Sugar gliders can eat ants. Yes—but not advised.
Wild gliders eat ants. They assist gliders in getting enough protein for reproduction.
Can sugar gliders eat ants?
Sugar Gliders can eat ants as a small part of their diet. Ants contain high levels of protein, which is important for the growth and maintenance of these small marsupials. However, ants should not be the primary source of protein for Sugar Gliders.
A balanced diet for a Sugar Glider should include a variety of insects, fruits, and vegetables, along with a specialized sugar glider food pellet. Health depends on a balanced diet.
Sugar gliders in captivity eat glider-specific pellets and nectar. Apple slices, cantaloupes, kiwis, peaches, mangoes, pineapples, strawberries, and blueberries are some of the fresh fruit and vegetables they eat.
If fed a gut-loaded diet, sugar gliders eat bugs, unlike other reptiles. These insects provide vitamins and minerals to keep your glider healthy.
Nutritional Content of ants
Wild sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps) eat seasonally and locally. They eat gum and tree exudates in fall and winter (eucalyptus sap and wattle gum).
They eat pollen, nectar, manna, honeydew, and insects. In addition to fruits and vegetables, they eat these foods.
To stay healthy, captive gliders need a researched and certified diet. Offer varied food with protein, calcium, and treats regularly.
Sugar gliders should eat a high-protein insectivore/carnivore diet with various fruits, vegetables, and treats. Gliders must eat enough protein to avoid osteoporosis and periodontal disease since they are not omnivores.
Health Benefits and Risks of ants
Australian and Indonesian sugar gliders are small arboreal marsupials. They are fragile and need a warm, humid environment with many trees to climb.
They need daily interaction with their owners and are social creatures. They may grow unhappy and nervous otherwise.
Wild sugar gliders eat insects and nectar. Captive sugar gliders need a variety of meals.
For best health, captive sugar gliders should eat commercial nectar diets, fruits, vegetables, bee pollen, and insect larvae. They should always have fresh water.
Other Alternatives to ants
Sugar gliders eat eucalyptus, acacia tree sap and gum, flower nectar, pollen, manna (from hemipteran sap-suckers like aphids), and other insects in the wild.
Captive-bred sugar gliders need a high-protein, plant-sugar diet. Insects, eggs, commercial pelleted insectivore diets, and lean meats like rabbit, chicken, and venison provide protein.
Peppermint essential oil along baseboards and cage legs can deter ants from entering your sugar glider’s cage. In modest amounts, this aroma does not harm gliders but can deter ants from accessing their house!
Conclusion about eating ants
The arboreal sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) is closely related to kangaroos and koalas. It glides to travel in darkness.
Patagia, gliding membranes, extend from its forelegs to its rear legs. These assist sugar gliders in avoiding predators, getting food quickly, and gliding.
This nocturnal tree-dweller has big eyes for nighttime navigation. It glides between trees with its membrane.
Sugar gliders warn people of their presence by chattering like a little dogs. After failing, they strike hard.
