Foraging Toys
By Arnold
One,Two,Three,Four!
All patagiums on ‘da floor!
Two, Four, Six, Eight!
A-maze-ing Treat Toy’s Fabu-Great!
Six, Seven, Eight, Nine!
Arnie here and melikes to rhyme!
This here Toy is sure a Winner!
Now I gotsta go ‘cuz it’s time 4 Dinner!
Whatsup, me fine furless friends? Arnie here and if there is ‘sumptin me likes almost as much as food, it’s toyz! And toyz that are stocked with food are the best of all the bestes’s there is!
OK, me got a bit ahead of meself here, but me likes the rappin thing, so just hang with me hoomie and we’ll get to it.
Toyz are about fun and activities just like the kind of stuff we would do if we wuz in the wild! Like, for instance, running. We do likes to run and a good running wheel in our happytat can give us that exercise and energy burn just like a big ol’ hooman treadmill duz for you furless guys.
Then there’s climbing, anutter thing we need to do whether we live in a house with peeps or we live in a tree outdoors. So stuff like branches, ropes, ladders and whatnot are great to fill this need.
Sumptin else we do – a lot – is hunt. Maybe this isn’t so much about play in the wild, but it still can be fun. And we hunt by foraging, so when you buy us toys that are made to give us the chance to do our own huntin’, it really makes us feel good. Kinda like your little peeps like to find Easter eggs, we like to find treats too.
A long time ago, one of my peeps decided to add a little tiny basket to the toy we call Swing Thing. The basket is for you guys to put some treats in for us guys. See? Now we found a brand new foragin’ toy and methinks it’s a-Maze-ing! While it can be swung from, hung from and sung from … it’s really bout what’s inside! Fun and yummy all wrapped up in one colorful package.
It was fun to be a tester for this toy. Me Mum Tree thought ‘cuz I only has three feet, that me might have a hard time with this one. On the first day, she just hung it from the side of the cage, and that was soooooo easy. Just had to walk down the wall and stick me little paw in there and eat up the yum yums.
So then she tried to trick me and then she hung it from the middle of me happytat, and then me just hung from one foot and grabbed that bad boy up and shook it like a piñata … me and me pals had great fun grabbing the goodies. Me ate mine just swinging upside down like batman munching away on a yogie!
So if ya wanna see what’s got me singin’ a new tune, check out the a-Maze-ing Treat Toy here. We gotta special deal on these, so stock up now, ‘cuz this is a special price just fer you, hoomie!
Why are Staple Foods are Important?
Does It Make Sense to Buy them in Bulk?
By Lisa
Here’s a quick tip for you. Staple foods are a recommended part of the sugar glider diet because it gives around the clock access to food that will not spoil. Many of us glider keepers know that feeding different sources of fresh foods are part of a good, overall plan of nutrition. But don’t discount the importance of staple food.
It is common for sugar gliders to prefer to eat their fresh foods first. But fresh foods spoil and uneaten portions should be removed in the morning. The staple food is the only thing that is recommended to leave out all day until that evening’s new meal is presented.
I find that adult breeding sugar gliders, particularly females will come out for the daytime snack. I also see that the young sugar gliders are also inclined to come out and eat during the day. So food around the clock is most important if you have breeding or young gliders who are still growing. If your non-breeding adults are not consuming a staple food, it’s possible they simply don’t like it or you are over-feeding the fresh portion of the diet (which is costly to you).
On bulk purchasing of sugar glider foods, we understand a lot of people are looking for ways to save money these days. It is a sign of the times and belt tightening has been part of many of our lives. But the average shelf life of dry pet food is 12 months using synthetic preservatives like BHA or BHT, and only 6 months if it uses natural preservatives like Vitamin C (ascorbate) or Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) or spice oils such as rosemary or clove. If there’s no expiration date or information on the package or web site, ask the seller which type of preservative is used.
I would discourage you from buying more glider food (or any pet food, for that matter) than you will use in 12 months, or 6 months for the naturals (check the label for names of preservatives above). The food will degrade in time, so while you might save a few bucks by buying in bulk, you will be feeding your animals a less healthy food if it is old. It also seems that as food does age, it is less palatable, so you may have more waste, which in the long run wastes your money as well. Would you buy a 2 year supply of food for your dog or cat?
‘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