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Questions about following Critter Love diet exactly as written

Posted By: cmfray

Questions about following Critter Love diet exactly as written - 09/28/17 04:38 PM

newbie here.

I currently feed (I should say offer) Gizmo the Critter Love complete mix (1 tablespoon after mixing with water), one of the Critter Love dried salad mixes (also mixed with water) that came with the starter set and Happy Glider pellets. For treats I have been offering him flavored yogurt (he loves) and various baby food fruits (hit and miss) and baby food sweet potatoes (often likes) on my finger. I recently purchased yogurt drops, island blend dried fruit pieces, and dried calci-worms from Exotic Nutrition.

He eats the Critter Love complete mix in varying amounts - sometimes barely touches it, other times about half of it, once in a while most of it. He does not seem to like this particular salad mix at all. I have thrown most, if not all, of it away. Because he won't eat the salad mix - I have been trying to offer a few small pieces of different fruits and vegetables, and different forms of them, fresh, frozen, pureed, etc. along with the salad mix. So far the only thing he will consistently eat is tomatoes (loves them). I also keep a bowl of Happy Glider pellets in the cage at all times and just started to mix it with Exotic Nutrition Complete pellets (which has dried fruit in it). He eats a few pellets now and then but not often, mostly picks out some of the dried pieces of fruit.

I have thrown so much food away its not funny. He likes licking flavored yogurt and the baby food sweet potatoes off my fingers, but I don't offer a lot of it. A couple of fingers during the day and a couple of fingers at night playtime. Just got some yogurt drops, dried fruit treats,and dried calci-worms. He seemed to love the fruit treats at first - then stopped taking them. On the other hand, he didn't like the yogurt treats at first - now loves them, and will not touch the dried calci-worms. He is starting to remind me of my children when they were toddlers. lol The only foods he will eat every time I offer it are the flavored yogurt, bits of tomatoes, and the Critter Love complete mix. He has even turned his nose up at corn, believe it or not.

So after all that - here are my questions (finally).

From what I have read about the Critter Love diet - and actually all of the other diets, its important to pick one and stick with it - following the diet exactly as told to.
1. If he consistently won't eat all of the foods in the salad mix - how important is it to follow the salad mixes recipes exactly as written?
2. Can I simply offer him a variety of fruits and vegetables instead, making sure he has a few of the ones I know there is a good chance he will eat and also offering others to keep giving him a chance to try them?
3. Exotic Nutrition also offers a HPW powder formula. What is the difference between it and the Critter Love Complete formula?
4. Do I need to try to give him Vitamins/Calcium supplements on a regular basis?
5. How about pro-biotics yogurt - good idea or bad one?

Feel free to offer any other advice or suggestions that you think would be helpful to me concerning his picky eating habits.

Thanks!

Posted By: Terry

Re: Questions about following Critter Love diet exactly as written - 09/29/17 12:37 AM

Originally Posted By: cmfray
newbie here.

I currently feed (I should say offer) Gizmo the Critter Love complete mix (1 tablespoon after mixing with water), one of the Critter Love dried salad mixes (also mixed with water) that came with the starter set and Happy Glider pellets. For treats I have been offering him flavored yogurt (he loves) and various baby food fruits (hit and miss) and baby food sweet potatoes (often likes) on my finger. I recently purchased yogurt drops, island blend dried fruit pieces, and dried calci-worms from Exotic Nutrition.

He eats the Critter Love complete mix in varying amounts - sometimes barely touches it, other times about half of it, once in a while most of it. He does not seem to like this particular salad mix at all. I have thrown most, if not all, of it away. Because he won't eat the salad mix - I have been trying to offer a few small pieces of different fruits and vegetables, and different forms of them, fresh, frozen, pureed, etc. along with the salad mix. So far the only thing he will consistently eat is tomatoes (loves them). I also keep a bowl of Happy Glider pellets in the cage at all times and just started to mix it with Exotic Nutrition Complete pellets (which has dried fruit in it). He eats a few pellets now and then but not often, mostly picks out some of the dried pieces of fruit.

I have thrown so much food away its not funny. He likes licking flavored yogurt and the baby food sweet potatoes off my fingers, but I don't offer a lot of it. A couple of fingers during the day and a couple of fingers at night playtime. Just got some yogurt drops, dried fruit treats,and dried calci-worms. He seemed to love the fruit treats at first - then stopped taking them. On the other hand, he didn't like the yogurt treats at first - now loves them, and will not touch the dried calci-worms. He is starting to remind me of my children when they were toddlers. lol The only foods he will eat every time I offer it are the flavored yogurt, bits of tomatoes, and the Critter Love complete mix. He has even turned his nose up at corn, believe it or not.

