I just recently brought home a glider. The breeder would go and buy oats, fruit, veggies, chicken and so on and put it all mixed together. I don't wanna have to do that every single day so I would like to feed him other things such as pellets that I have. He refuses to eat any of them. Any ideas how to get him to start eating them? How long is too long that he's going without food cuz he refuses to eat them?

Welcome Erwin88!

Congrats on your first glider. The information that your breeder provided as far as diet was good advice. You should have taken more time to discuss with them why the diet is as important as it is. If providing good food is too much of a hassle for you, you might want to reconsider if your lifestyle is one that will be the best for taking care of a glider.

Do not feed pellets. A gliders digestive system is not designed to be able to get the nourishment they need from a pellet diet. Call your breeder and discuss the diet again in more detail. Go out and get what you need to feed your glider!

The partial diet you described sounds like it may be based on the Priscilla Price Fresh Diet. If you make a full batch of this diet and freeze it in ice cube trays it will last over a month for one glider. A half hour out of one month to prepare a diet is really not that much, and neither is the expense when it's broken down.

There are some very simple diets that require very little for ingredients which can usually all be purchased from a grocer and pet store. This is the BML diet. The link to the BML diet is here: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/sugarglider/leadbeat.html

That being said, there are numerous "approved" diets (researched and used successfully for many years) that are here on the website in the Gliderpedia. There is also a website that a user here, Candy, has which details her own diet as well as several other diets (some of which are here in the gliderpedia as well). http://www.gliderkids-diet.com/

As you seem to already be overwhelmed by the complexity of their diet, I don't want you to begin reading about the various diets and throw your hands up in frustration. Just give them each a look, find one that seems to make sense to you, is easy for you to prepare and affordable for your situation. As long as it is one on this list your glider will be ok. Just PLEASE, stop offering this baby nothing but pellets.

Hello,
Pellets only are not going to meet the nutritional needs of a glider on the long run, some diets do include high quality pellets but only in complement of a staple like mix which includes proteins sugars and vitamins, and fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables.
You can consult the diet section of the gliderpedia for more informations and pick there the diet which is the easiest for you to feed your gliders.
I apologize if I repeat someone else's answer, it's just that we sometimes are several to reply at the same time

Ok thank you. Your right, I have read a bunch of different ways to feed them and am very overwhelmed and stressed about what to do lol there are so many and lots of people say some are good and some are horrible. As long as I can prepare food and have enough for a month is fine wit me, I just don't wanna have to prepare it every single day is all.

It's ok! Take a breath! LOL

It is SO common for diet to be the first thing to hit new owners in the face and they get very overwhelmed. As I said...the diets here have the guess work taken out of it. It really just comes down to choosing one and sticking with it until you are comfortable enough with knowing your gliders before considering possibly making a switch to another of these diets.

Of the diets here on the site...they are all good and will provide a glider what they will need to thrive. There isn't any "bashing" of 'this one is better than that one' between the folks here concerning these. It comes down to your preference...and of course...what your gliders do well on.

The last bit of advice. When you chose the diet...follow it precisely as written. Some small mistakes can very quickly lead to catastrophe with certain diets, and other lapses can lead to long term deficiencies showing up much later.

Best of luck. Thanks for understanding that it was not a "BASH" on you. We just really all care about the well being of these fuzz butts.

Do not worry too much about the individual comments on each diet, there are many valid diets, and everyone has their preferences, as long as they are listed on candy's site or on gliderpedia, they're fine. The more important is that it is convenient for you while keeping your gliders healthy ;)

Ok thank you :) I just wanna make sure I'm doing what's right for him. I've had him for three days and I am completely in love wit him, more then he is wit me at the moment lol

Welcome to the forum and to glider parenthood.

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As long as I can prepare food and have enough for a month is fine wit me, I just don't wanna have to prepare it every single day is all.

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Unlike many other caged pets that can be fed pellets, Gliders do require you to prepare a fresh plate of food each evening.

Once you choose a feeding plan for your glider it will be much easier. Along with the frozen nectar-like staple you will need to feed fruits and vegetables which can be either fresh or frozen. Some folks prefer to use fresh vegetables and fruits and cut them up each evening. Others buy them already frozen or freeze them in advance for easy storage and serving.

Even if everything is frozen - the staple, fruit and vegetables needs to be put in the cage fresh each night and the leftovers removed in the morning.

For fruits and veggies, read what is recommended for your chosen diet. Once you have learned either specific or varied fruit and vegetables (depending on diet), you can use frozen, fresh, or fresh that you freeze. I use a diet that a variety of fruit and veggies are offered. I make a batch that usually lasts 4-5 weeks and keep in freeze safe containers ready to scoop. I use a combination of some already frozen and then get others fresh, which I cut into glider "hand" sized chunks and freeze. My nectar batch is made up in advance as well, so nightly feedings are fast and easy. preparing the batches takes less than an hour usually, nectar batch takes less than 20 minutes, the fruit/veggie mixture takes a little longer due to washing and chopping them and then stirring mixture about every hour or so for over about 4-5 times to prevent the mix from freezing solid. My staple nectar food I now pour into small plastic bottles (the small Sunny Delight type), I pour 3 nights worth into each bottle, I place one in the refrigerator and the rest are put in freezer and pulled out as I finish last night in the refrigerated bottle, I've found this easier now to use and store than the large container or ice cube trays. I'm just sharing this to offer more options for your staple nectar storage.

