Can Sugar Gliders Eat Oranges? (What About Orange Peels?)

Sweet, juicy, sometimes with a hint of tang, oranges are a delicious fruit enjoyed by many.  With health benefits of oranges being well documented, you have probably considered sharing this tasty and healthy treat with your sugar gliders.  After all, what harm could it do?

Before you feed any new food to your suggies, it is best to be in the habit of looking up whether or not your lovable pals can have it.  Unfortunately, not every food that is healthy for us is also healthy of our sugar gliders.

So, what about oranges?  Can sugar gliders eat oranges?  Can sugar gliders eat orange peels? The quick and easy answer is: Yes, sugar gliders can eat oranges and orange peels if it is in moderation.  The peels especially should only be fed in moderation.  And do not feed your sugar gliders orange seeds.

Why Should Sugar Gliders Have Oranges in Moderation?

Sugar gliders in the wild are omnivores, meaning they eat a big variety of fruits, vegetables and insects in order to get all the nutrients they need to be healthy.  Even though oranges are quite healthy, like most treats, they do not contain everything a sugar glider needs.   

Additionally, oranges are quite high in citric acid which isn’t something sugar gliders should have much of.  Too much citric acid can cause loose stools in sugar gliders.  If this is a problem you’ve faced before, you know, it isn’t something anyone wants to clean up! And too much citric acid can cause this condition to last for days!

However, a little bit of orange here and there shouldn’t cause problems for most sugar gliders.  And the juice of the orange and peel zest can be used to make the vegetables your wide-eyed friends are ignoring more enticing.

Can Sugar Gliders Eat Orange Peel and Orange Seeds?

There are a couple rules of thumb to follow when feeding produce to your sugar gliders.  First, try to always feed fresh or frozen produce and with few exceptions stay away from canned produce.  The canning process involves preservatives that your sugar gliders should not be eating. 

Next, when it comes to stems, seeds, etc.; If we eat it, sugar gliders likely can too, if we don’t eat it, they likely can’t.  When it comes to orange seeds, this rule applies.  We don’t eat the seeds of oranges, and orange seeds can be toxic to sugar gliders. 

So, when feeding orange treats to your sugar gliders, be sure to remove the seeds.  Odds are, your sugar gliders will eat around the seeds leaving them for you to pick up later.  However, there is no sense in giving your sugar gliders the chance to eat the seeds.  So, it is safer to simply remove them from any bite of orange you are going to give your glider.

Sugar gliders can eat orange peel.  But they should only eat a little bit at a time.  Often, if you give your suggies a slice of orange still attached to the peel, your sugar gliders will suck the juice out of the flesh of the orange and leave the peel behind. 

Sugar gliders do seem to like orange peel zest a lot more though.  This is great because it allows you to more easily control their orange peel portions to make sure they don’t get too much.  Try putting a little orange peel zest on some otherwise blander food to liven it up for your furry friends.

Orange peels should be thoroughly washed before you give it to your sugar gliders.  Oranges will often times have pesticides on the peels.  Pesticides are particularly bad for sugar gliders.  And you don’t want to accidentally feed your sugar gliders anything bad for them. 

You can, of course, not feed the peel to your sugar gliders.  This would help make sure you don’t unintentionally give them pesticides.  But it also means they’ll miss out on that yummy zest.  So, the best option for feeding orange peel to your sugar gliders is to buy organic oranges.  This will give you and your suggies the best of both worlds. 

What Variety of Orange Should I Feed My Sugar Glider?

Oranges come in many, many different varieties.  Some are much sweeter, some are juicier and some are tangier.  As a sugar glider owner, you probably already know that most sugar gliders will prefer the sweeter juicy varieties of oranges.  But all common varieties of orange are fine for your sugar glider to eat.

Do be aware that each variety of orange has a slightly different calcium to phosphorus ratio.  Though most of them are near the sweet spot of 2:1 for sugar gliders, it is best to look up the ratio for whichever variety of orange you decide to treat your suggies to.

Orange peels have a much higher calcium to phosphorus ratio than sugar gliders require. This makes orange peels an excellent treat to offset high phosphorus foods.

Even though most sugar gliders will love oranges, especially the sweet ones, not every sugar glider will.  If your sugar glider doesn’t like oranges, don’t fret.  Disliking one popular food isn’t a sign your sugar baby is in distress.

Often, sugar gliders will need to be exposed to a new food a few times before they will try it.  Don’t give up on feeding your sugar glider oranges after one failed attempt.  Offer the orange treat a few times, and squish the flesh a little so your tiny pal can easily smell the sweet juice.

Summary: Can Sugar Gliders Have Oranges and Orange Peels?

Can sugar gliders eat oranges and orange peels? In a word: Yes!  Sugar gliders can eat oranges and orange peels. But they should do so in moderation, especially the orange peel. 

Be sure to thoroughly wash the peel of the orange if you plan on feeding it to your sugar gliders.  Or even better, buy organic oranges to be extra safe.  Remove the seeds from and orange slice you plan to feed your suggies. 

As with most produce, don’t feed your sugar gliders canned oranges.  And keep track of their overall calcium to phosphorus ratio.

If you sugar glider doesn’t like oranges, don’t worry.  Not every sugar glider loves every treat.  You sugar glider turning up his or her nose to one treat doesn’t mean he or her is in distress.