I'm considering using pinkies as a good protein source, has anyone had any experience in this? I was planning to feed once a week per glider to vary their diet. Also, do I have to get *gulp* live ones? Or are frozen ones good?

I personally don't do it. I am sure somewhere someone has said it's a good source of protein - and it is...but for me it's 3-fold...

1) <b>Ethical:</b> I think it's just nasty and supportive of a cruel practice. I just don't believe in destroying life (even buying dead ones is sentencing more to die by demand) when there is no good reason.
2) <b>Unnecessary:</b> It's totally unnecessary with all of the humane sources of protein available.
3) <b>Risk: </b>While I am sure that there is risk everywhere, I also feel like this would open up a new avenue of biological/communicable risk. You just never know if you got a "diseased" baby. I know they do a good job of trying to keep that out...but that would be awful and in my book NOT worth the risk.

Hope that didn't sound judgmental. I just have a strong opinion on this.

I feed myne pinkies. I get them frozen and thaw them before my gliders eat them. Myne love them! Personally i think there is risk no matter what but i dont think people give gliders enough credit. In the wild they eat and do all kinds of things and they dont have someone there to blend it or check for broken bones with every jump. Lol.

<font color="green">I would pass, just saying. If you plan or don't plan on having joeys and have them. Mom and dad just might eat their own young. Thats just one point of view, many others I's sure other will help with. </font id="green">

I personally could never feed my gliders pinkies, I couldn't feed them to my lizards either. I find there is enough options out there to feed. I guess if that was what they really needed to eat, then I wouldn't have them as pets, 'cause I just can't do it. Feeding insects, bugs or worms is one thing, but for me, I couldn't have a pet I had to feed another mammal to.

OKay, I'm probably not even going to mess with the pinkies..it just creeps me out even though my foster daughter is willing to do so. I didn't know if they were just that good for them with the little bones and all. I can just imagine hearing the pinkie squeal and stuff..creeps me out.

what is pinkies?

^^^Pinky Mice or newborn mice

oh ew a glider can eat that how disturbing

I hope you guys never decide to get a snake. They eat a lot of mice. :P

I might consider it... I'm not big on the idea, but seeing as how my babies will never be breeders (unlineaged rescues), I can't see a reason not to try it... Except my own reservations.

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by mistresslynn</i>
<br />I feed myne pinkies. I get them frozen and thaw them before my gliders eat them. Myne love them! Personally i think there is risk no matter what but i dont think people give gliders enough credit. In the wild they eat and do all kinds of things and they dont have someone there to blend it or check for broken bones with every jump. Lol.
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What prompted you to want to feed pinkie mice if I might ask? I am genuinely curious. I don't think anyone recommends it these days. I don't even think they are fed to gliders that are kept in "natural captive" large environments designed to mimic the wild life and diet.

I give my gliders plenty of credit and I am pretty sure they would do just fine on a more "wild available" type diet but they also die a lot younger in the wild. The benefits of captivity is a lessened risk from all sorts of things in the wild...which in my mind could include diseases from eating other animals as well as potential injuries from doing so. I know that gliders consume their food quite differently but my chi just about took a dirt bath a few months ago choking on a chicken bone she somehow got a hold of.

On the earlier "risk" note - I just did a quick search of possible diseases mice in general can carry. Not saying pinkies DO - but I am saying that people are not perfect and there COULD be a mistake that could allow for disease to get to your gliders. I love mice...so not a jab on them. I don't know that all of these are communicable...but the giardia is enough for me!

Diseases mice can present: tularemia,worms, mites, hanta virus, lyme disease, salmonella bacteria, LCM virus, leptospira, <b>giardia</b>, cryptosporidia, and skin fungi.

I'm interested in trying pinky mice as an adventure- frozen and thawed. I've seen the videos of the live ones, I couldn't deal with the screaming since gliders don't kill their food before devouring it :/
How bad is the mess the next day? I can handle a certain level of gore, but if it's extensive I'll pass.

Ive done enough reading on what they would eat and im trying to give them what they would naturally eat. They have a wide variety of things they would come across so im giving it to them. Pinkies, baby birds, bugs, fruits and veggies are some of the things that they eat. I dont mind giving them these things. They love them and its good for them.

I try to imagine things from there side. I would not want to eat kraft dinner every night even if it was good for me. I want some variety, fun, interesting things to tease my taste buds!

