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Cooked bones & using hard foods to clean teeth #1375734
08/10/14 10:28 PM
08/10/14 10:28 PM
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 16
Virginia, USA
kelsbar Offline OP
New Member
kelsbar  Offline OP
New Member

Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 16
Virginia, USA
I keep seeing this around the glider community and wanted to clear up any misconceptions.

Sometimes people suggest putting harder foods such as pellets, biscuits, or kibble in your glider's cages because they are "good for their teeth". While these harder foods may initially remove a small portion of plaque near the crown of their teeth, they contain a high amount of carbohydrates and may actually cause more plaque and tartar over time. They also do nothing for the gum line, which is where the danger of plaque and tartar lies. This began as a gimmick by dry food companies but if you look for an official statement, in order for these companies to avoid lawsuits they will tell you it's "not objectionable".

Someone told me today that they keep hard foods in their glider's cage to keep their teeth from getting too long. This is also untrue. Gliders teeth do not continue to grow like rodents do and hard foods will not trim them down.

I still keep a few dry foods in my glider's cages for them to have as a midday snack but they shouldn't be kept there for the sole reason to improve teeth. Because we are unable to brush our glider's teeth the only way I can think of to help keep lower levels of plaque and tartar are to occasionally give a raw meaty bone. Bones are mildly abrasive and will flex to the shape of teeth.

I have heard of people giving their gliders cooked bones... I am interested to hear what everyone here thinks of this. Personally I have always avoided cooked bones because in most animals they will splinter and cause sever GI tract issues. I have seen many emergency cases where dogs and cats have had to undergo surgery to remove broken splinters in their stomach. In gliders, a surgery this invasive is something I think should be avoided at all costs. The reasoning I have been given for giving gliders cooked bones is because they are sap suckers and will chew the marrow out but not crunch the bone.


www.sunflowergliders.com
---
Mom to five gliders, a dog, two cats, and a horse
Re: Cooked bones & using hard foods to clean teeth [Re: kelsbar] #1375735
08/11/14 12:39 AM
08/11/14 12:39 AM
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 45
VA
tsuggielove Offline
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tsuggielove  Offline
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VA
Cooked bones splinter. Period. I would NEVER give any of my pets cooked bones.
I think some give boiled wings and drumsticks. But to me that it is just asking for trouble.
Why not just give the boiled meat without the bone?
The marrow? Then give the bone raw.
Some people feed pinkies. Those aren't cooked. So why not give other raw meat?

I know of one person who did have a scare with their glider because of a cooked bone.
I don't remember who it was, though.

Re: Cooked bones & using hard foods to clean teeth [Re: kelsbar] #1375740
08/11/14 07:49 AM
08/11/14 07:49 AM
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 16
Virginia, USA
kelsbar Offline OP
New Member
kelsbar  Offline OP
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Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 16
Virginia, USA
Quote:
Peggy Hernandez Brewer: There are MANY of us that feed chicken legs with the bones... Gliders do not chew a bone like dogs do. They get all the marrow from inside. It is ok to feed them cooked chicken legs, just be sure to pull most of the meat off it as you dont want to over feed the meat. 9y)
Peggy Hernandez Brewer: I'll stick to feeding cooked chicken bones and turkey necks.
Peggy Hernandez Brewer: I also do wings



I know Peggy has been around gliders for quite a while and I think she moderates here as well. I will ask her if she will chime in.

Tsuggielove I agree with you, I am new to the community but personally I have seen so many hurt animals from it that I wouldn't risk it.


www.sunflowergliders.com
---
Mom to five gliders, a dog, two cats, and a horse
Re: Cooked bones & using hard foods to clean teeth [Re: kelsbar] #1375742
08/11/14 08:03 AM
08/11/14 08:03 AM
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 16,800
St. Johns, Florida
Srlb Offline
Glideritis Anonymous
Srlb  Offline
Glideritis Anonymous

Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 16,800
St. Johns, Florida
It is true, gliders teeth ARE fixed and do not continue to grow.

