Sugar glider safe fruits and vegetables
Sugar glider diets require the use of fruits and vegetables to help balance nutrition. Some diet plans have a strict list of fruits and vegetables; be sure to follow your chosen diet plan. All listings below are considered safe to feed your sugar gliders, but some are less popular than others. Some listings do have conflicting opinions from keepers on the safety or nutritional value to sugar gliders. Research these items before feeding them to your animals. Never use fruits or vegetables if pesticides have been used on or near the plant. The information provided is for raw preparation of vegetables, but many keepers prefer feeding cooked vegetables. Hard, woody seeds should be removed from fruits prior to feeding. These lists are arranged in a best to worst order: 1. ratio, 2. calcium, 3. protein. The first table contains vegetables, the second contains fruits.
Key
: Not commonly fed by sugar glider keepers. However, it may be part of a balanced diet plan.
: Commonly fed to sugar gliders in many diet plans.
: Controversial dietary item; research the nutritional benefits to sugar gliders before feeding it to them.
Vegetables (1 cup/raw) |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food name | Notes | Calcium (mg) | Phosphorus (mg) | Ratio | Protein (g) |
| Collard Greens |
|
52.2 | 3.6 | 14.6:1 | 0.882 |
| Mustard Spinach |
|
315.0 | 42.0 | 7.5:1 | 3.3 |
| Turnip Greens |
|
104.5 | 23.1 | 4.5:1 | 0.825 |
| Beet Greens |
|
45.2 | 15.2 | 2.9:1 | 0.7 |
| Dandelion Greens |
|
102.8 | 36.3 | 2.8:1 | 1.485 |
| Bok Choy |
|
73.5 | 25.9 | 2.8:1 | 1.1 |
| Lettuce (Loose Leaf) |
|
38.1 | 14.0 | 2.7:1 | 0.7 |
| Kale |
|
90.5 | 37.5 | 2.4:1 | 2.2 |
| Mustard Greens |
|
57.7 | 24.1 | 2.4:1 | 1.5 |
| Parsley |
|
82.8 | 34.8 | 2.3:1 | 1.8 |
| Cabbage (Green) |
|
41.8 | 20.5 | 2.0:1 | 1.3 |
| Watercress |
|
40.8 | 20.4 | 2.0:1 | 0.8 |
| Spinach |
|
29.7 | 14.7 | 2.0:1 | 0.9 |
| Squash (Spaghetti) |
|
23.2 | 12.1 | 1.9:1 | 0.6 |
| Celery |
|
48.0 | 30.0 | 1.6:1 | 0.9 |
| Squash (Butternut) |
|
67.2 | 46.2 | 1.5:1 | 1.4 |
| Napa Cabbage |
|
31.6 | 20.7 | 1.5:1 | 1.2 |
| Lettuce (Butter Head) |
|
17.6 | 12.7 | 1.4:1 | 0.7 |
| Okra |
|
81.0 | 63.0 | 1.3:1 | 2.0 |
| Tofu (Regular) |
|
275.3 | 228.2 | 1.2:1 | 16.2 |
| Cabbage (Red) |
|
45.4 | 37.4 | 1.2:1 | 1.2 |
| Tofu (Firm) |
|
408.2 | 370.4 | 1.1:1 | 20.3 |
| Broccoli (Spears) |
|
87.4 | 78.0 | 1.1:1 | 4.4 |
| Turnip |
|
39.0 | 35.1 | 1.1:1 | 1.2 |
| Soy Bean (Green) |
|
504.3 | 496.6 | 1:1 | 33.2 |
| Green Beans (Snap Beans) |
|
40.7 | 41.8 | 1:1 | 2.0 |
| Squash (Winter, All Variety) |
|
36.0 | 37.1 | 1:1 | 1.7 |
| Lettuce (Iceberg) |
|
10.5 | 11.0 | 1:1 | 0.6 |
| Squash (Acorn) |
|
46.2 | 50.4 | 0.9:1 | 1.1 |
| Sweet Potato |
|
29.3 | 37.2 | 0.8:1 | 2.2 |
| Lettuce (Romaine) |
|
10.1 | 12.6 | 0.8:1 | 0.5 |
| Broccoli |
|
42.2 | 58.1 | 0.7:1 | 2.6 |
| Cucumber (without skin) |
|
16.7 | 25.0 | 0.7:1 | 0.7 |
| Squash (Hubbard) |
|
16.2 | 24.4 | 0.7:1 | 2.3 |
| Cucumber (with skin) |
|
14.6 | 20.8 | 0.7:1 | 0.7 |
| French Beans |
|
342.2 | 559.4 | 0.6:1 | 34.6 |
| Carrots |
|
29.7 | 48.4 | 0.6:1 | 1.1 |
| Squash (Summer, All Variety) |
|
22.6 | 39.6 | 0.6:1 | 1.3 |
| Pumpkin |
|
24.4 | 51.0 | 0.5:1 | 1.2 |
| Tomato (Green) |
|
23.4 | 50.4 | 0.5:1 | 2.2 |
| Cauliflower |
|
