Can Sugar Gliders Eat Mushrooms?
Whether you get them mushroom hunting in the woods, from the supermarket or straight from the source at the farmer’s market, mushrooms have many excellent health benefits for us humans.
Since mushrooms are healthy for humans, you’ve probably wondered about feeding them to your sweet, furry friends. Before giving any new food to your sugar gliders, it is a good habit to be in, to look up whether your suggies can eat the new food.
So, what about mushrooms? Can sugar gliders eat mushrooms? The quick and easy answer is: Yes, sugar gliders can eat mushrooms. Be sure to rinse the mushroom very well before slicing it up for your suggies. Moderation is key for most treats. However, due to the crazy calcium to phosphorus ratio of mushrooms, you should only treat your lovable sugar gliders to mushrooms rarely.
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Why Can Sugar Gliders Only Eat Mushrooms Rarely?
Mushrooms shouldn’t be fed to sugar gliders too often or in too big of quantities. The main reason for this is that the calcium to phosphorus ratio is skewed heavily in the wrong direction for sugar gliders.
If you look at the nutrient benefits of 100 grams of a normal raw, white mushroom, you can see that it contains 3 mg of calcium and 86 mg of phosphorus.
This gives a calcium to phosphorus ratio of 1:28.7, this is very far from the 1:2 ratio your sugar glider needs in their diets. This is a big reason to keep your furry friends’ mushroom treats to a minimum.
How Should I Prepare Mushrooms for My Sugar Gliders to Eat?
When it comes to feeding sugar gliders mushrooms, or any other produce, keep in mind that fresh and frozen are the best. Always avoid feeding your wide-eyed friends canned mushrooms.
Most fresh produce available at the grocery store has been treated with pesticides. This is true for mushrooms as well. The gills of mushrooms can be particularly good at hiding trace amounts of pesticides too. So be sure to through rinse a mushroom before giving it to your sweet suggies.
Just to be on the safe side, you might want to consider gutting the gills off the slice you’re giving your sugar gliders. Or even better, buy organic mushrooms!
There’s no need to cook the mushrooms before you give them to your sugar gliders. However, if you do decide to cook them, don’t use any butter, spices or onion and garlic you may use when preparing mushrooms for yourself. These aren’t foods that should be a part of your sugar glider’s diet.
Cut the mushroom into little pieces or thin slices before giving it to your furry friends. Since the calcium to phosphorus ratio is so far off, you want to be able to easily control the amount of mushroom they eat.
What if My Sugar Gliders Do Not Like Eating Mushrooms?
Many sugar glider owners report that their pets have no interest in mushrooms at all. If this is the case with your furry friends, don’t worry. Ignoring a new food isn’t anything to worry about.
Often sugar gliders need to get used to a new food before they love it. So, if you often have mushrooms around and want to share them, try offering a slice of mushroom as a treat a few times before you give up.
If your sugar gliders do love mushrooms, don’t let them gorge on mushrooms until they have no room for any other foods. In the wild, sugar gliders eat a wide array of fruits, vegetables, insects and more to get all of the vitamins and minerals they need. Mushrooms alone will not suffice for a healthy diet.
Summary: Can Sugar Gliders Have Mushrooms?
Can sugar gliders eat mushrooms? In a word: Yes! Sugar gliders can eat mushrooms. But because the calcium to phosphorus ratio is so far off for sugar gliders, they should only eat mushrooms in small quantities and rarely.
Be sure to wash the mushrooms well and consider cutting away the gills. Even better, buy organic mushrooms!
Don’t worry if your sugar gliders turn their noses up at mushrooms. Many sugar gliders are not a huge fan of them.