So after all that - here are my questions (finally).

From what I have read about the Critter Love diet - and actually all of the other diets, its important to pick one and stick with it - following the diet exactly as told to.
1. If he consistently won't eat all of the foods in the salad mix - how important is it to follow the salad mixes recipes exactly as written?
2. Can I simply offer him a variety of fruits and vegetables instead, making sure he has a few of the ones I know there is a good chance he will eat and also offering others to keep giving him a chance to try them?
3. Exotic Nutrition also offers a HPW powder formula. What is the difference between it and the Critter Love Complete formula?
4. Do I need to try to give him Vitamins/Calcium supplements on a regular basis?
5. How about pro-biotics yogurt - good idea or bad one?

Feel free to offer any other advice or suggestions that you think would be helpful to me concerning his picky eating habits.

Thanks!



I have a question regarding the salad you are currently offering. In your question 1, are you referring to the dried salad mix? Or have you made a batch of one of the salad recipes from CL website?

1. According to recent studies, the salad recipes are part of the staple so following the CL diet exactly as written included offering one of the salad recipes from the website. She also offers the dried versions, but I believe that is for more of a convenience for use in emergencies or when traveling.
*Originally, it was recommended to offer a variety of f/v, but now it requires use of one of the specific salads, she does however include substitutes for some of them.
2. If you offer a variety of f/v as described, you would not be following the diet as directed. Peggy has taken great care in researching, testing, and formulated nutritional ratios for her diet. I believe following the updated version is best. However, that being said, there are some ingredients in those salad mixtures that I know my gliders don't touch, I know because I have offered them those exact ones, and they are always "untouched" left in the bowl. There are also a few that are hit & miss. I personally try to stick to a recipe, but have left out the f/v that they don't eat. So it would be said that I am not following the diet as directed. I'm not suggesting that you don't, or shouldn't, just stating honestly what I have chosen to do.
3. I have used EN version, both the HPW Kit and the Instant (powder version, not the jar). I personally feel it is truly a lesser quality product than CL. It really hasn't been around long enough to know, but I've used short-term and haven't seen any ill effects.
4. No, you do not. Strongly not recommended.
5. I thought all yogurt contained those. I believe yogurt is fine as long as not "sugar free" containing artificial sweeteners.
Posted By: cmfray

Re: Questions about following Critter Love diet exactly as written - 09/29/17 01:52 PM

Terry - Yes - it was the dry salad mix which I add water to per the directions. Like I said I threw most of it away - day after day. He didn't even eat the corn. frown

I am going to try making one of the mixes myself and see if he likes that better.

Thanks for your reply.
Posted By: Srlb

Re: Questions about following Critter Love diet exactly as written - 09/29/17 02:12 PM

Hi there. Lets see if I can assist you here.

First of all, how old is Gizmo?

Quote:
For treats I have been offering him flavored yogurt (he loves) and various baby food fruits (hit and miss) and baby food sweet potatoes (often likes) on my finger. I recently purchased yogurt drops, island blend dried fruit pieces, and dried calci-worms from Exotic Nutrition.


You are offering him WAY too many treats. A gliders stomach is only about the size of your thumbnail. And that is an ADULT glider.

An adult glider only requires around 15 calories a day. Think about that. Its not much. LOL!

If your glider does not like the freeze-dried salads, you can also offer one of the others, just follow the directions on how much of each item needs to be used to make it balanced. You can find them on our Salad Page.

Also, please read the following, grab a journal and take notes on your gliders eating habits. You would be surprised at what you can learn from them.
Picky Glider Wont eat Vegetables and Fruits

In all honesty, you are not following the Critter LoveŽ diet plan with adding in all the other stuff.

Quote:
Exotic Nutrition also offers a HPW powder formula


This was laboratory tested and found to have different amounts in the food then is listed on the packaging. I do NOT recommend it.

Quote:
Do I need to try to give him Vitamins/Calcium supplements on a regular basis?


If you are following the Critter LoveŽ diet plan, no you do not need to add additional supplements of any kind.
Posted By: cmfray

Re: Questions about following Critter Love diet exactly as written - 09/29/17 07:39 PM

Thanks for responding, Peggy. And thanks for all your hard work and efforts to help Sugar Gliders live a long and healthy life and for helping us struggling new Sugar Glider owners.

Gizmo is about 19 weeks old. I have only had him about 5 weeks. He was on a pellet/apple/vit/calc. supplement diet when I got him. He wouldn't eat the pellets. So I did research and decided to try Critter Love diet. I ordered the Critter love complete/salad combo and Happy Glider pellets. In the mean time before that shipment arrived, I was trying to get Gizmo to eat something/anything besides the apple, So I offered him boiled eggs, babyfood chicken, bits and pieces of fresh and frozen vegetables and offered him a little more yogurt now and then since I knew he liked it. But I read not to feed too much of it. While doing that I found the only foods he would eat consistently were yogurt, baby food sweet potatoes, and tomatoes. Many things are a definite no, some things are a i"ll try it but then wont eat it again and a few things are a sometimes I will and sometimes I wont eat some of it.

