In the wild, sugar gliders rely primarily on the sweet, carbohydrate rich sap of various species of eucalyptus and gum trees. They get their protein from eating insects and small vertebrates. I have heard gliders described as sap and gum exudate feeders, insectivores, carnivores and omnivores. All these descriptions are true but I think they fit into the omnivorous category most accurately since they will eat both plant and animal matter.

          The protein component of a glider's diet is satisfied primarily by dry cat food although there is some concern amongst animal nutritionists that the use of cat food may impact negatively upon the long term health of gliders. However, I have been using a good quality dry cat food for 4 1/2 yrs now and have had very few problems and my gliders breed very well. I am presently using Science Diet. Alternatively, protein can be provided by cooked red meats, poultry and tofu. The only draw back to feeding meat and poultry rather than dry cat food is that meat and poultry are very calcium deficient in relation to their phosphorus content. Cat food manufacturers deliberately balance their feed so that the amount of calcium to phosphorus is roughly 1:1. If your glider's main source of dietary protein comes from meat and poultry, it will be necessary to artificially supplement their diet with calcium. Tofu has the advantage of being calcium rich in relation to its phosphorus content. If you can't get your glider to eat tofu on its own, try mixing it with some apple sauce or a little yogurt.

          Dairy products such as scrambled eggs, yogurt and cottage cheese make a good high protein treat. Yogurt should be a variety that contains live bacterial cultures and is not sweetened with artificial sweeteners. Do not feed raw milk. While gliders can assimilate more lactose than many of their marsupial cousins, some individual gliders may be lactose intolerant to cow's milk and goat's milk. Cottage cheese only has half the lactose found in raw milk and yogurt contains lactose in a more digestible form. In addition, its live bacterial cultures aid in its digestion. For more on lactose intolerance, see the article Are Sugar Gliders Lactose Intolerant ?

          Sugar gliders also enjoy live treats such as meal worms, crickets, grasshoppers, earthworms, moths and butterflies. I talked to one lady in Australia who runs a rehab for injured sugar gliders (amongst other things) and she has special insect traps that she sets out to collect live insects for her gliders. The traps consist of a smooth sided bucket set in a hole in the ground. The insects come along and fall in. She tells me that she collects quite a few enormous spiders in her bucket and feeds them to the gliders, which eat them with much relish. The very thought makes my toes curl and the hair on the back of my neck stand up (shudder).

          I have found that some gliders like pinkie mice. A pinkie mouse is a new born mouse or rat that has not yet grown any fur. You can buy them frozen from some pet stores. Personally, I don't have the heart to feed pinkie mice live and it is not necessary anyway. You can feed pre-killed adult rodents as long as you don't mind removing the pelt the following morning.

          Nuts are high in protein but they are also high in fat and phosphorus. An overabundance of fat in the diet can lead to obesity, fat deposits in the eyes, and a reduced ability to absorb calcium and other nutrients. Sugar gliders love nuts and, if given the opportunity, will often eat them to the exclusion of everything else. Nuts should be strictly rationed. In fact, some breeders and pet owners have eliminated nuts and seeds from their glider's diet entirely because they have observed a definite link between over consumption and poor health. You can feed sunflower seeds, peanuts, pecans, coconut etc. All nuts should be unroasted and unsalted. Nuts with thin shells such as sunflower and peanuts can be fed in the shell. Don't feed dried fruit and nut mixes such as parrot mix. These preparations contain too many nuts and often have added salt, sugar and preservatives.

          Balancing your glider's diet can be difficult at times, especially if you have a picky eater that wants to eat just one type of fruit or protein to the exclusion of everything else. If this is the case, try rationing the favorite item to encourage him to eat a more healthy variety of foods or try only feeding the favorite item every second or third day. These strategies may sound familiar to those of you with children. In general, sugar gliders will eat 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of fruits and one table spoon of dried cat food plus some other source of protein, such as egg or pinkies, a night. If you notice that all the food is gone in the morning then gradually increase the amount until you figure out how much he wants to eat. If you find that he is getting obese on this amount of food, then cut him back a little, especially in the fat and protein department. You may find that your glider will go through cycles where for awhile he will consistently eat the same amount of food in an evening, and then, for no apparent reason, he may eat hardly anything for two or three nights. Perhaps they sense a change in the weather. A friend of mine told me that her gliders won't eat if there's a thunder storm brewing.

          You may want to modify the diet of very young, recently weaned gliders to include puréed fruits and vegetables. Baby foods work well. Baby gliders also enjoy fruit flavored pablum (the adults do too). It is better to start them off on scrambled egg or puréed chicken as a source of protein rather than dry cat food. All nuts fed to recent weanlings should be shelled as they may not have developed the dexterity needed to manage it themselves.

          To ensure that your gliders are getting all the nutrition that they need it is a good idea to supplement them with a good quality multivitamin which contains at least twice as much calcium as it does phosphorus. There are many nutritional supplements for small mammals, birds and reptiles to choose from . Some are in powdered form and are designed to be sprinkled over food while others are designed to be added to water or juice to make a nectar. The latter type often contain protein and so you must be very careful not to leave it out too long because it will quickly go bad at room temperature. If necessary, several supplements can be used in combination to deliver the desired ratios of vitamins and minerals. Read the label carefully to make sure that the listed vitamins and minerals are in adequate concentrations to be of significant benefit. There are some pretty "weak" vitamin supplements on the market. However, more is not necessarily better. Do not exceed the manufacturers guidelines for its use. If in doubt, ask your veterinarian.

          There are lots of variations on the sugar glider diet but, in general, they all break down into 75% fruit and 25% protein. Methods of feeding also vary. Some people prefer to put everything in a blender and pour the resulting slurry into ice cube trays. They then break the cubes out and throw them into dishes as they need them. This is quick and easy but, personally, one of the things I enjoy about food is its varying tastes and textures. I wouldn't be surprised if sugar gliders do too.