My little girl is 5 months old. I have had her for about 3 months and she is doing great. She bonded with me very well and she seems very happy. When I got her, I was supposed to be getting her brother as well but the people changed their mind so I ended up with only her. She seems happy by herself but should I invest in another glider?

I have Maya in a 6-foot cage so there would be plenty of room for another glider but several things worry me, such as whether or not they will get along. Or if I can handle caring for multiple gliders. Or if I can afford caring for multiple gliders (vet bills, etc.)

Advice, please??

Sugar gliders are colony animal. IMO they should only be housed alone if they fight with every cagemate offered. Most gliders like companions. It's in their nature to live with others. I would definitely get her a companion.

I think gliders that are young and used to being alone probably do fine in the beginning, but in time I think they are going to start longing for a cagemate. They may not realize that is what they need, they just know something's missing and begin overgrooming or heaven forbid, self mutilating.

Ultimately you are gonna have some extra expense in the beginning because you will obviously have to do another cage, quarantine, vet, ect. but I think if you get one young, maybe one that has also been alone you may be surprised at how well they will take to eachother. Even an older one that you could rescue. They truly don't like being alone, and if you bring two lonely gliders together, chances are good that they will just fall in love with eachother.

And honestly, taking care of two is no harder than taking care of one. IMO it's easier because when you are busy, they have eachother to play with and interact with.

I think I will look into a cage mate for her then. I don't want her to be lonely :(

I'd really LOVE to get a male so they can have babies!! Do you think that would be a good idea? How much work goes into taking care of joeys? And I would probably sell all but one of the joeys. Is selling a difficult process?

Breeding is not as easy as you may think. I don't and never would. There are many that will chime in discouraging you from it. And you can't exactly say okay, they'll have one joey and I'll keep it because she can have another while she has one in the pouch already. If you don't have lineage on your gliders (proof of where they came from and they are not related) you may have trouble selling them. Not many people want to buy gliders with uncertain lineage. They too think they will make bookoo money but I think that's just a shame this creature would be taken advantage of because it is so cute. Too many people don't realize they are much more work than they though and wind up rehoming them. <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Abby</i>
<br />I think I will look into a cage mate for her then. I don't want her to be lonely :(

I'd really LOVE to get a male so they can have babies!! Do you think that would be a good idea? How much work goes into taking care of joeys? And I would probably sell all but one of the joeys. Is selling a difficult process?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I wouldn't do the breeding thing until you've had gliders for awhile.

And not many people on the forum are going to condone breeding unlineaged gliders.

There is a higher chance of the female canabalizing her joeys if she's bred before she's ready....most say they shouldn't be bred younger than a year old.

I'd read up on hand raising rejected joeys and you mentioned being concerned about extra vet costs... this could very well be an extra vet cost.

Welcome Abby.
A companion is a necessity, as they are colony animals..And as was said by others, they may not understand why they are lonely or sad, but You can tell that they are...My female was alone for a while, and barked, sometimes for hours..Even MY companionship was not enough to curb the barking..She also would stare into space for long periods of time..It was sad to watch.
Once I got her friend/mate, she has been like a different glider..Happy, very playful, eats more, and even MORE social, with people..which I didn't expect.
I absolutely DO NOT recommend breeding gliders..I have had much experience with breeding other animals, from guinea pigs to draft horses, and over many years..I've been a Veterinary Technician for almost 30 years..I thought I had done my research, and I (thought) I had the perfect plan, which included keeping the joeys.
It has been so much harder than I thought..My female actually cannibalized (yes, ATE) the little boy, and he had appeared to be perfect..I will spare the gorey details.
A week or so later, she started to attack her baby girl..I ended up with a dehydrated little soul, with nasty scratches on her face..I'm sure she would have not made it to the end of that day.
I fortunately realized there was a problem, and took her away..I'm hand raising her..and while I'm not complaining, it IS a round the clock, very careful, process..She is no where near, out of danger..and I will do my very best to keep her healthy..I know there are no guarantees.
It has been an emotional roller~coaster, and I will, forever, recommend that folks wait more than a year of "glider slavery" before they even consider breeding..Then wait & do more research for another year.
I say this kind of jokingly, but I've learned it is much harder than I expected.
I will be adopting more gliders in the future, but for now I will concentrate on the three I have, and love.
Please consider rescuing a glider that needs a home.
Best of luck.

Thanks for all the advice everybody! After reading your comments, I will NOT be breeding gliders for a LONG time, if I ever do at all. I definitely need to get Maya a companion though. I'd like to have a little girl around her age. Does anyone know where I can find one for free or cheap (under $100)? I bought Maya for $350 from Hoobly.

