Can Sugar Gliders Eat Watermelon?
One of the best parts of a hot summer day is sitting down to eat some cool and delicious watermelon. Not only is watermelon tasty and refreshing, it also has quite a few health benefits for us humans too.
If we love watermelon so much, our sugar gliders would probably love it too, right? While most fruit and vegetables are fine to feed to your sweet suggies, it is always a good idea to double check if they can eat a new food before you give it to them.
So, what about watermelon? Can sugar gliders eat watermelon? The quick and easy answer is: Yes, sugar gliders can eat watermelon. It’s best to avoid feeding them the seeds and rind though.
Why Can’t I Feed My Sugar Gliders Watermelon Seeds and Rinds?
When it comes to the different parts of fruits and vegetables, the basic rule to follow when feeding sugar gliders fresh produce is: if you eat it, they can eat it as well.
Watermelon seeds aren’t something most people eat, so take the time to clean out both the black and white seeds from the watermelon before you feed it to you wide-eyed friends.
However, some sugar glider owners chance it and do feed sliced watermelon with seeds to their sugar gliders. They generally report no problems since, for the most part, sugar gliders eat around the seeds.
The rind on the other hand is a different story. Pesticides can be very harmful to your sweet pets. With every fruit and vegetable, it’s best to peel the produce before serving it. If that isn’t possible, take the time to wash it really well.
Since washing a whole watermelon is not something many people are accustomed to, it is better to just get in the habit of cutting the red flesh away from the rind first. This will make sure you don’t accidentally give your suggies anything that could be harmful to them.
What Else Should I Know About Sugar Gliders Eating Watermelon?
It’s important not to rely on any one fruit or vegetable to be the majority of your sugar glider’s diet. In the wild, sugar gliders eat all sorts of different things such as a variety of fruits, vegetables and insects. They rotate through many different foods throughout the week to meet their nutritional needs.
Watermelon, or any other fruit or vegetable fed in captivity won’t have everything sugar gliders need to live a happy and healthy life. When you do feed your sweet pals watermelon, make sure to not let them fill up on watermelon alone.
Though most sugar gliders will go crazy for watermelon, don’t worry if you have the odd sugar glider who doesn’t like it. We’ve all met people who don’t like our favorite foods. Sugar gliders can be picky eaters just like humans.
Before you give up on feeding your sugar gliders watermelon, try to offer the treat to them several times. Many sugar gliders need to be exposed to a new food a few times before they even give it a try. To make the watermelon extra tempting, squish it slightly so even more sweet smelling juice is coming out of it.
Some sugar glider owners try to maintain a calcium to phosphorus ratio of 2:1 in their suggies’ diets. If this is you, don’t forget to consider the added watermelon when you are calculating your lovable sugar gliders’ ratio.
Summary: Can Sugar Gliders Have Watermelon?
Can sugar gliders eat watermelon? What about watermelon seeds and rind? In a word: Yes! Sugar gliders can eat watermelon but be sure to remove the seeds and cut the rind off before you serve it to them.
If your suggies don’t like watermelon, don’t fret. Not every sugar glider will go crazy for watermelon. Though most will love it!
Always, keep track of your sugar baby’s overall calcium to phosphorus ratio.