In response to another thread I got this idea to start this one.
Looking for pros and cons to using a staple
diet.
NOT speaking of a
complete diet like BML or the blended
diet, or HPW.
When someone mentions a "staple"
diet I get the idea of a
diet component that is a part of the meal every night and never changes. A part that
could be fed
by itself and still be nutritionally complete.
So...if BML or HPW could be fed by itself without any fruits and veggies then I guess it could be considered a staple, but I was leaning this thread more towards "packaged" glider foods such as the Suncoast products and the various other dry glider foods that have appeared in the market.
so here goes:
CONS*not nutritionally complete by itself, generally speaking and in the opinion of most glider owners.
*for some people it would be too easy to get lazy and just rely on the packaged food.
*gliders could become bored with it and refuse to eat it
PROS*hard foods are fun to eat and clean the teeth *exercise teeth and gums, copying behavior from the wild when they rip at tree bark
*good "base" for people to work with, just adding some fruits and veggies, and vitamins, to make it a "better"
diet*great for an emergency or when need to travel and have no refrigeration is available
*easy to use as a foraging treat
*packaged foods usually claim to be developed by experts that know the nutritional needs of the animal they are made for (true or not? I am not sure on this one)
I personally feel that a dry packaged glider food is a good component of a
diet when worked into a "complete"
diet of added veggies, fruits, etc. depending of course on the specific dry food in question.