baby

well i found my baby joey in bag with its face mangled. what went wrong? this was there first baby and i am really aggravated with them, almost to the point where i want to get rid of them why did they do this? everything seemed fine today

It's not uncommon for parents to loose their first joey. Please don't be mad at your glider... There are a few things you can do to help them out when they have more joeys. Firstly, make sure you are feeding a proven diet with lots of protein to feed that little joey. Secondly, reduce stress as much as possible. Keep them away from other animals and gliders, don't handle the joey until it's eyes are opened, and things like that. And last but not least, don't get rid of them. They didn't do anything wrong...

i don't see how it is normal for them to just kill a baby the way they did the face was totally gone. it just doesn't seem right.

I know it doesn't seem normal, but other animals do it as well. Hamsters are the best known for it, but dogs, cats, rabbits, and most other mamalas will "dispose" of their young if something is wrong with it or they are unable to care for it. They aren't human and you have to remember that. They didn't eat the joey to be mean, they ate it because there was something wrong. Maybe physically, maybe emotionally, who knows, but something just wasn't right for them...

What diet do you feed?

i feed them the bml diet, i give them fresh fruits, scrambled eggs, corn, glider pellets, peas, carrots, dried cherries. every night they get a ice cube of the bml, corn and glider pellets. then i change the other stuff every night.

What are glider pellets? BML isn't designed to be fed with any type of pellet. Also, you might want to cut back on the corn. It's high in phosphorus, which inhibits calcium absorption. You gliders should be getting 1 cube of BML, 2 tablespoons of veggies, and 2 tablespoons of fruit for the pair every night. Also, extra protein in the form of eggs or mealworms isn't a bad idea when breeding.

Wamberoo, a marsupial milk supliment can also be sprinkled over the food of nursing gliders to aid in milk production.

I am so sorry for the loss of the joey. I was really rooting for him. Many times in nature when there is something wrong with the baby, the parents will dispose of it. As wrong as this seems to us humans, it is truely part of nature and your gliders did nothing wrong.
There are many things that could have caused this from some unknown defect in the joey to the Mom not producing enough milk. It could be the age of the parents. It could even be the Mom has an infection in her pouch making it painful to nurse the joey. If it was me, I would take Mom in for a wellness check with the vet to rule out any physical problems she may have.
How old are the parents?
Again, I am so sorry for your loss but please don't give up on the parents.

the parents are about a year old. i will take them both to the vets to have them checked. i am really upset with them and don't even want to look at them.teresa thanks for all the help. i was really counting on the baby to make it seemed so healthy and the parents seemed to be doing good with it. i really don't understand it. the kids don't know it yet and my daughter is really going to be hurt.
as far as the food i feed them i don't mix the pellets with the ice cubes. glider pellets are pellets i get from a pet shop that specializes in sugar gliders. i didn't know corn was bad for them. i was told they could have it as there regular diet as long as they got a varity of other stuff.

teresa i see you have alot of gliders do you breed yours? and has this ever happened to you?

Billzfan, I am so sorry for your loss. I know this must be hard. But do not blame yourself or the parents. Even gliders with perfect diets have been know to do this. We can't know all the reasons this may happen, new mom, stress, diet change, something wrong with the joey, it's just a part of nature. I know it must have been a horrible site. Just know we are here for you. Dancing has given you some good advice.

Most breeders have lost joeys. It's a natural part of life. I've lost a couple joeys myself, but I've never had the parents canablize an out of pouch joey...

I have a couple questions for you about those pellets you feed.

Firstly, what is the name of this pet store that specializes in sugar gliders and where is it located?

Also what do the pellets look like and smell like? Are they small colorful pellets that smell like fruit? Do they look like rabbit pellets and smell like eucaliptus (sp)? or are they small brown pellets?

thanks yes it is really hard. i hope i get over the feeling i have for the parents right now. i just can't believe it.

the name of the store is the kritter hut. they are located in buffalo and niagara falls. the pellets look like rabbit pellets. the containers states they are becoming the choice of most glider owners and it is an essential part of gliders diets contains all natural ingredients. ideal for sugar gliders flying squirrels, mice, hamsters and other small animals.

So sorry for the loss of the joey. May it rest in peace.


<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/gliderangel.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crying.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frostyangel.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/upset.gif" alt="" />

thank you.

The pellets really aren't a necessary part of the diet and probably throw off the ratios of BML. I would just stick to BML as it's written- BML mixture, fruits, veggies, and protein source (chicken, insects, turkey, pinkies, scrambled eggs, etc).

I'm so sorry to hear that you lost this joey <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hug2.gif" alt="" /> but I agree that you can't blame it on the parents. You have no way of knowing if the parents disposed of the baby because they knew something was wrong with it. This could very well be true, so don't be angry with them. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hug2.gif" alt="" /> My prayers are with you in dealing with this loss and I pray that you will not hold this against your gliders.

thank you. i know i shouldn't be mad at the parents but i just can't believe it. it was doing so good.

If the pellets can be food for mice, hamsters, and other rodents i would stay far away from them. I don't think any pet-store brand pellet is a good choice, allthough some will use marketing ploys saying "a favorite of glider owners" if it can be fed to rodents, its not fit for a glider.

thanks for all the advise. i still can not believe it. it is like a bad dream, yesterday it was fine and today its gone and the parents act like nothing is wrong.