Can sugar gliders eat grapes?
As a sugar glider owner, you must want to feed your pet sugar glider a variety of foods.
But can grapes be among those foods?
Is it even safe to try and feed your tiny marsupial grapes?
As a vet, I get asked this OFTEN!
Here’s my answer!
Table of Contents
Can Sugar Gliders Have Grapes?
Yes, sugar gliders can eat grapes. Dr. Rosemary J Booth, a veterinary expert, lists (1) grapes as one of the fresh fruits to feed to your glider.
@laurakouryorner SugarGlider eating a grape#monarchmonkey #masupial #pocketpet #sugarglider #feedingtime #kidsandanimals ♬ Once Bitten, Twice Shy – Great White
Another veterinarian, Dr. Robert Ness, in his book Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents || Sugar Gliders (2), also notes that the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia includes grapes in their sugar glider diet.
If gliders in zoos eat grapes with no reported health complications, what’s to stop you and me from feeding grapes to our critters too?
I also couldn’t help noticing that grapes are on the list of fruits in the BML diet for sugar gliders. Thus, they are safe to feed to your glider. (3)
However, Dr. Booth cautions against giving critters too much of one fruit or one meal since it could lead to dietary imbalances. A variety of fruits and foods is best to avoid any health complications.
Despite no direct evidence linking them to health issues, adding grapes to captive sugar glider diets is still controversial.
As a pet owner, I haven’t seen any issue feeding grapes to my gliders. I deem them excellent snacks in much the same way fruits are integral to the human diet.
However, there are yet to be confirmed reports that grapes might have a link with kidney issues in gliders.
That stems from grapes having a direct connection with health complications in cats and dogs. And all that has done is fuel the great Grape Controversy.
As you can see from this discussion among pet glider owners, some have given grapes to their pets with no consequences. Some, however, are reluctant to try it out of fear. (8)
Some owners claim the grape’s skin and seeds will harm critters. However, there hasn’t been any study to prove what harm grapes, their skin, or seeds can do to a sugar glider.
The little munchkins can have a low tolerance for some foods( read fatty foods), but they don’t have issues with grapes.
So, I can say it’s safe to feed your glider grapes provided you keep a close eye on the amounts you give. If you can save the grapes for the occasional treats, it’s a better prospect for their health.
Also, you can decide to either peel off the skin or not. That shouldn’t be a problem for gliders like it is for cats and dogs.
Check our complete list of what to feed sugar gliders.
Can Sugar Gliders Eat Red Grapes?
Yes, sugar gliders can also eat red grapes. Red grapes are like regular grapes, save for the difference in taste (4). While people might disagree on which are the tastier grapes, I’d think grapes are just grapes.
The matter of grape taste is purely subjective. However, for the little munchkins, it doesn’t matter whether they are red or green grapes. My sugar babies didn’t care about that, so I bet yours won’t.
If you give your sugar glider red grapes, they will eat them. But again, you’ll have to monitor the nocturnal animals for any adverse reactions. Gliders need a strict balance of nutrients (5), and there is a list of foods you wouldn’t give to them. Grapes aren’t a part of that list.
So no matter what you might have heard about the grape issue, it doesn’t constitute enough potential risks for your pet.
So it shouldn’t stop you from boosting the amounts of fruit you give to your pet with grapes.
Having established captive sugar gliders can eat any grapes without harm; what of grape juice?
READ MORE: Eucalyptus Sticks for Sugar Gliders and Other Healthy Treats
Can Sugar Gliders Have Grape Juice?
Sugar gliders can have grape juice. If gliders can eat grapes with no issues, what’s to stop them from upping their water intake with grape juice? (6)
If you are to give your critters grape juice, it shouldn’t be the processed type. Gliders are intolerant to artificial sweeteners in their food. They can’t eat canned fruits or commercially prepared juice from the supermarket.
Blend the grapes yourself and get the juice to feed to your pet. Remember to wash the grapes well before using them for grape juice.
Grape juice isn’t a part of the diet for wild gliders. But like grapes, it has no direct connection to health issues with a baby or adult gliders.
Therefore, the grape issue again shouldn’t stop you from giving your pet grape juice. It is best to mix it with other fresh fruit juices such as apple juice. The juices only need to supplement the list of foods for your pet.
Can Sugar Gliders Have Grape Vines?
Yes, gliders can have grapevines. Some shuggies owners report using them in their pets’ cages with no health issues. You can see that in this conversation between several glider owners. (8)
Although the grapevines won’t qualify as the leafy vegetables you’d want to feed your glider, they are perfect for cage decoration. Critters are natural climbers and would love if they had vines to grab on and climb.
If you consider getting some vines as climbers or food for your glider, go right ahead!
TRY READING: Can Sugar Gliders Have Pineapple?
Can Sugar Gliders Have Raisins?
Gliders can have raisins. But you need to remember to only give them raisins with no added sugar. Raisins are simply dry grapes and usually contain a high level of sugar.
Raisins can cause kidney failure in canines, according to veterinary doctors Renee Schmid and Ahna Brutlag (7).
There’s, however, no evidence of raisin toxicity for critters. If you see any disorders in sugar gliders under your care due to raisins, visit a vet immediately.
