Always hungry!

[tillie]

Hi, I cant suss my lot out, they have had  6 table spoons between the 3 of them of fruit/veg every night for some time but last week I upped it to 8 as the bowl was getting totaly cleared.  Ive always said give them enough food so they leave a little that way you know you are feeding enough but they are now clearing the 8 table spoons!  Should I up to 9/10 or do I draw the line?  None are over weight. Miah also now waits for me in the morning to come in the lounge and then will start tapping on the glass of the viv for more food, shes up now looking for food.  A few weeks ago they were getting up around 10.30/11 now all of a sudden its around 8.30/9  although tonight was 7.25!!  Anybody elses lot eat so much and have started getting up earlier or is it just mine?  Oh and I also put in 21 Iams.

[foufou]

I was going to ask about this cos mine were getting up at 1am but they've been getting up now at 8pm and eating everything I've been giving them. I just thought it was cos I'd changed their food and the way I mix it. They must be sensing something in the air.... foufou has been barking every night for the last 2 weeks.

[Marie]

Mine are always up at about 5.30-6.0, even now the nights have drawn out!  Some are clearing their bowls but not all!

Have you tried giving them oatmeal yet tillie?  That's very filling!

[tillie]

Ive given it to them as a treat a couple of times in the morning.  Should I up to 8 tablespoons Marie? and add any more Iams?

[Lottie]

I dont think its my suggies that have this problem of always being hungry... It's me! 

[Marie]

I wouldn't up their fruity mix, try giving them the oatmeal at night.

[tillie]

What mixed up as would eat it Marie (semi skimmed milktered down) and mixed in with the fruit/veg mix? And every night?  How much?

[Marie]

I make up a desert spoon full of dried oatmeal and mix it with boiled water and applesauce (or agave nectar).  Mine don't get it every night, I actually only use it as a weight gainer or when Dinx is trying to steal from my plate and I put it in a seperate dish, it mixes into a paste  I wouldn't use it every night though, do it every other.  Have you also tried them on boiled egg?   Mush a boiled egg into your fruit/veg mix, that's a filler too.

[tillie]

Ok thanks I will try that and see how it goes.  My lot seem to have gone off egg for some reason lately.

[hday]

mine will only eat egg if it has a tiny (ie 2 drop) mix of argarve nectar now (ate it neat first few times) and cos my food stays out for overnight I will  give egg with tiny bit fruit and then when that is eaten swop for fruit (only cos I want to know they eat it and dont like the idea of egg hanging around and breeding!.... I wouldnt eat cooked egg after 2hours in room cos of salmonela risk so decided wouldnt take risk with them either!)

and as I am trying to up mines weight they are getting
1/2-1tsp oatmeal with 2 drops nectar and enough water to make a soupy gruel daily... it goes pretty quick I was giving this in am and then their 2-3tbspn ie 2 cube of fruit (and protein) in the evening but have now started giving both in the evening (although I try to leave the oatmeal until after they have started on the fruit as the oatmeal would be eaten and the fruit ignored other wise.... although they do go back to fruit eventually!)

(bear in mind mine are still only 2/3 body weight so what they do may be different and mine are having oatmeal both to gain weight but also to stop hypos as they have both had one at different times mine also only eat a max of 3 ice cubes a day in addition to the protein and oatmeal but again I dont know how typical they are as I now suspect they used to be very underfed with the previous owner so I have no idea what is normal for them or should be normal for them)

re the oatmeal marie at what point do I stop? at a specific weight or when it gets warmer?
and when I do presumably wean off ie drop to everyother day then 3 times week before stoping (realise wont be stopping for at least another fortnight or so but good to plan ahead and know what I should be thinking of!)

[tillie]

I have noticed the last few nights that all their food is gone within 2 hours of them getting up!  I feel mean not giving 4 cubes (8 tablespoons) but have also noticed that are all putting on weight and are about right so what should I do carry on being mean and giving the 6 tablespoons or what?
God when I 1st got them I can remember posting that I couldnt get them to eat much  at all!

[tillie]

Forgot to add there are a lot of squabbles now days with the food, nothing major but its never been like this before.   There are 2 bowls 1 high and 1 on floor.

[Marie]

Try a third bowl, some of mine have to have 2 bowls, some three!

Have you considered worming them Tillie?

[tillie]

That did go through my mind but Ive never seen or heard of anyone worming gliders before.

[Marie]

According to my exotic animal formulary book

Fenbendazole 20-50mg/kg orally every 24 hours for 3 days - kills roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, cestodes, lower end of range may be preferable.

Ivermectin 0.2mg/kg injected, repeat in 10-14 days - kills roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, ascariasis.

Febantel (F)/pyrantel pamoate (P) - (F) 15mg/kg + (P) 14.4 mg/kg orally - kills roundworms, strongyles