Sugar gliders are great pets to care for, however, their diet can sometimes be confusing for new glider owners. That said, a lot of owners are often tempted to add more variation to their sugar gliders’ diet as it’s only natural to want to spoil them with treats every so often. This usually comes in the form of fruit, and avocados are popular fruits that sugar glider owners often use to treat their pet glider with. But can sugar gliders eat avocados? Are avocados safe for sugar gliders?
Can Sugar Gliders Eat Avacado?
Put simply, avocados are safe to feed in moderation, as with most fruits. You should probably leave out the pit as it’s huge. It’s also important to note that avocado is high in fat and phosphorus. In this article, we’ll take a look at everything you need to know about feeding this delicious fruit to your pet sugar glider. Let’s get started!
Avocado 101
Avocados are green fruits that are used frequently in salads, smoothies, or on their own. Avocados are highly nutritious and versatile, packed with beneficial vitamins and nutrients. Avocados are high in monounsaturated fat, which is considered a “good” fat when taken in moderation, they are also packed with fiber and are high in calories and low in sugar. All these benefits make them a great addition to a healthy diet for humans, however the large number of calories and fat in avocados makes them a less-than-ideal choice to feed your sugar glider every day.
Avocados contain the most amount of fat of any fruit on the planet and have on average 160 calories per 100-gram serving, with 132 of those calories coming from fat. Although this is great for humans, this amount of fat is far too high for sugar gliders to eat in high quantities.
Potential Hazards Of Feeding Avocado To Your Sugar Glider
While avocados are non-toxic to your sugar glider and can even offer some benefits when given in tiny amounts, it’s recommended to only feed occasionally. Here are some things that you should be aware of:
Choking hazards
Both the large stone and skin of an avocado can easily splinter, presenting a potential choking hazard for a sugar glider.
High in calories
Avocados are extremely high in calories and fat and even in small amounts, can cause your sugar glider to gain excessive weight. Avocados can be used as a food to feed a sugar glider if they’re underweight, but again, it’s not something to be fed every day.
Dental problems
Avocado isn’t great for a sugar glider’s teeth, even though it‘s not particularly hard. The sticky and soft texture of the avocado flesh can get stuck in your sugar glider’s teeth, which could lead to tooth decay.
Contrary to popular belief, sugar gliders in the wild are not herbivores and are known to feed on insects like crickets and worms when given the chance. So, in captivity, sugar gliders will need to get their required nutrition from vegetables and insects and specially made sugar glider food.
Healthy avocado alternatives
Since avocado isn’t the healthiest of treats, you may be wondering what healthy treats you can give your sugar glider. Bear in mind that while the following treats are safe for sugar gliders, they’re not necessarily great for a sugar gliders’ health, and should only be given sparingly and occasionally. Some alternatives include:
- Apples
- Bananas
- Grapes
- Kiwi Fruit
- Oranges
- Pears
- Melons
- Pawpaw
- Papayas
Conclusion
Although avocados are high in fat, it’s fine to give them to our sugar glider, but only in limited amounts. Some sugar glider owners say that their gliders love avocado and will give them some avocado around once or twice a month.
