Can Sugar Gliders Eat Blueberries?
If you love blueberries as much as most people do, and you own sugar gliders, you have surely wondered if blueberries are a safe and healthy treat for your furry friends. Blueberries are such a delicious treat; it’s no wonder you think that your sugar gliders would love to have them too.
However, you don’t want to feed your sugar gliders just any food you think they will enjoy. As a sensible guardian, it makes sense to look into what’s safe and healthy and what’s not before feeding anything new to your suggies.
So, what about blueberries? Can sugar gliders eat blueberries? The quick and easy answer is: Yes, sugar gliders can eat blueberries, but be sure to thoroughly wash them before feeding them to your sugar glider. And, like most treats, make sure you feed your sugar gliders blueberries in moderation.
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Can My Sugar Glider Eat Every Type of Blueberry?
While sugar gliders can have blueberries, not every style of blueberry can be fed to them. For starters when it comes to blueberries, and all produce, fresh and frozen are the best. Finally, avoid feeding canned blueberries. This, also means staying away from feeding your suggies blueberry jams and preserves.
Next, be sure to completely rinse all the pesticides off of the blueberries before you serve them to your sugar gliders. The trace amounts of pesticides found on blueberries aren’t good for humans, and they really aren’t good for sugar gliders.
Because of their size, sugar gliders can’t tolerate pesticides. Other produce you can peel to avoid most pesticides. Since blueberries can’t be easily peeled, give them a good rinse. An even better option is to buy organic blueberries!
Blueberries do have a lot of good nutrients your sugar gliders need to be healthy, but they don’t have everything. So, it’s best to rotate blueberries with other treats throughout the week to make sure your wide-eyed friends are getting a balanced diet.
Many sugar glider owners try to maintain a calcium to phosphorus ratio of 2:1 in their sugar glider’s diet. If you add blueberries as a weekly treat, pay attention to how it affects the calcium to phosphorus ratio of their diet.
What if My Sugar Glider Doesn’t Like Eating Blueberries?
Most people enjoy eating blueberries, so you would think the same would be true for sugar gliders. While many sugar gliders absolutely love blueberries, some suggies will turn up their nose to them.
If your sugar glider isn’t fond of blueberries, it’s okay. If nothing else has changed, disliking blueberries isn’t a sign your sugar baby is sick.
Before you give up on feeding your suggies blueberries, try serving a blueberry that has been sliced in half or squished a little. Blueberry juice is often tempting to even the pickiest of sugar gliders.
Sometimes sugar gliders take a while to come around to a new food. If that’s the case with your sugar glider, it will likely come to love blueberries, and be very grateful you didn’t give up on them right away.
Summary: Can Sugar Gliders Have Blueberries?
Can sugar gliders eat blueberries? In a word: Yes! Sugar gliders can eat blueberries in moderation. Before serving them, be sure to wash the blueberries well. Better than washing the blueberries, buy organic so you don’t accidentally give your sweeties pesticides.
As with most produce, don’t serve your sugar glider canned blueberries. And keep track of how adding blueberries to their diets changes their overall calcium to phosphorus ratio.
Sugar gliders can be picky eaters too. So, if your lovable pal doesn’t like blueberries, don’t worry. There are lots of other treats to choose from.