Feeding Mealworms to Sugar Gliders: A Tasty Treat with Caution

Mealworms can be a fun and nutritious treat for Sugar Gliders—but like all treats, they should be offered in moderation. Whether you're feeding live, canned, or dried mealworms, it's important to understand how they fit into a healthy glider diet.

Why Feed Mealworms?

Live mealworms are a great source of protein and can help create a stronger bond between you and your pet. Sugar Gliders love them, and they can be especially useful for training or encouraging hand-feeding.

The Importance of Calcium Balance

Live mealworms are naturally high in phosphorus, which can interfere with calcium absorption. To prevent nutritional imbalances, it's strongly recommended to dust live mealworms with a no-phosphorus calcium supplement, such as Glider-Cal. This helps maintain proper bone health and avoids calcium deficiency issues common in exotic pets.

Limit the Quantity

Because mealworms—especially in their larval stage—are high in fat, they should only make up a small portion of your Sugar Glider’s diet. Too much fat can lead to obesity and nutritional deficiencies. We suggest offering:

• 5–10 medium live mealworms per week, or

• 3–5 Giant mealworms weekly

• Less than 10% of the overall diet

If you're looking for variety, try our Canned Mealworms or Dried Mealworms—convenient alternatives with longer shelf lives.

Healthy Treat Habits

Treats like mealworms not only add variety to your glider's routine but also offer behavioral enrichment. Feeding treats by hand helps strengthen your relationship and can even encourage your pet to come when called. However, if your glider isn't eating its regular balanced diet, pause all treats until normal feeding habits return.

Always remember: treats are just that—treats. Live, canned, and dried mealworms from Exotic Nutrition are excellent supplements to your glider’s regular diet, but they shouldn't replace the daily nutrition your pet needs to thrive.