sorry to post this again but a few new members wanted to take a look at the diet so I have reposted it.
The Healesville Sanctuary Diet
« on: January 26, 2007, 01:26:07 pm » Quote

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Check out this Diet by The native animal Zoo in Melbourne Australia

The Healesville Sanctuary Diet for Sugar Gliders

Water

Daily Diet per animal:
1 Dog chow/Advance.(Hard Dog Chow)
6g Fruit, chopped (1 tablespoon)
3ml Nectar mix. (1 tablespoon per Glider)
1g fly pupae(1/4 teaspoon)
5g corn
2g Sprouted seed
2 mealworms.

Supplement:
5 pollen grains-once per week(bee pollen grains available at Health food shops)
3 sultanas-3-4 times per week(Dried Sultana Grape)
2 sunflower seeds-once per week
1g Pet health food(small cube)-once per week. No additives all natural
1 almond-once per week
Insects-3-4 times per week (moths crickets etc.)
Acacia, eucalypts. other blossoms as avavilable.

Nectar Mix:
2 litre formular:
700ml of Honey,
1 litre Hot water,
3 eggs(hard boiled no shell)
Soluvet 20 ml(liquid vitamin for birds)
Calicivet 20ml.
250ml cold water
cereal 70g (High protien baby cereal)

Blend together hard boiled egg, Soluvet, calcivet and cold water. Once blended add mix to honey and water, together with High protein Baby Cereal. Can be frozen into ice cube trays.

Just thought some people might be intersted in this Australian diet. It is the current Sugar Glider diet used at this Australian Zoo. The Zoo only deals with Australian Native animals and have been breeding Sugar Gliders since the early 1960's with great success.
The only comment i would make is it has been recommended by our local vets to add as many insects as we can catch to the diet for more calcium and more green vegetables.

I might as well ask these questions now, since they need to be asked,

fly pupae, meaning maggots?

Sprouted seed, I have no idea what this is. Is this bean sprouts?

5 pollen grains. Is that grams or are they a specific size? When I hear the word 'pollen' I think of the yellow stuff in flowers, and those are really small particles. Five of them doesn't make any sense to me, so that can't be what this is.

Sultanas. This isn't available in the U.S. As for other countries, no idea. Is this similar to a raisin or perhaps a larger prune?

Pet health food. Is this is a name brand? I'm not sure what this is or where to get it.

Acacia and eucalyptus are next to impossible to obtain in the U.S. By 'blossoms' do you mean flowers? What nutritional benefit do 'blossoms' have?

For the Nectar mix, what formula are you using? The list says 2 liters, but doesn't say of what.

Soluvet and Calcivet, this may not be obtainable in other countries.

High protien baby cereal, which brand is this? Heinz perhaps?

bee pollun is in granule form and you can buy it from the healthfood shop. Yes maggots but i cannot stomach them so give crickets and moths etc. The sprouts are the bean sprouts, I give alfalfa and they love mung beans.

Sorry eric,
sultans are a type of grape similar to raisens
The pet health food, is in a loaf and is like a processed meat. I use a all natural chicken loaf for dogs no added vitamins or preservatives.
The gliders love the nectar in the Flowers and love stripping the bark and rummaging through the leaves for the insects. So any branches that are safe for gliders would be a benefit.
This recipe makes up 2 litres if you add up the quantities.
The vitamins should be available on the internet just as owners buy the wombaroo on the net.
The high protein baby cereal is not as high a protein in the states than In Australia. Both farax and heinz are available here. It has been stated that you can use half the quantity of the wombaroo high protein mix. I have both and will check out the ratios and post the findings.

The baby cereal here is extremly low in protein. 1.5grams per 100g of cereal. This must mean that it is used for the other vitamins and for thickerning. This diet relys on plenty of insects as the added form of protein and calcium. The Wombaroo seems extra high but im not sure of the exact content. It just says 52% crude protein but doesn't say per how many grams. This makes it hard to decypher this diet for the US market. perhaps when I visit the US in June I can fill my suit case with baby cereal and sell it. lol

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Originally posted by Eric Coleman

I might as well ask these questions now, since they need to be asked,

fly pupae, meaning maggots?

Sprouted seed, I have no idea what this is. Is this bean sprouts?

