Fruit Is Unimportant?

I hope I'm posting this in the right area (and I hope it hasn't already been covered. I checked and didn't see anything about this, but I'm the guy who searches for the cellphone that's in his hand). I just want everyone's opinion. I was talking to someone who lives in Australia and deals with sugar gliders on a pretty regular basis. She said that fruit isn't nearly as important to a gliders diet as veggies. In fact, she said she will only feed them fruit once or twice a month. She said that veggies have all the same nutrients and are better for them. It just seemed odd since everyone is always saying how important fruits AND veggies are to gliders. Opinions?

I'm no expert and I don't know of any research to that effect, but I HOPE it's true! I have trouble getting my girls to eat any fruits except for the occasional apple or orange maybe once a week. However, I dont see how else they would get vitamin C unless they take supplements.

Nutritionally, fruits and vegetables are pretty close. Many fruits are richer in vitamin C than most vegetables but it certainly is possible to cover all necessary vitamins and minerals eating a wide variety of vegetables and very little fruits.

There are a lot of 'fruits' we also classify as vegetables - such as the tomato that is a good source of vitamin C.

My gliders seem to like their fruits and vegetables equally well, but there have been nights that I was out of fruits and they got two vegetables and ate just as well as usual.

It is much easier to get a wide variety to offer gliders if fruits are included in the choices on your menu list of foods you use most often.

If you are worried about the vitamin C, here is a list of veggies that contain good amounts of it:

http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-011101000000000000000-w.html

It seems like peppers are a really good vegetable source of Vitamin C.

I agree that part of the reasoning here is the variety that is available. And, for me, it is important that I offer a variety of nutritious foods. Variety is not so important to others, so I can see where they would not offer as much of one or the other.

Also, I believe that there is an issue of availability in some areas. There are parts of this country where fruit (other than apples and oranges) is more difficult to come by in the winter months. For those times, I see nothing wrong with offering fresh veggies instead. There are other options (such as juicing or using fruit juice and/or making smoothies during the summer months and freezing for use in the winter), but if one chose to offer only veggies instead, I don't think that is a terrible option.

Very good thread. Puts me at ease with my picky eaters.

Although I do offer a variety of fruits and veggies every night, it's rare the fruit is ever more than half eaten. I had heard this about the veggies before, which is why I've never really stressed about it.

So why do people and pet store think suggies love apples? Mine hate them! My boys are obsessed with organic peas and corn. I have had to take the corn away because Stubby is a bit too heavy! I offer them 4+ each fruits and veggies per night and the veggies are always the first thing to go. I figure if they want fruit, it's there.

Good thinking. For mine, I swear it depends on their mood.

Sometimes their dislike of a fruit is the kind of apple, mine wouldn't eat apples until I tried Red Delicious apples.

Apples are not their favorite fruit, but they will eat the Red Delicious.

People think gliders love apples because that is what pocket pets recommend you feed with their pellet only diet.