Poll Question: So...I'm just curious how much you guys are feeding your gliders each day.I usually give each of my gliders 5 mealworms,8 small slices of carrot,a snap pea,a grape,and 10 very small peices of apple.(plus I always have some protein pellets in there for them.) I don't think I'm over feeding because they look right Just wanted some opinions--thanks (please leave comments about what you think!) Choices: I feed them each way less than what you are feeding yours a little less about the same more a lot more

the diet you are feeding is not complete or balanced. you should check out the gliderpedia for recommended diets, but pellets are always a no no, and they need a balanced calcium to phosphorus ratio. no one can probably compare what they feed to what you feed since most people on this site feed one of the recommended diets.

you should definately get them on a new diet asap especially since you have a pregnant glider. she will need extra protein to reduce the risk of rejecting or cannabalizing the baby.

I don't feed my gliders anything even close to what you feed yours.

Your diet is really lacking in basic nutrient - protein and calcium. It is not even remotely balanced, nor is it even enough food!

Please do some research on diets! I feed Original HPW Diet, modified with extra calcium.

Yes, what they said!

Ok, thanks for the advice. I decided to switch to the suncoast diet plan.

here is the new diet plan...please comment on what you think.

(daily)

6 mealworms each, half a cup each of cut uf fruits and veggies sprinkled with vionate and rep-cal, 1 tbsp of honey nut cheerios with honey on them per 2 gliders, 1tbsp yogurt per 2 gliders, then a dry staple food.

I don't think I would feed that either. I think you should do a little more research on recommended diets . I feed the original HPW.

What is it lacking though?

check the nutrtion tab up top it also has a caculator for finding out ratios

You are feeding the SunCoast dry staple?

If that is the case, then I think it should be fine. I'd check with Lisa at SunCoast to make sure her diet has enough calcium.

Iam using the pet store brand dry food. I just emailed Lisa so I am just waiting for a reply

Pet store food is often bad. I haven't seen one pet store yet that sold good 'dry' sugar glider food.

What brand is it?

it's called ~vita exotics~

Vita exotics is NOT a good pellet to use. If you aren't using SunCoast pellets, you aren't feeding the SunCoast diet. The pellets have the correct protein amounts.

Really - suncoast pellets and "Happy Glider" from Pet Pro (I think?) are the only pellets I'd ever recommend - and even then they are NOT a complete diet.

Valkyriemome is absolutely correct! I feed HPW COMPLETE... hpwplus.com can give you info. I have researched the Suncoast pellets but only as a dry pellet to toss in the cage since mine sometimes like something hard to chew on & IF I'm going to do that, what I offer will be nutritious, or as nutritious as a pellet can be. But you really need a good balanced diet as a base.

http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=26197

You have to actually be using the ingredients of a diet to say you're using it. If you're modifying it and changing things around, it's probably no longer a balanced diet.

Lisa emailed me back and she said that I need to feed them less fruits and veggies and not feed them mealworms everyday because of the fat in them. She didn't seem to find anything wrong with the dry food...I just don't think I should switch it since I got them when they were about 1 year old already and they have been eating it all of their life.

does that mean if they had been fed cat food all their lives you wouldnt switch? it does not matter if they have always eaten it if it isnt good for them. i would strongly recommend getting them on an approved diet or at least feeding the actual suncoast diet and not the pellets you currently have. they are like feeding junk food to your glider. i disagree with feeding pellets as part of their diet anyway, but thats just my personal opinion. if you are going to feed the suncoast diet, you should feed the suncoast pellets or else it is not the actual diet. the other pellets will not have the same amounts of protein, calcium, and phosphorus in them and that will throw off the whole diet. using the excuse that they have always eaten it means nothing. it should not matter.

I probably will get the suncoast pellets but I will at least wait till the female has had her joey. I've read on a lot of websites that a diet change really stresses them out. Also I know that it is okay to feed them that just for a couple more days until the joey because she has had two other very healthy joeys while eating those pellets.

