Diet
Wa-hey! I'm Rocky! I'm the cute one ('nuff said) above singing into my mealworm. They're so darn good I just have to belt out a tune! Anyway, diet. That's why you're here, isn't it? Okay. My friends and I require special food to keep us in optimal preforming condition! Our calcium:phosphorus level has to be kept at a 2:1 ratio at all times. Otherwise, it can cause all kinds of problems and those vet bills are gonna stack up fast.
Lucky for you, there are a wide range of diets out there that can take a lot of the guesswork outta your job. Read on, Grasshopper.
BML- http://www.angelfire.com/nb/sugargliders/bml/leadbeat.html
HPW- http://hpwplus.com/ (There's three different versions of this one. HPW, HPW Plus, and HPW Complete. All good diets, but pick one and stick to it. My Ma uses HPW Complete because it's super easy to make and she's a very busy lady. She'd rather spend her spare time hanging with me than preparing a big, elaborate dinner. She's awesome like that.)
The Pet Glider Nutrition System- http://www.thepetglider.com/index/the-pet-glider-nutrition-system/the-pet-glider-nutrition-system.html
That's only a few. It's really important that you do research and choose a diet that's not only going to fit in with your lifestyle, but that your gliders will actually eat. Your diet could be the most super nutritious, incredible diet out there, but if we're not eating it, it isn't doing anyone any good.
Now, onto the GOOD part! T-R-E-A-T-S!
These are useful for anything from bonding to tricking us into taking yucky medicine. (But of course, you wouldn't pull the wool over our eyes, would you?)
The favorites in our house are listed below in no particular order:
FOODS WE SHOULD NEVER, EVER HAVE!
HPW- http://hpwplus.com/ (There's three different versions of this one. HPW, HPW Plus, and HPW Complete. All good diets, but pick one and stick to it. My Ma uses HPW Complete because it's super easy to make and she's a very busy lady. She'd rather spend her spare time hanging with me than preparing a big, elaborate dinner. She's awesome like that.)
The Pet Glider Nutrition System- http://www.thepetglider.com/index/the-pet-glider-nutrition-system/the-pet-glider-nutrition-system.html
That's only a few. It's really important that you do research and choose a diet that's not only going to fit in with your lifestyle, but that your gliders will actually eat. Your diet could be the most super nutritious, incredible diet out there, but if we're not eating it, it isn't doing anyone any good.
Now, onto the GOOD part! T-R-E-A-T-S!
These are useful for anything from bonding to tricking us into taking yucky medicine. (But of course, you wouldn't pull the wool over our eyes, would you?)
The favorites in our house are listed below in no particular order:
- Mealworms. Ohhhh, mealworms. They're the most delectable things on the whole darn planet. My mouth waters just thinking about them! Slip me one of these puppies and you can do anything you want to me. Pet me. Scratch my ears. Rub my belly. Trim my nails. (You'd better have a steady supply for that last one. Otherwise, fuhgeddaboudit.) And not only are they delicious, they also aid in keeping my pearly whites their healthiest!
- Yoggies. Second only to mealworms. These are like candy. Rich and creamy. They make the whole world seem right. *sigh* Mama buys the Nestle Toll House Premiere White Morsels from the baking isle.
- Crickets. These are controversial. There's a risk of aflatoxin poisoning with these guys pertaining to the way their kept. If their bedding is kept clean, the should be fine. But Mama won't risk it. So we know not the joys of crickets. (She can be stern at times.) If you decide to feed them, just make sure you know the conditions your insects are being housed in.
- Waxworms. We've never had these. Maybe we should add them to the grocery list. I'm sure it'd blend right in, wouldn't it? ...wouldn't it?? Hello?
- Lickey treats. Some gliders love these! Us, eh, not so much. This particular style of treat can be used to encourage a glider who bites when he sees hands, to instead lick. A lickey treat can be anything from yogurt, applesauce, or honey to a little bit of BML or HPW. You can even use mealworm guts, but I'm a primal kind of guy and much prefer extracting them from the worm myself. With my teeth. These aid in the bonding experience especially if you have a little tyke that likes to bite the hand that feeds them. I myself am a lover, not a biter. :D (Unless you're a mealworm.)
FOODS WE SHOULD NEVER, EVER HAVE!
- Chocolate.
- Onions
- Garlic
- Anything containing caffeine or alcohol. (Obviously)