5 pollen grains. Is that grams or are they a specific size? When I hear the word 'pollen' I think of the yellow stuff in flowers, and those are really small particles. Five of them doesn't make any sense to me, so that can't be what this is.

Sultanas. This isn't available in the U.S. As for other countries, no idea. Is this similar to a raisin or perhaps a larger prune?

Pet health food. Is this is a name brand? I'm not sure what this is or where to get it.

Acacia and eucalyptus are next to impossible to obtain in the U.S. By 'blossoms' do you mean flowers? What nutritional benefit do 'blossoms' have?

For the Nectar mix, what formula are you using? The list says 2 liters, but doesn't say of what.

Soluvet and Calcivet, this may not be obtainable in other countries.

High protien baby cereal, which brand is this? Heinz perhaps?

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Jett has answered most of these but I might as well add something to the thread :)

Fly Pupae- yes maggots.I don't feed these either but then my gang catch their own insects as well as getting meal worms and crickets.

Pollen Granules. Yes 5 granules which is you would be mad to count out as they are miniscule little granules of Dried Pollen. I buy the more expensive Australian product as opposed to the chinese version.

Sultanas- just a type of small raisin usually from Thompson Seedless or Menindee Seedless Grapes.

Acacia and eucalyptus. We change the eucalypt branches usually once a week in our cage. If we can get blossoms we do, but it's a seasonal thing. The gliders go mad, licking and sucking at the blossom (flowers).


Soluvet and Calcivet. These are Vetafarm products made initially for birds but used also for small animals. If these aren't available overseas, I guess a check of the nutritional ratios could be compared to find a similar product. I use their Blossom nectar for the gliders weekly.

High Protein Baby Cereal. I feed Heinz brand but Farex is also available. It seems our High protein cereal might have less protein than regular baby cereal in the US. Is this true?

Sprouts. I feed alfalfa, snow pea and mung bean sprouts and the gliders LOVE them even Charlie who secretly desires pizzas, cake and all non glider food. She smells pizza and I offer her sprouts....not a fair trade off in her opinion but she doesn't get a choice.

Dog chow/Advance.(Hard Dog Chow) Healesville also feeds Eukanuba dog chow (small dog kibble).We are talking one piece..not a bowl full.

Does that help at all Eric?

Cheers Ko

If a percentage is given, then it the value of protein scales. For example, 100 grams of cereal would contain 53 grams of protein, which is ridiculously high. That's more protein than a normal 180 pound male would need in a day, according to the USDA. Too much protein in a diet can be as bad as too little.

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Originally posted by Ko
Pollen Granules. Yes 5 granules which is you would be mad to count out as they are miniscule little granules of Dried Pollen. I buy the more expensive Australian product as opposed to the chinese version.

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I think it might be even more difficult to make sure a glider actually eats this. Honestly, it doesn't seem at all practical. What magic does this hold that can't be accommodated by some other more practical means?

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Sultanas- just a type of small raisin usually from Thompson Seedless or Menindee Seedless Grapes.

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Would this be given for it's fibre qualities?

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Acacia and eucalyptus. We change the eucalypt branches usually once a week in our cage. If we can get blossoms we do, but it's a seasonal thing. The gliders go mad, licking and sucking at the blossom (flowers).

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So this is for behavioral stimulation? or are significant, and I stress significant, amounts of nutrients obtained from these blossoms?

quote:

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Soluvet and Calcivet. These are Vetafarm products made initially for birds but used also for small animals. If these aren't available overseas, I guess a check of the nutritional ratios could be compared to find a similar product. I use their Blossom nectar for the gliders weekly.

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From the Vetafarm website:

Guaranteed Analysis:
Calcium (Ca++) as Calcium borogluconate 33g/L
Vitamin D3 25000i.u/L

SOLUVET
Guaranteed Analysis:
Per Kg
Vitamin A 1,000,000iu
Vitamin D3 125,000iu
Vitamin E 2,500iu
Vitamin K 1,000mg
Niacin 5,000mg
Pantothenic Acid 1,242mg
Riboflavin 1,200mg
Thiamine 470mg
Pyridoxine 400mg
Cyanocobalamin(B12) 5mg
Folic Acid 225mg
Choline Bitartrate 40mg
Biotin 10mg
Iodine 200mg

It is almost 1:30 AM for me, so I'll a comparison at some other time.

