I'm not new but, I didn't know where to go for help. I have way to many questions to ask in one place. I lost another glider this weekend. I have only 2 left and I'm completely out of money and scared for Mom.

I will try to simplify what's happened from the beginning. I was given a pocket pet glider from my sister (Xena). I came here and learned a little more than I knew when I agreed to take her. She needed a friend and a bigger home, I got her both, the friend was an unneutered male(Rex). I got him neutered and introduced them and it worked beautifully until he died. I searched for another companion glider for Xena, and found Belle. A year younger than Xena was young enough, she wasn't a baby but, was living with her mom and dad and needed a new home. Yay, sterilizing gliders in my county is really expensive and 2 girls that are used to company have a good chance of working.. So she was pregnant and I was advised not to put them together in case Xena killed the babies before they were even born. New cage and a whole new glider set up. Belle had 2 babies (Ren & Weiss). Ren died very young. Belle took it really hard. So I had Xena in one cage and Belle & Weiss in another, I was going to try to put all 3 together but, Weiss would not accept Xena. Soon Weiss got huge and I was afraid to keep trying. Belle and Xena are both tiny girls. Xena has been "alone" most of her life. She is my daughters companion and her classes pet glider.(high school vet assistant program)

Weiss died this weekend. I want to put Xena and Belle together. I moved her to Xenas old pocket pet little cage right next to Xenas cage. I can not afford new anything. Is there a way to get the territory smells out of the bedding or the cage? They have lived in the same room for a long time. Do they already have each others scents? How long should I keep them near each other before I attempt an introduction. It's been 3 days. Belle has/had a big cage but, it smells like her and Weiss. I don't know what to do. Help

A complete thorough cleaning of the cage is in order. 1 part cider vinegar to 3 part water.

Can you take their cage outside to clean? It would be less messy and you would be able to hose it down and dry in the sunshine. If you take it outside, wash with Dawn dish soap first, follow with vinegar.

Launder their bedding in washer with a cup of vinegar, soak if necessary. Put in dryer without dryer sheet.

Taking everything outside is absolutely possible, Belles old cage is already out there. I didn't know what to do about the soap and smell situation for Xenas cage. They are the same size but Xenas cage is nicer and higher off the ground. Thank you.

I have vinegar, a lot of it because I use it to clean my house. Maybe if I wash both sets of bedding together, it will pre mix any remaining scents?

Maybe. If nothing else it should all smell the same.

I don't know why they died. I am guessing that it was a breeding defect of some sort. The joeys were belles and her dads. The boy died when he was 3ish months, the female,the one that died Saturday was 2 years. Neither showed any sign of sickness.

I feed them bml mixed frozen veggies, and melons every night, Pellets during the day. Usually there is fruit and some veggies left in the mornings.

I do not have any male gliders. I haven't had any in a few years. I got Belle to replace the male I bought for Xenas mate, he was neutered but, he passed away. I didn't know belle was pregnant when I got her. She had 1 male and one female. The male passed away. Saturday the female died.

Should I wait to introduce them? How soon is too soon? These are 2 female gliders. Belle has never been a single glider. Xena has been a single glider for most of her life but, had a friend for a very short time.

Belle is still eating her staple but, leaving fruits and veggies. Since she wasn't alone, its hard to tell what amount is normal for her alone.

You will need to keep them separate until the joey is at least 8 weeks, otherwise the female that isn't carrying could pull the joey.

The life expectancy of a sugar glider in captivity is 10-15 years. Before putting the two together I would take them to the vet and make sure they are both healthy. If it were me, I would also have a urine and fecal test.

Since Xena is a companion to your daughter, I would take extra care before I would start intros.

You can click on the word vet and it will take you to a database to find a vet in your area.


Here is the link for intros if you choose to move on to introductions.

http://www.glidercentral.net/ubbthreads/..._Ea#Post1407885

I hope this was helpful.

Please keep us posted on their progress.

I think I'm confusing everyone, right now, I'm confusing myself. I'm very scared for Belle and the things I mean to say may not be coming out quite right. Ive had 5 gliders in the past 3 years (approximately, te years, not gliders) I currently have 2. I have Xena and Belle. Both are tiny females. Neither have joeys.

First, there was Xena. She is a pocket pet glider. My sister and her son gave her to me and my daughter because they weren't spending enough time with her. My daughter is a reader and a vet student. She spends a lot of time with Xena They cuddle and bond when my daughter is reading and doing homework. Xena has biweekly field trips to school. Xena has her own cage in the vet room.

