I asked Caroline MacPherson for her help on this diets issue. She agreed to allow me to put her diet her on my page. Caroline feeds only high calcium to phosphorus ratio'ed foods and doesn't believe in adding any supplementation (calcium or vit and minerals). Here is the email she had sent me. Please note the amount of cat food offered in her diet.

Date:
Sun, 30 May 1999 22:11:30 -0700
From:
"Caroline MacPherson"
To:
bourbon@iname.com
References:
1
 

Hi,

Here's a copy of my "simplified" diet that I hand out with my book. You
are welcome to post it on your tree if you like:

Feeding your glider simplified.

My gliders are fed fruit, dried cat food and yogurt. I know that in the
book the section on dried cat food is written in cautionary terms (I was
forced to write it that way to satisfy the publisher) but in reality dry
cat food works better than other sources of protein such as ground beef,
chicken, insects and eggs. Use any good quality dry cat food. A small
dish can be left out at all times.

Each evening offer your glider 3 or 4 different types of fruit and/or
vegetable. Remember, not all fruits are created equal. Some have good
calcium to phosphorus levels (more calcium than phosphorus) and these
should be favored in the diet. The reason that calcium/phosphorus ratios
are emphasized so much is because calcium deficiency is the leading cause
of death in captive gliders. Look in the back of the sugar glider book on
page 74. This table lists the nutritional content of some common sugar
glider foods. Pay special attention to the last 2 columns that list the
amounts of calcium and phosphorous. You will see that items like figs,
grapefruit, oranges, papaya and raspberries all have more calcium than
phosphorus. These fruits should be favored in the diet. Some fruits are
neutral, or close to neutral, in that they have similar amounts of calcium
to phosphorus. These can also be fed frequently. They include things like
cherries, grapes, mango, pear, pineapple, plums and strawberries. Some
fruits and vegetables are highly "inverse" in that they have a lot more
phosphorus than they do calcium. This makes them less desirable
nutritionally. A good example of this is sweet corn. Sugar gliders love
it but it has calcium and phosphorus in a 1:40 ratio. It can still be fed
but in small amounts and infrequently. The same is true of nuts and seeds.
You will also notice that meat products and eggs are highly inverse. So
are insects. That is why it is better to use a dry cat food that has been
balanced by the manufacturer.

I have found that feeding yogurt to my gliders 2 or 3 times a week is a
great alternative to feeding calcium supplements. Most gliders love plain
low fat or full fat yogurt but if you can't get them to eat it plain try
adding a little bit of honey or a puree of their favorite fruit or try
experimenting with different brands and flavors. Make sure the yogurt is
free of preservatives, artificial flavorings and aspartame and other types
of artificial sweeteners. On days when you feed the yogurt it is a good
idea to cut back on the fruit slightly to encourage them to eat it.

So here is a typical week based on a pair of gliders (but if they are
polishing their plates then up the amounts):

Day 1: 1/4 apple, 1/4 orange, 1/4 small papaya, teaspoonful of dry cat food.
Day 2: 1/4 apple, 1/4 orange, fig, dry cat food.
Day 3: 1/4 orange, 4 grapes, heaping tablespoon of yogurt, dry cat food
Day 4: 1/4 ripe pear, 1/4 orange, pineapple chunks, dry cat food
Day 5: 1/4 small mango, 1/4 orange, 1/8 medium size avocado, dry cat food
Day 6: 1/4 orange, 4 raspberries, heaping tablespoon of yogurt, dry cat
food
Day 7: 1/4 orange, 2 one inch cubes of cantaloupe, 1/4 pear, dry cat food.

Obviously this is just a guideline. Use your imagination while trying not
to feed too many inverse items in quantity too often. If your gliders
particularly like something that is good for them such as papaya, figs,
oranges, or yogurt then you can feed those items more often than I have on
the above menu. Don't be afraid to give your glider treats such as a small
amount of sweet corn or a meal worm or cricket, just don't overdo it.

Book : "Sugar Gliders (A Complete Pet Owner's Manual) ©"
Which Can also be found at Amazon Book Store Online
Web Page: Pygmy Pets Exotic Animals