Just wanted to see what the general opinion was of this. It's not an 'approved
diet' as such, but has been used for roughly 15 years in the UK with good results.
This week, I've made a fruit/veg mix using:
-1 and a half Papaya
-1 Mango
-1 Apple
-1 Box of raspberries
-1 Sweet Potato
-Half a Butternut Squash
This gave me a total ratio of 2.2:1. I cut them all up into pieces and blend them into a 'smoothie' using a hand blender. I then put 2 tablespoons of Linseed into a bowl with about 8 tablespoons of boiling water and leave to soak for a few minutes until the seeds absorb the water and become 'oily'.
To the fruit/veg mix I then add:
-3 Tablespoons of wheatgerm
-1 Teaspoon of Bee Pollen
-Half a teaspoon of acacia gum
-2 Tablespoons of low fat natural yogurt
-Soaked Linseed
-Vitamin suppliment as normal (half teaspoon of Glider Booster per pound of fruit/veg)
-Half a cup of fruit juice (normally Cranberry)
I pour this into ice cube trays and freeze, my gliders get 2/3 cubes per night each. 2 normally in summer, in winter I give 3 every other day as I like them to carry a LITTLE extra weight when it gets cold.
For protein (where UK differs from US)...
On every other night I feed either an omelette or scrambled egg (1 egg between the 3 adults).
On the nights I don't feed egg, I give 5/6 Iams 1+ cat kibble per glider so that they get abit of crunch in their
diet which I PERSONALLY feel is important in maintaining their teeth.
I also have Gumivore Fare (which is basically acacia gum, pineapple, peach, blueberry, mango, apple and papaya in a jar). That will be fed maybe twice a week, stuffed into branches in their cage as a kind of enrichment as well as a treat.
This batch normally feeds 3 suggies for about 9 days. I vary the fruits and veg each time I make a new batch, keeping roughly to the 2:1 ratio.
Just wondered what you guys thought of it. I've had great results so far, I rehomed a 2yr old male that had terrible fur seperation, within 3 months he has a gorgeous, tight coat. That's enough proof to me that this 'works' as a
diet, but I am always open to suggestions for improvement. I personally don't believe ANY OF US have the 'perfect' glider
diet. With so many different proven ones it's hard to know which is the best. But just thought i'd put myself on the line (yes I am already expecting criticism for the cat kibble but UK Iams is much higher quality than US and I do believe some hard food is important as mine will only eat fruits/veg that are blended).
I also realise honey does have health benefits, it's the just the amount of honey in some
diets that I don't like. But twice a week I will mix some pure acacia gum with honey and stuff into branches, so they are getting a little. Any feedback is welcome, I don't think ANY
diet is perfect, including mine, so i'm always up for improvements x