Sugar Glider Diets
One of the most conflicting topics surrounding sugar gliders is diets. There are many diets available, from recipes to commercially made products. Most every diet that is available and commonly used has had no testing.
The term "approved" is tossed around online as if it has some authentic process the diets have gone through to use this term. The fact is, most have not been tested, therefore have undergone no approval process. When you see "approved diet", what is generally meant is "RECOMMENDED" by individual glider owners.
The term "approved" is tossed around online as if it has some authentic process the diets have gone through to use this term. The fact is, most have not been tested, therefore have undergone no approval process. When you see "approved diet", what is generally meant is "RECOMMENDED" by individual glider owners.
So, what diet should you feed?
Many will answer that with "what ever diet works for your and your gliders", or "the best diet is the diet your gliders will eat".
That isn't totally true. According to the AZA Nutritional Advisory, "The most appropriate diet for your animal is one that accounts for its nutritional, husbandry, behavioral, and clinical needs as well as individual preferences."
However, just because your glider eats something does not necessarily mean it is healthy for them, or provide the proper nutrient profile they require. Consider this, kids will eat junk food all the time, get full, and not want to eat their balanced meal right?
There are many diets that are quick and easy to make. There are some where you can purchase everything at the local stores, and others where you have to purchase ingredients online. These may be factors in selecting a diet plan.
Many will answer that with "what ever diet works for your and your gliders", or "the best diet is the diet your gliders will eat".
That isn't totally true. According to the AZA Nutritional Advisory, "The most appropriate diet for your animal is one that accounts for its nutritional, husbandry, behavioral, and clinical needs as well as individual preferences."
However, just because your glider eats something does not necessarily mean it is healthy for them, or provide the proper nutrient profile they require. Consider this, kids will eat junk food all the time, get full, and not want to eat their balanced meal right?
There are many diets that are quick and easy to make. There are some where you can purchase everything at the local stores, and others where you have to purchase ingredients online. These may be factors in selecting a diet plan.
Sugar Glider Diets
Below you will find links to the original pages for the various diets. I provide links rather than re-typing their instructions to ensure that you are always getting the proper information. Each time a diet is re-typed rather than linked, if you are not using the original page, you will not be guaranteed to have the most up to date information when or if any changes are made to the diet plan by the diet creator.
Inclusion on this list is not a reflection of the "approval"of Glider Nursery. Many of these diets I do not personally approve, recommend, nor have personal experience with.
Inclusion on this list is not a reflection of the "approval"of Glider Nursery. Many of these diets I do not personally approve, recommend, nor have personal experience with.
- BML - Bourbon's Modified Leadbeater's Diet
- Critter Love® Complete (CLC)
- Critter Love® Original (Formerly called Original HPW™)
- Critter Love® Plus (CLP or Plus)
- Critter Love® Breeders Forumula
- TPG -The Pet Glider Nutrition System
- PetPro
(The above are the most popular diet plans. The ones listed below are not widely used.)
- Darcy's Diet (created for a sick glider)
- Dr. Cathy Johnson-Delaney's Diet
- Lucky Gliders Rescue Sanctuary Suggie Soup (LGRS)
- Reep's Wombaroo Diet (created for a sick glider)
- Suncoast Diet
- Val's Green Variety (VGV)
- PML (Cannot provide all ingredients in the USA, uses flora from Australia)
Tested Diet Plans
What has actually been tested?
The following diet plans are the only ones to date that have undergone any type of laboratory testing or evaluation from an animal nutritionist:
BML (Bourbon's Modified Leadbeater's Diet)
Critter Love® Breeders Forumla
Critter Love® Complete
Critter Love® Original (Original HPW™)
Critter Love® Plus
Pocket Pets Pellets w/Gravy
TPG (The Pet Glider Nutrition System) - evaluated on paper only, NO Testing to date
Sadly, even though sugar gliders have been pets since the early 1990's, to this day we do not know the nutrient profile they require. To stay up to date on the most current research, please visit the Sugar Glider Foundation.
The following diet plans are the only ones to date that have undergone any type of laboratory testing or evaluation from an animal nutritionist:
BML (Bourbon's Modified Leadbeater's Diet)
Critter Love® Breeders Forumla
Critter Love® Complete
Critter Love® Original (Original HPW™)
Critter Love® Plus
Pocket Pets Pellets w/Gravy
TPG (The Pet Glider Nutrition System) - evaluated on paper only, NO Testing to date
Sadly, even though sugar gliders have been pets since the early 1990's, to this day we do not know the nutrient profile they require. To stay up to date on the most current research, please visit the Sugar Glider Foundation.
Diet Reviews
If you would like to read reviews based on individual personal experiences rather than simply repeated information online, please visit: Sugar Glider Help
