Caring for Sugar Gliders: Feeding and Diet

Sugar Glider

Caring for Sugar Gliders: Feeding and Diet

The sugar glider, a small marsupial that has gained popularity as a pet in recent years, is named for its attraction to sweet foods. As an omnivore, your pet needs a diet containing roughly 25 percent fruit, along with vegetables, proteins, and other carbohydrates. You can fulfill your pet's need for fruit nutritiously and cost effectively by providing apples as a staple fruit. Over time, add small portions of other fruits and vegetables for variety. Limit the amount of citrus fruits in your pet's diet, since too much citrus causes diarrhea in many animals.

Caring for Sugar Gliders: Feeding and Diet

Place one-eighth of an apple in the cage overnight, when the sugar glider is most active, along with other foods. Remove any uneaten portion next morning to ensure that your pet is getting enough protein. The animals require a balanced diet, but since they prefer fruit to other foods, they will neglect other important nutrients if allowed too much fruit. In the wild, sugar gliders often eat insects, eggs, and small birds for protein. However, feeding them live or animal-based protein is not strictly necessary, and it can cause your pet to develop a musky scent. Other options for incorporating protein into the diet include a high-quality pellet food such as Glide-R-Chow(TM). Sugar gliders also need minerals and vitamins, but these are available as a dietary supplement through www.sugargliderinfo.org.

Caring for Sugar Gliders: Feeding and Diet

For carbohydrates, place a quarter slice of unsweetened bread in your pet's cage every three nights with the fruit to help regulate glucose levels. Remove uneaten bread the next morning. For the first six weeks after bringing it home, feed your sugar glider only a very basic diet. This might include apples, Glide-R-Chow(TM), and a multivitamin supplement before slowly introducing other fruits and vegetables.