I am not the kind of person who is going to blend, test, look up each ratio, deny because of some slight chance that something may happen. There is a risk for everything. If gliders in the wild can eat all of these things why cant myne? Maby its a choice thing but i wouldnt get a snake and feed it eggs because i didnt like the fact that they ate live mice. I got gliders knowing and understanding what there diet is. If im going to have happy, healthy gliders its my responsibility to feed them properly. My personal choice is to feed them whatever they would naturally find in the wild.

I know diet is a hot button here and i do try to keep quiet about it but i love my diet and so do my babies.

Im not saying people should or shouldnt feed anything. This is just my personal views on the whole diet thing and i will keep posting what i feed them. For thoes who want to read them they can and i will try to answer any and all questions that you have. For thoes who dont thats fine to, im not offended.

so now my boyfriend wants to feed our girls pinky's *eww* where would you get it frozen and how do you serve it to them(ill be out of the room while he feeds them to the girls) *eww*

Myne clean everything up. There was nothing left and i mean nothing! I was shocked as i expected something. No blood, guts, bones, nothing but a clean bowl. And some very happy gliders!

I put them in there feeding bowl and put it in there cage with the rest of there food. Lol. Its not that bad i swear!

I was just reading so many different pages and one said that pinkies are a wonderful treat to add into your feeding schedule,not only for nutrition,but for enrichment as well. Thats the only reason I was willing to do such a thing for my suggies

where do u get them?

I get myne from the local vet/pet shop. I get them frozen but i can get them live. Let me know how it goes.

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by mistresslynn</i>
<br />Myne clean everything up. There was nothing left and i mean nothing! I was shocked as i expected something. No blood, guts, bones, nothing but a clean bowl. And some very happy gliders!
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Nasty.

Its the circle of life!

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by mistresslynn</i>
<br />Its the circle of life!
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PFFFFFFTTT!!!! (LOL!) Those mice are raised in "less than optimal" conditions to say the least and the risk is REAL. But also - they are bred...and their babies are taken from them. I don't know how mice think but it hurts my heart to think about what they go through. Does it confuse them? Do they wonder where their babies went? I know my gliders would be FLIPPING out if their babies just disappeared after a few days out of pouch.

There are also physical repercussions for any mammal that breeds and does not subsequently nurse/nourish their offspring. Literally, the risk of cancer is quadrupled. Then of course this risk is quadrupled again and again and again with each breeding and removal of the babies. I know that mice are cancer factories anyway...but WOW. It's a death sentence for all of those animals before long.

The ethics of not supporting those practices are probably the strongest deterrent for me. I just think it is a cruel and inhumane business. Just my opinion here, but...it's mine and I am owning it.

You and I can totally and respectfully agree to disagree on this topic...and that's all good. Truly. <b>BUT, I sincerely hope that anyone who has been encouraged by your posts will PLEASE consider the bigger picture of cruelty attached to this option when there are safer...viable...HUMANE options available. </b>

my boyfriend is wanting to do the pinkies I don't want my girls to have it unless if he wants them to have that when the girls are at his house fine but hes paying for it lol my girls are happy with the food I give them

Im not understanding how this is horrible. This is part of there natural diet. Im not encouraging or discouraging anyone to do anything. I believe everybody makes choices based on whats best for them or there pets. I made the choice to feed my gliders pinkies.

As for all the disease that a mouse could carry, im not worried. Gliders have an awesome digestive system that can handle it.

As for the whole ethical delema, there isnt one for me. In the wild animals eat other animals. Its about survival. Its been that way cince the begining of time, and it isnt going to change.

My question is why wouldnt you feed pinkies? Im only hearing that people dont because they are scared to clean up after it, it makes them feel yucky, and because your contributing to the continuation of the pinky market. Not once have i heard about whats in the gliders best interest.

Cleaning up after....theres nothing to clean up. Its all gone.
Makes you feel yucky...dont watch.
Continuing the pinky market...please, my three pinkies a week isnt going to make a difference in the market either way. Theres enough snake owners in the world to keep it going.
Disease...gliders are able to handle more than people give them credit for.
Inhumane...they get taken from there mom and put in a freezer, where they peacefully fall asleep..vs..being fed live and made to suffer.

