I know they need to chew foods... if you look at my post again I said I feed them a variety and use common sense. They don’t eat kibble in the wild just like dogs don’t. I feed them real food. Yeah baby food is labeled for babies but it’s real Whole Foods much like what they would eat normally, not processed packaged stuff that they don’t even like. If fed a variety of healthy foods daily they will be perfectly healthy. Commercially processed diets are completely unnecessary unless you dont have access to real food
An important part of sugar glider digestive process has been missed here. They do not digest food like humans and babies do.
Our (humans) require soluble as well as in soluble fiber.
Sugar gliders cannot process insoluble fiber in their digestive system from F/V. They spit out what their system cannot take by chewing up their food only to get the nutrients out. Baby food is far from wholesome for gliders when it comes to that This leads to health problems down the road.
There is also the calcium (2) to phosphorus (1) ratio 2:1 to consider when selecting items in their diet. Too much phosphorus and the body can't absorb enough calcium which leads to HLP( hind leg paralysis).
The pellets from Pet-pro are cooked in a way that AIDS in digestion. Still, they mostly chew on it to get what they need and spit out the rest.
In the wild, gliders are opportunistic creatures. But will eat what ever doesn't eat them first. They also help "clean-up" carion or dead carcasses. Their diet also varies by season and what is available. In the wild they may choose one available food over another for what ever their body requires.
Since we cannot duplicate what they may have needed in the wild, thousands of dollars have been put in to research to figure out what the needs are for these creatures that can be replicated in captivity. This is a continuing project. Funds are needed now to start up the next step.
This is what we base our diet choices on current research.
There is nothing wrong with having opinions about what these babies should eat. In the meantime, I personally will feed a tested diet that is proven digestible, and know their little bodies are getting proper absorbtion of life giving nutrients they need for good health, vibrant activity, and longevity. JS