22.0 | 44.0 | 0.5:1 | 2.0 |
| Squash (Zucchini) |
|
18.6 | 39.7 | 0.5:1 | 1.4 |
| Peppers (Sweet) |
|
13.4 | 28.3 | 0.5:1 | 1.3 |
| Alfalfa (Sprouts) |
|
10.6 | 23.1 | 0.5:1 | 1.3 |
| Soy Bean (Sprouts) |
|
46.9 | 114.8 | 0.4:1 | 9.2 |
| Beets |
|
21.8 | 54.4 | 0.4:1 | 2.2 |
| Yams |
|
25.5 | 82.5 | 0.3:1 | 2.3 |
| Eggplant |
|
5.7 | 18.0 | 0.3:1 | 0.8 |
| Peas (Green) |
|
36.3 | 156.6 | 0.2:1 | 7.9 |
| Bamboo Shoots |
|
19.6 | 89.1 | 0.2:1 | 3.9 |
| Tomato (Red) |
|
9.0 | 43.2 | 0.2:1 | 1.5 |
| Mushrooms |
|
3.5 | 72.8 | 0.02:1 | 2.0 |
| Corn (Yellow) |
|
3.1 | 137.1 | 0.02:1 | 5.0 |
Fruits (100 grams/raw) |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food name | Notes | Calcium (mg) | Phosphorus (mg) | Ratio | Protein (g) |
| Lemon Peel |
|
134 | 12 | 11.1:1 | 1.5 |
| Orange Peel |
|
161 | 21 | 7.6:1 | 1.5 |
| Papaya |
|
24 | 5 | 4.8:1 | .61 |
| Lemon |
|
61 | 15 | 4.0:1 | 1.2 |
| Figs |
|
35 | 14 | 2.5:1 | .75 |
| Prickly Pear |
|
56 | 24 | 2.3:1 | .73 |
| Orange (valencia) |
|
40 | 17 | 2.3:1 | 1.0 |
| Orange (navel) |
|
40 | 19 | 2.1:1 | 1.0 |
| Lime |
|
33 | 18 | 1.8:1 | .70 |
| Raspberries |
|
22 | 12 | 1.8:1 | .91 |
| Blackberries |
|
32 | 21 | 1.5:1 | .72 |
| Grapefruit (white) |
|
12 | 8 | 1.5:1 | .69 |
| Custard Apple |
|
30 | 21 | 1.4:1 | 1.7 |
| Tangerine |
|
14 | 10 | 1.4:1 | .63 |
| Grapes, American (slip skin) |
|
14 | 10 | 1.4:1 | .63 |
| Grapefruit (pink & red) |
|
11 | 9 | 1.2:1 | .55 |
| Mulberries |
|
39 | 38 | 1:1 | 1.4 |
| Mammy Apple |
|
11 | 11 | 1:1 | .50 |
| Pear |
|
11 | 11 | 1:1 | .39 |
| Pineapple |
|
7 | 7 | 1:1 | .39 |
| Apple (with skin) |
|
7 | 7 | 1:1 | .19 |
| Elderberries |
|
38 | 39 | .9:1 | .66 |
| Mango |
|
10 | 11 | .9:1 | .51 |
| Dates |
|
32 | 40 | .8:1 | 1.9 |
| Grapes (european) |
|
11 | 13 | .8:1 | .66 |
| Watermelon |
|
8 | 9 | .9:1 | .62 |
| Sugar Apple |
|
24 | 32 | .7:1 | 2.0 |
| Cherries (sweet) |
|
15 | 19 | .7:1 | 1.2 |
| Apricots |
|
14 | 19 | .7:1 | 1.4 |
| Strawberries |
|
14 | 19 | .7:1 | .61 |
| Cranberries |
|
7 | 9 | .7:1 | .39 |
| Honeydew Melon |
|
6 | 10 | .6:1 | .46 |
| Prunes |
|
51 | 79 | .6:1 | 2.6 |
| Kiwifruit |
|
26 | 40 | .6:1 | .99 |
| Cantaloupe |
|
11 | 17 | .6:1 | .88 |
| Raisins (seedless) |
|
49 | 97 | .5:1 | 3.2 |
| Apple (without skin) |
|
4 | 7 | .5:1 | .15 |
| Raisins (golden seedless) |
|
53 | 115 | .4:1 | 3.4 |
| Peach |
|
5 | 12 | .4:1 | .70 |
| Plum |
|
4 | 10 | .4:1 | .79 |
| Banana |
|
6 | 20 | .3:1 | 1.0 |
| Nectarine |
|
5 | 16 | .3:1 | .94 |
| Ground Cherries |
|
9 | 40 | .2:1 | 1.9 |
| Passion Fruit (purple) |
|
12 | 68 | .1:1 | 2.2 |
- Many leafy greens are high in iron which can be an issue if it is fed in abundance.
- Some keepers believe that greens cause gas, loose stools and/or other digestive upset in sugar gliders.
- Grapes and raisins have been suspected to cause kidney failure in canines after the ingestion. Some keepers believe that grapes are toxic and suspect that "mystery deaths" in sugar gliders maybe linked to ingestion of grapes/raisins.
- Citrus is highly acidic. Some believe this causes digestive upset and runny stools.
- Corn is high in phosphorus and it is fattening. As a result, many keepers choose to avoid it.
- Watercress is mildly noxious and may cause digestive upset related to the glucosinolate–myrosinase complex in these plants.