What Does a Sugar Glider Eat?

Sugar gliders make cute little pets, but they're not as easy to feed as a cat or a dog. You probably won't find glider food at your local grocery store, so learn about what a sugar glider eats before you purchase one.

  1. Classification

    • A sugar glider is a type of marsupial, which is same family as the koala, kangaroo, opossum and wombat.

    Features

    • Sugar gliders have soft gray fur with a black stripe along their spines and distinctive black markings on their face, back and legs. Between the front and rear legs is a gliding membrane, which helps them in the forest to leap and glide between trees.

    What Gliders in the Wild Eat

    • Sugar gliders like sweet things--they didn't get their names for nothing. In the wild, the gliders strip bark from trees with their teeth and then they suck on the sap. The omnivorous gliders also eat birds and bird eggs, mice, bugs and plant nectar.

    What Gliders in Captivity Eat

    • According to Gliderpedia, about 75 percent of a sugar glider's diet should be protein based, so feed the glider chicken, shrimp, fish, soy, cooked egg, pork or beef. For the other 25 percent, gliders like fresh vegetables and fruit (whatever the glider's owner has in the refrigerator). Gliderpedia recommends putting 1/8 slice of bread in the glider's cage three times a week as well.

    Fun Facts

    • Sugar gliders can live up to 15 years in captivity and can glide up to 148.5 feet. The gliders are sometimes called sugar bears because of their loud noises meant to scare away predators.