Right now I am using the BML diet for all my gliders. I make so much of it though every month and was wondering if theres an easier way. I have 6 gliders. Well, 4 adults and two joeys. I found a glider diet id never heard of before. Has anyone ever heard of it or used it before? Before I try it id like to know its effectiveness and if anyone elses gliders like it.
Hopefully the link works.

www.*site banned*/special-report/feeding-your-sugar-glider/

oh well if the sites banned i guess its not a good diet...
its sugar glider info.org and its the pocket pets diet of Glide-R-Chow and Glide-R-Gravy.
I guess that really doesnt sound appetizing now that i think about it. The "chow" part kills it but it sounded nutritionally balanced enough I suppose.

I think (not positive) I read that the glider gravy is repackaged instant HPW. As I don't promote anything Pocket Pets, even if there is 1% of truth in what they say, I'd advise just to look into one of the HPW's.

Anyway...the glider chow are pellets and the consensus of successful glider owners and breeders is that pellets should not be a large part of the diet. Gliders digestive systems do not adapt to a kibble type food. Nectar replacement diets with good protein and a balance of veggies and fruits is the best thing you can do for your friends.

Ok thanks, I will look into those. I will also try to stay away from that site.. Also kind of an off topic question but how am I supposed to house my 6 gliders together? I found a cage that is hexagonal, 60" tall not including the stand, 27" from panel to panel and then 36" from corner to corner. Does that sound like an adequate size for 6? The recommended is no more than 5 though. They are in separate cages now. One cage that I have two in is just barely at the minimum size which Im not very happy with seeing theyre so active. Then the other two with the two joeys are in a 51" tall, 30" length, and 18" width cage. thanks

It is small for that many gliders and the amount of activity you'll have going on with a colony of 6. I always err on the side of bigger is better when it comes to their habitat...and even then plenty of out of cage time. Once you get a couple wheels in there and your other accessories they'll be fairly cramped during their night time pursuits.

More of concern is how you plan to introduce these two groups given their different ages, sexes, etc?

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I think (not positive) I read that the glider gravy is repackaged instant HPW. As I don't promote anything Pocket Pets, even if there is 1% of truth in what they say, I'd advise just to look into one of the HPW's.

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Glider Gravy is NOT Instant HPW (sold by Exotic Nutrition)

It is however relabeled HPW COMPLETE sold by Peggy Brewer http://www.critterlove.com/diet-info1.html

I am not a big fan of the "add water only" types of HPW which contain powdered eggs and powdered honey. The eggs are a product made from pasteurized RAW eggs. The powdered honey contains anticaking agents that I do not feel gliders need in their daily diet long term.

There are other widely used glider feeding plans you can also choose from. I have links on my web page for several along with my own GliderKids feeding plan.

My recipes for the GliderKids Staple make a larger batch than most staple recipes and will feed your 6 gliders for about 21 days per batch so you would need to make it less frequently. These recipes also allow a wide choice of fruits and vegetables instead of the limited fruits and only mixed vegetables allowed with the BML diet.

http://www.gliderkids-diet.com/Staple-Recipes.html

The gliders have all lived together, I just separated because my male is not neutered yet. He is being taken to get neutered when the joeys are weaned. The two gliders I have separated from the rest are the joeys from my pair's first set.
Thankyou for the food suggestion candy. Ive been wanting to change the BML since ive had vet visits in the past. Its not that I give my gliders a bad diet but my vet at one point had me adding metamucil to the diet for my boy. Now im adding extra calcium to the moms because shes been having seizures from what my vet said was lack of calcium. So no more babies and hopefully no more seizures. Everytime I go to a vet or some sort of glider expert they always comment that my gliders are very healthy and nice looking. So its confusing. But I will try this diet.
What size cage then do you think is recommended for that many gliders? Ive considered getting another glider to thats outside the family.. although I probably really dont need another.

Echo...post your cage questions in a new topic for better info. Folks here have all sorts of configurations that they use for different sizes of colonies. There are also some plans for cages that can be built rather inexpensively and some have been able to connect two cages to get a good size ratio. They'll be able to show you some pictures for ideas as well.

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Now im adding extra calcium to the moms because shes been having seizures from what my vet said was lack of calcium.

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Have you been adding the 2 tsp RepCal Calcium to the BML as called for in the recipe?

If so - I would NOT ADD any additional calcium to your glider's feedings. BML has an almost excessive amount of calcium included in the recipe - which is why the vegetables are restricted to the frozen mixed vegetables to provide higher amounts of phosphorus to balance the large dosage of calcium in the BML mixture.

Be sure to tell your vet the AMOUNT of calcium in the BML is about 54 mg per 1 tbs glider serving if you are adding the 2 TSP RepCal Calcium per batch.

Adding additional calcium - especially if you are sprinkling it on foods is likely to be excessive and could cause additional health issues. The calcium may be WHY your glider needed metamucil (added fiber) as too much calcium can cause constipation.

My recipes does call for a calcium supplement but not nearly as much as the BML recipe calls for.


As for a cage for a large colony - I would go with the Congo Cage from Exotic Nutrition or the Large Sturdy Cage from SunCoast (same cage but SunCoast has $10 shipping).

http://www.exoticnutrition.com/costsuglca.html

http://www.sugar-gliders.com/sturdy-cage-large.htm

I do put in the 2 tsp of calcium. The vet had told me to add another tsp to her portion which I was worried about because my boy eats the same thing but the vet said it would be ok. She didn't really conclude that was it. She kind of left it at that and said see what happens from here. I did find another vet that is an hour away from me but at this point in sure its for the best. She couldn't get enough blood drawn from her to clarify its calcium though. I'm not letting them breed anymore. Thatd when she started it so hopefully the seizures stop.

Thanks, I'll check those cages out

Adding an additional teaspoon to the batch of BML is WAY TOO MUCH.

Excessive calcium intake can lead to low phosphorus levels which may also be associated with the seizures.

I would look for another vet that has more experience with gliders.

I definitely am. Luckily they only had that batch one night its getting thrown out. Thank you for the info!