I am a new sugar glider owner (approx. 2 weeks now) and have spent many, many hours reading the posts here. I am trying to learn about vegetable's for mine. I went shopping today and carried a list I had printed on what vegetable's they can eat. I bought cucumber, sweet potato, collard greens, artichoke, carrots and roman tomato's all fresh and then peas, corn, brussel sprouts, mixed vegetables all frozen, all natural, no preservatives. Then I bought some baby food, chicken and vegetable mixed, baby juice, baby yogurt drops and some vanilla baby yogurt. I boiled a few eggs and made 4 small bowls and put in refrigerator. I cleaned all the fresh vegetables, bagged them and put them in refrigerator. I purchased small amounts of these to try and if they don't like it I haven't wasted alot of money. I rebagged the frozen vegetables in freezer bags and froze them.

My biggest concern is how do you prepare the fresh vegetables to feed them to your gliders? Raw or cooked, skin on or off. Like collards, I can't find any discussion on that food. artichoke, does it need to be cooked or what? I know about the potato and cooking it and cutting it up so no problem there. They love peas so that one was easy for frozen. I plan on doing some scrambled eggs for them but there was no time today. I bought a dozen. Any advice on the foods I purchased would be helpful and I shall continue to do my research on the subject through these posts. Thank you for any guidance as it is greatly needed and appreciated.

Hard boiled eggs are good.. and mine love a scrambled egg cooked in the mocrowave.. it just takes a few seconds to cook.. then a few to cool.. then Presto.
Mine likes baby food.. Mixed veggies MIXED in with her Baby food turkey or Chicken
then she likes her frozen peas ( thawed of course) then I give her a bowl of Banana, Plum , Grape baby food.. she loves it..
then I give her peanuts in her cage all the time.. and some dry glider food. i giver her a bite of chicken or what ever I am cooking, with out the onion or garlic on it.

Fresh fruit and vegetables should be thoroughly washed, then cut up into about 1/2 inch dice or slices. Skin on is probably best, if it's clean, because most of the vitamins are just below the skin. All leafy greens can be torn into pieces as you would for a salad. Brussels sprouts: tear the leaves off, then wash, and tear any large leaves in half. With artichoke, I would discard the tough outer leaves, and give the heart sliced or chopped. Remember, they have little hands, and will pick up their food, so it doesn't have to be minced as for a guinea pig or hamster.

My babies prefer spinach over collard greens, collard had a higher calcium but they will eat more spinach so I think they do better with it. now that is my monkies some of the others may prefer the collard greens, just a suggestion that next time try something different until you discover what they like better

I see today they did not each much of the collards so I will try some spinach next time. I realize they can be just like people and be finicky or just eat anything. Happy i did not pay alot for the collards. less than 50 cents. Beause I'm new at this I figure I'd just try a little of this and that until I can figure out what they like. I may use the collards in some scrambled eggs. I will do as suggested with the artichoke and they seem to like the tomatoes. Thank you

Another thing to keep in mind is that the little devils can love something one night and snub it the next. Variety is really the key. I don't typically the same items two nights in a row.

You sound like you have a nice variety of food for them which is good. Are you familiar with balancing the Calcium and Phosporus ratios in their food? There is a link on the home page which references foods and their calcium and phosphorus ratios. I printed out a similar one and use it as my bible. When I started, I used it at the grocery store all the time and I have a copy on my refrigerator! If I feed a vegetable with low calium (such as peas or tomatoes) then it is important that I balance the low calcium ratio with a fruit high in calcium such as papaya.
I also feed all veggies raw. Spinach is a good veggie you should try also. My suggies don't eat the skin on anything so I just leave it on and give them something to throw on the ground Skins of veggies may have wax and other yuckies on it so just wash them really good if you leave them on.
I freeze a lot of things so all I have to do is take it out of the freezer. Makes my life soooo much easier. I freeze scramble eggs, fruit, and boiled chicken. I have a very lean ground beef I will give them very occassionally also in the freezer for a special treat.
Just remember the calcium, phosphorus ratio, low fat, low sugar and know the no no's on what NOT to feed and you should do fine.

We use about 50-60 lbs of frozen mixed veggies a month here. Debbies feeds mostly the baby food veggies. I also give fresh when I can get them on sale as a treat. Last night they had some cooked yams and they enjoyed those. Tonight is avacado night, just a small ammount each and they love it.

