My gliders just had 2 female joeys, I'm not sure the exact day they detached but they can't be more than 2 weeks oop. Today my mom came home and found one of the babies dead on the opposite side of the cage from where their nest is. I don't understand what happened, the other joey seems perfectly healthy, I never noticed either of them looking sick and I would be very suprised if it got too cold considering how warm it is. This is my females first time having babies so maybe she just didn't know what to do when the baby wondered out of the nest? I'm so sad :(

First of all how old is the mom? She may have rejected the Joey from the sounds of it. Since this is her first time she may have been stressed with taking care of both joeys and if she's kind of young that could be another reason why she could of rejected the Joey. Sorry this happened to you :(

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Originally posted by Vicki2015

First of all how old is the mom? She may have rejected the Joey from the sounds of it. Since this is her first time she may have been stressed with taking care of both joeys and if she's kind of young that could be another reason why she could of rejected the Joey. Sorry this happened to you :(

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I havent had her for very long, she was pregnent when I bought the pair. The previous owner says she's about a year old.

I don't like the word "rejected", but I can tell you from experience that it is very common that a first time mother will destroy at least one of the babies. The honest fact is that nobody told these critters what motherhood was. It has to be learned. And that often has a cost. When momma destroys a baby she learns what it is and then the rest will be saved on this learned knowledge.

Life is rough for all critters.

Sorry for your loss.

Sadly it's impossible to know exactly why... She could've been too stressed as a new mom in a new house, she could've not been producing enough milk, she could have a sore nipple and didn't want the Joey to nurse, there could've been a genetic issue with the Joey that she could sense, it could've been an inbred Joey (if you don't have lineage), she might not have had the nutrition to support two joeys (calcium or protein), or it could be a complete random accident.

Did you ever find the Joey outside of the sleeping pouch, being ignored by mom, or crying and mom not attending to her? What diet is mom on, and has she always been on a good diet? Do your gliders have lineage? Were you weighing the joeys at all, or checking to see if they were hydrated?

Unfortunately we can only speculate. And sadly, this is a common part of breeding...sugar gliders in particular can be brutal with their joeys, it's just natures way.

Keep an eye on the other little girl, weigh her daily if you can, and be ready to pull her if you see signs mom is not caring for her.