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Sugar Glider Safe Fruits and VegetablesBelow are a few lists of safe fruits and vegetables for your sugar glider. Please note that although these foods may be safe for your glider, some should only be fed in moderation. For example, corn has a very high calcium:phosphorous ratio and should only be fed in small quantities. Broccoli and cauliflower should also be fed in small quantities or not at all. Fruits and vegetables are meant to be fed as part of a complete diet, not as the entire diet for a sugar glider. When choosing fruits and vegetables for your sugar glider, please take care to select foods which keep the diet at an overall calcium:phosphorous ratio of 1.5-2:1. Intermediate/Advanced ListWe have added some calcium:phosphorous ratios to the beginner's list and will continue to add more as we are able. We have also added some information about oxalates. When a food is high in oxalates, the body is unable to properly process all of the calcium and iron in that food. In selecting foods high in calcium, be sure to also make sure you are not always feeding foods high in oxalates. The lists below are color coded to show which fruits and vegetables are high, medium, or low in oxalates. There is a key on the documents. Fruits and vegetables with no color are ones that we do not yet have information on.
Some of the oxalate information was obtained from this document on Gliderpedia at http://www.sugarglider.com. Other oxalate information was obtained from www.whfoods.com, beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com, and www.nal.usda.gov. All calcium and phosphorous information was obtained from www.nal.usda.gov.
Tofu & Soy Products: Tofu is recommended by Caroline MacPherson as a good source of protein. But some breeders are opposed to soy products being given to sugar gliders. Research on some other animals shows tofu can have a negative effect on the digestive system. As far as we know, a negative effect on sugar gliders has not yet been proven. Some breeders object to tofu because it is a protein source from beans, rather than meat or insect. Grapes & Raisins: Suncoast Sugar Gliders believes that there may be a connection from grapes and raisins to kidney failure in sugar gliders (as well as other pets). Click here to read Suncoast's newsletter regarding the grape controversy. Fruit Pits, Skins, and Seeds: There is some debate over whether or not it is safe to leave pits, seeds, and skin on/in fruits. I have read from several sources stating you should remove pits from any fruit that you give your gliders. I ran across this newsletter by Suncoast, which states that although pits, skins, and seeds are bad for gliders, they have come to realize that gliders are smart enough not to eat them and that it is ok to not remove them. Beginner's ListThis list of sugar glider safe fruits and vegetables is just the basic list with no extra dietary information. For ca:ph ratios and oxalate information, refer to the Intermediate/Advanced Lists above. Please keep in mind when selecting these fruits and vegetables that although something may be safe, it may not be all that healthy for your sugar gliders. Sugar Glider Safe FruitsAcerola Sugar Glider Safe VegetablesAcorn Squash This is by no means a complete list of safe fruits and vegetables. If you believe an item on this list to be in error or believe something should be added to the list, please contact us. Return from Safe Fruits and Vegetables to Sugar Glider Diet Basics |
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