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GliderGossip GliderGossip
Sugar Gliders
Another poop question...
Another poop question...
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Aug 14 2015
09:03:26 PM
I have two gliders, about 4 months old (got them at 6ish weeks old), Murtaugh is almost totally bonded, Riggs is taking a little longer.
My concern is that Riggs has been having unusually large and dark droppings. Nearly twice the size his brothers, and Riggs is the smaller of the two!
They've been on the same diet from the start, food, vitamins, and apples. The only thing we've changed lately is the addition of yogurt drops and small bits of honey. The only thing I can think of is maybe Riggs isn't eating enough of something.
Does anyone know of a treat or snack that I can give him to help? I can make sure he eats enough that way.
There's been no mood or behavior change, he doesn't seem upset or in pain, the only thing is he tends to 'concentrate' a little longer or harder when he's having a bowel movement.
Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thank you!
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Aug 14 2015
10:25:16 PM
GLIDEIT Super Glider Visit GLIDEIT's Photo Album Canada 330 Posts
I'm going to assume you're feeding a pockets pet style diet with pellets as the main protein source? He might be having harder poos because of constipation...or close to it. If he's eating dry pellets for the majority of his diet he isn't getting enough liquids. Usually sugar gliders injest the majority of their liquids from their foods.

If he's not constipated yet, he might just be having trouble moving things through because of the lack of water in his diet.

I'd recommend looking into a different, healthier diet for your babies, one that contains all the minerals and calcium needed to maintain home health. Even if you aren't seeing problems yet, feeding pellets is the glider equivalent of eating at mcdonalds every meal.

You can look up some diets like BML, OHPW, GOHPW, TPG.. These are the most common and are formulated to make feeding easy while still offering enough variety to keep your little ones healthy long term. You can leave some pellets in the cage as a snack, but they should be a snack, not a main course.

In the meantime, you can start offering more juicy fruits such as grapes, melons, berries and a wide assortment of vegetables. You can offer some plain canned pumpkin to soften things up, of avocado. Generally it is 1 tbsp fruits 1 tbsp veg per glider, per night. Protein sources follow the same structure: 1 tbsp per glider per night. Boiled chicken, cooked ground turkey, lean ground beef, boiled egg, full fat yogurt or cottage cheese are some great protein sources your gliders will love to try.

You can also offer mealworms, hornworms or superworms for bonding treats in the daytime as well.
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Aug 14 2015
10:45:13 PM
EcstaticFool Starting Member 3 Posts
What do you mean by a pocket pet? I mean, sure they fit in your pocket an all... this IS a forum for sugar gliders only, correct? Sugarglider.com, but I guess you cater to other exotics as well?

Anyways their diet is originally in pellet form but I quickly blend it with water and vitamin supplements so it's mostly liquid with lil crunchy bits. Its well balanced, and I'll put in applesauce or apple slices for their fresh fruits on the other side of their dish (can't wait to try the organic fruit baby food I got!). My concern is maybe Riggs isn't eating the blend or the apples, and I should be monitoring him or giving him more fruit treats or something.
If it's simple dehydration I can trick him and give him a capful of diluted apple juice or something. He'll love the special attension! :)
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Aug 15 2015
12:13:31 AM
Candy Cuddle Bear Visit Candy's Photo Album FL, USA 8110 Posts
Feeding only apples - instead of offering a wide variety of fruits and vegetables will contribute to the development of constipation. Apples contain pectin - especially the peels. Pectin is the key ingredient in Kaopectate - used to treat diarrhea.

Pellets and a random amount of supplements will not meet your glider's nutritional needs long term. It is likely that you are overdosing some vitamins using the supplements.

There are a number of widely used glider feeding plans that will provide the nutrients your gliders need daily.

I have links on my web page to help you locate the information. My own GliderKids Feeding plan is one option you might want to consider as well as the other diets listed.

http://www.gliderkids-diet.com/Staple-Recipes.html
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Aug 15 2015
12:51:43 AM
EcstaticFool Starting Member 3 Posts
I was given this homemade blend from the veterinarian I got them from (old battle buddy), her practice specializes in exotic animals and she keeps and breeds gliders recreationaly. I would have asked her for her advice but she's been redeployed. Her mother is taking care of her personal 'herd' but I won't be able to contact her til I hit base with the vet.
Riggs has only started this recently, so it sounds from these two responses he's dehydrated and needs to consume a wider variety of 'juicy' fruits. Maybe I've given him too much in way of treats (I tend to bribe with food), so the baby foods I've been waiting to try might help. As I said before, his brother is doing fine, they're housed together and share meals so possibly Murtaugh is bigger (not by much, though) due to depriving his brother of 'first dibs' lol.
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Aug 16 2015
04:29:34 PM
Bossihamham Glider Visit Bossihamham's Photo Album Bossihamham's Journal 195 Posts
Not all vets are experienced with glider diets. Some vets can be bought out to promote food that is unhealthy. Do some more research on food. Just soaking the pellets won't help the nutritionally. The process of making pellets takes out the nutrients gliders need. Even if the bag says that it's made just for gliders and that it will provide everything the need doesn't mean it's true. Your gliders can get sick over time or get lumpy jaw from eating pellets. Look up some blended foods like hpw, blm, ect. Each glider should get 1 tablespoon of the blended protein staple, 1 tablespoon of fruit, and 1 tablespoon of veggies every night.
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Aug 17 2015
09:29:04 AM
Blue Nostalgic Fuzzy Wuzzy Visit Blue Nostalgic's Photo Album 1422 Posts
I think that because your vet is also your friend that any debate on diets wouldn't be a positive experience in this thread. There is only the suggestion to do some research on the various diets and the biological science behind them.

You mentioned baby food...it's probably a nice 'licky treat'. I doubt giving too many treats is your issue. We all tend to indulge them to a certain extent. Just remember that they do need real (in natural form) foods. Dice up into glider size pieces some fresh fruits and veggies. Grab something favored along with something new when you hit the produce section. Frozen blends are ok too, make sure they don't contain onion, which is toxic. (use the search bar to find foods that are toxic) Mix up their variety with fresh f/v...have some fun with it...they'll thank you.

As he does sound somewhat constipated at this time...go heavier with the juicy melon type fruits.
Another poop question...

GliderGossip GliderGossip
Sugar Gliders
Another poop question...