But that doesn’t mean you give them too many raisins or even feed them on that daily. You can use other fruits as alternatives to raisins to avoid upsetting your pets’ dietary balance.
The sugar content in the raisins means you need to ration the amounts of food with the sweet treat. A tiny portion of the raisins and other food will be perfect.
ALSO READ: Do Sugar Gliders Eat Blueberries?
Do Sugar Gliders Like Eating Grapes?
The Marsupials don’t like eating grapes. They love eating them. Have a look at the little munchkins devouring the grapes in this video. It helps that grapes have edible seeds that wouldn’t harm your glider.
Don’t you love how they devour the fruits? That should be all you need to prove that your pet will love the grapes.
That doesn’t mean all critters like eating grapes. Most of them love the grapes, but there’s always the possibility you’ll get some that prefer their cup of fruits and have no grapes. (9)
Grapes For Sugar Gliders: Things to Consider
Yes, gliders can eat grapes. But that doesn’t mean you make grapes a daily treat. Here are some of the things to consider when giving your pet grapes:
How Often Can Sugar Glider Eat Grapes?
Sugar gliders shouldn’t eat grapes that often. Having studied gliders in their natural habitats, Dr. Johnson-Delaney says gliders need a mixture of fruits. You can’t let your sugar glider eat grapes every day.
She also says you should mix up the fruits to avoid the glider from picking out favorite foods only. Grapes are a treat, and you should only limit them to 5% of their daily intake.
So, if you plan to feed your sugar baby grapes, ensure it is in the smallest amounts possible. Mix it with other fruits such as kiwi, apples, or pineapples.
How Much Should Sugar Gliders Eat Grapes?
Not so much. Your glider needs a balanced diet to fend off diseases due to dietary imbalances. Therefore, you can’t feed it too much of one food, including grapes.
So, it doesn’t matter how much your critter loves some foods; you can’t give it the same food all the time. You need to strike the perfect balance between sweet treats, protein, phosphorus, and calcium-rich foods.
That’s why you shouldn’t give too many grapes to your glider.
FAQs
Can sugar gliders eat cotton candy grapes?
Yes. Cotton candy grapes are a crossbreed of different types of grapes. So gliders can eat them without any issues.
Can sugar gliders eat frozen grapes?
Frozen grapes are safe to give to your sugar glider. Remember to defrost them before giving them to your pet, though.
Conclusion
Can sugar gliders eat grapes? Yes. How much? Not so much.
If you doubted whether grapes were good for your critter, I hope I have eliminated them. Your critter will love grapes, and it is only fair they get to enjoy them once in a while.
Have you tried feeding your sugar gliders with grapes? Let us know how their reaction was down in the comment section!
Resources
- 1. Booth R. Providing a Home for a Sugar Glider – All Other Pets [Internet]. MSD Veterinary Manual. 2020 [cited 2022 May 10]. Available from: https://www.msdvetmanual.com/en-au/all-other-pets/sugar-gliders/providing-a-home-for-a-sugar-glider
- 2. Saunders R. Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery – by Katherine Quesenberry and James W. Carpenter. Journal of Small Animal Practice. 2013;54:339–9.
- 3. (PDF) Feeding Behavior and Nutrition of the Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps) [Internet]. ResearchGate. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/24253523_Feeding_Behavior_and_Nutrition_of_the_Sugar_Glider_Petaurus_breviceps
- 4. Baker B. Green Grapes vs Red Grapes: What Is The Difference? [Internet]. Spoon University. Spoon University; 2017 [cited 2019 Mar 27]. Available from: https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/green-grapes-vs-red-grapes
- 5. Johnson-Delaney C. Feeding sugar gliders [Internet]. ResearchGate. 1998. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285795688_Feeding_sugar_gliders
- 6. NUTRITION [Internet]. Mon Petit Sugar Love. Available from: https://www.monpetitsugarlove.com/alimentation?lang=en
- 7. Schmid R. Grape, Raisin, and Currant Poisoning in Dogs [Internet]. vca_corporate. Available from: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/grape-raisin-and-currant-poisoning-in-dogs
- 8. GliderGossip – Grape juice [Internet]. www.sugarglider.com. [cited 2022 May 11]. Available from: http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=37579
- 9. Sugar Glider Safe Fruit Veggies [Internet]. CritterLove. Available from: https://www.critterlove.com/pdf/_sugar_glider_safe_fruits__veggies.pdf
- 10. Grape Raisin And Currant Poisoning In Dogs | VCA Animal Hospitals [Internet]. vcahospitals.com. [cited 2022 May 10]. Available from: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/grape-raisin-and-currant-poisoning-in-dogs#:~:text=What%20are%20the%20symptoms%20of
Dr. Linda Simon MVB MRCVS is a locum veterinary surgeon who has worked in London for the past 8 years. She graduated top of her class in small animal medicine from UCD, Dublin. She is currently a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Linda is the resident vet for Woman magazine and a frequent contributor to People’s Friend Magazine, the Dogzone website, Vet Help Direct and Wag! Linda also writes content for the CVS veterinary group, Vetwriter and a number of other establishments.
As well as working in clinic, Linda is an online vet for www. JustAnswer.com where she has been providing online advice for thousands of owners since 2018.
In her spare time, Linda enjoys baking, yoga and running around after her young son!
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