Then came Rex. I got him shortly after Xena. He was an obese, male, unneutered glider. I was told that he was young. My first "wellness check" and neuter consult was a nightmare. The vet told me that he was already neutered. Since he smelled really bad, had a huge bald spot on his head, and had what was pretty obvious to me, boy parts dangling, I went for a second opinion.The new vet checked him over and we scheduled a neuter.. When that was done + 1 week, I introduced Xena and Rex. They hit it off immediately and all was well for a very short time. Rex died, the vet thinks it was a trauma of some sort. Xena was checked over and was fine.

Next came Belle. I was still certain Xena liked and needed a companion. Belle was young and was still living with her mom and dad. She was friendly with people and used to having other glider company. I brought her home. I noticed her belly when she would do certain things in her quarantine cage, like when she would hang or stretch with only her back legs on the cage.Even though she had no parasites, I was advised not to introduce the girls to each other because Xena would probably kill the babies before they were even born. I bought Belle a new bigger cage, new pouches and a few new toys. Xena did not have a new friend, I had no more money to try again.

Belle had 2 Joeys. A male and a female. Ren and Weiss. Belle was a much better mom to Weiss and maybe that was a clue as to what would come. Ren didn't live very long. Belle was in really bad shape when her died.. She Stopped washing herself and wouldn't eat unless I fed her from empty milk caps. Her baby girl wasn't enough to snap her out of the depression. The vet didn't have a cause for these things. The baby girl was in great shape. One day she did snap out of it. I think Weiss must have cleaned her up because she didn't look as good when I would do it. Maybe she washed herself. Everything was ok, until now.

Weiss died Friday night. I found her Saturday morning. So far Belle is doing ok but eating less than I think she should. I won't be able to get her into the vet for at least a week and a half unless she starts showing true signs of distress. My vet will only take my Amex card for a true emergency. It was so awful when her other baby died that I am on over alert and very panicked

Thank you for any and all advise. Also for you patience.

First I am sorry for your loss of Weiss. I can understand why you are upset and maybe frustrated. But we will get through this and help you.


Questions:

How old are Belle and Xena?

You want them to share a cage?

Xena is 5, I'm pretty sure that Belle is 4. I would like them to share a cage for Belles sake. It would probably be good for Xena too but, I don't think she knows or has forgotten what she's missing.

Is that years or months old?

Years, I'm sorry.

Ok. It is pretty easy to tell if Xena is interested.

Swap their sleeping pouches first, and observe Xena. Do this every other day. She should sniff around, crawl in and look around for the other glider.

Do this in the morning before she goes to bed for the day. Observe here reactions. And let me know what you see.

Sorry for you losses.

Yes, wash all their fleece together, I believe that will be a good idea. With vinegar, most if not all smells should be neutralized, but if any remaining, they should at least smell alike which is pretty much the same thing.

Mingle their scents as much as possible, and I agree to observe their reactions to each other. Another way to observe is to put both in a separate bonding pouch during the day and wear them next to each other/overlapping. If they remain quiet, turn so mesh windows face each other and continue to wear them this way as often as possible, observing their reactions to each other.

This morning I pulled out both of the girls pouches. I pushed the cages completely together while I was awake to watch. Belle grabbed at Xena and Xena looked at her like she was crazy and made a psh noise at her. This happened a few times. No crabbing, just the weird noise. I'll find the audio section and try to figure out which noise it is. It didn't sound mean. Almost like the bathing spit sneezing sound but, louder. When I put the pouches back in the cages both girls jumped right in. There was no investigating, just real bath noises.

First of all, if you are going to try to do introductions, do not do it in separate cages. This will cause them to each be territorial over their space.

Take them both in the bathroom during the day time. Take each of them out of their pouch and place them in the tub. You will know how well it will go. If they ball up, you probably will not be able to introduce the two together without doing pouch swapping or you may not be able to pair them up at all.

It is NOT a crime to have single gliders. Especially if the glider is used to being a single. They will not die if they have the proper housing, diet and mental stimulating toys (not fleece items such as bridges/hammocks/vines).

Again, do NOT place the cages close to each other, this DOES cause territorial issues and you can ruin any chances you may have.

They are together and they are ok. One of them hisses every once in awhile. It's the noise I heard earlier so it's probably Xena. They made no noises in the tub at all. Xena just stood there and Belle introduced herself. Then Belle ran around, and climbed on Xena and Xena still just stood there. No crabbing or balling up. I put the bonding pouch and they both went in. I have them around my neck now and will keep them there unless there is a problem

My daughter compared the bath tub to gladiators coliseum. It's what was in my head the whole introduction. Gladly it didn't turn out that way.

That's great! Keep us posted on their progress.