Hi guys,
I just spoke to Priscilla on the phone about her diet, and funny that you should mention this, but as a newbie I had the same dicussion (regarding some confusion about the diet)
about a week or so ago with her.
She updated the recipe for several reasons.... one being that there were several versions out there, and some confusion. The second reason is that she was trying to find a format that most of her clients would like and understand.
As a newbie, I currently have two babies to feed and I made HALF of the most recently updated diet menu (on her site) and it was enough for probably several weeks or more of food for only two gliders. However, I am going to be getting more gliders at the end of the month, so I wasn't too worried.
For those of you that have only two or three gliders, you would only want to make a FOURTH of the recipe and this would give you probably a couple of weeks worth of food depending on how much you feed them.
After speaking to her on several occasions (she is wonderful to talk to, by the way, and is very patient with newbie questions) I came to realize that the recipe is geared to a larger group of gliders (say 10-15) and that she expected that people would customize it to their own number of gliders.
Also, in regards to the measurments of fruit and vegetables, there is not an exact science to it, and she makes such a large quantity for all her gliders that the amounts listed in the recipe is from her memory and experience and is the best estimate of what she knows works. I think the most important thing to remember from what she told me is "for an exotic animal, the best diet is a varied diet". This makes sense if you think about them in the wild. They wouldn't necessarily find the exact amounts of fruit or veggies or protein in the wild.
I don't think the exactness of the fruit and vegetables are the main focus (from my understanding of our conversation--she can correct me if I am wrong) much like the other diets that might give you a specific percentage of each.
Not that it isn't important to make sure the ratios of calcium vs phosphorus are there or that there is adequate protein etc, however that is why she has the vitamins and cereal and monkey biscuits that she has....it helps to support the necessary diet among gliders without being overly specific about exact amounts.
I know that some of us want the exact thing to feed a glider....but to some degree we have to trust our instinct and that of the glider. Our job is to give them healthy choices and that they will pick out the things that their body needs. Exotic animals are built with a radar that instintively tells them what nutrients they need. They must be that way in the wild to survive.
As long as we limit the choices to the helathy diet...they will be fine and whether they actually eat 1/2 or 3/4 of a tablespoon of veggies and fruits in any given meal is not as important as giving a variety along with the cereal and vitamins based on healthy practices like Priscilla's diet menu.
I hope I have helped to clarify and explain what I have gotten from conversations with Priscilla on this very subject. ;-)
Thanks!
Jenn