Although this little creature is part of wild animals, sugar gliders are safe enough to keep as pet. This marsupial would not become dangerous threat for you and your family. Well, yes, even the idea of keep undomesticated animals inside your house is extraordinary. Rather than keeping a dog as pet, there are people who prefer to keep reptilians as their companions, such as an iguana or even snakes. Well, I am not a big fan of reptiles, but I won’t judge people’s personal taste either.
As long as you could take care of your own safety, I am absolutely okay. However, not every animal that roamed the wildlife are malignant – some of them even born with adorable appearance, like the one that become our main subject today, sugar gliders! Actually, sugar glider’s ownership number already increased in the past several years. People love the unique characteristic of sugar glider, how their appearance, which is comparable to other adorable pet such as hamsters, rabbits, and cats.
Plus, this animal doesn’t take a lot of space to keep. Unlike dogs which are literally needed proper and minimum space requirement to grow and exercise. Because of the fact of sugar glider’s size which is estimate as big as hamster, although you lived in studio apartment, you could still keep this animal, isn’t that great? Ordinarily, people would purchase a cage for their new habitat, and put pouch for sugar glider (sleeping pouch) – inside the cage as a bed or nest.
Furthermore, as a omnivorous species, in their natural habitat, they usually eat beans, greens, vegetables, fruits, and even insects. Now, being pet, you should be the one who arrange a balance nutrient for your sugar glider to keep them healthy. Based the fact that they were eat fruits, people do wonder, is it safe to feed sugar gliders with raisins? Well, let’s find the answer below!
Sugar Glider’s Feeding
Do you know that estimated about 90% of sugar glider’s health problems was caused by improper and malnutrition diet. A lot of owners spoiled their sugar gliders by given “delicious” treat than the main healthy diet menu. It doesn’t mean that you can’t offer them treat meal, but you must understand that treat is occasional food. You can’t give them treat every time – it’s unhealthy! Just like your children; snacks are totally normal, but would you let your children eat it everyday and every time? The answer is no.
The same method should be applied on sugar glider’s feeding system. Rather than give them what they want – a delicious treat, you should give them more nutritious healthy foods; only offer the treat occasionally. Furthermore, there is one fact about sugar glider’s personal taste of food, they love all the sweet foods. In nature, they found the sweetness in types of fruits, also the insects such as meal worms and crickets.
But, remember this, those source of foods I mentioned above are improper foods that contained with high number of sugar and fat, without benefit balancer substances. As the owner, you must calculate everything to gain proper balancing healthy diet, and try to reduce the amount of treat. If you face a hard time determine the amount of treat you should give, remember this formulation: the treats should be exceeding 5% of your sugar’s glider daily intake per day.
Moreover, another thing you must know, that try to not feed young sugar gliders under 12 or 14 weeks with treat foods. Why? Apparently within those period of times, their digestion systems are not fully develop to take uncommon, exotic, and strange foods. In case to introduce them with treat food, you could start slowly and full of caution, and begin to feed them with a small piece of fruits like a blueberry, applesauce, or yogurt.
Dangerous Foods for Sugar Glider
Although they could eat almost everything – still, you must very selective to type of foods you would give to your sugar glider. We have learned that sugar glider has fond sweet foods, so, what do you think they would react when you give them chocolate? That is heaven for them! But that’s not going to happen; no matter what, you can’t give your sugar glider chocolate. Why? The reasons are the same with other animals.
Animal’s digestion system could not accept substance’s contents inside chocolate which would lead them to diarrhea, vomiting, and in a large amount of chocolate, enough to make your beloved animals get a seizure and heart failure. Chocolate is contained with a high amount of alkaloid chemicals like caffeine; in human it would bring us benefit, but for animals it would bring them doom. So, no matter how much fondness for sweetness, never and ever try to feed chocolate for them!
Raisins for Sugar Gliders
Can sugar glider eat raisins? You might curious and wondering this. Also, this topic has become a hot debate topic around the internet, especially among sugar glider’s owners. Actually, there are no evidence that could prove raisins is dangerous for your animal. Raisins mainly was given as a treat; so, as long as you given them occasionally it would be safe and normal.
Moreover, a lot of owners did feed raisins to their sugar gliders and nothing following problems are come up. So, the best advice whenever you feed raisins, just rely on your intuition and caution, give them enough amount – nor less or too much. However, but what if we put raisins as the main diet? Is it healthy enough? All you need to remember as a pale is that sugar glider’s body could only process a small amount of sugar, whereas the love of sweetness.
Let a high amount of sugar entered their body caused loss rather than the good, included to raisins. They would absolutely delight to eat it, but, does it good for their body? No, it is not. Raisins contained a high number of sugar, give it without precise calculation would harm your little friend. So, is it safe to feed sugar gliders with raisins? It is not, as long as you give them in thought and full of caution!