fruits and veggies

I think my suggies only eat out of necessity. In July, they had a vet check up and everyone got a clean bill of health, but I was supposed to keep an eye on Ziggy as he was pretty skinny. So, September 4, Gizmo was 80 grams, Cocoa was 80 grams, and Ziggy was 70 grams. Just weighed them today and Gizmo is 80 grams, Cocoa is 79 grams, and Ziggy is 73 grams. Gizmo is about 9 months old, and Cocoa and Ziggy are about 7 months old (my calculations according to PP saying they were 8 weeks old at the date of adoption). I don't know if this is good... or bad. Cocoa's fur is looking kinda crackly. I have talked to my mentor about that, and we are working on figuring out the cause.

They are SO stinkin' picky about their food, I don't know how to get them to eat more. They always have food left over in the morning and it's always papaya and veggies that are leftover. I'm afraid of them getting HLP because they are so picky and won't eat much bok choy or papaya. ( I feed HPW Complete) They only seem to like sweet peas! I've even been trying to mix it up a little bit and giving them dinner in foraging cups (I have cups and bowls that I hooked onto toys so they hold about a half a cup of food or so) I just don't know what to do to get these guys to eat better and gain some weight! I'm just not sure what to do. We still don't have the vet bill from July paid off and they need to have a 6 month check up (am I right?) which should be in December... I'd at least like some fecals done for peace of mind. I don't know.... I've tried doing all kinds of things with their food... I just don't know

It is likely that your gliders DO eat out of necessity rather than enjoying it.

Their weights are fine for their ages. They are fine period.

I have some thoughts on what you have said, but first I want to ask you a few questions.

Can you please tell us what fruits and veggies you have fed the last 3 days?
Just lay it out like:
Wed - corn, peas, carrots, green beans, cucumber, apple, papaya, banana
Thurs - corn, peas, carrots, green beans, bok choy, pear, apple, papaya

Something like that.

Also, how are you serving them? Are you pouring the Complete over the fruits and veggies or keeping them separate? Are the fruits and veggies frozen or fresh? Bite size, large chunks or blended into a smoothie?

Leaving the Papaya and Bok Choi every day - sounds like you may be using the relish recipes that are over 50% Papaya or Bok Choi when compared to the other fruits and vegetables in the mixtures.

Try offering a much wider variety of fruits and vegetables.

I would not be a happy camper if more than half of all of my meals were papaya & bok choi every single day.

No single fruit or vegetables should be over half of any mixture you make to serve over several days in a row.

You might also try offering just 2 or 3 fruits and 2 or 3 vegetables each night but different combinations each day to keep your gliders interested in their meals and to help you better identify their likes and dislikes.

ok...

last night-- papaya, dark sweet cherries, carrots, butternut squash, sweet peas
night before-- apples, dark sweet cherries, papaya, spinach and green beans
Thursday- sweet potato, carrots, butternut squash, apples, blueberries


I ran out of bok choy but I try to alternate between that and papaya every other night to keep the calcium phos ratios close at least.

I microwave sweet potato and bok choy in water with some honey. Sometimes I microwave the carrots and butternut squash. They will eat the sugar snap peas any way I give it to them.

I've been slicing straight through the papaya then making a hole in the middle and hanging it somewhere in the cage. Sometimes with bok choy, green beans, and spinach I pour some of the HPW Complete over it. Lately, I've been placing their food around the cage in little hanging bowls and foraging cup/bowls. Last night, however, I put their food on a plastic divided kids plate with veggies on one side and fruit on the other and a separate bowl for the HPW Complete.

I've tried the relish and smoothie before, but they didn't seem to like it much. GAH! I'm just not sure how to get them to eat their food. My blender is broken, so it doesn't puree ... just kinda... mixes it up; so, I've not tried pureeing all their food.

You probably need more variety. It's good if they have food leftover, it means you're feeding enough. But, more variety ensures a better ratio, and they like it more.

