Few questions about diet :)

Ok so today i decided to read about diet info..and now yep..more confused than ever

My breeder sells a packaged ledbeaters mix..with directions that involve blending it up with honey and hard boiled eggs and a few other things and then freezing, then feeding that with fresh fruits and veggies. She also sells an assortment of dry pellets, that she said are just to be left in the cage during the day a few pcs.

I am now confused because I read the HPW (I hope I am getting these acronyms right) diet and have no idea how it differs from leadbeaters...except that on several places I read leadbeaters involved feeding baby chicks

I truly want to do whats best for my gliders..so I am asking this here instead of somewhere else where I fear being sort of flamed if people think I have the wrong intentions...

Is it possible to feed a well balanced healthy diet to gliders that does not involve feeding them meat..as in chicken, chicks, pinky mice and the like? We are vegetarian, I have no problem with eggs, dairy or even mealworms and insects...but we do not even have other things like chicken in the house anymore. If it is an absolute MUST then yes I will get it.(.but DH would have to cut it up) The book I got states tofu (which we eat regularly ) can be fed to gliders as a protein source, so I was planning on that...

If I go with the leadbeaters mix,fresh fruits and veggies, mealies and treats does that sound like a plan that will serve my gliders well? (she also has gliderade and other assorted supplements but I had not gotten that far yet!)

and please tell me I dont have to do pinky mice...

I'm with you on the no pinky mice. That would just be awful! Good luck on figuring out the diet. Right now I am feeding the Glider Kids Blended Staple with added fruits and veggies. It smells awful because it has baby food meat in it. My daughter won't even feed it because she says the smell makes her gag. I'm going to switch to Suggie Soup when we're done with this batch.

I am not well versed in Leadbeaters blend. I do believe it requires chicken or turkey babyfood. Am I correct on that?

I do believe I have read that tofu may be used, but again, I am not a vegetarian so I never had any need to delve deeper on that subject.

Original HPW may be an option for you if you do not even want to feed the meat babyfoods. You order the High Protein Wombaroo Supplement on line. Australians have used it as have multiple zoos all over the world for about 25 yrs. I personally trust it and had fed it for over 6 mo. before my babies got picky. You mix the HPWS with egg, honey & bee pollen...blend it all up and freeze in a container. It has the consistency of ice cream.

It is the staple of the diet and only needs to be fed alongside a variety of fruits and veggies...no need to add additional protien which solves your issue of adding chicken or turkey or the like. You can still feed the additional insects if you wish also.

I get the HPWS from exoticnutriton.com The Pampered Glider also sells it and if she's having her buy one get one 1/2 off sale, it's a bit cheaper than EN.

Good Luck and don't let all the diet stuff confuse you.

Its actually something called UHP (Ultra high protein diet) that i can read the package and it says to blend with honey, hard boiled eggs and apple juice, then freeze. Then it is fed with fresh fruit and veggies..so similar to the HPW as far as how to use goes. The package that actually said leadbeaters is not there anymore, so she must have switched to this when the last of that sold out.

I am just a bit worried about making sure I do the right thing I already lovet hose little guys so much!

I guess since I DO trust the breeder I should just relax and do what she tells me to...its just that I have been reading all this stuff that makes me worry...I should know better!

oh and she lives right around the corner...so very convenient for me to get supplies..as opposed to having to order things online if I didnt have to...

UHP? I have never heard of it. It may be a diet she created herself. Many people do this.

I'd definately ask her what the Protein portion of the diet is? I'm thinking she may use HPWS but instead of adding water she replaces it with Apple Juice. Just guessing but I wouldn't be surprised.

Please let us know about this, I'm curious.

I can read the package on her website...looks like it has some grains, (oats, millet ect) quinoa (which is a complete protein and this answers my question of if gliders can eat it LOL) oat bran, groats, sesame, some sugar (cant read the word before it) and molasses, bee pollen, rice protein, something called "magic dust" , egg powder and calcium citrate and then something that looks like PB2
Actually heres the link...your eyesight may be better than my old eyes

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Thats not in the right order... It is her own diet best I can tell. YOu can sort of read the labels on everything. We haven't discussed diet yet...she has a 3 part feeding plan, but I do not have that info yet. She wisely probably did not want to overwhelm me with too much info at once LOL of course I am capable of doing that myself!

I have no reason not to trust her, I think I just read so much conflicting info that it got me all confused! but do tell me what you think!

actually there is a link I just found to her plan on this page [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and it says to avoid tofu...I will have to ask why since the book she recommended said it was a good source of protein ...see what I mean about confusing?!?

Yep, definately appears to be her own diet.

Looks interesting. I was actually researching High Calcium foods, Sesame Seeds & Quinoa were on that list. I bought sesame seeds this weekend. I found Quinoa but it was $10 for a small bag! I decided to wait on that. LOL!

You may want to ask her what the Ca:P ratio is once prepared simply so you know what will be the best F/V to add to it.

