Can Sugar Gliders Eat Almonds?

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Can sugar gliders eat almonds? If you’re looking for a good treat for your sugar glider you might have considered giving them one of these nuts. They’re a delicious nut, and many sugar gliders absolutely love them. But can sugar gliders eat almonds and is it healthy for them? In this post, I’m going to go over everything you need to know before you feed your pet almonds. I’ll cover whether or not they can eat them, if they’re good for them and if you should take any special precautions when you feed decide to feed your sugar glider almonds. Let’s dig in!

can sugar gliders eat almonds

If you just want a quick answer, here you go: Yes, sugar gliders can eat almonds without any problems. However, due to the high amount of fat and calories in this nut, only give it to them occasionally as a treat. Also, if you give these nuts to your sugar glider make sure they’re roasted and unsalted.

Almond nutrition – are they healthy for gliders?

Almonds are a tree nut, and like most nuts, they contain a lot of fat. 1 ounce (28 grams) of them contains a whopping 14.2 grams of fat, which is quite high! 1 ounce of this nut also contains the following:

  • 164 calories
  • 6.1 grams of carbohydrates
  • 3.5 grams of fiber
  • 1.2 grams of sugar
  • 6 grams of protein

Furthermore, they contain vitamin E, calcium, and iron. None of these nutrients are harmful to sugar gliders. They’re in fact very beneficial. Calcium ensures that your glider will have strong bones and the vitamins will help boost their immune system.

Furthermore, almonds are a good source of protein, which is a crucial part of sugar glider’s diet.

You do have to be careful though. Since nuts are so high in fat and calories it’s very easy to overfeed your sugar glider when you give them almonds. They do not need much fat in their diet in the first place. If you give it to your sugar glider every day they can become fat and this causes all kinds of health issues for them.

In the wild it’s not uncommon for sugar gliders to go days without eating at all, so you can imagine what will happen if they eat these high-calorie snacks every day! If your sugar glider is already on the heavy side, I do not recommend you feed them almonds at all until they’ve reached a more healthy size.

Tip: to find out if your sugar glider is overweight check the wing/membrane area. The membrane should feel thin and smooth. If it feels thick and uneven your glider is overweight and you should cut down on the food you give him.

How to feed almonds to your sugar glider

Sugar gliders have pretty strong teeth so you can just give your sugar glider the whole almond and they’ll be able to eat it no problem. However, just to come back to what I’ve said before about overfeeding your sugar glider; if you think that giving your sugar glider a whole nut is too much for him, I recommend you to cut or break it in half and only give him half of it. That way he can still enjoy it but won’t have to eat a whole one.

Also, DO NOT feed your sugar glider raw almonds. Always make sure that they’re roasted or cooked. Also, make sure that they’re UNSALTED, never feed your sugar glider salted or raw almonds because this is very harmful to them. When they’re salted they contain way too much sodium for them and raw almonds can potentially be lethal.

Do sugar gliders like to eat almonds?

sugar glider eating an almond

Oh yeah. Most gliders absolutely adore these nuts and go crazy for them. Some people even have anecdotes that they have a jar filled with them and when they shake it their glider wakes up because he associates the sound with the delicious nuts.

However, not all gliders are the same and it’s very possible that yours simply doesn’t like them. If your glider doesn’t want to eat this nut, don’t worry. There are so many other delicious things that they can eat instead.

Alternatives

If your glider isn’t very interested in eating this particular nut then don’t force it on them. Instead, try giving them other foods as a treat. To get you started, here’s a list of snack ideas for your pet glider.

  • Asparagus
  • Rice
  • Tuna
  • Earthworms
  • Cherries
  • Mango
  • Watermelon

To view a full list of what sugar gliders can eat, check out this post. It will teach you a lot about their nutrition, including which foods are toxic to sugar gliders.

Conclusion – Can sugar gliders eat almonds?

The answer to the question “can sugar gliders eat almonds?” is this: yes, they can eat them, but only in moderation. The high fat content of almonds means that it’s very easy for them to get overweight if you give it to them too often. The most important thing you have to keep in consideration when you give your sugar glider almonds is that they’re roasted or cooked and unsalted. If you take these two things into account it’s totally fine to occasionally give your sugar glider an almond as a treat!

If you’re curious what your critter will look like eating one of these delicious nuts, check out this video:

If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions to make this article better do not hesitate to leave a comment. I respond to all of them. Also, if you’d like to share a picture of your glider snacking on one of these delicious nuts feel free to share an image. I’d love to hear from you and your glider!

ThePetFaq Team
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