Message:

Subject: Re:Gliders natural diet
Posted by Betsycc on May 05, 1998 at 18:51:30:

In Reply to: Re: Herpeton Bonding posted by Tara on May 01, 1998 at 14:28:55:

: Clara,

: I read your page on feeding of gliders and thought I would share
: with you what I have learned from my vet. I recently took my
: boy in because he had lost a patch of hair from the back of his head.
: She told me that it was probably stress related or nutrition related.
: I told her that I fed him fruits and veggies and a little chicken each night.
: I was also giving him seeds as treats, plus giving him rep cal each week as
: a supplement. She told me of a colleague who studied in Australia for a year,
: and found that the gliders diet in the wild is more of that if an insectivore/carnivore.
: This is from the article I was given: "the natural diet includes the "sugary sap or gum" of
: the eucalyptus. the name 'sugar' doesn't relate to 'sugar as in fruit' although they may like those foods.
: It also does not rely on nuts, grains, or seeds despite the books published by breeders
: and much info on the net. In the wild, foliage is not a major food item. The insects are high
: in protein, and plant exudate is high in sugar content...Honey and fruit may be partial substitutes for (excess sugar)
: in captivity."
: I was recommended a variation of the Chicago Zoological Park diet that includes foods appropriate
: for insectivores/carnivores of at least 50% especially if active breeders, along with fruit sugar source.
: So, I give him some fruit (less than before, same with veggies), a serving of Leadbeaters mix, and mealworms.
: Since I changed the diet, which was a little over a week ago,
: his hair has started coming back, his stool is not as loose, his cage doesn't smell as bad, and he's more active.
: As for the stress part, I'm looking for a friend for him, but haven't found one yet.
: I'm not writing this to say that you are wrong in your feeding suggestions/guidelines. So, please don't be
: offended by me! I love my boy (Yoda), and just want to get to know others with gliders
: so we can exchange information and maybe clear stuff up that may/may not be wrong out there on the web.
: I have perused your page before and found it informative. The stuff that I quoted above was not exactly quoted,
: but a little paraphrased for space/ and copywrite paranoia (that's from being a college student!).
: I just wanted to share what I have learned and hope I didn't offend you or anyone else reading this!
: Tara

What a wonderful post! I enjoyed reading it tremendously!
What your vet said to you makes lots of sense to me. I could not figure out how they were getting all that fruit and calcium in the wild (course their life span is MUCH shorter in the wild).
I can see them coming across a baby bird, every now and then. Mainly I can see them chasing and catching bugs constantly. Possibly finding a dripping tree to suck from.
There is big controversy about feeding meal worms which I do not understand. People have said they are high in fat and too hard for gliders to digest. Lots of people feed June Bugs to their gliders, how can they be easier to digest? And if the meal worms are high in fat, is it a more natural fat that gliders can metabolize?
I, personally, give my gliders lots of meal worms. My very first glider was unwell when I got him. I did not know it right away. I thought "wow, he's so calm". When I got two more gliders I realized something was wrong with my first one. He never ran, or hop jumped the way the others did. I began feeding him the modified leadbeaters and lots of meal worms. He is now a jumping, running, hopping fool! Was it the leadbeaters? The meal worms? I can't say. But I can say that none of my gliders has ever asked for a Tums after eating meal worms. :-)

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