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Subject: Re: new glider owner with a question...please read
Posted by Xay on July 04, 1998 at 03:17:36:

In Reply to: new glider owner with a question...please read posted by Bell on July 04, 1998 at 02:00:56:

: hi everyone, and thanks in advance for your help..
: i have had my sugar glider for about a week, and things are going well. His name is andy, and he is about 6 months old. he only crabs at me when i go to take him out of his cage. once he is out, he won't leave me alone, not even for a second. he will happily climb all over me, sleep under my hair, and eat food from my hand, but won't try to explore on his own. i bought one of those clear plastic balls for him to run in, because i wanted to make sure he was getting enough excersie when he was out (since he won't explore on his own) and he loves it. he looks so cute running around in it. but once i open it up to let him out, he immediately jumps from the ball onto me, and runs up to my shoulder. everything seems to be going well. my main question/concern is this...how much are they supposed to eat? i feed him cantelope, honeydew, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, apples, oranges, peas, carrots, corn and he's had a cricket or two this week. i also made the ledbeaters mix, and he LOVES that. today i tried chicken baby food, but he didn't go for that. tonight for example, he ate about 3 peas, 2 pieces of corn, a few bits of apple, about a whole grape, and a small amount of the ledbeaters (with a small amount of repcal, which i have added twice this week)
: how do i know if he is eating enough? i have read so much about SG's on the net, and i also bought the book by caroline macpherson, so i am pretty well informed, but i just want to be sure i am doing all i can.
: sorry this is so long! :>)

Hi Bell,

Sounds like your a great glider owner, even ideal. You taking the time to explore all kinds of food and making sure Andy gets variety, makes you an ideal glider owner. I give my glider, Pookie, all sorts of fruits and mealworms or crickets, but I haven't tried the Leadbeater's mix yet. As for how much to feed your glider, I don't think there is an exact quantity. I guess a good rule of thumb on how much would be by what is left over in the morning. As long as the food bowl is not totally empty in the morning than you are feeding it the proper amount. All gliders are different and one may be more picky than another, so you need to just do a little experimenting. In the case of my glider, I began setting out 1/2 cup of different fruits and vegetables and check it in the morning to see what is left and what has been eaten. Then I gradually decreased the amount with each feeding until their is very little food left over in the morning. You want a little food left over because when you are giving variety the left overs are probably what he didn't care for that evening. Any how, I really don't think gliders over indulge themselves(correct me if I'm wrong). Just imagine when they are in the wild. They would probably eat enough to be satisfy their appetite and not to over stuff themselves so much that they have difficulty escaping predators.
Hope my opinion helps.

Austin, TX glider,
Xay

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