Ok, serious question here. I feel kinda stupid for having to ask. How many joeys (litters) are enough for a female? Will the females stop producing on their own or does it need to be controlled by me? I sometimes feel my poor Dixie has had enough but she is such a good mommy and Dexter is such a wonderful dad. I don't want to risk my Dixie's health though. Please help me on this one!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worried2.gif" alt="" />

You are going to get differing opinions on this one, some people think that whatever they do is their business and not to interfere because it might stress them out, and others think you should separate.
For me, I separate, but only for the three days during the female's heat cycle (we've skipped four pregnancies so far) that way they don't get very stressed, or for very long, but still no babies.
During her second litter (and they were separated by several months between weaning and birth because she lost some weight with the first set) my oldest girl got very thin and sickly, so I said enough is enough and her mate was neutered, she just couldn't handle it--she's more important to me than more joeys were.
I think you are the best judge of how your girl is handling everything, so it ultimately has to be your call.
~Gretchen

To answer your question you can push a glider to produce 4 litters a year, this is not advisable. A female glider can only produce for about the first 7 years of her life after which she will not produce as well or at all. It is recommended that a female glider only has 2-3 litters a year and this can be achevied by leaving the joeys with the glider until they are 8 weeks OOP. I do not recommend seperating the female during her "in heat" period. This can cause stress. It is difficult to know when you female is going into heat unless strict observations and notes are kept, this would not be the way the average owner should attempt to control breeding, as it might not always work. I let mine be and let them breed but pull the joeys at 8 weeks OOP and I have only had 2-3 litters this way and the female is quite content. If the female is not able to maintain a joey she will reject it or reabsorb the developing embryo. You should increarse the amount of food available to the female in proportion to the development of the joey.

Ushuaia

Ushuaia,
Thanks for the info. My Dixie has had 5 litters in 4 years, triplets, single, twins, single, twins. I know allowing a dog to have to many litters during her life can harm her. I assumed the same about gliders. I was planning on having Dexter neutered if the consensus was, Dixie has had enough. But they really are such good parents and seem to thrive and be even sweeter when they have joeys. I don't want to rob them of being parents to soon either. Thus lies the root of my confusion.

While I have always heard it is supposed to work that way, that isn't the way it has worked for mine, which is why I started separating during heat cycles. I don't separate my joeys until they are 8-10 weeks OOP, but Lili always has babies in pouch BEFORE her current joey weans (about 4 weeks OOP), which is why I decided to separate. After this happened 3 times in a row (joeys right on top of each other) I decided she just needed a break. They did try to breed again before the last joey weaned, and I separated, but I let them see each other during the day, with supervision of course, and have not had a problem since I started this, nor have I had a baby in pouch too early. So...? But I didn't realize that yours had only had 5 litters in 4 years, in that case I wouldn't separate either.
~Gretchen

hw do u know when your glider is in heat cycle