Glider Sitter during Vacation 
by Arnold!

Hi SunCoast,

I have 2 gliders and I’m going on a 2 week trip in May.  I have someone who will come in once each day to care for them, but I would rather leave them with a family that has gliders.  Can you supply me with names or email addresses of owners in my area? We’re going out of the country so I can’t take them along like we do when traveling by car.

Thanks,

S.M.
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Hi S.M.,

So sorry, but me can’t really do that.  Our customers and contacts are protected by our privacy policy.  Usually the best way to make contacts like that is on the message boards like Glider Central or Glider Gossip.  But methinks having someone come to your home is fine.  Yer 2 gliders have each other to meet their social needs, so they don’t really need people around.  Strange people are not going to fill any void really, only their “regular” people.  Stick with the house sitter and they should be fine.  The only time me might hear of real problems (other than something irresponsible by the house sitter) is with single kept gliders (we can go a bit beserk when left alone).

Enjoy your trip!
ATS
(Arnold T. Schwarzenglider)

Corn is a Four Letter Word
By Arnold

Dear Arnold,

I’m confused about certain foods and whether they are OK to feed sugar gliders.  In particular, I see people talking about feeding them corn, and I see that some of the manufactured glider foods use corn in them – even as the main ingredient!

Also, a vet said this:

For example, carrots and corn are both vegetables, but they have significantly different food and vitamin values when consumed. Carrots are rich in vitamin A, which is very good for your sugar glider when offered in the right form and amounts.  Corn, on the other hand, has a high phosphorus ratio and too much of this vegetable can actually elevate disease opportunity in your pet.

But actually, corn is NOT a vegetable, it’s a grain, which raised a question in my mind about this vet’s research / knowledge.  I’m not trying to be a jerk, I’m just making an observation, while looking for definitive answers for my darling little fuzzies on what all is OK to feed them.  Please help!

B
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Dear B,

Yers is one of me favorite emails all month!  Me don’t think youz a jerk!  Me luvs ya for bringing up such a fun topic.

First off, yer right! Corn is a grain!

But the vet is right too!  Corn is a veggie!

And now me says corn is really a fruit …. Did you know that?

Me knows me corn facts and actually corn has the qualities of a vegetable and a grain and a fruit …

Since most people call corn a vegetable (and its sold in the veggie section of the grocery store), we’re fine with calling it such around here … But we also like all the facts … Like youz do!

And after all this and what is it, please don’t feed corn.  Me gets sad to say this cuz me tasted the niblets and fell in love, but its so not good for us!  For more on the whole phosphorus issue with sugar gliders (actually, it’s the Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio that’s critical to understand), see this newsletter article:

Calcium to Phosphorus Ratios in Food

and for more on what you probably should not feed your gliders, see this article:

What NOT to Feed

And B, you totally rock!

Next month, we’ll tackle tomatoes! Fruit or vegetable?

Arnold
The corniest sugar glider in the world

Mealworms: Too much of a good thing?
by Arnold

Dear Arnold,

I’m really confused about the diet.  Some people talk about feeding their sugar gliders mealworms and some websites say never to feed bugs.  Some people feed bugs every day and some people say you shouldn’t do it every day.  It seems like the more I read online, and even in books, the more confused I get! 

Can you help me figure this out?

Jerome
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Dear Jerome,

Yer not alone!  Me newsletter has been going strong for 97 monthsnow ‘cuz lots of peeps are confused about glider care stuff and you came to the right place to get it all cleared up.

Now we suggies luv us a good mealie worm!  After all, we are classified insectivore / gummivore, which means we eat insects in the wild (when they are plentiful) and we eat tree gum, sap and manna when the bugs are not around.  So ya see, given the choice, bugs is what we want to eat first.  So, doesn’t it make sense this is what you should feed us too?  Ya really can’t ask us to be ‘sumptin different than what the Mother of all Nature made us, right?

But while we suggies luv us a good mealie worm, some of us are really health conscious, like me!  So lemme make this simple for you. Mealworms to suggies are like red meat to hoomans!  In ‘nuther words, maybe not something you should eat twice a day, every day ‘cuz it’s a bit high in fat, but once or twice a week should be OK.

There are other proteins besides mealie worms that are yummy to us and good fer us too!  My suggested weekly diet consists of other proteins like crickets, boiled chicken, boiled eggs and yogurt.  Me likes em all!  Moderation is our motto!  Too much of a good thing is no longer a good thing!

Yours in Food,

Arnold

‘Til next time, in good health for you and your gliders, we sign off in appreciation of all of you who share great glider adventures with us!