interesting indeed. I think I am going to have to read through this a few times for it to sink in. Thanks so much for sharing!

Book marking this until I can read into it further (more awake)...maybe we should call this the "Rich diet"?? :P Thank you for the information. I was kind of interested in the fact that bee pollen could be seen in the fecal test done to my Cab-when I took vet classes being able to see it that clearly usually meant it didn't digest well. I will have to finish up what I made for Cab from Sweet Sugar Glider's diet plan (uses OHPW) then see about this one...

Confused but very intrigued and good information.

So, am I reading it correctly that Mr. Rich recommends sprinkling DRY powder over the fruit and veggies? My concern with this is that my gliders are very very picky and tend to pick and choose what F/V they want to eat each night thus that would be a non measurable amount of powder consumed that way.

If you mix the powder with honey and or green juice, do you omit the water? Do you omit the arrowroot biscuit totally? Again, my gliders love the OHPW and lick it clean so if I had the biscuit, they may not eat all of it.

What do you mix the milk thistle with?

What do you moisten the dry food with?

Is Mr. Rich also saying that if your gliders are consuming the OHPW as directed, then the variety of fruits and veggies isn't as big a concern as some make it out to be? (don't know how to word this without offending, sorry). My gliders prefer veggies to fruit almost always. They rarely eat ANY fruit that we give them no matter what form we try (smoothies, chopped small, left whole, whatever).

Is the implication that bee pollen isn't necessary to add to OHPW?

What about gliders that won't eat euc or any type flowers?

Sorry for all the questions. Try to do what is best with the diet that I have chosen to feed which is OHPW. My gliders will eat this in its entirety and not other diets. Thus, IMO, this is the best diet for my gliders. I just need clarifications from those with more experience with this diet as to the importance of the above questions.

Thanks Alden for getting and sharing this information!!! Very helpful and appreciated.

thanks for this research and info. now i have to study it and understand

Hm.. very interesting. I like this. So instead of the biscuit or cookie, we can just use honey or fruit juice and give them 2 ml of that? As for the insects, I'm not pleased with having to purchase them again, I thought I was done with that phase, but I will if it means that they will be healthier.
The 20g of fruits/veggies... how much would that be in tablespoons?

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by tuees new mom</i>
<br />Confused but very intrigued and good information.

So, am I reading it correctly that Mr. Rich recommends sprinkling DRY powder over the fruit and veggies? My concern with this is that my gliders are very very picky and tend to pick and choose what F/V they want to eat each night thus that would be a non measurable amount of powder consumed that way.

If you mix the powder with honey and or green juice, do you omit the water? Do you omit the arrowroot biscuit totally? Again, my gliders love the OHPW and lick it clean so if I had the biscuit, they may not eat all of it.

What do you mix the milk thistle with?

What do you moisten the dry food with?

Is Mr. Rich also saying that if your gliders are consuming the OHPW as directed, then the variety of fruits and veggies isn't as big a concern as some make it out to be? (don't know how to word this without offending, sorry). My gliders prefer veggies to fruit almost always. They rarely eat ANY fruit that we give them no matter what form we try (smoothies, chopped small, left whole, whatever).

Is the implication that bee pollen isn't necessary to add to OHPW?

What about gliders that won't eat euc or any type flowers?

Sorry for all the questions. Try to do what is best with the diet that I have chosen to feed which is OHPW. My gliders will eat this in its entirety and not other diets. Thus, IMO, this is the best diet for my gliders. I just need clarifications from those with more experience with this diet as to the importance of the above questions.

Thanks Alden for getting and sharing this information!!! Very helpful and appreciated.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">


tuee, I can't answer all of your questions but High Protein Wombaroo Supplement was never meant to be used as Peggy used it. It has always been made to "sprinkle" on their fruits and veggies.

From what I'm gathering you can mix the HPW powder with water or greenjuice and soak the arrowroot cookies in it....basically just pouring the liquid over it.