They do not attempt to chew on a bone like a dog or a cat, and they do indeed get all the marrow out from inside any bone that is given to them.

Neither are a danger to gliders, pellets or chicken bones. Both can help teeth, albeit it is not a tooth brush, but it still does assist in the plaque/tartar build up.

This is one of those areas where what may be good for one may not be the choice of another, and that is fine, but it does not mean one is right and one is wrong. Just different. thumb


Peggy
Critter Love
Critter Love� Diet Center

If you want to know what a person is like, watch how he treats others.

You'll never know what the outcome is if you don't step up and try.

Re: Cooked bones & using hard foods to clean teeth [Re: kelsbar] #1375762
08/11/14 02:07 PM
08/11/14 02:07 PM
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 7,748
New Jersey
JillMarie Offline
Serious Glideritis
JillMarie  Offline
Serious Glideritis

Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 7,748
New Jersey
As for cooked bones: Glider mouths are not large enough nor strong enough to crush a large splintering bone, and then gulp down the splinters the way a dog MIGHT which would cause an issue.

However, they will bite at them until they can crack them so as to get the marrow out. Mine typically start at the end where the cartilage is located. I have given chicken leg bones, beef rib and pork rib bones with no issues.

As for the "sap sucker"...they are more like sap eaters. They will bite and tear at tree bark until the tree "bleeds" then they LAP up the sap that pools there.

As for raw...while I am a believer in using raw foods for dog and cats, I would not give my gliders raw meat products of any kind. Too many risks with such a small body. But that is MY opinion and the way I do things.


:grey: Bosom Buddy Creations:grey:
^website link wink

Remember that God Loves You!
Re: Cooked bones & using hard foods to clean teeth [Re: kelsbar] #1375765
08/11/14 03:06 PM
08/11/14 03:06 PM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,720
Perry, Iowa
josefine Offline
Glider Addict
josefine  Offline
Glider Addict

Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,720
Perry, Iowa
I would never give raw either. They have such delicate digestive systems. Feeding something wrong could kill them.
They could actually get sick,anyway.
This is why we have a safe & an unsafe list for feeding our babies,on whatever we want to try to feed them.


Larry & Josefine Vodenik
2014 4 St
Perry,Iowa50220
515/321-6081cell#
j.vodenik@hotmail.com
Re: Cooked bones & using hard foods to clean teeth [Re: kelsbar] #1375884
08/13/14 04:17 PM
08/13/14 04:17 PM
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 16
Virginia, USA
kelsbar Offline OP
New Member
kelsbar  Offline OP
New Member

Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 16
Virginia, USA
Thanks for that, JillMarie. I had so many people say that cooked bones were fine but no one explained in detail why. That makes sense.

I agree that any kind of raw diet would have to be done extremely carefully. Maybe some day in the future, but for now, while it is untested and we do not have a nutritionist to create such a diet IMO it is not worth it.


www.sunflowergliders.com
---
Mom to five gliders, a dog, two cats, and a horse
Re: Cooked bones & using hard foods to clean teeth [Re: kelsbar] #1383997
12/09/14 01:44 PM
12/09/14 01:44 PM
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 42
Wiscsonsin, United States
S
SugarBean Offline
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SugarBean  Offline
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Posts: 42
Wiscsonsin, United States
If you are going for more of a natural diet, which I am, how would a sugar glider cook anything in the wild? Everything would be eaten raw. Which would be fine in the wild, for it is there sugar gliders are 100% removed from our modern processing facilities. Isn't that the real danger when considering raw or not raw meats, bones, eggs, etc.? How is a sugar glider going to cook an egg in the wild and it is definitely going to eat the yoke. What exactly is it that we need to consider when thinking about a natural diet for a sugar glider in the wild vs. their dietary needs in captivity?


heart Emma Jean and Sugar Bean heart :bb:

angel
Re: Cooked bones & using hard foods to clean teeth [Re: SugarBean] #1384002
12/09/14 05:33 PM
12/09/14 05:33 PM
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 16,800
St. Johns, Florida
Srlb Offline
Glideritis Anonymous
Srlb  Offline
Glideritis Anonymous

Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 16,800
St. Johns, Florida
Quote:
for it is there sugar gliders are 100% removed from our modern processing facilities.


