So, I've had my pair for about 3 years now, and they have never really taken to a staple or fruits, and a recent vet visit has concluded that they're not very healthy as a result. They eat pretty much every veggie there is, are VERY VERY picky when it comes to fruit, and as far as I can tell, don't hardly ever touch their staple. I actually cut back on their nightly veggies portions in hopes of them eating their fruits or staple, but they usually don't touch either. I'm honestly surprised that they're alive with how little they eat.

I've tried the LGRS, many variations of HPW (Critter Love is probably the only one I haven't tried at this point) and Priscilla's. Every time I use a staple I use it for at least 3-4 months so as to give plenty of time for them to get used to it. Priscilla's seems to be the one they'll pick at the most, and they seem to eat fruits better when they have to dig it out of the mixture, but they avoid the vitamins I sprinkle on top of it, and totally avoid the staple altogether when I mix the powder in, so that kind of takes away the benefit out of using Priscilla's.

I just recently made a batch of BML and predictably they haven't touched that yet, but it's also only been a week or so. I also could be making it incorrectly because it seems like it's way too thick, and I'm not sure if that's the way BML is supposed to be or not.

So yeah, I'm pretty much out of ideas at this point. I feel like they're slowly starving themselves to death even though I'm trying my best to make sure they're healthy. Spending all this money on stuff they don't even eat is starting to take its toll, as well. Any suggestions?

Did your vet check their teeth ? or look in their mouths to see if they have any oral issues? Did he run a fecal test?

How much food are you putting on the plate? Do you measure everything out ?

Bml shouldn't be super thick, it's pretty runny actually like melted ice cream consistency. You may have either missed an ingredient or added to much cereal if it's thick.

Bourbon Hackworth is the creator of BML if you need any info on her diet she will answer your questions just shoot her a pm on fb https://www.facebook.com/bourbonh

I agree a vet check to find out if there are mouth problems preventing them from eating well or parasite issues preventing them from absorbing nutrients would be a good place to start.

If no physical health issues are found, then some changes in diet - or how you offer the diet may be in order.

Picky eaters on HPW has always been a topic of discussion. Peggy even has a full page on the CritterLove web site on dealing with picky eaters.

My gliders would not eat BML - I feel it is because of the large amount of gritty calcium supplement it contains - which is probably a bit like eating food laced with SAND.

Some gliders like their fruits and vegetables coated with the staple. Others prefer the staple served separately. If you are using one presentation - switch and try the other to see if it makes a difference.

If you are feeding one of the combinations of many fruits and vegetables each day - try offering only one or two fruits and one or two vegetables each night. I find using a mixture allows my gliders to always eat their favorite first and NEVER eat some items. When I offer only one fruit and one vegetable the will eat what is available on the plate if they are hungry.

If you have not already tried my GliderKids Feeding Plan - that might be another Diet to try. I have several recipes in response to OWNER's preferences - some want to feed less honey, some do not want to offer chicken, others do not want to use eggs etc. My recipes contain less water so the staple is a little more concentrated and allows a smaller serving only 2 teaspoons per glider to provide the nutrients your gliders need daily. It is a little higher in protein than the HPW diets which may help your gliders even if they do not eat the full 2 teaspoon serving at first.

Here are printable instructions for the GliderKids Feeding Plan:

http://www.gliderkids-diet.com/GKSFeedingPlan2013.pdf

By only offering 2 teaspoons of the staple, the gliders very small stomachs have a bit more room for the fruits and vegetables you offer with it. Most people have told me they no longer have picky gliders on the GliderKids feeding plan.

I also find that my gliders do better when offered one fruit and one vegetable each day - but a different combo each night so they get 7 different fruits and 7 different vegetables each week.