But it really appears to be a good diet.

thanks for the input Like I said I do trust her, very much. Just got overwhelmed lol There is so much mis-information out there it can get confusing!

Quinoa can be pricy,but a little goes a long way. I am a vegetarian so we eat a lot of it...its a good complete protein. I did a lot of research on protein sources when my daughter went veggie as well..shes a competitive gymnast so its really important that she get enough (as in more than average) protein

I've never heard of that either, I personally feed HPW Plus. Some will put pellets in during the day some think it's a waste. I'm with the second half because my gliders don't get up unless I wake them. Depends on your gliders I guess..

Just have to take a minute to breathe.. If you could get the input of some glider owners that have fed this and get their take on it. Or you could try it out and see how it works for you Good idea to ask about the Ca:P ratio! Never would've thought of that.. I like the HPW Plus because that's already the ratio so I can feed a wider range of fruits and veggies. I'd have to search for it or I could just type up my list of glider safe ones with the ratios lol! There is a list somewhere that tells you the ratios of certain fruits and veggies and you always want to make sure that it's coming out to be the 2:1.

Lots of us have been in the same situation of wondering what diet is best and what we should feed versus what the gliders are being fed. Just go with what feels right, if they won't eat this diet when they come home.. Try something else you can get sample packs I believe of the HPW Complete and Plus and to whip up a batch of BML "Bourbon's Modified Leadbeaters" by just going to your local grocery store and making it. I haven't looked up anything more than those 2 so I'm really not sure what else is out there..

Oh! And gliderade is a good thing, I give it to my breeders twice a week and the pet gliders once a week In a bowl that is because it can clog up a water bottle easy.

I get really concerned with diets people just made up. . . Have any vets seen it and approved?

Anyway I wanted to answer your earlier question. There are a lot of options for feeding different protein options for gliders that do not have meat. So organic farmers market raw quail eggs, any cooked egg, mealworms, calci worms, moths, grasshoppers, crickets, edamame, tofu (this uses lots of additive to get to it's finally state, so not a lot), quinoa, brown rice, cheese, yogurt, and the list goes on. If your interested in feeding diets such as LGRS you, still can being a vegeterian.

Now leadbeaters and BML are different things. Leadbeaters should be fed with baby chicks, it calls for it and BML is a modified version of it where you do not have to feed baby chicks. HPW is different from both these diets because it uses a vitamin supplement designed for marsupials, LGRS is different from HPW because it has a balance of calcium:phosphorus and it uses a supplement similar to that in HPW but more affordable. There are a few other diets out there but basically every diet is made because some sort of improvement is needed. When you pick a diet you have to decide which works for you and which one is the most progressive with their improvements.

thank you for the input VE...

She does have a vet, and tells people that although gliders do not require shots they should have a visit to the vet at least yearly.

I will not be using her vet tho...i have a friend who owns her own vet clinic, so if I ever had an emergency i know i can call her. She sees cats and dogs but the majority of her business is exotics..and more important I totally trust her. I will bring her the food labels and see what she thinks. I am perfectly ok with the insects eggs and stuff...and if my gliders NEEDED it would suck it up and feed them chicken. But I really dont think I could do chicks..so good to hear its not required with some diets...

I just want whats best for my boys...I already adore them so much and want them to have long healthy happy lives! (If I can stick to my vegetarian ideals all the better but I would NOT let their health suffer because of that!)

I haven't heard of people feeding chicks, I'd feel soo guilty Mostly it's just extra treats, boiled chicken, pinkies and what not. They aren't necessary unless written in the diet.

I have fed pinkies and boiled chicken breast but that's where I draw the line. Pinkies are frozen thawed cause live would just feel soo mean

Well the leadbeater diet is REALLY old. The guy who made it up made it for the Leadbeaters Possum, so it really isn't even made for Sugar Gliders. Since BML is also a modified version of that and newer diets have come out since then BML and Leadbeaters are often referred to as being obsolete.

Freckles, it sounds like you have a really great opportunity to have a friend like that. Luckyglider made a post in this thread about animal nutrition you might print out and show her: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] I bet she could help you make a decision on what nectar replacement to feed. You really are not compromising on their nutrition by not giving chicken, in the wild they are reported to occasionally rob bird's nest but it surely doesn't keep them alive. So just breathe

VE, I'd like to know where you're getting your information that BML is obsolete?? It is no such thing, it's still a widely used glider diet.. And great for use for young gliders that need to put on some weight if they've come from an awful background, because it is something most are willing to eat.

I got a chance to chat with my vet friend today...our daughters are in gymnastics together and saw her at drop off...I gave her the basic outline of the diet plan the breeder suggests, and she said it sounded exactly like what she recommends and she will look over all the food labels with me. she has seen a lot of gliders who were on ..you guessed it..pellet diets and helped the owners get them on a better meal plan.

Shes excited to meet my guys..said most of the ones she sees are not easy to handle..and came from the mall.., so will be nice to see the other side.