Can Sugar Gliders Eat Apples?

Sweet and wonderful apples.  Sweet and wonderful sugar gliders.  Are they a match made in heaven?  Or is this fruit forbidden for consumption by sugar gliders? 

We’ve all been there, munching on something delicious and thinking our cute, furry friends would enjoy it too.  Unfortunately, not everything we eat is good for sugar gliders. 

As a responsible sugar glider owner, you’re no doubt aware that not everything we enjoy is healthy for our furry friends.  So, before you give your suggies any new food, always look into whether or not they can safely eat it.

So, what about apples?  Can sugar gliders eat apples?  The quick and easy answer is: Yes, sugar gliders can eat apples, but remove the seeds and avoid giving them the stem with their slice. Like most treats, make sure you feed your sugar glider apples in moderation.

Is There Anything Unhealthy About Feeding Apples to Sugar Gliders?

Yes, there can be.  But with a little work, you can easily make apples a healthy treat for your sugar glider. 

The first general rule of feeding produce to sugar gliders is to feed them fresh or frozen produce.  Canned produce can contain additives that don’t belong in your tiny friend’s diet. 

The second general rule, which especially applies to apples, is to wash them well.  Pesticides can be especially harmful to sugar gliders.  Apples don’t just have pesticides though, often times they have wax on them. 

With the combination of wax and pesticides that could be present on the skin of apples, it’s better to avoid giving the skin to your sugar gliders.  An even safer option is to peel the skin of any apple slice you plan to feed your little buddies. 

The stem should be removed from any slice you treat your suggies to as well.  It is even harder to clean of wax and pesticides. 

Remember to never feed apple seeds to your sugar glider.  While mostly harmless to humans, the little amount of cyanide in apple seeds can be bad news for sugar gliders.

If your sugar glider doesn’t gorge on the apple treat you’ve given it, don’t worry.  Not every sugar glider will love every treat.  Be sure to offer them an apple treat a few times before giving up though. 

Some sugar gliders need to be exposed to a new food a few times before they give it a try.  If your sugar glider does end up liking apples, they will be thankful you didn’t give up.

What Variety of Apple Should I Feed My Sugar Glider?

There is no one size fits all when it comes to choosing an apple variety for your suggies.  For some sugar gliders, the sweeter the apple the better.  For others, they don’t care as long as they get a slice of apple!

Guess and test your sugar gliders preferences, when you hit on something they love, you’ll know.  There won’t be much left of the apple treat you provided.

Remember, though apples are a healthy snack, each variety has slightly different amounts of nutrients.  And no apple can provide the complete and balanced diet your cuddly companions need.  So, apples are best left as a treat rather than a meal. 

As with everything you feed your sugar glider, be conscious of the overall calcium to phosphorus ratio your sugar glider is consuming.

Summary: Can Sugar Glides Have Apples?

Can sugar gliders eat apples? In a word: Yes!  Sugar gliders can eat apples in moderation.  Be sure to wash the apple well and remove the stem and seeds before giving it to your sugar glider.  Better than washing the apple, skin it to make sure you don’t accidentally feed your sweeties wax and pesticides.

As with all produce, avoid feeding your sugar glider canned apples.  And keep track of their overall calcium to phosphorus ratio.

Remember, not every human likes apples (though there probably aren’t many!), so don’t worry if your sugar glider doesn’t either.