If I use chicken to put in there, is it better to have fresh that you go and cook first or is it ok to buy like the chicken chunks that are already cooked?

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If I use chicken to put in there, is it better to have fresh that you go and cook first or is it ok to buy like the chicken chunks that are already cooked?

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It will depend on the staple recipe you choose. The only feeding plan that calls for cooked chicken is the Priscilla Price Pet Glider Fresh Diet. Most staples that call for chicken use the baby food chicken that is already pureed.

If you are making the Priscilla Price recipe, it would be best to buy plain chicken and boil or roast it yourself - with no salt or seasonings added. Many of the pre-cooked types of chicken have salt added to them and should not be used for your gliders.

http://www.thepetglider.com/glider-care-info/nutrition-system#Recipe

If you choose to use this feeding plan - you will need to purchase the vitamins sold on her web page to provide the correct amounts of vitamins and calcium for the recipe. Her vitamins are added when you serve the food rather than in the entire batch.

http://www.thepetglider.com/nutrition/product/product_id-17/name-the-pet-glider-complete-multi-vitamins-with-calcium-180.html

I chose the bml my gliders love it

Until you have a staple for your glider, feed fruits, veggies, and a protein source - plain boiled chicken, hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, plain turkey, and baby food are all examples. Beech Nut Sweet Potato and Chicken baby food is a favorite here; any of them with protein and without garlic or onion (both are toxic to gliders) will do. Favorite fruits for my bunch include red apple, banana, melon, blueberry, raspberry, and papaya. Favorite veggies include sweet potato, carrot, cucumber, spinach, and kale.

If you haven't chosen and ordered a staple yet, here is my suggestion. Go here and order the HPW Sample Pack.
www.thepamperedglider.com/supplements.htm
I say this to everyone who is lost with diet because it's easy to order/make and simple to understand. This sample pack is $6.45 with free shipping, will last probably 4-6 weeks, and this will allow you to know if Original HPW is right for you and your glider. I use this for all 6 of my gliders and they all love it. It takes about 5 days to get to you, but baby food or eggs or whatever along with fruits and veggies will be fine until then. Pellets are actually toxic to sugar gliders and absolutely don't provide enough nutrition. Gliders who eat pellets as their main food source long-term usually die of liver and kidney failure or other complications of awful diet. Since you already have a bag, it is okay to give him a few pellets every other day or so to clean his teeth with. I mean a few - not a handful, but like three little pellets; they are very filling and he does not need any more that that, if he will even eat them. Maybe he knows they're bad for him! :P

If you order OHPW, you will receive wombaroo powder and bee pollen for one batch. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 Cups Warm Water
1.5 Cups Honey
3 Scrambled Eggs(can cook in microwave or stovetop)
1/4 Cup High Protein Wombaroo Powder (Increase to 1/2 cup for pregnant/lactating females.)
1 Tablespoon Bee Pollen

Recipe:
Cook Eggs, set aside.
In a large bowl mix warm water and honey until the honey dissolves.
Add in the Wombaroo High Protein Supplement and mix well.
In a blender, blend eggs, bee pollen, and 1 cup Wombaroo High Protein Supplement mixture for two minutes.
Add remaining Wombaroo High Protein Supplement mixture to blender and blend for two minutes.

Pour the HPW diet mixture into a freezer safe container or ice cube trays and freeze. It freezes to a soft consistency that is easily scooped nightly.

If you choose to use OHPW, you will feed 2-3 teaspoons (or 1 TBSP) per night of the HPW staple, 1 TBSP fruits, and 1 TBSP veggies. You CAN use frozen fruits and veggies; fresh is better of course, but you can just give them fresh whenever you have it based on what fruits and veggies you eat. I keep a bag of frozen berries and a bag of frozen mixed veggies in the freezer at all times. You can boil the veggies or give them frozen before he wakes up so that they'll melt. I usually do all fresh unless we are running low. About once every week or two i boil some mixed veggies and feed that for 2-3 days. Some mixed veggies have lima beans; i believe lima beans are toxic to gliders, so don't pick one with that. Broccoli, cauliflower, and citrus fruits should be fed in moderation and not every day, mainly due to gas and potential diarrhea if they eat too much.

GOOD LUCK. You can do this. Your glider will be so much healthier on a staple/fruit/veggie diet - it is literally the only way to keep them healthy. Now since you are a new owner, I just want to make sure you understand a few other things too. How big is your glider's cage? Is your glider in a place where it is above ~70 degrees F at all times, and it is light during the day and dark at night? Do you have a good glider-safe wheel? (Wodent wheels are dangerous, Raptor and Stealth are the safest). Do you have plenty of toys and fleece items he can play with and hide in? (Let us know if you need website recommendations for buying glider toys/pouches). Lastly, do you plan on getting him a cage-mate? Gliders often get depressed when alone. Diet is a priority right now, but start to think about getting a cage mate for him in the near future if possible.

