Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation for Sugar Gliders

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Gavin_Mathews]Gavin Mathews
Of course, sugar gliders (SG's) won't be able to go out and supplement their diets with vitamins and minerals, since these animals are kept as pets. So as pet owners, we have to provide additional vitamins and minerals. This can be accomplished by giving your sugar gliders supplements.
A peculiar thing about suggies is that these animals have to maintain balanced levels of the following trace
nutrients:
- Calcium
- Phosphorous
- Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3)
Unlike humans and other larger mammals, sugar bears are unable to tolerate prolonged periods of nutrient imbalance and deficiency.
This being the case, calcium-based supplementation must be given in proper amounts to both young and adult sugar gliders to keep their nutrient ratio at an optimum level.
If not, a SG can suffer severe nerve-related problems and may even suffer from bone problems. Once these problems set in, reversing the health conditions is very difficult. If nothing is done, the sugar glider will die.
There are hundreds of multivitamin supplements in the market today, and some are advertised as being fit for multiple species of animals. Avoid these brands at all cost. There is no such thing as a universal vitamin and mineral ratio that can be used for multiple species.
Each species requires a unique ratio of vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients.
A supplement for cats would be a horrible substitute for supplements meant to be given to dogs. Conversely, you cannot give supplements that were meant for cats or dogs to glider-bears. Doing so may cause more problems in the long-term.
How do you introduce vitamin and mineral supplementation? It's really very easy. Remember the ratio that we talked about earlier?
Use this food ratio to your advantage. Fresh fruits and vegetables are not banned from the sugar glider's diet. I am simply emphasizing that you must strictly control the portions to avoid over-feeding your suggie.
A calcium-based supplement can be given to your honey glider at night just before your retire to bed. Get a few pieces of fresh vegetable (no need to dice or mince) and just sprinkle the calcium-based supplement over the fresh veggies.
Giving fruits or vegetables whole preserves the moisture, which is good for glider-bears in general. Just make sure that you clean the cage in the morning. Remove any left-overs immediately to avoid infection and disease.
Another treat that you can safely give your suggie is whole wheat bread. A small piece suffices - just place the bread inside your glider's cage at night, just before heading to bed.
Be sure to add some calcium-based supplement on top of the bread before placing it in the honey glider's cage. Do not give your sugar bear bread every day. Remember, the whole wheat bread is a treat, not the glider's staple diet.
My name is Gavin Mathews, I am a pet lover and exotic pet enthuses me to go the extra mile. As a sugar glider enthusiast I would like to share some of the knowledge I have gained in the due course.
For more information click [http://www.sugargliderinfoshop.com/how-are-sugar-gliders-as-pets/]Sugar Glider As A Pet
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Vitamin-and-Mineral-Supplementation-for-Sugar-Gliders&id=6624097] Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation for Sugar Gliders