What Do Sugar Gliders Eat? - Understanding Sugar Gliders' Dietary Needs

Understanding sugar gliders' dietary needs is the most important part of caring for sugar gliders as pets. Unlike the regular pets (cats and dogs), you need to understand the exotic nature of these little ones. Not feeding them properly will shorten their life span that should have been more than 10 to 15 years.

Sugar gliders are omnivores (eat both plants and animals). In their natural habitat, these cute ones hunt for any available insects and arachnids. Hence, these critters are often referred as insectivores. Unlike the variable cat and dog food products, you would not be able to find commercial food products for sugar gliders in any stores. Even if you buy one from a specialized store, you cannot rely on it as a healthy diet. A sugar gliders' diet need to involve the following elements: Fruits and vegetables: They can be served fresh or frozen, but it is highly recommended that you serve them fresh. Canned products are to be avoided at all times since any contents and preservatives in them can potentially harm your little ones. Fresh fruits and vegetables need to be cut/chopped into small bite sized pieces in order to prevent these cute ones from easily choking. If you have to serve frozen ones, you need to thaw them first. Then microwaving/heating them needs to be done few hours before you serve them. Protein: This comes in different varieties. You can get processed insects from a specialized store and feed your cute ones a gut load. Avoid feeding them wild insects found around the house or your yard for they may contain parasites or pesticides. You can feed them regular source of protein like boiled eggs, chicken, and yogurt. When preparing any of these, watch for fat content since excesses of fat can ruin the health of your little ones. Calcium: More likely, it is already part of fruits, vegetables, and protein. You can add vitamins and supplements, which are highly recommended, to enrich this very important element. You still need to be careful not to overdose on vitamins when mixing them in a diet. Calcium in a healthy diet needs to be proportionately higher than phosphorus, exactly 2:1 ratio. Providing consistent diet with this ratio will prevent your cute ones from developing hind-leg paralysis and any other bone disease. Preparing a well balanced sugar gliders' diet may seem challenging and complicated. It is actually like fixing a person's nutritious food, except that a person more likely would not consume insects. Just like a healthy conscious person, you get to control what your little ones would eat. You may sometimes feed your cute ones some treats and experiment with their diet. As long as you provide consistent diet with important elements above, your sugar gliders will stay healthier and will live longer.

What Do Sugar Gliders Eat? - Understanding Sugar Gliders' Dietary Needs

Understanding sugar gliders' dietary needs is the most important part of caring for sugar gliders as pets. Unlike the regular pets (cats and dogs), you need to understand the exotic nature of these little ones. Not feeding them properly will shorten their life span that should have been more than 10 to 15 years.

Sugar gliders are omnivores (eat both plants and animals). In their natural habitat, these cute ones hunt for any available insects and arachnids. Hence, these critters are often referred as insectivores.

Sugar Free

Unlike the variable cat and dog food products, you would not be able to find commercial food products for sugar gliders in any stores. Even if you buy one from a specialized store, you cannot rely on it as a healthy diet. A sugar gliders' diet need to involve the following elements:

Fruits and vegetables: They can be served fresh or frozen, but it is highly recommended that you serve them fresh. Canned products are to be avoided at all times since any contents and preservatives in them can potentially harm your little ones. Fresh fruits and vegetables need to be cut/chopped into small bite sized pieces in order to prevent these cute ones from easily choking. If you have to serve frozen ones, you need to thaw them first. Then microwaving/heating them needs to be done few hours before you serve them. Protein: This comes in different varieties. You can get processed insects from a specialized store and feed your cute ones a gut load. Avoid feeding them wild insects found around the house or your yard for they may contain parasites or pesticides. You can feed them regular source of protein like boiled eggs, chicken, and yogurt. When preparing any of these, watch for fat content since excesses of fat can ruin the health of your little ones. Calcium: More likely, it is already part of fruits, vegetables, and protein. You can add vitamins and supplements, which are highly recommended, to enrich this very important element. You still need to be careful not to overdose on vitamins when mixing them in a diet. Calcium in a healthy diet needs to be proportionately higher than phosphorus, exactly 2:1 ratio. Providing consistent diet with this ratio will prevent your cute ones from developing hind-leg paralysis and any other bone disease.

Preparing a well balanced sugar gliders' diet may seem challenging and complicated. It is actually like fixing a person's nutritious food, except that a person more likely would not consume insects. Just like a healthy conscious person, you get to control what your little ones would eat. You may sometimes feed your cute ones some treats and experiment with their diet. As long as you provide consistent diet with important elements above, your sugar gliders will stay healthier and will live longer.

What Do Sugar Gliders Eat? - Understanding Sugar Gliders' Dietary Needs

Currently, there are different types of diets developed out there for these cute ones. Whichever diet you want to implement, you need to make sure that it contains the important elements for a healthy sugar gliders' diet. There is also a list of safe fruits and vegetables that can be fed to your cute ones, although this list is not conclusive. Feeding Sugar Gliders at Home will give you some advice, tips, and recommendation on how to prepare a well balanced sugar gliders' diet.

Sugar Gliders, The Perfect Pocket Pet

If you have been thinking about getting a great small pet that is friendly, fun and entertaining then you should consider a sugar glider! Here is some great information about these cute little critters.

Sugar Gliders are marsupials which means that the babies are born extremely immature and then grow in a pouch on the mothers abdomen until they are mature enough to survive outside her body on their own.

Sugar Free

The adult sugar gliders size is usually around 5-6 inches long with a weight of 4-6 ounces.

Between the wrist and the ankle, sugar gliders have a fur covered membrane called a patapium. To see an example of a sugar glider in flight visit http://www.LittlePawsPetClub.blogspot.com. By spreading out their hands and feet the sugar gliders patapium acts like a parachute allowing the sugar glider to float through the air.

Sugar gliders have large apposable toes on their hind feet which allows them to grip branches. This assists the sugar glider while gliding from limb to limb and while climbing. Sugar gliders second and third toes form a grooming comb which they can use to groom their fur.

Sugar gliders are extremely social and enjoy companionship. Because of this fact sugar gliders usually bond well with their owners. If you do not have a lot of time to spend with your sugar glider it is a good idea to keep more than one.

If you plan on keeping more than one sugar glider it is advisable to raise them together from a young age as it can be difficult introducing unaquainted adults.

Be sure to purchase an appropriate cage for your sugar glider. It is best to get the largest cage that you can afford to give your sugar gliders plenty of room.

Before purchasing a sugar glider as a pet, be sure to research their nutritional needs. Sugar gliders have some special dietary calcium requirements that are important to follow to keep your sugar glider in optimum health.

Sugar gliders are nocturnal animals, so if you plan on owning a sugar glider be prepared to have a pet that is most active during the night. Sugar gliders make a chainsaw like sound, so you may want to place their cage in an area where their talking does not disturb you while you sleep.

In spite of the fact that sugar gliders are nocturnal, they are usually happy to spend time with their owners during the day by sleeping in a pocket or pouch. Many sugar glider owners find this trait particularly charming and take their little sugar glider pocket pets with them everywhere they go.

Sugar Gliders, The Perfect Pocket Pet

For more free pet tips, recipes, and fun visit http://www.LittlePawsPetClub.blogspot.com