What about white potato's. I cut some up just now. Do i cook them or leave them raw. If I cook them for how long. I haven't figured out the CA/PH thing yet. I've tried to read it and understand it but it seems very complicated. Any ideas on that are helpful. I have a cucumber as well. So is this good for tonight. Potato's, cucumber, maybe some corn. How do I figure what they should have and what how to add it up to get the right combunation of foods? Right now it's back to trying to understand that ratio chart.

I don't know how much you do or don't know about the ratios, so I apologize if some of this is redundant. Ca:Ph is Calcium to Phosphorous ratio. Too much Ph inhibits the absorption of Ca (which can lead to countless issues) so it's important to have the balance. Ideal ratio is 2:1. If you're feeding something that is high in Ph, you should balance that by offering something twice as high in Ca. If you go up top to "resources" and click on "nutrition", you can do a search for any type of food and get the ratios.

I really know nothing about the Ca:PH ratios. I have read the listing and tried to figure out what even 2:1 means and have no clue. I love my babies and want to take the best care of them but I'm so new at this. I can't even find the list anymore that list all the foods and what there good for, calcium or phosphorous. Please help explain to me what the 2 and the 1 are in 2:1. I feel really stupid so please don't be upset with me for not knowing. I have no one else to ask. The pet store is absolutely no help whatsoever. My understanding from them is just give them the staple stuff, dried fruit and nuts and some worms but I have since learned from all of you not to do that so I am trying to be a good mother to them and learn the truth.

No, don't feel stupid! You are doing exactly what we all had to do as well. I do have to go to dinner, but I will check back in after and see if anyone else has posted a chart that will help. The 2:1 is just that there should be twice as much Ca than Ph. Jerry, do you have that chart with the ratios? The one I have is a million pages long. I like the simple one...

I found this, it's a detailed chart: http://files.meetup.com/768852/Ratios.pdf I know I saw this in a condensed form on a thread in the last few weeks, but I neglected to bookmark it. Anyone have it?

Um ... This one?

Veggies
Food name
Cal: Phos Ratio
Collard Greens……………………………………… ...…………………….. 14.6:1
Mustard Spinach……………………………............. …………………….. 7.5:1
Beet Greens………………………………................. …………………….. 2.9:1
Dandelion Greens…………………………………… …………………….. 2.8:1
Lettuce (Loose Leaf) ………………………………. …………………….. 2.7:1
Mustard Greens……………………………………... …………………….. 2.4:1
Parsley………………………………........................ …………………….. 2.3:1
Cabbage (Green) …………………………………… …………………….. 2.0:1
Watercress…………………………………………... …………………….. 2.0:1
Spinach……………………………………………… …………………….. 2.0:1
Squash (Spaghetti) …………………………………. …………………….. 1.9:1
Celery……………………………………………….. …………………….. 1.6:1
Squash (Butternut) …………………………………. …………………….. 1.5:1
Napa Cabbage………………………………………. …………………….. 1.5:1
Lettuce (Butter Head) ………………………………. …………………….. 1.4:1
Okra………………………………………………… …………………….. 1.3:1
Tofu (Regular) …………………………………….... …………………….. 1.2:1
Cabbage (Red) ……………………………………… …………………….. 1.2:1
Tofu (Firm) …………………………………………. ..…………………….. 1.1:1
Broccoli (Spears) …………………………………… …………………….. 1.1:1
Soy Bean (Green) ………………………………….. .…………………….. 1:1
Green Beans (Snap Beans) …………………………. …………………….. 1:1
Squash (Winter, All Variety) ………………………. …………………….. 1:1
Lettuce (Iceberg) …………………………………… …………………….. 1:1
Squash (Acorn) …………………………………….. …………………….. 0.9:1
Sweet Potato………………………………………… …………………….. 0.8:1
Lettuce (Romaine) ………………………………...... …………………….. 0.8:1
Broccoli…………………………………………… …………………….. 0.7:1
Cucumber (without Skin………………………….. …………………….. 0.7:1
Squash (Hubbard) ……………………………… .…………………….. 0.7:1
Cucumber (with Skin) …………………………. …………………….. 0.7:1
French Beans………………………... …………………….. 0.6:1
Carrots…………………….. …………………….. 0.6:1
Squash (Summer, All Variety) …………… …………………….. 0.6:1
Pumpkin……………………………………… …………………….. 0.5:1
Tomato (Green) ……………………………. …………………….. 0.5:1
Cauliflower……………………………… …………………….. 0.5:1
Squash (Zucchini…………………….. …………………….. 0.5:1
Peppers (Sweet) …………………….. …………………….. 0.5:1
Alfalfa (Sprouts) …………………….. …………………….. 0.5:1
Soy Bean (Sprouts) …………………….. …………………….. 0.4:1
Yams……………………………………….. …………………….. 0.3:1
Eggplant……………………………………… …………………….. 0.3:1
Peas (Green) ………………………………………. …………………….. 0.2:1
Bamboo Shoots…………………………………….. …………………….. 0.2:1
Tomato (Red) ……………………………………… …………………….. 0.2:1
Mushrooms…………………….. …………………….. 0.02:1
Corn (Yellow) …………………….. …………………….. 0.02:1

