quote:

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Now, we all know that the correct recipes for BML are available on good glider lists, but we also know a lot of people come to us thinking they are using BML and it turns out to be some weird concoction that has little or no resemblence to BML because somewhere down the line every ingredient has been substituted for something else. Good people on this list are generally able to help but remember that Dr. Brust rarely hears the good -- only the bad.

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Cannot help myself but "BML IN ANY FORM" is not a good diet long term for Sugar Gliders. Gliders who have been on this long term have died from kidney and liver problems because the vitamin suppliments are too high for them to filter out of their bodies and end up causing long term damage. If you scan back through the forums at old posts you can see plenty of eveidence for this related to the BML diet. I know many vets recommend this diet but I also don't believe everything a vet tells me about diets.

The vets here at the Healesville Sanctuary Health Hospital do not believe that the diets used with huge amounts of suppliments are any good for Sugar Gliders. Gliders are sap suckers so a pelleted food as a large part of the diet predominatly made up of corn is not a healthy diet for them. Looking for an easy diet for them tells me that you are looking at the wrong type of animal as a pet. Diets high in fructose found in fruit juices might be paletable to Sugar Gliders but will ultinatly lead to gum and teeth decease when given in high doses like many diets. I don't understand why juices have been added to many diets as it isn't mimicing anything found in their wild diet.

Jett, could you link me to a few of these posts?? Or provide actual evidence about BML being harmful? This is a diet that is highly recommended by many, and has been used with great success throughout the years.

jett then what diet would you suggest?

Here is a thread from a while back with some info. I asked this person to post a link to the essay they read but they never did.:

http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=16562

This one has the link to check out the iron content:

http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=16906

You might find this one interesting as well (and Jett mentions her diet here):

http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=8341

Even though this debate is getting really old. I bookmarked this post for it's information. Thanks everyone for your contribution. :D

Kyro, are there any links to actual instances of gliders developing the problems (from the BML diet) mentioned above? I am extremely curious on this one, as the only problems that I've heard of from BML is the gliders either not eating it, or people going off the diet plan.

Not to sound like the pellet diet pushers, but... I kind of want proof on this. I mean, it's a big accusation to say about the diet plan, you know? And, as it's one that's been used with great success..... I just want to see some evidence (actual instances, rather) of this being true.

Now I am even more confused then I was before. Is giving BML bad for my gliders and if so how can I modify it to be better for them? Or should it be modified?

I base what i feed my gliders on this diet, the link doesn;t seem to work at the moemnt.
HEALESVILLE SANCTUARY

DIET SHEET


SPECIES: SUGAR GLIDER: Petaurus breviceps


NATURAL DIET: Insects, pollen, nectar, sap, lerps.



AD LIB: Water.



DAILY DIET (per animal): 1 Dog chow/Advance.
6g Fruit, chopped (1tbspoon).
3 ml Nectar mix.*
1g Fly pupae (¼ tea spoon).
5g Corn (¼ thin slice).
2g Sprouted seed.*
2 Mealworms.


SUPPLEMENT: 5 Pollen grains – once per week.
3 Sultanas – 3-4 times per week.
2 Sunflower seeds – once per week.
1g Pet Health Food (small cube) – once per week.
1 Almonds - once per week.
Insects – 3-4 times per week (eg. moths).
Acacia, eucalypts, other blossoms as available.


NECTAR MIX - To Make up:

Nectar Mix
2 Litres

Honey
700 ml

Hot Water
1.0 Litre

Eggs
3

Soluvet
20 g

Calcivet
20 ml

Cold Water
250 ml

Cereal
70 g

Dissolve the honey in the hot water.

Blend together:
Eggs – hard boiled – shelled.
Soluvet
Calcivet
Cold water

Once blended, add mix to the honey and water, together with High Protein Baby Cereal.


It is essential that the vitamin supplements are thoroughly mixed to ensure even distribution throughout the mix.

This mix needs to be made fresh on a daily basis. Remaining contents of each day to be discarded.

The mix can be made up last thing each afternoon and placed in the fridge.



I use to freeze this mixture now i make up the mixture in a different way. I use cooked chicken instead of the pet health loaf.

the baby cereal is much lower in iron content than the U.S.A. version but it a dry cereal not baby food in a jar. Note no fruit juice nor yoghurt and the vitamins are not reptile but bird suppliments, I have been told they are gentler on the stomach of a glider. a few people on this forum have replicated this diet to use in the U.S. very closley substituting the baby cereal with rice cereal. Not being an animal nutritionist I don't know if this a good substitute or not. Also note the pollen is just a sprinkle of a few grains not a heap of them and only once a week.