Good morning!
I have a few questions for you all. I ask you to please not be too harsh, because at the time I honestly didn't know any better.

This weekend I purchased two baby gliders at an expo I attended. I got home and immediately started researching how to take care of them. I am somewhat of a perfectionist by nature, and am not normally so impulsive, but I fell in love as soon as I saw these little girls. Through my research, I of course immediately saw that I purchased from a mill breeder (Tropical Attitude Pets, and yes I felt your cringe all the way from over here.) I have an appointment this afternoon with a vet for a check-up, as I've seen that gliders from mills commonly carry various parasites and illnesses.
I also will be going tomorrow to get supplies to build a bigger cage. I, of course, only have the one I purchased with the gliders. I have put some toys in their cage for now. They have a Wodent Wheel, I put in a ball put, and some plastic bracelets.

My concerns are these: I have seen SO much conflicting advice on feeding, however I have seen a general consensus that pelleted food is not what they should be eating. I believe I've decided on the HPW diet, as this seems to be one of the most popular, easy to follow, and I have found the most fruit/veggie compote relish recipes attached to it.
My concern is this: my babies seem to be very young. The man who sold them to me said they were 7 weeks out of the pouch, which I've read is way too young to be separated from the mother. I'm hoping the vet will be able to confirm the age this afternoon, but I would like some opinions on how I should be feeding them. Is it too early to start the HPW diet? I have been feeding them pellets since Sunday along with half an apple at night since I haven't found an answer yet. I don't want to continue if its not healthy for them, obviously.

I also want to say that despite the bad circumstances they are in, and feeling guilty for being impulsive and not researching, I am glad that I have them. I feel as though rescued them from a bad situation, and, knowing myself, I feel confident I can give them the proper care.

Also, the starter kit came with a heat rock. I haven't even taken it out of the box, as I've read they can be dangerous. However I was wondering if they were still young enough to require the use of a heating pad in their cage?

Anything else I need to know? Tips? Advice?

You sound like you are doing all the right things! Don't even unbox the heat rock, they don't require an external heat source at this point. At least you got two babies! They will snuggle together for warmth and security. You might want to follow the Joey BML diet until they are a little older. Check out Suz's site for more info: www.suzsugargliders.com/

Congrats on your babies!!

The joey BML was actually designed as a supplement that could be syringe fed to joeys who should still be nursing. After some new research that has come out recently, Suz no longer even recommends this recipe. If they are actually around 7 weeks, you can feed them as you would a normal adult, they will just most likely eat more of the protein portion of your diet. This is normal in young gliders since they need the protein for growth. If you decide to go with the HPW, just start offering it right away, and make sure they are eating it well. It may take a few days, but they should adjust just fine.

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despite the bad circumstances they are in,

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Welcome to glider parenthood. It sounds like your babies are in very good circumstances NOW.

At 7 weeks, they are ready to eat HPW, fruits and vegetables. They may take a while to catch on to the fruits and vegetables but they will figure them out. If they eat all of the 2 tablespoons of HPW (1 TBS each) then offer 3 TBS each night until they begin to eat some of the fruits and veggies.

You are doing a great job getting things right for these little ones.

Feel free to ask questions, we are here to help you along the way.