Veggies here: corn, green beans, peas, carrots <--base mix, I add jicama, mushrooms, bell pepper, sugar snap peas, sweet potato, broccoli, bok choy, asparagus, collard greens, spinich, and whatever else I spot and buy that week. They don't get the same thing every night, it's a total variety

Fruit: Papaya, apples, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, grapes, cherries, mango, pear, asian pear, every once in a while oranges, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and, again, whatever else I spot that week that catches my eye :)

There are TONS of things that gliders can eat, so play with it.

well... "we" as in the humans don't eat much variety in this house, so i don't know what to get. They don't like mushrooms, peppers, strawberries and they don't care too much for mango, but they tolerate it when they must. I just never know what's 'safe'. I bought leeks once then realized they are part of the onion group and couldn't give it to them. I have seen the list of what is suggie safe, but I don't know how to pick out the fresh stuff. Like... what color is a papaya in the store supposed to be? What color is the acorn squash supposed to be? I feel like I've REALLY branched out haha.. but apparently not enough yet! my mentor has been a SUPER DUPER help!
I bought a pomegranate yesterday can't wait to see how they like it! ... another thing, out of fruits- what seeds, if any, can they have? Or do I need to take the seeds out of all the fruits?

Well, you can ask your grocer to help you pick foods that are properly ripe.
I take the seeds out of anything I wouldn't normally eat the seeds of.
You have to keep trying different things with them, and feed several things a night. Like, apple, mango, strawberry and grapes (just an example) for fruit, and for veggies do beans, peas, corn, sweet potato, broccoli, tomato and jicama. Not just one fruit and veg per night, but a medley.
Gliders will like something one night, and not another, so keep trying things over and over. I rarely have a glider that flat refuses to eat something. These guys are not your average pet, so sometimes it takes a while for us to get used to their behaviors :) I know my babies eat better than I do.

oh they eat MUCH better than anyone else in the house! The last time I asked for help picking out a ripe papaya, the guy there said "what's a papaya" LOL... and now I will ask you USMom- what's jicama ?!?! Every time I go to pick out fruits and veggies, I stand there looking like an idiot cause I don't know what to get, what they might like, how I should fix it.. ugh! Can I just state right now that PP should really straighten up and educate people better than "Pellets and apples are GREAT" I still would have gotten my gliders... but I would have been better informed on what to expect, instead of flying by the seat of my pants.

SO, they MUST have bok choy OR papaya EVERY night? what are some other good things to give that are generally a glider fav?

They absolutely do NOT need to have bok choy or papaya every night. Not at all. I very, very rarely feed papaya. I feed bok choy because they like it, but I do not feed it every day.

I have an issue with the concept of "picky eaters." And here is why - I have had over 200 gliders come through my rescue home and have never - NOT ONCE - had a picky eater. I have had people tell me the gliders would be picky eaters, but that has not been my experience.

I know plenty of really great glider owners that tell me their gliders are picky eaters.

So, I have to ask - what is different about my house? Why do they eat so well in my home?

The only thing I can come up with is that there must be something to this "wide variety" concept. You see? Gliders are hard-wired as foragers/scavangers. This means that they will eat whatever they can when they can. So, they are not created to be picky - quite the opposite. It must be something that we do that facilitates the "pickiness." In many cases, I find that it is the use of relishes or smoothies every night OR the lack of variety in the diet.

I assure you that if you fed me the same thing every night, I would eventually (like in 4 or 5 days) get sick of it and stop eating much or stop eating it all together. So, for such a smart animal as a glider, I think we need to have just as much variety.

Here are examples of what I have fed this week.
tonight: fresh green beans, celery, bok choy, corn, carrots, broccoli, mushroom, cucumber, sweet potato, peas, apple, honeydew, fig, banana

Last night: snap peas in pod, corn, carrots, green beans, broccoli, grape tomato, cucumber, canned pumpkin, apple, pear, grape, strawberry

Thursday: sunrise slaw, sugar snap peas, jicama, green beans, bok choy, green bell pepper, corn, carrots, pear, strawberry, clementine, grape


I find that by feeding a wide variety each day - and making sure to vary it from the day before - they never know what is coming and they eat very well every single day.

don't be afraid to try new things.

