Can Sugar Gliders Eat Blackberries?
Sweet, a little sour and definitely tasty, it’s hard to find anything better than fresh blackberries. Even better when you can get them freshly picked at the farmer’s market! Blackberries are a healthy snack for us humans, so surely, they’re good for our sugar gliders as well, right?
Every sugar glider owner has been there, snacking on a favorite fruit and wanting to offer a bite to our sweet sugar gliders. Sadly, not every fruit and vegetable we eat is healthy for our suggies. So, before you share any of your favorite foods, it’s safest to always check that you can give them to your furry friend.
So, what about blackberries? Can sugar gliders eat blackberries? The quick and easy answer is: Yes, sugar gliders can eat blackberries, but be sure to only feed them blackberries that are organic and have not been treated with pesticides or insecticides. Most treats can be shared in moderation, however blackberries should only be fed to your sugar glider sparingly.
What is Unhealthy About Feeding Blackberries to Sugar Gliders?
Most of the time, when you give your sugar gliders treats of fruits and vegetables, you need to follow a few basic guidelines. First, when it comes to produce, fresh and frozen are best, and with very few exceptions never feed canned produce to your sugar gliders.
Second, when feeding fresh produce, be sure to completely wash the fruit or vegetable well. This is to remove all pesticides and insecticides. Even better than washing, peel the fruit or vegetable first.
With all the nooks and crannies on the outside of blackberries, it’s almost impossible to completely wash pesticides off of them. Obviously, you cannot peel blackberries either.
Due to their size, sugar gliders are particularly susceptible to the negative consequences of eating pesticides. For these reasons, you should only treat your lovable buddies to organic blackberries that have never been sprayed.
With most any treat you feed your sugar glider, you need to do so in moderation. Blackberries on the other hand shouldn’t be fed to sugar gliders often or in large quantities.
Blackberries contain oxalate, which can inhibit the absorption of calcium by your sugar gliders. Most sugar glider parents try to maintain a calcium to phosophorus ratio of 2:1 in their suggie’s diet. If you are tracking that ratio for your wide-eyed friends, you can see how blackberries can throw things out of whack.
What if My Sugar Glider Does Not Want to Have Blackberries?
Although most sugar gliders will be in heaven if you give them blackberries, not all of them will. If your sugar gliders don’t gobble up their blackberry treats right away, don’t fret.
Some sugar gliders need to be exposed a new food a few times before taking to it. You can also try lightly squishing the blackberry before you give it to your sugar glider. The smell of the fragrant juices will probably be tempting.
If, after a few tries, your sugar glider still doesn’t enjoy blackberries, it’s okay. Not liking blackberries alone isn’t a sign of anything bad. Luckily, if your suggies don’t love blackberries there are lots of other treats available for them to try.
Summary: Can Sugar Gliders Have Blackberries?
Can sugar gliders eat blackberries? In a word: Yes! Sugar gliders can eat blackberries sparingly. Due to the oxalate present in blackberries they need to be a rare treat. Be sure to only feed blackberries that have not been treated with pesticides.
Always feed your sweet friends fresh or frozen blackberries, never canned. And keep track of their overall calcium to phosphorus ratio.
Don’t worry if your sugar glider doesn’t like blackberries, remember, not every human enjoys blackberries either.