| Question about feeding Dry Kibble | |
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+6jungleflockmom BCChins DirtyPaws CandyOtte Something_To_Believe_In FutureChef 10 posters |
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FutureChef
Posts : 227 Join date : 2010-04-14 Age : 38 Location : Melbourne, Fl
| Subject: Re: Question about feeding Dry Kibble Thu Apr 22, 2010 10:11 am | |
| ok so i have seen this kibble thing come up a few times, and this maybe the wrong place for this question but since it has been brought up here.
Why would you feed them "kibble"? i was of the understanding that processed foods can be very bad for them. | |
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Something_To_Believe_In Associate
Posts : 4565 Join date : 2009-12-10 Age : 50 Location : Texas
| Subject: Re: Question about feeding Dry Kibble Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:07 am | |
| You are correct in that processed foods are not really great for ANY living thing to eat. Nonetheless, we all do eat them and feed them to our dogs and cats and birds and, and, and. Fed as a main staple in a glider diet, kibble of any sort does not provide the appropriate amount or balance of nutrition and minerals necessary for a long, healthy life.
I personally feed a dry "kibble" for several reasons:
1) My gliders LOVE it. I'm a sucker and like to see them happy. Because they love it, it creates great opportunities for enrichment by hiding the kibble all throughout the cage.
2) A glider's teeth are made for stripping bark off trees and for ripping things apart. I believe that many of the periodontal (teeth) issues that we see in gliders are due to the fact that most of our listed diets include only soft foods - and some people feed only pureed or cooked foods.
A good, hard pellet is great for keeping the teeth clean and healthy, IMO.
I do want to mention, though, that I feed dog or cat kibble IN ADDITION TO my regular diet, NOT as a primary staple. | |
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CandyOtte
Posts : 196 Join date : 2009-12-30 Age : 74 Location : Lutz, FL
| Subject: Re: Question about feeding Dry Kibble Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:17 am | |
| Many of us do use a few pieces of a dry glider food, monkey biscuits and even a high quality cat food as a supplement to a well balanced glider diet that includes fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables as part of the diet.
The issue is that some folks feel the dry kibble type foods currently marketed for Sugar Gliders is a good PRIMARY diet for gliders and use it in place of BML, HPW, Priscilla's, Blended Diet or other combinations of ingredients that have been evaluated and are known to provide adequate calcium, protein, sugars, and fiber to meet the nutritional needs of sugar gliders.
Gliders are 'sap suckers' and get much of their water requirements from nectar like foods and from fresh fruits and veggies.
No dry Kibble can provide nutritionally for sugar gliders and at the same time help meet their fluid requirements the way any of the recognized "nectar" like glider diets can.
The fact that many glider mill breeders and their brokers recommend a 'kibble' only diet with a slice of apple daily cause great concern because new impulse buyers trust these folks and are not aware of the nutritional needs of their gliders until they reach one of the glider forums seeking more information on glider care. Unfortunately there are probably THOUSANDS of new glider owners that never look to the internet other than the broker's web pages they are given. These folks just never learn a better way to feed their gliders. Those gliders are not likely to live 10 to 15 years as we all hope our own gliders will. | |
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DirtyPaws
Posts : 81 Join date : 2010-03-08 Age : 50 Location : Iowa Park, TX
| Subject: Re: Question about feeding Dry Kibble Thu Apr 22, 2010 1:15 pm | |
| I am sooooooo glad this question came up again. This is something I've had concerns for but never did a search because I KNEW it would come up a bazillion threads with a bunch of conterversay and drama.
BUT, this is something I have always felt may be a good idea ~ to offer a kibble or monkey bisquit to satisfy chewing and promote dental health. I am so against the bad side of processed foods so I will be researching the best crunchy treat I can find :) | |
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BCChins Associate
Posts : 1652 Join date : 2010-03-09 Location : Connecticut
| Subject: Re: Question about feeding Dry Kibble Thu Apr 22, 2010 2:27 pm | |
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jungleflockmom
Posts : 204 Join date : 2009-12-12 Location : Pacific coast
| Subject: Re: Question about feeding Dry Kibble Thu Apr 22, 2010 9:16 pm | |
| Premium ingredients, no added iron, and small bits are primary criteria for me. I use Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium cat food as it meets the requirements above and the company emailed that their ca:p ratio was better than 1:1. (it was a long time ago). It also has other ingredients I like.
It is not my primary protein source, but my gliders love it and love to find it buried beneath wiffle balls or inside wadded up paper or under leaves, etc.
I've fed kibble for about 4 years - ever since I looked at the ingredients in insectivore mix and thought I could find better.
Monkey biscuits are often primarily corn so check the ingredients before you feed. That would be like a poor quality dog biscuit at Big Lots for a premium price.
As to controversy, I really think that's over. People generally feed what they like best and there are many glider diet plans that work great for these little omnivores. | |
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Something_To_Believe_In Associate
Posts : 4565 Join date : 2009-12-10 Age : 50 Location : Texas
| Subject: Re: Question about feeding Dry Kibble Fri Jul 30, 2010 8:11 am | |
| I have used Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance, Spot's Stew, Taste of the Wild and BLUE
Gliders love all of them.
I will not feed Spot's Stew again because it smells so bad, I just can't stand it. | |
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Chris R
Posts : 283 Join date : 2009-12-23 Age : 54 Location : Northwestern Missouri
| Subject: Re: Question about feeding Dry Kibble Fri Jul 30, 2010 8:41 am | |
| Im currently using the Pet Pro Happy Glider breeder formula kibble but, have used all the above and when I am close to running out I order whatever I find available at the time. My gliders just like having a "kibble" to munch on/forage for, so I offer it (just a few pieces) daily. As all the others, this is just an "extra" over the HPW and nightly veggies/fruits. I've even seen joeys as young as 1 month munching on a piece of kibble :) | |
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USMom Associate
Posts : 1227 Join date : 2009-12-11 Age : 51 Location : Central Texas
| Subject: Re: Question about feeding Dry Kibble Fri Jul 30, 2010 12:44 pm | |
| As everyone else has said, they enjoy eating it, and it makes a great hideable treat. It's really good for hiding, as it is normally dry, and if they don't find it the first night (unlikely) it won't be bad the next. | |
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BelladonnasMom
Posts : 105 Join date : 2010-03-07
| Subject: Re: Question about feeding Dry Kibble Mon Aug 02, 2010 7:45 pm | |
| I feed bits of high grade kittie food, glider kibbles from samples and the ocassional teaspoon of Zupreem parrot food to keep teeth clean and healthy! I also offer pear tree branches seceral times a year for them to tear up too. They LOVE that! | |
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Something_To_Believe_In Associate
Posts : 4565 Join date : 2009-12-10 Age : 50 Location : Texas
| Subject: Re: Question about feeding Dry Kibble Sat Oct 15, 2011 3:41 pm | |
| I'm just wondering if anyone has tried any new types of dry kibble lately and what you think of it.
We are currently using Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream dog formula. Gliders and dogs LOVE it. | |
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eschiavoni2
Posts : 36 Join date : 2011-10-05 Age : 34 Location : OH
| Subject: Re: Question about feeding Dry Kibble Fri Nov 18, 2011 2:03 am | |
| I feed organix to my dogs. My gliders like it as well. | |
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BCChins Associate
Posts : 1652 Join date : 2010-03-09 Location : Connecticut
| Subject: Re: Question about feeding Dry Kibble Fri Aug 23, 2013 12:55 pm | |
| Has anyone tried Natural Balance Green Pea and Chicken or Duck
I received a sample and they seem to enjoy it.
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