As for what are favorites around here: cucumber, bell pepper, sweet potato, corn, peas, blackberry, melon, coconut and blueberry.

what diet do you feed with those fruits and veggies, Val? Just cause I'm curious. You probably have your own haha

Ok... I appreciate that post, Val! Um.... so... what is jicama, clementine, and fig?... what kind of melon do u feed? or is 'melon' a fruit of it's own?

can I buy a coconut and feed them coconut? When I buy all these different fruits and veggies, are they all ok to freeze so they don't go bad?

I'd say you're right and I"m not giving enough of a variety! I'm still learning and trying to broaden my own horizons!

If anyone else has a list of things they feed their gliders that's not been listed, please post it so I can add it to my shopping list.

LuuLuu wrote:

what diet do you feed with those fruits and veggies, Val? Just cause I'm curious. You probably have your own haha

https://thesweetspot.forumotion.net/t86-val-s-green-variety-diet

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Ok... I appreciate that post, Val! Um.... so... what is jicama, clementine, and fig?

a quick google search will show you photos of these items and will give you more info than I can.
jicama is a tuberous veggie - like a potato. It is used a lot in spanish/mexican cooking and is quite good. It looks like a round potato.

Clementine looks like a tiny orange. They are yummy!

Fig is a......fig. The fruit from the fig tree. I don't like them much, but the gliders and birds love them and they are good for them.

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what kind of melon do u feed? or is 'melon' a fruit of it's own?

LOL!!!
You can see from my list above that I feed honeydew. I also feed watermelon and canteloupe. Pretty much any type of melon will be fed here from time to time.

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can I buy a coconut and feed them coconut?

You can. Mine don't like it that way. I buy organic, unsweetened coconut flakes or dried coconut. They love it.

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When I buy all these different fruits and veggies, are they all ok to freeze so they don't go bad?

Yes

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If anyone else has a list of things they feed their gliders that's not been listed, please post it so I can add it to my shopping list.

Read through this thread and see what people are regularly feeding their gliders and make a list
https://thesweetspot.forumotion.net/t1302p120-what-s-for-dinner-tonight

going to check out those links. THANK YOU SO MUCH VAL!!!!!!!!

Lisa, I know you are doing a great job of branching out with the varieties and, like me, are still working on being comfortable with trying new things...lol! We both just have to keep at it and keep adding new things when we find them. That thread Val posted has helped me tremendously! I have been feeding jicama off and on for a few months now and just tried it myself the other night (raw, while I was cutting it up) and it's delicious! You are doing a wonderful job and either your gliders will get less picky or you will find the foods they enjoy the most. Some of mine used to be picky, but now the only thing I find some of my gliders won't eat has been yellow squash, but that may change someday so I continue to try it now and then in my fresh veggie mixes. Good luck!

glad I found my original thread on here so I didn't have to post a new one. I tried jicama, it looked like a huge, round potato and after a couple days it was so slimy I had to throw it away-they didn't eat it well, anyway. I can't find fig or okra around here. and I'm still trying to figure out more foods to make a variety. Since the last post, I have tried persimmons, pomegranate, jicama, and avocado. I just still feel like it's not enough of a variety. AND I have noticed that a lot of the foods I feed are high in oxalates with a low calc: phos ratio. I'm concerned about that... don't wanna take any chances of them getting HLP or anything. Everyone who knows me says I'm obsessed about my gliders; I take it as a compliment because it takes no less than that to ensure their proper care... I can't let anyone down by not feeding the babies properly.

Also, for 5-6 months I've fed HPW Complete, is it a good idea to switch it up from time to time? Like, alternate between diets a couple/few times a year? They just haven't been eating as consistently as they were and the HP Complete bowl hasn't been licked clean every night as it usually is. They are gaining weight pretty well. Gizmo is 10 months and Cocoa and Ziggy are 8 months now. Gizmo is up to 90 grams, Cocoa is at 87 and Ziggy is 81grams. Any advice would be greatly helpful. Thanks

I get my okra from the frozen section.

