I am heartbroken to have recently lost my little girl (of 6 years) this past Sunday morning, and now her cage mate is alone. I cleaned their cage as a precaution and thought it might be easier for our little boy to adjust without her scent, as he might stress trying to find her. I also provided new
toys and a lot of foraging cups to occupy him in the absence of his playmate. He ate well last night, which I take as a good sign he is not yet depressed, and he ran some on the wheel.
I know gliders need companionship, but, sadly and frustratingly, I have a serious respiratory allergy that has been traced to my gliders. I developed the allergy after having them for 2 years, and I have managed my allergy for 4 years with medication... All this to say that I am unable to get a new cage mate for my little boy, as I had already had to come to terms with the fact that these could be my only 2.
I am very worried my little one will get depressed without his cage mate of 6 years and especially if I am unable to fill the void as well because of an allergy. As additional complications, (1) my husband and I would like to start a family soon, which means omitting the allergy meds for pregnancy, and not being able to get close to our little boy or his cage, and (2) my husband thinks he may also be developing an allergy since he handles the cage cleaning.
For those who have lost cage mates in the past, how have your single gliders adjusted? How much extra time should you spend with them, at a minimum, to make up for their lost companion's affection and attention? Have you ever tried to board a single glider (up to 2 weeks) for travel, and how well do they cope? What are some early warning signs of depression? My heart aches to even ask this, but should I consider rehoming my little boy for his wellbeing and my own, or is there a way to adjust?
Thank you for your advice. I'm devastated and trying to figure out how to best cope with the circumstances.