Where are you located? I would suggest you look locally. If you have to ship you are looking at an additional $250.00 on top of the cost of the glider.

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Willows Tree</i>
<br />...I will, forever, recommend that folks wait more than a year of "glider slavery" before they even consider breeding..Then wait & do more research for another year.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

i agree wholeheartedly! i rescued a single glider and went in search of a cagemate for him. i found a pair on Craigslist and arranged to pick them up a month later, after finals so i'd have more free time for bonding. Just before i was due to pick them up, i was informed that there were twins in the female's pouch. i knew they were a "proven breeding pair" in the original owner's words, but i had planned to have the male neutered as soon as i got them. We waited until the joeys were a couple of weeks OOP before moving them, to help ensure mama wouldn't reject them - and she didn't. However, she was apparently already pregnant again, and the next joey - OOP just as the twins were weaning - was cannibalized.

From what i've heard, breeding sugar gliders is not likely to be a financially profitable venture unless you go large-scale, have lineage on your gliders, and/or have non-standard color morphs. We made the decision to allow a few more babies to build a colony before we neuter the males, but it's a hassle and a headache to house everybody safely to avoid inbreeding until then! i definitely do not have any interest in getting into breeding for sale - my ex-husband and i bred wolves for a few years and that was enough for me to know that is not for me!

plz plz plz get her a cage mate........

please read this article Error, missing URL. 3

I need help finding a companion for Maya! I've been searching for local gliders for hours and every one I have found has already been sold, is a male not neutered, or is over $500! Please help!

Where are you located?

What websites are you checking?

I recently went through the same thing. It sounds to me that Maya is doing fine without a friend at the moment, so rushing into getting another glider isn't necessary. Searching for exactly what you're looking for can take some time. What I did was I checked Craigslist every morning and every night. I checked under 'Pets' and 'For Sale' sections, locally and surrounding areas. It all depends on the distance you're willing to travel for a sugar glider.

Yesterday I finally found a white-faced solo female for $350, that's including things like a pouch, wheel, water bottle, food plates and a travel cage. It's going to be 2 hours, round trip (definitely not complaining about that lol). It took me about 2 weeks to find her. I went through many many couples, or males who weren't neutered.

If you are checking Craigslist or similar websites, make sure you're asking lots of questions, too! I asked everyone I contacted if the glider had been to a vet before, what diet they were on, and if they have always been on their own.

Chances are slim that you're going to find a glider for under $100. Plus, you're going to need to spend at least that much when you take the new glider in for a check up at your (trusted) local vet. Unless Maya has already been to a vet, you'll need to check her out too. You'll also need to take in to account the gas you're gonna need to get her.

If money is an issue have you considered possibly looking for a rescue?

I'm located in Greenville, NC. I'm willing to travel up to 3 hours away.

Money is definitely an issue which is why I'm trying to find a glider no more expensive than $150 if possible. Maya has been to the vet so I am aware of the expenses of a new glider.

I have checked hoobly, craigslist, oodle, ebay, and several other sites that I don't even remember the names of.

Try the Sugar Glider Classifieds on FB...you can put what you're looking for and maybe get someone to come to you with information...


https://www.facebook.com/SGliderC


Heck girl...I'd be pouncing on this one!!!!!

http://www.hoobly.com/2Gz0r4KJ/super-sweet-sugar-glider-baby.htm

You're willing to go 3 hours and still can't find anything? :( Man... that's pretty rough. Maybe you can find someone who is willing to meet you halfway.

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Heck girl...I'd be pouncing on this one!!!!!

http://www.hoobly.com/2Gz0r4KJ/super-sweet-sugar-glider-baby.htm
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I finally just got in touch with these people and they are willing to lower the price of this precious baby girl to $150 AND meet me halfway!!!!

I'm sooo excited I hope this all works out and they don't change their minds on the price!

So this leads me to another question: this little girl is 6 weeks old, and will be 8 weeks when I get her. My Maya is 5 months. How should I introduce the two to make sure they get along and don't hurt each other. I'm a little worried about Maya with a little joey.

Oh - so glad you found a friend for her!!!
On intros, most will suggest you wait until the new baby is bigger in size - so she can defend herself if need be.
You'll need do do quarantine (separate cage, separate room) for 30 days - here's a link to read up on that

http://sesg.southeastcares.org/WhyQuarantine.pdf

And if you go up to gliderpedia and search "introductions" you will find some very helpful information there

Thanks Renee!