NEW MOMMY

I am a new mommy to 2 sugar gliders. I am the 3rd owner unfortunately for them but I want things to go smoothly. I want to take care of them the absolute best that I can. So I'm going to need as much advice and help and I can get from you guys as I can. I have been reading online and found so many contraversies.

Can you please help me out. --Okay first thing.. Their diet.. They are on a pellet food. I need to know the best thing to feed them other than the pellet food. I have been doing apple slices, celery sticks, I have also made frozen chunks of blended carrots,apples(no seeds)bananas and apple juice. I need to know what else I can give them for a variety.

I also need to the best calcium supplement to use and cheapest place to buy it.

Do you have an opinion on the nail trimmer inserts for the wondent wheels?

What do you suggest for oder eliminating?
What do you suggest that I clean the cage with?
Right now I'm wiping it down with unscented baby wipes while they sleep. I use a incontinence pad for the tray.

Any advice for bonding? I've been wearing them in a pouch and using the tent exercise.

I know I have tons more questions but this will help a lot right now..

Any and all help you can give me will be much appreciated!

Thank you so much!

Welcome!!! Nice to meet you!!
I am in my phone right now, so I won't be able to write too much.

I feed LGRS Suggie Soup, which is an awesome diet, lasts a long time and you can purchase a sample pack from VE. I feed the soup with fruits veggies and a meat (protein every so often) every night an my babies just LOVE it! No calcium supplement needed!

I clean my cage with water and vinegar, and it works great.

I don't know if Wodent Wheels have nail trimmers but the Steath Wheel does (this is the wheel I own).

Bonding, my advice would be to take it day by day at your little ones pace. Let them come to you, don't force them into anything they don't want to do. They will come to you, keep doing tent time that really helps make a bond between you and your suggies!

Hope it helps, sorry I couldn't answer all your questions, again I am on my phone!!

lovekelc & LSardou :: Thank you for your replies!

LSardou :: Are you talking about using Elimina? [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I'm using baby wipes to wipe the cage down b/c that's what I have on hand .. Is that okay?

I've had them for 2weeks as of this tuesday.

I bought a calcium supplement before I had any replies to this b/c I was scared they weren't getting enough from what I was feeding them the ratios weren't quite right.

I also bought papaya. They love that! So far I've only given it as a treat.

What other store bought snacks and treats can I buy for them? When buying them what should I look for?? The don't really sell Sugar Glider snacks at the store

How do I know which diet to feed my gliders?.. right now I'm doing the pellets as a stay in the cage all the time get it as you want it type thing..

Thanks for everyone's help!

I'm SO scared I'm going to screw something up.

Hi there! I wanted to talk to you about the diet, because it can get confusing.

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Here is a link to some of the diets you could use.

I am doing going to do the PML diet, because it gives me directions, and is easier for me to get all of the things to make it!

Honestly I had to order everything off line as far as treats go

Good Luck!!

Regarding odor...do you have any intact males? I ask this because that could be part of the problem. If not, the odor could stem from poor diet and once you get them on a nutritious one, the odor problem should be eliminated.

I wipe down my babies' cage with a mixture of white distilled vinegar and water because it is all natural and I clean their cage (I have a 70" x 30" x 30" cage for 2 gliders) every other week. Week 1 I will clean all toys, Week 2 the cage. Week 3: toys again. Week 4: Cage again. Etc. Their pouches and fleece hammocks, etc. get changed out once a week every week!

For the litter pan, I use a large white fleece so that I can clearly see if anyone has had diarrhea or strange colored poop. I think the incontinence pads will probably be fine so long as none of your sugar gliders can reach through the gate and shred the pads.

Bonding takes time. I actually wrote this up on a whim but I hope it helps: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I believe my male is neutered. I'm not sure how old they are as I am the 3rd owner and recused them from CL.

Rchurch :: your 5 thoughts are VERY helpful!

Yes, I need as very clear and easy directions as possible

Any thoughts on using baby food?

I was also told they may not be getting enough protein.. is the pellet food not enough for them right now? they seem to be eating quite a bit of it.

What else could I give them right now?

if some one could s-p-e-l-l it out for me I would greatly appreciate it.. I'm really new at all of this..

I've always want Sugar gliders.. and did tons of research before getting them but it's all so confusing.. everyone's sites had so many different options and opinions it makes it hard to know which one to use.

-- the vinegar and water mix .. what's the parts per/or measurements..

Diet: In my opinion, the easiest & cheapest diet is the HPW ORIGINAL diet. (Not to be confused with Complete or Plus. They are not the same thing.) There are plenty of vendors that sell the High Wombaroo Powder & Bee Pollen. I get the combo pack at the Pampered Glider: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] for $30.25 & that includes shipping. It lasts a LONG TIME so while it may seem expensive at first, it's really not so bad in the long run.

Here is the recipe for the Original HPW: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

There is a list of safe/unsafe foods but I am not sure as to the link as I am not at home ATM and a lot of the stuff I've given is off the top of my head. But someone surely will! Grapes are a controversial subject. Some ppl feed them, I do not. (I am not a gambler. If there is a possible danger, then I do not give it to gliders.)

You can scramble them an egg for protein, give them some meal worms from PetCo/PetSmart (this will help with the bonding process but remember meal worms are a SNACK and can be fattening too. I'd say no more than 5 mealies each.), boiled or steamed chicken (NO OIL, no spices).

I "eyeball" the vinegar to water mixture: about 1/3 vinegar to water. I use a spray bottle (you can find them sometimes for a $1 at the Target bargain bin), or in the cleaning supplies section. Use an empty bottle that has never been used before or one that was used for spraying plants with just water. I spray and wipe down dry. I am sure to dry the cage thoroughly because cages can and do rust!

Has anyone used or seen this [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I have seen it but not used it.

Oh and regarding baby food: make sure you read thoroughly to make sure there is no garlic or onion. I don't feed baby food to mine but it's recommended that you keep some on hand in case of emergencies?

I have been using the Instant HPW on my 6, it has really helped them, their fur looks better than when I got them and they are all putting on weight. All of mine have been rescued from CL and people who did not know what they were getting into when they got them from PP.

I would not recommend feeding any rescues the Instant, Complete, or Plus HPW's but all of these would be much better choices than pellets. A glider that has been on pellets it's whole life is in a bad spot. Pellets are not a complete diet for sugar gliders and often led to malnutrition, calcium deficiencies, and liver/kidney disease. You really need to look at the diet links and pick out a nectar replacement diet that works for you. . . [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]


You might read over these bonding steps/tips [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

For treats I get mealworms from Camilla, yogurt drops from the trail mix isle at my farmers market [white chocolate chips work to as they don't actually contain cocoa], fresh and dried organic roses from the market, and eucalyptus from eucproducts.com. Hope that helps!

PS. Honey Sticks are also fun to give out, just poke a whole in it so they smell the awesomeness.