Fruits

Food name
Ratio
Papaya…………………….. …………………….. 4.8:1
Lemon…………………….. …………………….. 4.0:1
Figs…………………….. …………………….. 2.5:1
Prickly Pear……………… …………………….. 2.3:1
Orange (Valencia) ……… …………………….. 2.3:1
Orange (Navel) ………… …………………….. 2.1:1
Lime…………………….. …………………….. 1.8:1
Raspberries…………………….. …………………….. 1.8:1
Blackberries…………………….. …………………….. 1.5:1
Grapefruit (white) ……………… …………………….. 1.5:1
Custard Apple……………… …………………….. 1.4:1
Tangerine…………………….. …………………….. 1.4:1
Grapes, American (Slip Skin)…. …………………….. 1.4:1
Grapefruit (Pink & Red)……….. …………………….. 1.2:1
Mulberries…………………….. …………………….. 1:1
Raisins (Seeded) ……………… …………………….. 1:1
Mammy Apple………………… …………………….. 1:1
Pear…………………….. …………………….. 1:1
Pineapple…………………….. …………………….. 1:1
Apple (with Skin) …………… …………………….. 1:1
Elderberries…………………….. …………………….. 0.9:1
Mango…………………….. …………………….. 0.9:1
Dates…………………….. …………………….. 0.8:1
Grapes (European) …………… …………………….. 0.8:1
Watermelon…………………….. …………………….. 0.9:1
Sugar Apple…………………….. …………………….. 0.7:1
Cherries (Sweet) ……………… …………………….. 0.7:1
Apricots…………………….. …………………….. 0.7:1
Strawberries…………………….. …………………….. 0.7:1
Cranberries…………………….. …………………….. 0.7:1
Honeydew Melon……………… …………………….. 0.6:1
Prunes…………………….. …………………….. 0.6:1
Kiwifruit…………………….. …………………….. 0.6:1
Cantaloupe…………………….. …………………….. 0.6:1
Raisins (Seedless) ……………… …………………….. 0.5:1
Apple (without Skin) ………… …………………….. 0.5:1
Raisins (Golden Seedless) …… …………………….. 0.4:1
Peach…………………….. …………………….. 0.4:1
Plum…………………….. …………………….. 0.4:1
Banana…………………….. …………………….. 0.3:1
Nectarine…………………….. …………………….. 0.3:1
Ground Cherries……………… …………………….. 0.2:1
Passion Fruit (Purple) ……… …………………….. 0.1:1

That's it !!! Really easy to read ...

Goldwinger. Print out that chart above that Dizzysmom provided for us. I will take a stab at explaining then anything I missed you all can jump right in. First, this is very confusing so please don't feel stupid. Just keep working with it until you understand.
Lets take collard greens for example: collard greens......14.6:1
The first number (14.6) in the chart is the calcium level in the food then the second number (1) is the Phosphorus level. Collard Greens have 14.6 times as much Calcium in them as they do Phosphorus.
Ideally, sugar glider's overall diet should have twice as much Calcium in it as Phosphorus or they can get some terrible nutritional issues including death.
So basically if you know the ratios of all the foods you feed, you should be able to guestimate that they are getting more calcium in their diet than phoshorus. If you were going to feed collard greens tonight, it has so much calcium in it that you could feed a fruit very low in calcium and you would still be providing the correct balance.
I use papaya which they love and is high in calcium to bring the calcium ratio up and spinach and I feed a lot of rasberries and blackberries. Keep asking questions cuz I know I did.

