Sugar Glider Nutrition

Feeding our Sugar Gliders

Water

Water must be available at all times. We use a bowl and also a water bottle for every cage.

Food

We always leave a mixture of equal parts Royal Canin ‘kitten’, Ferret (or mink) food and Glider pellets, in their cage. They are never without this kibble mix. Our Gliders do not over indulge on kibble so, we do not worry that they will become too heavy from the kibble.

In the evening (6-8:pm) we feed washed, fresh leafy greens and small quantities of fresh fruit and berries. (Sliced, Oranges, tangerines, clementines are given 3 times a week and we leave the skin on)

Calcium

Twice per week we sprinkle a 2:1 ratio, calcium on the Oranges. Captive Gliders need to be supplemented with additional Calcium.

Every night, just before we go to bed, we feed "Glider-cubes" to all of our gliders. We remove any left over in the morning.

***Excluding the dry kibble, all of the other food items we offer are fresh/frozen human grade. We wash everything. We do not feed insects. Meat is always cooked. We do not feed pasteurized foods, processed foods, salt, or spices/seasonings. All food is served at room temperature except for the "Glider Cubes". We monitor their food intake. Making sure to make necessary adjustments, especially if we notice that any of Gliders start to look a bit paunchy.

How we prepare our Glider-cubes

Please note that we have a couple of birds and other animals that we feed this to. Even our dogs like them as a treat! Although it keeps frozen for quite a few weeks, single pet owners may want to make adjustments.

Fresh Fruit - Step 1

We wash everything then puree using a food processor…

1 large papaya (no skin and no seeds and not cooked and we wait until the papaya starts to turn colour, that is when it is fully sweet and ripe)

Approximately ¾ to a cup of melon (peeled and seed free)

1-2 kiwis (skinned)

1 banana (peeled and a little over ripe)

2-3 strawberries

6 -10 blueberries

½ cup of unpasteurised yogourt

Raw Vegetables - Step 2

We coarsely grind using a food processor

1 medium sweet potato, (peeled)

½ a cup of frozen peas and carrots mix

½ cup frozen cauliflower and broccoli mix

Cooked Meat – Step 3

We steam/cook 2lbs, ground chicken or turkey, chicken hearts and 2-4 eggs.

Let cool and drain off any liquid and fat.

We coarsely grind using a food processor.

Step 4, 5, and 6

In a large bowl we mix together approximately, 2 cups of the fruit puree, 2 cups of the ground vegetables and 2 cups of ground meat

We spread the mixture into ice cube trays and place in the freezer to flash freeze it.

Once frozen we put the cubes in a sealed container in the freezer. Can keep up to 90 days.

Treats

Once a week they each get the following. We feed these as treats and only at bonding time. They are offered by hand or fed off a teaspoon. We change it up to give them variety. All are probably not necessary but it is a way to bribe them into loving us

1 very small cooked shrimp (not peeled)
½ to 1 shelled raw nut (Brazil nut, Pecan, Walnut, Hazelnut, Almond or Macadamia)
½ to ¾ teaspoon of light maple syrup mixed ½ and ½ with water and fed on a teaspoon
½ to ¾ teaspoon of unpasteurised yogourt - fed on a teaspoon
2-3 fresh basil leaves, (or fresh flower blossoms when available)
A small piece of sugar cane
Honey crumbs (we make as cakes. We use rice and cassava flour, rolled oats, a few eggs, and sweeten it with honey. We just mix it together and bake it on a cookie sheet until crunchy. Then we break it into crumbles. It can be stored in freezer for up to 2 months)