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Subject: diet?
Posted by Cynthia on November 25, 1998 at 01:16:51:

In Reply to: Cynthia.Thanks..diet? posted by April on November 24, 1998 at 22:51:22:

So I have 6 pregnant females! Can anyone tell me if my diet is good enough for them?

: 1 table spoon plain yogurt
: fresh apples
: fresh oranges
: a bit of applesauce
: fresh cantalop
: kiwi
: bananas

: Is the applesauce going to hurt them since it is sweetened? I only gave them enough to give it the sweetness...usually I leave it out. Is this a good diet? once a week I also give them one peanut each to give them protein. I have read that pinkie mice are good should I try them? Thanks

The applesauce can be Motts all natural, no sweeteners, no preservatives. Peanuts are high in fat so you want to keep them down to a minimum. Dairy products can lead to the development of cataracts, it is not a lactose intolerance as we first thought but rather a problem with galactinase (sp). So buying lactose free products won't do any good, the best rule of thumb is not to feed dairy products. I would not feed mice either. There have been some that have lost their gliders and once a necropsy was done they found a bacteria that was also found in the pinky mice that they had been feeding the gliders. Don't risk it. You do need to add protein and can do this a number of ways, you can feed them bugs, you can buy many crickets and feed them gut load for 3 or 4 days to give them a little added calcium. I noticed that your diet is also low in calcium and with joeys in pouch the females actually need extra protein and calcium. You can also purchase something called a critter cookie from BPP, it is like a treat but is actually a supplement, the critter cookie has protein and calcium and vitamin E in it. One half of a cookie a night should be sufficient. You can order them from their web site at www.brisky.com I would also add gliderade/glider booster to their diet as vitamin and mineral supplements at least twice a week. Once your babies are oop try switching your gliders over to BPP's accu-feed. It is a nutritionally complete diet especially made for sugar gliders. I wouldn't try to switch them right now, they do not handle stress well, not even the stress of changing their diet and to try it now may result in the loss of your joeys if not the females too. Best of luck and congratulations.

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