Another thing to do is print that chart out and laminate the little devil. Keep it in the kitchen where you prepare their food. I found that raspberries can do a lot of damage to an unprotected sheet of paper. (duh)

Good idea. I keep one in my kitchen and I have one in my purse so when I go grocery shopping I can refer to it. This feeble old brain needs all the help it can get

Yep, that was the one. I have the same one as you, snusie....

that's always good to have!

Thank you all for your help and advice. I'm working very hard on getting them the foods they need per your advice. I'll keep you informed as to how it goes. I will use the chart to help with the ratio's and work it with the foods I purchased. Thank you all very much for letting me feel comfortable in asking.

Okay so I'm reading the chart and I have a question? Using the collard greens example. Does the Ca:PH 14.6:1 mean that collards have over 14 X more calcium to the 1 of Phosphorus. That's alot if I understand correctly. I would have to bring the Phosphorus to at least to a 7 or 8 without barely budging the calcium level much more. Do I understand right?

Yep, it has that much more calcium. This is a great thing to feed if you happen to be giving them something they REALLY like that is high in Ph. Unfortunately, too much calcium is not good either so if the general feeding balances out to around 2:1, that's great. Unfortunately, lots of the things they really like, the ratios are backwards.

This still is confussing me but here goes what I had for tonight and what this chart shows: how close am I because I;m just not a math person and don't understand the .02 and .8 in the ratio. I assume the 1:1 means equal Ca and PH.
So dinner tonight may be as chart above. How close did I get.

Peas 0.2:1
Corn 0.02:1
Green Beans 1:1
Sweet Potato 0.8:1
Carrots 0.06:1
Cherry Tomato's 0.2:1


My fruits I have are Apple's (red and green), Grapes (red) and Tangerine's

This contains no fruit for tonight as I don't have a large variety yet. So I'm using this example to see how close I came. If I'm close I can substitute a fruit I have and replace one or two veggies. Can you please let me know as I'm not sure about all the areas surrounding the periods in the ratio. I have no clue what I have above. God I feel needy.....LOL. I'm so sorry.

Don't worry about it. LOL If you actually add the left column, you get 1.56. (I think LOL..someone double check me) If you add the right, you get 6, making the ratio 1.56:6 with the 1.56 being the Ca :(

Kyro, I didn't realize that you could add the ratios like that. I think you would have to make sure you fed the exact same amount of each of the above mentioned foods to be able to add the calciums and phosphoruses together like that? I am no math whiz either so I am just trying to understand.
I also think that when you feed that many different things it complicates figuring out the ratio and you can't tell who is eating what. One suggie may be eating only the things that are super low in calcium or super high in Phosphorus. You can control what they are eating better if you put only a couple of things in each night. Max I feed is two fruits and two veggies and and I alternate them each night for variety.

The portions would have to be proportionate to add it that way. I also tend to do it this way because I practically mix everything together. I don't usually feed fruits or veggies separate. I don't know that there's ever a way to know who's eating what and how much. That's why I try to mix as much as possible. They aren't able to pick and choose that way.

Okay....I figured I messed that up but now I get it (I think) and Suggie I get what you are saying too. I will work on it somemore tomorrow but I think I get it now.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Figuring out the proper diet was the hardest thing about getting gliders for me so I understand your pain! Happy Thanksgiving

Just line up the decimal and add up straight down.

I bought my scales and measuring cup and Ice cube trays today to start my measuring for my protein mix receipe. Still working on the 2:1 ratio.

I have 2 seperate questions:

I'm going shopping in the morning and wanted to know about lemons.
I see them in the list above and was wondering do they really eat the lemons? Do you just slice it small leaving the peel on and they eat it? Has anyone used lemons before?

I'm having a hard time getting them to eat vegetables at all. I'm going to keep trying different ones and realize that today they may not eat something that they'll eat tomorrow. I saw in another thread about boiling vegetables in half water and half apple juice. How much would you boil them. Just a little to make them barely soft or would you boil them to be extremely soft?