Hi gldierma, thanks I believe that HPW is a good diet and I am currently using HPW and have been for a while. I have recently ran into an issue with my little girl being to picky so started looking at more diets out there that may work out better for her. So I am asking questions about this new diet.



I was not aware that it has to be all mushy with no chucks for stimulation. So I went back and read it again and this is what it says for mixing.

"start adding fruits and veggies. Use different settings to get different textures or
HAND CHOP SOME ITEMS, LIQUEFY OTHERS. Add papaya, collards and your chosen add’l fruit and veggies"

This to me means, mix it how you want as far as how big or small you want the food pieces to be.
If you want the food to be chunky so the gliders have more stimulation then you just make it that way.

Which that part of this diet would be how others fix the HPW as well. Some blend more and others choose to cut the food up by hand and mix it in with the blended liqued HPW part or some cut it up by hand put the food separate then put the blended liqued on top of veggies and some put the blended HPW on the side of the dish or in a dish of its own.

From what I am getting she is giving you the option to make that choice for your glider kids.
If your glider kids love it chunky go with chunky if your glider kids like it all mushy then make it mushy. If your glider kids want their food hand chopped and separate with the mushy on top or to the side of their plate then make it that way or if they want everything in separate bowels then do it that way.

and from what I see in her picks her glider kids must like it all mixed up.


If I am reading this wrong or getting it wrong please let me know.

If you look back on Gueritta, you will see she had MANY health issues going on at the time and the breeder that lost her joey, I believe you are speaking of Reeny (Not sure though but the only one I can think of) her glider had a staph infection inside of her pouch.

ANY kind of illness will automatically cause the animals body to start sucking vitamins and calcium out.

In order to find out if a glider has a calcium problem from the diet itself, you must take a HEALTHY glider in for testing and have the ca;p levels tested at that point.

EVERY glider I have taken in has always been good on the ca;p ratio part. I believe Kris and TGI were doing some kind of initial study for diets to try to get a grant for further studies, but none of the initial results from the blood work their 15(?) people did was posted for us.

NGS, sorry about that up there, but wanted to make it clear as I dont want anyone being in a panic and blaming an illness on diets when there is no need for it.

Back to your question, you said your glider is becoming picky with the HPW diet? What part of the diet is she being picky with?

Also, I cant answer your questions about Kris's diet as I have not spoken with her about it, nor researched it at all. But I would say yes, I read it the same way as you. You can leave some chunky and some mushy.

She must be out of town for the Holidays, but as soon as she sees this she will post.

As it was pointed out earlier in this thread, illness and parasites can both have a negative effect on diet. And anyone can say that a vet said, but without documentation from the vet stating as much, there is NO proof what so ever that this indeed was the case.

NGS,
I encourage you to research whatever diet you choose to feed, I think it's great that we now are being more proactive in our gliders health and well being.

The diet you are inquiring about, BLG's diet, is fairly new so that is why there isn't alot of folks feeding it. Kris put alot of research into a diet for her gliders and she was gracious to share with us.

If you like the ingredients and feel comfortable with it to feed your gliders, then by all means give it a try. Leaving some chunks, pureeing some, won't change the ratios of what is included. It is just your or should I say, your gliders, personal preference.

A diet related health issue, does not necessarily mean the diet itself is bad. There can be many other factors that influence the effectiveness of the diet. If there is already an existing condition that has an effect on how certain vitamins & minerals are used, it will show as a deficeincy. This does not mean that the diet is bad. It's how it is being used in the body. I hope this makes sense. It's not always clear that people are following the diet as it was intended, either.

Hi Peggy, its all ok. This is a place to discuss and figure out things not to worry or be sorry.

My boy is doing just fine. My girl on the other hand I feel has just gotten bored with some of the food.

So for her I was just looking around at new diets, thought a change may help her to not be so bored with her fruit and stuff.

She is healthy and I do like the HPW so when I seen there was maybe another way to make the HPW I thought wow that just might be the change I need for her.

Of course though I wanted to do my homework on this new diet and know that it was safe to try. Thanks for all the help and information. I will look forward to Krises reply's when she gets back.

If it is just the fruits and veggies she is being picky with a couple of things to keep in mind...One all gliders go through phases where the love something and the next few nights they wont touch it and then they go back to loving it again...who knows why.