Diet change will not stress them out.

Another thing, did you know that gliders can and have lived 15+ years? With that being said, just because they have lived off of pellets for their whole of ONE year does not really mean that pellets are good for them.

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Originally posted by newby

Another thing, did you know that gliders can and have lived 15+ years? With that being said, just because they have lived off of pellets for their whole of ONE year does not really mean that pellets are good for them.

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I just wanted to add that they can, have, and do live up to 15 years on a good diet! With the majority of pellets equaling poop on a stick, I'd toss the crap now and get something decent.

Thank you Dizzy, forgot to add that part. LOL.

Also, if you give it some thought,...your baby is eating WHAT YOU FEED HER. She's hungry & is gonna eat what is provided. And I do know that they need extra protein & calcium while they have Joeys in the pouch to help support that new life. Just because she is surviving doesn't mean she's thriving & I know you want what's best for her so I would definately do some research. You don't have to take anyone's word for it here...I got my babies from PP & they cautioned me NOT to believe the forums so I steered clear for a bit, but I did research Sugar Gliders in the wild & common sense told me if they are sap suckers, hard pellets can't be good for them...they have no juices to "suck." I do believe Suncoast probably has a quality pellet as far as pellets go,... I don't believe they are just a bunch of junk. They sent me a sample with my cage, I soaked them in apple juice to soften them & my babies liked them & I am still considering purchasing some for an occassional treat for them to nibble on, but they won't eat them consistently. The only thing they have ever eaten consistently & totally cleaned the bowl every time is HPW COMPLETE. Just another opinion but I wish you all the luck in the world with your baby & her Joey.

Thank you for all of the advice :) I have decided to just buy the suncoast staple food and do the whole suncoast diet. I just ordered it so it will hopefully be here soon.

Hi, the pellet food is always going to be an issue as none of them seem to be what they try to be. I started ours off on the SunCoast diet but switched to HPW with added calcium and some of the veggie and fruit recipies from the nutrition section under the resources tab above. I do keep some of the Zookeepers Secret from SunCoast in the cage all the time and change it out as it starts to dry out (it is moist) & have tried the new food Suncoast has but our gliders just toss it out of the cage. With a joey, you will need to keep mama gliders protein intake up for her and the joey's health. That is where the HPW came in handy or one of the other diets. Our gliders eat better than we do! Good luck and keep us informed on your joey's progress.

I got a surrender that was a year old who was not on the best diet. I was told by my Vet and Val to switch that day....it took him a week to figure everything out that was on his plate but now he loves it. Mealworms i give every two days as a treat....dont want fatty gliders

Thanks Farns :) Thanks Charliebear :) The people that I got my sugar gliders from were feeding them some fruit,veggies and a mealworm every once in a while so Iam trying to give them a good new diet. Our vet said that the suncoast diet is good and balanced.

And I have to dig this up, too.

Based on this, the diet you're feeding and questions you're asking... YOU DON'T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT GLIDERS TO BE BREEDING.

Seriously, do you need money so bad you just can't wait, you have to breed now without caring about the gliders?

Like I replied on the other question....I have to learn somehow and they won't be together for 11 MONTHS still....they are on hpw now and I have been learning a lot from our vet and online about breeding. I care way more about my babies than you think. I would never put them together too early. I just thought that when they are older maybe they can have some joeys together...NOT SUCH A BIG DEAL.

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Originally posted by Rachaels gliders

Like I replied on the other question....I have to learn somehow and they won't be together for 11 MONTHS still....they are on hpw now and I have been learning a lot from our vet and online about breeding. I care way more about my babies than you think. I would never put them together too early. I just thought that when they are older maybe they can have some joeys together...NOT SUCH A BIG DEAL.

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Yes, it is a big deal. Breeding is NOT A WAY TO LEARN.

I'm with Kozi.
Also, I posted in your other thread, since that is more in depth.