As far as bee pollen....I do know that "Pockets" who actually brought HPW to the states and made the first HPW diet (PML) (Peggy modified it and remamed it HPW, but we won't get into that debate.) Pockets did NOT mix the bee pollen into the mixture.

I personally grind my bee pollen up with a mortar & pestal and sprinkle it on their food on their off nights...mixing it with scrambled eggs or whatever they are having.

I just looked up milk thistle..... these grow wild all over,...can we pick them and give them the purple flower???? Or does this need to be something we buy "processed" and add to their food as we mix it?

http://www.ask.com/wiki/Milk_thistle

<b>Use as food</b>

Around the 16th century the milk thistle became quite popular and almost all parts of it were eaten. The roots can be eaten raw or boiled and buttered or par-boiled and roasted. The young shoots in spring can be cut down to the root and boiled and buttered. The spiny bracts on the flower head were eaten in the past like globe artichoke, and the stems (after peeling) can be soaked overnight to remove bitterness and then stewed. The leaves can be trimmed of prickles and boiled and make a good spinach substitute or they can also be added raw to salads.

<u><b>VERY INTERESTING!</b></u>

I just want to add that the directions for use of Wombaroo High Protein Supplement is right on the back of the box. Always has been. The problem was that no one has the carnivore diet from them here in the US. They are in process of getting permits to ship it in and then Karen will have it for sale as well as the Wombaroo.

HPW is not synonymous with Wombaroo. Peggy just chose to use Wombaroo as a protein/vitamin supplement ingredient in her diet. Wombaroo's back of their box is dedicated to the explanation of their intended use.


I have always wondered why no one followed it!?!

I had read it many times on the box, but was also very confused by the instructions.

Thanks for doing the "leg-work" on this!

Bookmark time.

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by newby</i>
<br />I had read it many times on the box, but was also very confused by the instructions.


<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I totally understand what you are saying. At first glance it's confusing because they use mL and grams instead of our cups, Tablespoon & teaspoon measurements. Also, they call a cookie like a non-iron fortified arrowroot cookie a 'biscuit'. Then there is that issue with us not having access to wombaroo's Small Carnivore Food in the past. I am glad that Alden talked directly with them so we now have a more clear explanation in terms we are familiar with.

I'm wondering if the Insectivore Fare could be a close substitute?

He mentions they benefit from Taurine and says the Small Carnivore-Fare has that ing....but upon researching I'm not finding it in the SCF but am finding it in the Insectivore-Fare.

So who is going to Australia to pick up plants?

Why must the dry food be moistened? Why are we assuming captive bred/raised gliders require the same dietary needs as wild gliders?

Are there tests and studies for this diet that can be viewed for captive bred/raised gliders?

How many of you have gliders that actually eat/strip euc branches? Of my 13 cages not a single one will do this. Some don't even touch it, some will make a nest of leaves, others will chew for 10 minutes and never touch it again.

Why after 10 years of trusting the use of the Original HPW diet is this now being looked into? Seems to me it was brought up now only because of a new diet using 3 letters and the creator not being well liked by SOME.

Thanks for the answers to some of my questions Jazz. I too was very confused by the directions on the back of the Wombaroo box versus the mixing directions on the modified OHPW that I fed. They like it, eat it and I feed the Mazuri dry as they do like to snack during the day. I don't feel it is because they aren't feed enough at night or don't like their diet. I have tried 3 other diets for them and none of them were successful for a variety of reason. I also won't feel comfortable putting moisturizer on dry food that is left in the cage.

So, I will continue to feed it as I have and modify it with the arrow root biscuit to see how that goes and add the milk thistle as all 3 of my boys were rescues and on extremely poor diets. They don't really like any of the yogurts I have given and I believe that a probiotic is beneficial to all that are living creatures. I think it keeps a lot of intestinal problems at bay. Just my opinion.