So when the Critter Love products came - I started feeding him that according to the instructions. The Critter Love complete mix (1 Tablespoon after mixing) - he eats some of it to varying degrees. The salad mix - he tried the peas and the corn and possible a couple of other items a few times at first - but then it seemed like he wasn't touching it at all or if he was it was very little. I keep some Happy Glider pellets (fruity flavor) in his cage at all times and some days it has gone untouched and some days he ate one or two.

On days when it looked like he had not eaten very much of the Critter Love mix and none of the salad I offered him a little more of the things I thought he would eat - just to make sure he was getting something.

I just got the yogurt drops, fruit bits, & calci worms last Saturday. The yogurt drops I break apart and give him tiny bits at a time. So its maybe one and occasionally part of another one spread out through out the day. He wont eat the fruit bits or the calci worms. I also have been offering him a couple of fingertips of something (yogurt, applesauce, sweet potatoes) a couple times a days when getting him from his cage into the bonding pouch and when putting him back in the cage.

Maybe I am over worried about his eating. I have just felt something is better than nothing right now. I will stop all treats and just follow the diet as written and see what happens. I have ordered 3 different bags of salad for traveling purposes and am going to make a half batch of one of the salad mix recipes to see if homemade strikes his fancy better.

I will do the journal idea too.

I am also going to get him neutered and get him a cage mate soon - so maybe that will help with the eating too. I do think he is a little depressed and lonely. Although I spend a lot of time with him - he is still alone most of the night.

Should I stop offering the Happy Glider pellets too for awhile?

Thanks again for taking the time to help me and Gizmo. I really appreciate it.



Posted By: Srlb

Re: Questions about following Critter Love diet exactly as written - 09/30/17 02:07 PM

He is just a baby. The serving sizes that is always recommended are for adult maintenance care. Joeys normally do not eat full amounts.

As for the vegetables and fruits, please read that link I supplied up above. You will see, gliders will only eat the inside of vegetables leaving the outside on the plate. So many times people think they are leaving the green beans, peas etc, but in actuality they are not.

You can continue keeping pellets in the cage, just not a lot and know they are not part of the diet plan itself.
Posted By: cmfray

Re: Questions about following Critter Love diet exactly as written - 09/30/17 04:41 PM

Originally Posted By: Srlb
He is just a baby. The serving sizes that is always recommended are for adult maintenance care. Joeys normally do not eat full amounts.

As for the vegetables and fruits, please read that link I supplied up above. You will see, gliders will only eat the inside of vegetables leaving the outside on the plate. So many times people think they are leaving the green beans, peas etc, but in actuality they are not.

You can continue keeping pellets in the cage, just not a lot and know they are not part of the diet plan itself.


Thanks again! I read it (again) (sheepish grin). I think its sinking in, finally. You must get tired of us newbies asking and doing the same things over and over again lol. Its probably like me watching the younger generation raise their children. lol

I really do appreciate the time you have taken to help me. I will try to relax and just enjoy Gizmo. You are right - that is why I got him in the first place. smile
Posted By: Srlb

Re: Questions about following Critter Love diet exactly as written - 10/01/17 06:51 PM

I NEVER get tired of helping people where and when I can. If you ever have any other questions, always feel free to ask.
Posted By: Glamper

Re: Questions about following Critter Love diet exactly as written - 10/22/17 03:09 PM

Peggy is the best!! FYI, it took a bit of time for my guys to get used to the salads, but they love them now. Also, something I didn't know at first -- they don't eat all of the fruit/veg. they often "suck out" the insides of things like peas, corn, green beans etc. and leave the rest. so it looks like they didn't eat anything, but when you look closely, the food bits are actually hollow. how they manage to leave the peas fully round, but hollowed out I will never know, but they do it! lol
Posted By: KarenE

Re: Questions about following Critter Love diet exactly as written - 10/22/17 03:37 PM

Originally Posted By: Glamper
Peggy is the best!! FYI, it took a bit of time for my guys to get used to the salads, but they love them now. Also, something I didn't know at first -- they don't eat all of the fruit/veg. they often "suck out" the insides of things like peas, corn, green beans etc. and leave the rest. so it looks like they didn't eat anything, but when you look closely, the food bits are actually hollow. how they manage to leave the peas fully round, but hollowed out I will never know, but they do it! lol


They are amazing for sure agree
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