pesky diet ratios :)

[Emma9383]

Okee dokee, so, I'm starting to get the whole ratio thing. If I need to take into consideration protien i.e cat biscuits and they get eaten hard to clean teeth etc, how do I make sure if I get a greedy one, they don't scoff all the biscuits and leave the other none? Plus, LOVING Tillie's guide, some are ratios are, example, 1:9 is this ok??

[LJord]

Hi Emma you should aim for a ratio of 2:1 Ca to P as if there is too much calcium in your gliders' diets over a prolonged period it can have adverse side effects such as (I think) calcification of internal organs. As for ensuring your gliders can get the right amounts of biscuits, you can give them separate bowls, but our gliders love the iams and wouldn't dream of letting one of them get them all! I guess it could be a problem if your gliders are very different sizes, however there is a 30 gram range between our trio and it's never been an issue 

[Marie]

Hi Emma, do you mean 1.9:1?  If so, that is fine.  It doesn't have to be bang on 2:1 every time, but near as possible .

Always make sure you have 2 or 3 feeding stations for them and spread them about the cage so one glider cannot guard all of them.

[Emma9383]

I was looking at Tillie's ready made recipes with all the papaya recipes (hope they like it, lol) That girl must have spent AGES figuring it all out, KARMA to her! I was just a bit confused, as when I was looking through the recipes, some of them just have 1.9 or 1.7, 1.8 etc beside them and was wondering if this was 1.7:2 or just 1:7, as it doesn't seem to have the P ratio next to it?

Em x

[wjohnw]

with tillie's recipes, the numbers next to the fruit are the ca values for that fruit or veg, the numbers at the bottom of each meal list are again the ca values, so.....

PAPAYA 4.8 + HALF AGAIN 2.4
FIG 2.5
PEAR 1.0
BUTTERNUT SQUASH 1.5
SUGAR SNAP PEAS 0.8
CAT BICCY’S 1

TOTAL=2.3 WITH HALF AGAIN OF PAPAYA IF SINGLE 1.9

here, the 2.3 is the ca value to 1 p value -- so its either 2.3:1 or 1.9:1 with this recipe. Hope that helps.

[Emma9383]

A lot actually, thank you. So, just to make absolute certainty. The number would be 1.7:1, which is obviously fine. Is all recipes got the :1 P then? then I dont have to worry bout the Phosphorus at all, all recipes have :1?
Plus, it doesn't state how many biscuits to put in, is it about 5 per glider? And also (while I'm here n pickin your brain) is it ok in these recipes to just put the biscuits ontop instead so they can clean their teeth with it (if you know what I mean, lol) or does it need to be mushed up so each one gets correct amount. I'm hoping I can just put in on top coz there will be two feeding stations out of sight of each other so hopefully each glider will get the designated quota, lol.
Phew, getting there, sorry 
Getting really excited now, cage on way, all sorts from Marie hopefully on way n then might get them next week. Just names to think of now, shesh, my mind's in turmoil! 

[wjohnw]

Glad I can help.... Finally I have become useful.... ish!!! lol

yes that's right - the ":1" to represent the phosphorus just hasn't been written because the main info is about the calcium. So where it may say 2.3 or 1.9 etc that is to :1 phosphorus.
I tend to put in around 5 biscuits per glider and just rest them on top of the fruit/veg mixes. I wouldn't go about mushing up the biscuits, otherwise they wont have anything to crunch!

[Emma9383]

lol, yes, u've been useful, well done. wanna karma?  ha
It'll be bloody aaaaaggggges before I can give any useful advice! 
Although I have aquired 2 karma points? I can only put it down to button bashing, ha. Mind, I did give some info bout insurance prices?? wasn/t advice though 

[zac-tilly-moss]

HELP i really cannot get my head around these ratios, isnt there  a list anywhere with say how many per ounce of different foods?  at least that way i could make sure i got it all right, i just dont understand how to work it out, worrying!!

Jayne & Tilly xx

[Emma9383]

Okee dokee, and breathe...... 
Look in the diets  section and at the top there are 'stickies' which the mods have put at the top of sections coz they're so useful I think it's 2nd or 3rd down Tillie has worked out recipes with the correct ratios for us called something like ' recipes made for you lovely people' I printed it out and stuck it in my glider file that I keep in the kitchen.
For each piece of fruit/veg use exactly the same amounts. Unless on some recipes it has papaya +1/2 again, so if you were using 50g of all the fruit/veg, you would use 75g of papaya if it says half again. Does this make sense?
Hope this has helped a little hun.

Em x x