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High Protein Baby Cereal. I feed Heinz brand but Farex is also available. It seems our High protein cereal might have less protein than regular baby cereal in the US. Is this true?

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I will scan the documentation that I've obtained from Heinz Co. Australia Ltd. as well as the labels of American baby cereal products.

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Sprouts. I feed alfalfa, snow pea and mung bean sprouts and the gliders LOVE them even Charlie who secretly desires pizzas, cake and all non glider food. She smells pizza and I offer her sprouts....not a fair trade off in her opinion but she doesn't get a choice.

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Grocery stores in the states carry a generic "bean sprout." From what I've experienced they're mostly water. My experience is only with cooking with them in making Chinese stir fry. If you add them too early to the stir fry they will shrivel up and look like hair, which is not very appetizing.

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Dog chow/Advance.(Hard Dog Chow) Healesville also feeds Eukanuba dog chow (small dog kibble).We are talking one piece..not a bowl full.

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Eukanuba is available in the U.S.

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Does that help at all Eric?

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It helps a tremendously , but I never stop asking questions

The Wombaroo is extremely high in protein but is meant to be sprinkled on the food, it does not say to add it to the nectar mix. My guys don't like it anyway.I also think the branches and leaves add to stimulation. My guys love foraging through the leaves for insects. My gliders always eat the sultanas and eat ever bit of pollen offered so it must appeal to them. What about your gliders Ko.

quote:

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Grocery stores in the states carry a generic "bean sprout." From what I've experienced they're mostly water. My experience is only with cooking with them in making Chinese stir fry. If you add them too early to the stir fry they will shrivel up and look like hair, which is not very appetizing.

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We have those sprouts too..they are called bean sprouts..but I don't feed those.
Have a look here www.femail.com.au/sproutsmore.htm .It lists the different sprouts avaialable here.
I buy the following types (depends on what's available).That site has the contents of each container.

Crunchy Combo
Alfalfa Sprouts
Snow Pea Sprouts
Tri Sprout with Crunchy Combo
Tri Sprout with Mung Bean Sprouts


They love the alfalfa and snow pea sprouts most of all.

Cheers Ko.

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Originally posted by Jett

The Wombaroo is extremely high in protein but is meant to be sprinkled on the food, it does not say to add it to the nectar mix. My guys don't like it anyway.I also think the branches and leaves add to stimulation. My guys love foraging through the leaves for insects. My gliders always eat the sultanas and eat ever bit of pollen offered so it must appeal to them. What about your gliders Ko.

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My gliders will eat sultanas but Charlie actually prefers other dried fruit.She is very fond of dried cranberry but then Charlie has interesting tastes.

I do mix my Wombaroo HPS but have you ever made up the Wombaroo Small Carnivore Mix? It looks and smells like decaying humus!!
However, they do seem to munch on it. I keep that in a seperate bowl as I do the blossom nectar. In fact, all parts of the meal are offered in different bowls. There is a fruit bowl, a vegetable bowl, a mealworm/insect dish, nectar mix dish and then dishes for any extra treats. Spread all around the cage, and in different spots each night makes food time fun and more enrichening for the gliders.

Yes leaves and branches always means lots of play and exploration, but when you put blossoms in, its amazing to see how crazy they are for them.

Cheers Marz

Here is a link to wambaroo (I think thats how you spell it )


Error, missing URL. m

Sprouted seeds are fed to parrots. You get seeds at the grocery store or health food store - quinoa, spelt, mung beans type of grain seeds - or order a combination from a site such as whitewingsfarm.com. You soak the seeds overnight then put in a shallow dish and rinse several times through the following day or two. The seeds are ready to feed and most nutritious when they have a small tail. The mung beans take longer because they need a 1/4 inch tail. Legume seeds should be cooked so best not to sprout these.

Fly pupuae are pretty disgusting. If you order the tiny wasps that are fly predators for your yard or farm, they come as eggs laid in fly pupuae. Smell horrible. The maggot is the larval stage and gliders love them like they love mealies.
Borogluconate is a more absorbable form of calcium than that typically used in pet or reptile vitamins such as rep cal.