Another thing, you can always switch up the fruits and veggies. They dont have to remain the same. Just watch your ratios is all. And be careful not to overdo foods high in oxalates.

And if you just want to try another diet, well you know what? Thats ok too! Only you can be for sure what is best for YOUR gliders. It is your responsibility to make sure they are being fed, housed, and cared for properly, and although the rest of us can give tons of advice, you are the one making the final choice. And it is very obvious, trying to find a good diet you can feed your gliders and keeping them healthy is certainly what you are doing. So kudos to you!!

If you are finding your gliders are being picky with the fruits and veggies you might also try switching up the presentation.

I let my gliders hunt for dinner a couple nights each week. Instead of their usual divided plate, I use hanging bird cups at random locations in the cage. They seem to enjoy finding their food while playing. I always have clean plates on foraging nights.





They may not be tired of the HPW diet. Maybe they are bored finding it in the same spot each night.

Thanks OtteMom, that sound great! I have not tried it this way yet so I think I will. Let's hope this works for her.

Hi guys! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Sorry I am just now getting over here.. I have been having so much FUN cleaning and purging out my house... YES there will be a HUGE mystery box coming..

Anyway... Let me read through this real quick and see if I can answer your questions.

1- it only looks complicated.. it is VERY VERY easy! LOL I make about 10 batches at a time in under an hour.. tip on time saving.... get a nice size food processor. If you cant stand doing fresh collards because they are HUGE and take the most time to chop and mix, use the ones in bags. Keep in mind though it's not for the lazy glider owners.. no offense you know I love ya.. but it's just not. Glider are exotic animals.. they need and deserve a few exotic things dont ya think?

2- smell... my gliders smell has reduced significantly!! WHY? because everything is natural and not processed. However no matter what you feed, your gliders will have some sorta smell they are animals after all.

3- how many are feeding? I really dont know.. I've been getting more and more emails and PM's lately about it though. I've only had it on my website since early fall and just posted it here on GC maybe a month ago.

4- I have been feeding a variation with minor changes for a year.

5- My gliders look great and are very active. I had blood taken before, during and after their diet changes... and will be retesting everyone again in March.

SOY... ohhhyeeevvaaa... LOL
this is the hottest topic and FULL of debate throughout the health world I think... for every "study" to prove there are 2 more that disprove... Now if someone wants to ask me why I dont believe in a soy based diet for my glider or ANY of my animals.. it's simple.. gliders IMO need animal protein. Soy is just a cheap substandard substitute. I personally like feeding a diet as natural as possible. I think everyone will agree that getting what your body needs from actual food is better.



T- not sure what our Ms Lauren is doin over there LOL.. but I take great time.. it's actually why it takes time to prepare in chopping small, med and big pieces with everything in there.. my gliders eat everything with their hands... this is def NOT a bend over and slurp your dinner thing lol. If that's what you saw.. Ms Lauren is being lazy!! LOVE YOU LAUREN!


The HPW diet is all liquid though usually with fruits and veggies on the side.. but I think more and more people are mixing the 2?

I aint even touching the Nicole issue. LOL but there has been several other gliders that are showing calcium deficient. If you are feeding the HPW diet.. please make sure you are balancing the mix AND fruits and veggies out and aim for a 2:1 ratio.

If I missed anything.. just scream at me!

Oh and you asked about pictures of my gliders and threads.. they are over on Sugar Glider Neighborhood.. just click the link in my siggy!

Is that a free site like this one?

sure is!

Really? Who else is having issues? I have been trying to keep track and havent seen anything for a while now.

Was it diet related or were there illnesses involved?

rather let those come forward.. but yes diet related not all HPW though.

Many many "outside" reasons for a gliders inability to absorb calcium occur that is NOT diet related at all....parasites, infection, metabolic issues etc....

Then there is the phosphourus issue...Gliders are nocturnal, their bodies already produce enzymes etc that break down the calcium to be absorbed. If you are feeding the fruits and veggies that are high in phosphours you can actually break down the calcium to much so that it passes through without being absorbed thus causing a defiency........

Ive run bloodwork on my gliders on the HPW diet...My calcium numbers are about as perfect as they get

Very true! There are a huge amount of factors.. that is why balance is the key to nutrition with being a little picky on what you feed.. organic, non processed foods, etc. My diet is not for every glider owner. It's not the cheapest or the easiest but it is balanced with fresh, whole foods.