The Pet Glider Diet (TPG)
PROVIDING A FRESH AND HEALTHY DIET FOR SUGAR GLIDERS
Here at CSG we use and recommend The Pet Glider Diet which was developed by Priscilla Price with the aid of Veterinarians and nutritionists over a decade ago.
All diet ingredients can be easily found at your local grocery store. The only special item that you need to purchase is the vitamin supplement, which can be purchased through us as their distributor in Canada or The Pet Glider themselves in the US.
The Pet Glider Complete Vitamin Supplement is designed specifically to maintain and improve sugar glider health and immune system. The Pet Glider Complete Multivitamin in conjunction with "The Pet Glider Exotic Diet" has produced the healthiest gliders many vets and zoo directors have ever seen.
Ingredients: Complete Balanced Mammal Multivitamin (including calcium), nectar, bee pollen, probiotics, acacia gum, and herbs
THE PET GLIDER DIET
| Amount | Ingredients | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 cups, 16oz., 2-4 different fruits mixed, totaling 2 Cups |
Fresh or frozen fruit At least 2-4 different types Not Canned Either finely chop or use a food processor |
Favorites include: oranges, papayas, tangerines, pineapples, mangoes, cantaloupes, bananas, kiwi, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and cherries that have been pitted. If you peel a fruit before you eat it, then peel it for your sugar glider. *DO NOT FEED RHUBARB. |
| 2 cups, 16oz., 2-4 different veggies mixed, totaling 2 Cups |
Fresh or frozen Vegetables At least 2-4 different types Not Canned Either finely chop or use a food processor |
Vegetables – fresh or frozen - not canned. When using frozen vegetables, get regular mixes (no sauces or Asian flavoring). Favorites include: sweet potatoes, kale, collards, green beans, , beets, peas, lima beans, carrots, jicama, bok choy, squash, red bell pepper and snow peas. Small amounts of corn are ok but be very careful. Corn is high in phosphorus and it is fattening and of course sugar gliders love corn so they will always eat that first. Small amounts of broccoli and cauliflower are ok, but overdoing produces excess gas in the sugar glider and that makes them very grumpy *DO NOT FEED GARLIC, LEEKS OR ONIONS OF ANY KIND |
| 6-8 Ounces | Plain (full fat, 3%) Yogurt - No Artificial Sweeteners | Such as Astro, Presidents Choice or Dannon |
| 6 Tbs. | Frozen Calcium Fortified Orange Juice Concentrate | You can substitute regular orange juice concentrate if you are unable to find one that is calcium fortified |
| 6-8 Tbs. | Uncooked Oatmeal | Use five minute regular oats, NOT the quick cooking kind. The oatmeal is nutritious and thickens your mix. More or less will be needed depending on the water generated by your fruits and vegetables |
| 32 Ounces | Applesauce | Unsweetened is best |
| 6-8 Ounces | Protein | Protein – Favorites include cooked chicken, ground turkey and eggs. You can boil, broil or roast the chicken, pan cook the ground turkey using extra virgin olive oil and scramble or boil the eggs. We do not recommend you give your sugar gliders pork or beef because of the high fat content and once again, fat gliders are not happy and healthy. |
| 1-2 Tablespoon(s) | Ground flax seed or wheat germ (Optional) | This is optional if you are using fresh fruits and vegetables. |
Directions:
- Finely chop your fruits and vegetables. We recommend using a food processor. If you do not have one, make sure you chop your fruits and vegetables into small pieces. Remember the size of the animal you are preparing food for.
- Cook your protein – chicken, turkey, or eggs.
- In a large bowl, put all ingredients except the oatmeal and stir vigorously. You want to make sure all ingredients have been incorporated and mixed thoroughly.
- Depending on the thickness of your mix, add oatmeal. You do not want a runny or too thick of a mix, but one that has the consistency of a cake mix.
- You will want to divide the mixture in smaller containers to freeze. Here are some recommendations.
- Use ice cube trays. Measure two tablespoons of the mixture into the individual ice cube holes. After they have frozen, you can pop them out, put them in a freezer bag, then into a plastic freezer container and take out to thaw on a daily basis to feed your babies. You also have the option to feed the portions frozen because they do thaw quickly.
- Or you can divide your mixture into 10 smaller containers and freeze. Each container will last 2 gliders for 3 days. You would not want to divide your mixture into larger containers because you want the mixture to be fresh. You do not want the mixture to be in the refrigerator longer than 3 days.
- Sprinkle your multi-vitamin with calcium on top of the food your serve each day. Use 1/8th teaspoon of vitamins per sugar glider. Always keep your multi-vitamins with calcium powder in the refrigerator, but do not freeze.
Gliders love variety and can get bored very easily. Nutritional enrichment is an important part of keeping them healthy and happy, so it is recommended to make up a few mixes to change up the fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. This can easily be done in small batches by mixing everything except the fruits and veggies and then splitting it into 2 separate bowls and then adding 1 cup of different fruits and 1 cup different veggies to each bowl making up 2 different mixes. You could go even smaller and split into 4 batches with 1/2 cup different fruits and veggies in each. You then have a rotation of different varieties for a number of days.
Sugar gliders are very active animals with high metabolisms. Therefore it is important that you keep sugar glider food in their cage at all times. For the primary meal, we recommend you serve them the fresh diet listed here on a daily basis in the late afternoon, periodically providing healthy treats and mealworms. And of course make sure they have fresh filtered water at all times. In addition to the primary meal, keeping a dry option such as Insectivore Fare and Monkey Biscuits in their cage as "free feed" options is highly recommended. These add high protein nutritional enrichment as well as a crunchy aspect to their diet which aids in healthy teeth. For added oral health, Monkey Biscuits also contain a dental guard.