Sugar gliders require a balanced diet of roughly 25% fruit, vegetables, proteins, and carbohydrates. Apples make a good staple fruit since they provide nutrition and are cost effective. Limit citrus fruits which can cause diarrhea. Place small portions of fruit like 1/8 of an apple in the cage overnight along with other foods like pellets to ensure the pet gets enough protein. Unsweetened bread can be provided every 3 nights to help regulate glucose levels.

1. Caring for Sugar Gliders:
Feeding and Diet
Sugar Glider

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.