If you're happy with their staple diet, don't change it. Their appetites do fluctuate, so expect this from time to time. You will want to make sure they do get a variety of fruits and veggies. Also, a lot of us do whats called junk food night a couple of times a month. For me it's when I'm out of their staple diet, and don't feel like making it that night, LOL. Tonight is one of those nights. So, I'll feed hard boiled eggs, veggies, and a fruit smoothie. Tomorrow night we go back to regular foods. This mixes it up for them.
There is also a thread on here called Whats for Dinner. There you can get some great ideas on what we're doing.

You might try to make sure you 2-4 new fruits/veggies to their rotation each week.
Here are a few that are very easy to find all year round:

cucumber, bell pepper, squash, zucchini, grape tomato, sweet potato, banana, apple, orange, pear, mango, blueberry, strawberry, mushroom, celery, spring mix

You can offer juice from time to time instead of whole fruits. I offer organic juices occasionally.
You can also make fruit smoothies from time to time. I feed a smoothie at least once per week. Just take your fresh fruit and throw it in a blender with some organic juice and/or yogurt. My gliders LOVE smoothies made from blackberry, blueberry, applesauce, banana, mango and strawberry with pretty much any juice. Left over smoothie can be frozen for use again at a later date.

You can also try dried fig or dried coconut. Check out the "whats for dinner tonight" thread and maybe follow a few of the daily offerings posted there. There are so many foods that are safe for gliders and so many different ways to serve them that there should never be a problem mixing it up. :)

Favorites around here are blueberries, blackberries, yucca root, jicama, rutabaga, cherries, plums, sweet potato, cucumber and of course, peas and corn.

I'd also like to say that you really don't need to stress yourself as you're doing with the ratios of their food. Dinner time should be enjoyable for both you AND your gliders. A well balanced, nutritious diet is what's important. If you're feeding a good staple mix and a good variety of fruits and veggies, stop looking at the numbers and just have fun!

I already do junk food night :) Chicken or eggs (hard boiled or scrambled) sometimes I add some shrimp. I do it about once a week. I will check out What's for Dinner again, I have read it before, but maybe I need to again.

On the home page, on the right side is a link called view posts since last visit--it only works from the home page. Click that when you come here. You'll see any updated posts. I say that because we update on that one pretty regular.

USMom wrote:

On the home page, on the right side is a link called view posts since last visit--it only works from the home page. Click that when you come here. You'll see any updated posts. I say that because we update on that one pretty regular.

I wanted to comment on the staple mix question. I do not talk about it much on the forums because people assume gliders are like dogs and have a hard time with their stomach if their diet is changed too rapidly or too often but I do change my staple routinely. This year I have changed diets 3 times to keep them on their toes and it has been working. When I first had gliders I bored them to death with the same diet for a year straight.
I also make sure to provide a variety of veggies and fruits and since I know the staples I feed are sound I do not worry about ratios very much. I do try to make sure I do not feed overly high in phosphorus veggies/fruits day after day but for me the ratio thing comes second and variety is key.

viciousencounters wrote:

I wanted to comment on the staple mix question. I do not talk about it much on the forums because people assume gliders are like dogs and have a hard time with their stomach if their diet is changed too rapidly or too often but I do change my staple routinely. This year I have changed diets 3 times to keep them on their toes and it has been working. When I first had gliders I bored them to death with the same diet for a year straight.
I also make sure to provide a variety of veggies and fruits and since I know the staples I feed are sound I do not worry about ratios very much. I do try to make sure I do not feed overly high in phosphorus veggies/fruits day after day but for me the ratio thing comes second and variety is key.

what diets do you switch between? Mine are on HPW complete right now. I was thinking of switching to LGRS for a little while. I recently heard of Val's diet... now I'm not sure

Right now I am feeding Val's Diet but I also feed LGRS Soup. I did feed Candy's before all this but it is no longer on any diet list. What I would like to do is have a diet for each season but I am only comfortable with those two diets for the time being.