Personally I found bml to be the best, mainly because I know exactly what is going in it and how much. With all these powdered diets I just don't trust but to each their own. do what you feel comfortable. Try angelfires. Bml mix it's super easy and my gliders love it and look forward to their feedings all ready and I just got them the day after christmas.

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Try angelfires. Bml mix

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Just to clarify - BML stands for Bourbon's Modified Leadbeaters. Bourbon is the creator of the recipe and the feeding instructions for this diet.

Angelfire is the name of the web page development company - it is not part of the diet name.
http://www.angelfire.lycos.com/

Is the velociraptor wheel safe for them? Yes if you could give me some links for safe toys and pouches that would be great. I made the food that is on petglider page, hopefully the vitamins I ordered off of the same website will be here in about a day or so.
Another thing is, how do you all feel about the heating rocks? Are those a dangerous thing to have in the cage?

Heat rocks are not necessary are can be dangerous. I've seen many a reptile burnt by them! Sugar gliders can regulate their own temperature. If you are worried about the room being cold, a space heater with a thermostat is best.

I know guess I should of stated that I ment the bml mix off of angelfire..... but yeh! Thank you

Raptors are among the safe wheels specifically made for gliders. I've used the original one and just purchased their new stainless one (which I love!). David's website: http://www.mygliderwheelsandmore.com/

You can rummage through thrift stores for toddler style toys (tree houses, barns, etc.) Make sure there are no batteries or damage from batteries inside. Dollar stores have all sorts of things like bendy straws, army men, plastic bracelets, etc. Craft stores have more items to go into a foraging box, pom poms. Some bird toys work out well. There are several people who make cage sets and pouches if you do a search. I've never ordered any, as I'm a crafty person who likes to sew. There are no sew fleece items that you can do as well...braided ropes, knotted pouches (for in cage only, the openings between the knots aren't ideal for a bonding pouch for new gliders).

A user here, Leela has lots of pictures of the toys that she makes on her profile page.

I organized my pics this morning there are folders now

Do any of you have recommendations on water bottles that don't continually drip all the water out?

I use the glass Kaytee water bottle with the rubber ducky that floats at the top. It doesn't leak at all.

I use a Lixit bottle sold in the bird section at most pet stores






I have never had one of these leak. I have used them for my gliders over 6 years and also for my parakeets for several years before that. The wide mount opening makes them easy to clean using a baby bottle brush.

It attaches securely to the cage with a bracket attached to the cage bars where a nub on the bottle fits snugly

Well I must have bad luck wit water bottles because I just bought the glass kaytee one wit the rubber ducky and it's still dripping like the other two I've tried.

You need to make sure the top is on tightly so no air can enter the bottle from the cap. If air can seep in the water will continue to drip.

The one I posted a photo of has a rubber gasket in the top to create an air tight seal.

Water silos work great, never fail or drip. They're easier to clean than water bottles, and easy to use.

I believe you can get from petsmart or Petco, I can't link it using my tablet, but it's the insight brand, I got the regular size.

How do you all measure food like chicken when making food? Do you have a food scale?

Most staple recipes call for specific measured amounts. Most staple recipes that call for chicken use the small 2.5 oz jars of pureed baby food chicken (with broth or gravy)

Priscilla Price's Pet Glider Fresh Diet calls for 6 ounces of protein. That could be measured using a kitchen scale. Digital kitchen scales are available at Target or Walmart. They are also useful for monitoring your glider's weight. The digital ones can weigh in ounces or grams.

If you don't have a scale and you need to measure out ounces you can use a shot glass as well. I have a 3 oz one with measure lines on the side (it seems all babyfood jars are 3.5 oz in Canada).

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I have a 3 oz one with measure lines on the side

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A shot glass or measuring cup is for Liquid ounces which measure the VOLUME of a liquid or pureed food.

If the recipe calls for 6 ounces of cooked chicken - you would need to have a scale to measure the WEIGHT of the chicken after cooking. Most recipes would state the amount of chicken in fractions of a cup if the weight was not the unit of measure they were indicating.

Right however, if you live in Canada and buy chicken baby food it comes in a different sized jar than it does here in the states. Most recipes I've seen use 1 or 2 (2.5 oz) jars of baby food.

In Canada their jars are 3.5 oz I believe, Soooo in some cases like Denparkin's, measuring pureed chicken baby food in a shot glass makes sense since most recipes use US size jars of 2.5 oz in the recipes. Where we would have to just put a jar in, She has to measure out how much to put in. Yogurt could be measured in the same way...

So really I guess it depends on where you live and what is available to you. Then of course you could puree the chicken yourself which is another option. But then you are making a different recipe if it calls for babyfood...