Give me a break. Being a glider mom is just like being a mom of human kids. When you have them, its not about you anymore.

Agree or disagree its up to you.

I'm going to comment on just these two points -

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by mistresslynn</i>
Disease...gliders are able to handle more than people give them credit for.
Inhumane...they get taken from there mom and put in a freezer, where they peacefully fall asleep..vs..being fed live and made to suffer.
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gliders ARE susceptible to parasites. Dogs/Cats(carnivorous animals), due to their digestive system, can handle bacteria(like salmonella) better than humans because it passes through faster(less time to attach to the intestine wall) and is more acidic(killing some of it). Even those that feed RAW to their dogs/cats still are concerned about parasites - so it really does matter your source and if they're actually testing their breeding stock of feeders.

Freezing is a very INHUMANE way of death. If that is how your petstore is killing them...that is awful. It is NOT a peaceful death. There are ways that are more humane if done properly, but freezing is NOT one of them. You can look up AVMA recommendations for humane ways.

Your welcome to your opinion!

I put in my post that we could "totally and RESPECTFULLY disagree" and without your response, I would have dropped it. I don't need a smarta$$ response with "Give me a break" and "Please" and "you aren't thinking of what's best for your gliders!". I AM thinking of my gliders, clearly by working to eliminate risk for them. I am not the one that complained about clean up if you recall. I don't give a crap about nastiness as I get pee'd and pooped on every day. I can stomach "gross" for my gliders.

You can stuff your head in a hole and think that one consumer doesn't impact cruelty if you want, but you are wrong there in my opinion. Each person plays into the demand of cruelty no matter how small your numbers. THIS is a personal ethical issue I have and YES, we will have to agree to disagree on that front. Neither of us will "win" here on this part of the debate. And I won't continue arguing it with you. It's OK to not agree on that.

BUT... my concern is that you are wrong on the disease/risk front and THAT is a fact. Do your research. A glider's digestive system is VERY susceptible to ailments, bacteria, and parasites. For you to insinuate that it's not is DOWNRIGHT dangerous to anyone reading that doesn't know any better.

Now that I have had time to read about your pinkies in particular...I would be even LESS inclined to follow your idea. You are buying pinkies from a pet store. Not even from a clinical setting or manufacturing set up where there ARE quality controls. You are getting feeder mice babies that have been in a PET STORE. How much do you think they have been exposed to? How much do you think they care for these mice before shipping them to the pet store? It's COMMONLY known that feeder mice are NOT cared for in the same quality conditions as pet mice/rats, etc. I bet you can't even tell me where they originally came from without a call to your pet store. You don't even KNOW your RISKS yet you are willing to argue on behalf of them? Publicly?

I don't care what attitude you want to bring to the table on this one, the facts remain. You *could* be putting your gliders at an unnecessary risk and I find that a trait of a flippant glider owner. I respect a glider owner that is willing to research and understand what they bring into their glider's world - you showed your thought process on the other thread and I have yet to see one viable researched item.

I was not being a smart ass. I just said you were welcome to your opinion. Im also welcome to myne.

Have a great day!

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by mistresslynn</i>
<br />I was not being a smart ass. I just said you were welcome to your opinion. Im also welcome to myne.

Have a great day!
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Both the disease risks and the method of euthanasia are not OPINIONS, they are FACTS. You can choose to ignore those facts, but those two points do not come down to a difference in opinion.

Euthanasia methods have been studied - the pros/cons/efficacy/risk to the person doing it, etc. Freezing is not and NEVER will be humane. You can't argue with facts...people who have frostbite will tell you that freezing is very very painful so how is that humane? Just because the animal can't tell you it hurts???

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by mistresslynn</i>
<br />I was not being a smart ass. I just said you were welcome to your opinion. Im also welcome to myne.

Have a great day!
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No, that's not all you said and you insinuated that we were not putting our gliders "needs" first. That you ARE and that makes you a more in tune glider owner? It is "smart assed" to say "give me a break" and "please" and all that. BUT, I digress. I was firm but respectful with my opinion before that.

What Petluv said is spot on. You are certainly welcome to your own opinion - but in the instances she outlined (as well as myself) - they are not a matter of opinion. I am an open minded person - you show me something factual that supports your position and I will eat my words. No pun intended...since we are talking about eating dead babies and so forth.