Sugar glidar diet and nutrition

What Do Sugar Gliders Eat and Drink?

A balanced diet for a sugar glider is similar to the diet of a healthy pet cat or dog. The diet should contain 75% pellet food, 25% fresh produce, and a calcium based multivitamin, usually designed to sprinkle over their food, every other day. Their food only costs about $10.00/month, making sugar gliders a very affordable pet. The pellets can be purchased at any local pet store.

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The food and water bowls in your sugar glider’s cage should be kept in an enclosed area within the cage in order to avoid contamination, as well as unnecessary waste.

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All produce must be washed carefully because sugar gliders are prone to toxicity poisoning.

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Keep in mind that any change to a young Joey’s diet can induce significant stress, and is not recommended.

Water

We recommend outfitting the cage with both a conventional water bottle and a secondary water dish within their enclosure. Be sure to check that the water remains clean and change it at least once a day. Only use filtered or bottled water.

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Beware of the Sugar Glider Sweet Tooth

When given a choice, sugar gliders will eat sweet and fatty foods over healthy foods. (Can you blame them?) They will also eat excessively if given the opportunity. For this reason, it is crucial to stick to the recommended ratio of pellets to fresh fruits and vegetables. Pellet food should be left in the cage at all times, while fresh food should be removed each morning. The same goes for insects! They are high in fat and should only be given to your pet as special treats on rare occasions.

You might feel like you want to spoil your little friend, but the effects of eating too much of the wrong foods is believed to cause many sugar glider illnesses.

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More on Sugar Glider Odor

The bottom line is, you are what you eat. A strong, unpleasant odor exuding from your sugar glider is oftentimes directly related to their diet. There are people who insist on using a special, expensive, and complicated diet, but it is unnecessary. Feeding your sugar glider large amounts of proteins, meats, sugars, and insects will cause them to emit an unpleasant odor.

If you follow a balanced pellet and fresh food diet, your sugar glider shouldn’t smell, nor need to be bathed.

Whether you choose to neuter your male sugar gliders or not, keep in mind that unneutered males will give off a strong odor, and often mark their territory. Most reputable breeders will only sell neutered males.