I've posted several times lately about finally getting the fuzz butts on track with their diet. I don't intend to change anything around anytime soon, but was thinking of a different way of giving them a variety without changing what is going in their bowl (other than presentation).

I've read somewhere that sage is good for gliders, or at least not bad for them, and that they love it. And of course parsley is good for them. (But I read that mint is NOT good for them?)

What if we 'spice up' their regular dinners now and again with things like sage and parsley and other spices/herbs that are good for them?

So parsley and sage would be ok choices if no one has thoughts or ideas that oppose this... what would be some other options?

*Note - herbs and spices are generally not thought of as 'food' or 'medicine' by most, but they really do have a large roll in "goings-on" in the body.

I have chopped up fresh parsley and oregano now and then and added some to my glider dinner plates. I also sprinkle plain sesame seeds on their food now and then.

I think it does keep things interesting.

I also put mealworms on their spring mix salad now and then. The mealies seem to enjoy munching on the salad as well... at least for the few minutes before the gliders wake up and start grabbing them.

Mine love fresh cilantro, anise, and basil. I mix it with their veggies

Thank you Yiyo.

What form of parsley is okay to give them? fresh or dried? does it matter? Ive never heard of adding herbs to there diet.

Fresh

I saw parsley on the list of approved foods. I use to buy a bunch of fresh parsley and a thing of fresh spinach and gently cook it down for them together - even I'd eat spinach like that... it's very fresh tasting instead of tasting like dirt and grass. lol

But I'd think dried is fine too. I sprinkle a little dry on their chicken/carrots/celery when I cook it down for them once a month as a treat. Parsley is so high in cal and low in phos that I was trying to add it in as much as possible while I was still trying to figure out the diet thing.

But spinach can't be feed too much because of (can't remember now), but it can be hard on them even though the cal/phos is a good. (I'd like a thread about those kinds of foods - the ones that are good cal/phos but have another problem)

Alright, I think I might try that as a treat.

Even though the ratio is great, spinach is very high in oxalates which limits the absorption of calcium.

Yes, that's it, Oxalates! Thank you :-)

I'm going to write that down and try to learn more about it. How do you know if a food is high in oxalates? Is it generally green leafy? Or is is so varied you can't really 'categorize'?

cal/phos ratio
oxalates
not too much protein because of harm to liver/kidney
Anything else I need to put on my list to study up on?

(I think some safe food charts have the high oxalte foods marked)

I too will cast my vote pro-variety. Partly, as I mentioned elsewhere, I have to do so due to keeping regulations as specified by the Swedish law.

The general rule concerning the oxalate content, is as you mentioned above - green leafy plants. And parsley is one of them, along with spinach, beet greens, collards and many others. This is also because, generally, leaves will always have a higher oxalate content that other plant parts (stems, roots, etc.)

Berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries and currants) are also high in oxalate content. As well as kiwi, tangerines, and figs.

Also, keep in mind that vitamin C is routinely converted into oxalates in the body.

There are many lists available on the internet if you just google "food high in oxalate" or something similar. One example of a rather encompassing list can be found here .

Thanks :-)
I'll go look at that list.
...I'm sooooo glad Peggy took the time to figure out those mixes.