This is not necessarily so as I have seen a couple different people from Australia talk about how sugar gliders will also rummage through their trash.

It is not the ingredients one uses for a meal, it is the nutrients. thumb


Peggy
Critter Love
Critter Love� Diet Center

If you want to know what a person is like, watch how he treats others.

You'll never know what the outcome is if you don't step up and try.

Re: Cooked bones & using hard foods to clean teeth [Re: kelsbar] #1384165
12/12/14 09:46 AM
12/12/14 09:46 AM
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 42
Wiscsonsin, United States
S
SugarBean Offline
Out of Pouch
SugarBean  Offline
Out of Pouch
S

Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 42
Wiscsonsin, United States
That very well may be true, but you're missing my point. How is a sugar glider going to cook an egg it finds
in a nest? Or cook bones that it gets from
their prey? what if we bought eggs and meat from a farmer who butchered his cattle and chickens,
and fed them right?


heart Emma Jean and Sugar Bean heart :bb:

angel
Re: Cooked bones & using hard foods to clean teeth [Re: SugarBean] #1384170
12/12/14 10:33 AM
12/12/14 10:33 AM
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 16,800
St. Johns, Florida
Srlb Offline
Glideritis Anonymous
Srlb  Offline
Glideritis Anonymous

Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 16,800
St. Johns, Florida
Eggs, cattle, chicken.... all proteins...

Gliders do not (and should not) consume high levels of proteins.


Peggy
Critter Love
Critter Love� Diet Center

If you want to know what a person is like, watch how he treats others.

You'll never know what the outcome is if you don't step up and try.

Re: Cooked bones & using hard foods to clean teeth [Re: kelsbar] #1384199
12/12/14 12:43 PM
12/12/14 12:43 PM
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 42
Wiscsonsin, United States
S
SugarBean Offline
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SugarBean  Offline
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S

Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 42
Wiscsonsin, United States
ok thanks smile that answered my question thanks


heart Emma Jean and Sugar Bean heart :bb:

angel
Re: Cooked bones & using hard foods to clean teeth [Re: kelsbar] #1392490
08/01/15 03:14 AM
08/01/15 03:14 AM
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 38
Houston, TX
S
SuggieSamantha Offline
In Pouch
SuggieSamantha  Offline
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Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 38
Houston, TX
They shouldn't consume high levels, but they do consume some. My gliders eat pinkies and small mice and I'm in the boat that I would never give any of my animals (cat, dog, 2 turtles, 2 gliders, and 2 rabbits) cooked bones. However they regularly get raw bones, mice, or fish. Depending on the pet.


:wfb: Loki :grey: Billy :grey: Skittle :grey: Wheezer
Re: Cooked bones & using hard foods to clean teeth [Re: Srlb] #1392495
08/01/15 01:07 PM
08/01/15 01:07 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 43,318
LittleRock, AR USA
KarenE Offline
Owner
KarenE  Offline
Owner

Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 43,318
LittleRock, AR USA
Originally Posted By: Srlb
It is true, gliders teeth ARE fixed and do not continue to grow.

They do not attempt to chew on a bone like a dog or a cat, and they do indeed get all the marrow out from inside any bone that is given to them.

Neither are a danger to gliders, pellets or chicken bones. Both can help teeth, albeit it is not a tooth brush, but it still does assist in the plaque/tartar build up.

This is one of those areas where what may be good for one may not be the choice of another, and that is fine, but it does not mean one is right and one is wrong. Just different. thumb


:agreed:


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