07/22/2025
A common question I get a lot relates to diets of sugar gliders and what to feed them so here's some information about that:
Sugar gliders are omnivores, meaning that they consume meat and plants. For this reason, a common belief is that a good diet for a sugar glider can and should be whatever is in the fridge- this is not true. The reason that this is not ideal is because it is not a balanced diet. Just like people, and even our common companion pets like dogs, sugar gliders need a balanced diet that fits their nutritional requirements.
There are several popular "feeding plans" that are lab-tested (meaning sampling of the 'diet' reflects intention for nutrition) and are good-quality diets to help prevent or minimize risk of metabolic bone disease, obesity, and other diet-related complications or concerns.
We feed "Bourbon’s Modified Leadbeaters Diet". The "BML diet" follows a strict, but straightforward plan consisting of some fresh fruits, fresh veggies, and a special mixture in the evening, and an insect (like a mealworm or dubia roach) in the morning. Regardless of what plan you follow, you should stick to that one plan. Feeding other than that or beyond that, runs the risk of un-balancing an otherwise balanced diet. (see here=http://bmldiet.com/bml-recipe.html)
In this photo, we have several bowls consisting of watermelon, blueberries, and apples for the fresh fruit and green beans & carrots for the fresh veggies. The special mixture is a mix of juice, yogurt, wheat germ, baby food, calcium supplement, and more at specific ratios that get blended up and put into ice cube trays and frozen into an ice cream consistency.
It is common for people to anthropomorphize and project onto our pets, feeling that eating the same thing each day would be bleak. However, pets thrive on consistency and this includes diet as well. A consistent and nutritionally-balanced diet aims to keep your sugar gliders happy & healthy! 🥰
