THE BLENDED GLIDER DIET

with 3 variations

The blended glider diet and its variations are the results of months of research and the

gathering of data by Candace B. Otte as part of an effort to understand the differences between the

currently recognized diets for Sugar Gliders. One result of this project was the development of a Diet

Calculator (excel spread sheet) to convert the various diets to per glider serving values so the diets

could be compared on equal ground.

With no published “daily recommended amounts” for sugar glider’s nutritional needs for Calcium,

Phosphorus, Protein, Sugar, Fat and Fiber (or any other nutrient), I chose to build a diet that was midrange

between the high nutrient contents found in BML (derived mostly from added vitamins and calcium

supplements) and the comparatively low values of these nutrients found in the HPW diet which relies

on the High Protein Wombaroo Powder as its source for the vitamins and minerals including Calcium and

Phosphorus.

The Blended Glider Diet was created in response to my personal concerns that the amount of

calcium and vitamin supplements in the BML diet appear to be excessive and that those supplements

were developed for reptiles. My other concern is that the HPW Diet is low in calcium and it is very

difficult to elevate the overall Ca:P ratio to close to 2:1 with the vegetables I regularly feed my

gliders. (See Comparison Chart below).

The Blended diet includes most of the ingredients found in the BML diet except the wheat germ

and the vitamin supplements. I have chosen to use a human grade calcium supplement in place of the

RepCal brand. The remaining vitamins, and part of the calcium, are provided by using the High Protein

Wombaroo Powder which I personally feel was developed for Gliders, and other animals more closely

related to them than reptiles. Bee Pollen, an element of the HPW Diet, is also included as a vitamin &

nutrient source. Part of the calcium comes from yogurt. The calcium content of this diet allows a wide

variety of fruits and vegetables to be offered, completing the meal close to the goal of an over all

calcium to phosphorus ratio between 1.5:1 and 2:1 for the full meal. The diet calculator page

(www.GliderKids.com) may be used to see the resulting overall ratio of this diet and the fruits and

vegetables you choose to feed with it.

THE RECOMMENDED DAILY SERVING per glider is 2 tsp (0.67 tbs) of the

blended diet plus 1 tbs fruit and 1 tbs vegetable. Blended Diet may be placed in the

cage frozen as it will thaw quickly. Variety is achieved by offering different fruits

and vegetables each night. I use a single vegetable and a single fruit cut in gliderhand

size pieces each night, but you may choose to use a mixture if your gliders

prefer their food that way. Food may be offered on a divided plate, mixed together

in a bowl or in separate cups placed around the cage for foraging. Mix up the presentation now and then

to keep gliders interested in their food.

BLENDED GLIDER DIET Developed by Candace B. Otte Revised 11/10/2009

BLENDED GLIDER DIET

PREPARATION: Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend well on a high speed to break up most

of the bee pollen granules. Store mixture in the freezer. The recipe makes about 60 two teaspoon

size portions.

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup Honey

½ cup Warm Water

1 bottle (4 oz) Mixed Fruit Juice with Yogurt (Gerber)

3 TBS High Protein Wombaroo Powder

1/4 cup (4 tbs) Mixed Cereal (Gerber or Beechnut)

3/4 tsp Now Brand Calcium Carbonate (health food store purchase)

1 tbs Bee Pollen

1 jar (2.5 oz) Strained Chicken or Turkey (Beechnut or Gerber, meat only with broth or gravy)

1/4 cup (2 oz) Yogurt -Plain (or low fat Vanilla - no artificial sweeteners)

1 Large Egg (hard boil, microwave or scramble with no added fat)

VARIATIONS OF THE BLENDED DIET

Since we all like to tinker with our glider diets somewhat, I have looked at 3 variations which do not

significantly change the nutrients provided by the over all diet.

First Variation - Blended Diet #2 Change honey to 1/4 cup and water to 3/4 cup. The result is a

slightly lower sugar content, protein, fat, fiber and the Ca:P ratio remains 2.3:1.

Second Variation - Blended Diet #3 Omit the baby food chicken and use only the 1 large egg. The

result is a slightly lower protein and fat content and the Ca:P ratio is 2.5:1.

Third Variation - Blended Diet #4 Omit the Egg and use only the strained Chicken or Turkey. This

results in a slightly lower fat content and the Ca:P ratio increases to 2.6:1.

BLENDED GLIDER DIET Developed by Candace B. Otte Revised 11/10/2009

PREPARATION & SERVING SHORT CUTS & HINTS

1. Premeasure all dry ingredients (HPW powder, bee pollen, cereal & calcium) and store in

a zip lock bag or small storage container. Having several batches measured in advance

will alert you to a need to re-order HPW when you have only one or two batches left.

2. Put the strained chicken into the blender then use the JAR to measure the yogurt. The jar is 2.5 oz

and a tiny bit of extra yogurt will not hurt anything. Use part of the warm water (see #3) to rinse

the jar and then add all the water to the blender.

3. After emptying the 4 OZ YOGURT JUICE into the blender use the empty BOTTLE to measure the

HONEY. Pour the honey into the blender and use the bottle again to measure the WARM WATER.

Pour some of the warm water into the chicken/yogurt JAR to rinse. You now have no sticky measuring

cups to wash. I get eight 4 oz portions out of a 3 lb jar of honey.

4. The mixture freezes to the consistency of ice cream and is easy to scoop. Ice Cube trays (abt 2 TBS

per cube) are fine for freezing individually measured portions.

5. I found water bottle tube Ice cube trays perfect for freezing pre-measured portions.

Each tray makes 10 cubes so dividing the batch evenly in 3 trays makes 30 two glider

portions. The trays have covers and stack easily. Trays are available at Ace Hardware.

6. Another easy storage solution for freezing the Blended Diet, is to pour the mixture into a long flat

storage container. I use one that has a 1 liter capacity and is about 4 inches wide by 10 inches long

and has a locking lid. Once the mixture is frozen, it is about ½ inch deep and the bee pollen is spread

fairly uniformly across the bottom, where it tends to settle. I then use a table knife and cut the

whole thing into equal portions for my glider cages. You may need to do some measuring the first time

or two but once you know how many portions you need it becomes an easy way of ‘measuring’ each

serving. One batch makes about 60 servings or enough for 2 gliders for 30 days or 10 gliders for 6

days.

Sample Cut for 30 cubes

(each cube feeds 2 gliders)

I cut like this for 9 gliders for 6 days

(each cube feeds 3 gliders)

BLENDED GLIDER DIET Developed by Candace B. Otte Revised 11/10/2009