What are your views on getting a colony cage for my 2 gliders with maybe a divider in the middle for introductions? Would this be a good idea? I'm planning to eventually neuter daddy and start a colony if the next joeys suffer the same fate. It was heartbreaking to loose the joeys this time. (It was my fault because I didn't give them proper nutrition so I decided not to neuter this time.)

I also plan to have a couple breeding pairs eventually.

What are your views on this plan and should I wait until later to buy a colony cage and just get a smaller cage for now? I was hoping I could kill 2 birds with one stone and not have to buy a new cage and then a colony cage later.

I'm sorry if I didn't make sense. I'm tired and having trouble collecting my thoughts. Lol.

What do you mean a divider in the middle for introductions? Intros should never be done across bars, that can be very dangerous.

I mean a solid metal sheet dividing the cage in half. I have heard other talking about thinking of doing this. Would it work or would it be a disaster waiting to happen?

If the gliders can reach each other AT ALL, even around corners, reaching out one bar around the metal to the other, etc, it is a disaster waiting to happen. When people have double cages that they use for breeders (which I personally think tend to be way too small), the cage compartments are separated by several inches.

Ok. I could still do intros with their old cage and the new one beside each other (~4-6in) correct?


How do people run colonies? Buy 5-7 glider that are the same age at the same time?


What do you think of this set up?

Introductions are much more complicated than just putting the cages near each other. You need to go through some time swapping pouches and toys so they get used to each other's scents, then actually spend some time supervising them together in a neutral territory. A cage is NEVER a good place to do an initial intro, you will inevitably have one glider invading the others' space, and you also won't be able to break up a fight very well if once should occur. There are some much more extensive articles on intros in the gliderpedia that you should read.

Creating a colony takes no more than doing careful introductions and paying close attention to personalities. Some groups of gliders can live well together, others can not. If you are talking about making a colony from the joeys of your current pairing, you will not need to worry about intros, you will just have to get your neuters done in a timely fashion. Other than that, I'm not really sure what type of set up you are talking about. If you are meaning colony BREEDING, that's a WHOLE other can of worms that is extremely complicated and risky.

No. I certainly don't want to colony breed.


I'm talking about creating a colony by intros (I will do lots of research before I even purchase another glider) and then having a breeding pair or two. Does this sound suitable?


I guess my real question is, can two gliders live in that big of a cage and can I establish a colony successfully?

2 gliders can live in as big of a cage as you can possibly imagine and create for them, and as long as you do your intros right, it's possible to create very large colonies. You will just have to keep in the back of your mind however, that if you do have some aggression or dominance issues develop, you make need to have a back up plan in mind if you have to split them up. Usually though, if you give them enough space, gliders do very well living in large groups.

Thank you so much for your help. Now I need to find a used colony cage or a cheaper one (under $200)

Building one from PVC will be your best bet.

Ok. How much would that be and do you know of any plans?

A website that I have found for building a cage is this one:
www.justforfuzzies.com/Other_Stuff/Cage/index.html

I haven't gotten to building it yet but someone who did said it is an awesome cage! I haven't bought the supplies either so I don't know how much it will cost.

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Originally posted by sugargliderlover4

A website that I have found for building a cage is this one:
www.justforfuzzies.com/Other_Stuff/Cage/index.html

I haven't gotten to building it yet but someone who did said it is an awesome cage! I haven't bought the supplies either so I don't know how much it will cost.

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This is the one I have. I love it. I have heard some say their doors didn't fit right.....but I used every measurement on there and mine is perfect and my babies love it!!

Why on earth would you want t keep separate gliders you intend on introing? Just a question. Why not put one cage maybe 5 or 6 inches away from the other so they can't grab each other but they can see each other and smell each other. That's how I did my last two. You've done the quarantine thing and fecal and all, right?