As far as saying "they lick it clean every night" and comparing it to kids eating McD's, that may be true. But, if you feed a diet that the majority of forum members feel is the best and your gliders don't eat it, well that leads to many health problems.

Human diets and recommendations of what is healthy and what isn't is ever changing. Thus, glider diets changing as more is learned about them is to be expected. Demeaning someone for feeding a certain diet isn't called for. Everyone should be supportive and less critical and biased.

Life is a learning experience and it should be enjoyable and make one want to learn more and more about everything in their life.

I truly believe that the majority of the people that belong to forums are doing the best they can for their gliders. If they didn't bother reading and learning, then they MAY qualify for irresponsible owners. Or perhaps, they are very busy and do the best they can for their pets.

Be open to others opinions! More people would come to this forum and feel comfortable expressing their opinions is they weren't attacked and demeaned. JMO

Tuee...when you say Mazuri dry...what is that? I just bought some monkey biscuits but can't find anything else by Mazuri.

I'm sure I'm overlooking so if you can guide me in the right direction I would much appreciate it.

Thanks!

I am really nervous now that many people are going to be even more confused about diets than they already are.

Please people, don't go rushing out to modify the Original HPW that you are currently using.

If you feel the need to feed Passwells diet, then I am all for it. But please feed it according to how THEY feed it. From reading how they feed it, there is quite a difference than just sprinkling it on top. If your going to feed WHPS the way they do in Australia, please feed it exactly that way.

Agree. When you modify diets, you are essentially changing it and messing with the ratios. I stay confused about diet. With picky eaters, it makes is more difficult for me. But, I have found that the OHPW diet with the extremely few modifications (green juice since they don't eat fruit much) and having the Maurzi dry food available, doesn't seem to be a HUGE modification.

I will research the milk thistle more and see if I feel it is beneficial.

As for the arrow root biscuits, wow! They are about 45.00 for 12??? Not in my budget. The diet I follow uses monkey biscuits and the breeder has feed this slightly modified diet for many years. My gliders eat it and their fur is looking great! They have a ton of energy and play and interact as they should. Even my single male is happier. But, he is getting his playmate this weekend so he will be even happier, I pray!

Newby is correct - the information provided here is NOT a change in the Original HPW diet - it is ANOTHER OPTION for choosing a diet or feeding routine for your gliders.

There is no information given that tells me that this feeding plan is better or worse than any of the other glider diets used by members of this board.

It will take time and many folks feeding their gliders following this plan to determine if gliders will thrive when fed this way.

This just another choice for owners to consider. There is no perfect way to feed gliders.

Wombaroo High Protein Supplement is still just ONE INGREDIENT in the overall "diet" outlined here, just as it is one ingredient in Original HPW, Reeps, and other glider diets including my own GliderKids Staple.

It is much like saying your children are on the "Cheerios" diet because you feed them Cheerios every morning as part of their overall diet. Hopefully your child's diet has fruits, vegetables and a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals in addition to the Cheerios.

Well I for one don't intend to totally switch up their diet but I've gotta do something cuz they aren't really eating their OHPW anymore and as we always say,...you can have the best diet but if they won't eat it, it does no good!

I like and trust the HPWS so I want to keep that in their diet if possible. If that means I have to switch from mixing it as the OHPW to sprinkling it on their fruits/veggies and offering some additional protein then I'm willing to give it a try.

I've never given mine monkey biscuits but I've read a lot of diets, and yes, they are the older diets and ones from other countries, include them. I want to see how they like them but rest assured they will NOT be the main source of their nutrition.

I put a monkey biscuit in their cage about 1 time a week. I don't moisten it with anything. They like them and from the research I have done, this is helpful for their dental health.

I agree with Jazz, it can be the best diet out their but if they aren't eating it, well, it isn't the best diet for your gliders. They have likes and dislikes just like every other animal/human out their. It is just our responsibility to make sure we feed them the best diet we can and give them treats occasionally just like I do for my children, dog, cats.