Nutrition
There is a lot of controversy when it comes to glider nutrition.
Every glider breeder, owner, or vet has a different idea of what works.
It is important to note that there really is no right answer and it all depends on the individual glider as well as your own preferences. My gliders have been fed the same diet for roughly 20 years and it has yet to fail me. It is important to have a balanced diet however, the specifics are largely up to whatever you are comfortable with. You may have a diet you are already comfortable with and that’s perfect fine. However, if you are interested, here is what I feed my gliders.
- Every good diet starts with a base, this will be your dry food. I feed my gliders the 6 months and under premium dry food from http://www.exoticnutrition.com. You don’t need a lot at all. For a pair of gliders I usually just cover the bottom of the bowl. Any more is just turned into something to throw.
- Next is the vegetables. You want to have a good balance of vegetables. I use a one dollar bag of Kroger mixed vegetables. This one bag feeds 40 gliders for one night so if you do the math your glider should be set. Again you simply just want to cover the bottom of the bowl and put a little in their dry food to soften it. If you would like you can also use fresh vegetables.
- Fruit is next on this list for glider nutrition. This is a TREAT. Gliders are like toddlers. SO if you see them not eating anything but the fruit, take it away for a few days until they start eating again. Every glider is different on what they prefer but anything from apples, to berries, to grapes should be fine. My gliders seem to favor blueberries and grapes the best. I highly suggest against bananas as they tend to smear it all over the cage. A small serving is fine. A few berries or a grape or too is fine for one older as fruit is a TREAT.
- Gliders NEED calcium in their diet. They get this from calcium powder. I get my glider cal from exotic nutrition. One bag lasts me a year for again 40 gliders. You can also use “repcal” from your local pet store. I sprinkle this onto the vegetables and especially the FRIUT as i know they will eat it.
- Another part of a gliders diet is protein. You can meet this need in many different ways. You can use mealworms live or dried from exotic nutrition(I mostly use dried meal worms since i can buyout in bulk), crickets, chicken, or even boiled eggs. A small serving of protein is fine. A few meal worms or little bit or chicken or eggs will be perfect.
- Something I often use as a snack for throughout the day is organic dried fruit. These are great for them to munch on. However, like the fruit, if they stop eating their regular food take them away.
- As a treat for when i am working with my gliders I use yogurt drops from exotic nutrition. These are a great binding treat and gliders love them!
- When it comets water I HIGHLY suggest using a bottle and NOT a bowl. A bowl with be splashed all over the cage. To encourage your glider to use its water bottle you can dab a little hunny on the tip of the bottle.
