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My female with joeys isn't eating much after male died ! Help!
My female with joeys isn't eating much after male died ! Help!
Food, Diet
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Sep 22 2014
02:00:04 AM
My male died by a dog bite :( and it's been 5 days. I noticed the food I give to my female, she don't eat them much except for the HPW. I give her different kinds of fruits every night! Help!! She still eats her yogurt drops when I give her tho. And I syringe her water in the midday or so in case she gets thirsty. I'm worried if she doesn't eat much. She can't produce enough milk for the babies. So far there isn't signs of abandonment. And I try to give her as many toys as she likes to keep her happy.

Getting worried :(
Food, Diet
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Sep 22 2014
07:30:31 AM
NerdyHails Face Hugger Visit NerdyHails's Photo Album NerdyHails's Journal FL, USA 566 Posts
Are you giving her the same amount that you would when dad was still in cage?

Make sure its a tablespoon of staple, veggies, and fruit.... It is good that she is still eating the HPW... That holds alot of nutrients for her...

Are you bonded to your female? Is she new to you?

Be careful not to do anything "new" with her it may upset the pregnancy and she may reject...



Food, Diet
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Sep 22 2014
08:37:34 AM
rustypossumfart Face Hugger Visit rustypossumfart's Photo Album USA 459 Posts
Like us, gliders mourn. It is not strange for them to either eat too little or too much during this period. You just need to keep her under close watch, and while she is eating the staple for now it should be enough.

For lactating gliders it is good to offer extra of the staple, for calcium and nutrients in general. But if you are feeding the same amount as before, when she had her cagemate, she won't be able to eat it all.

Also, during the day, try to not disturb her as much (let her sleep) and you don't need to provide her with water or anything if she is well hydrated (to check for it, do a tent test, I posted how in another of your posts). Giving her water during the day is what could be causing her not to eat as much during the night, since she would be full on liquids.

One last thing, just a clarification. You said you feed a variety of fruits, I am assuming you also offer veggies, correct? If so, is ok; if not, you should add vegetable to her diet (some gliders prefer veggies over fruits)
Food, Diet
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Sep 22 2014
02:08:39 PM
Joannietay Joey Visit Joannietay's Photo Album 11 Posts
Ya I do give her vegetables as well. And also dry pallets in addition to her fruits and hpw. I'm just worried she isn't eating enough to produce milk for the babies.
I just had play time with her tho. She was nibbling my fingers. She doesn't really do much of that only occasionally. And she did drop a few drops of urine on me so that's a good sign right? I'm not so sure about the nibbling as she doesn't do it often or at all. So yeah.. Isit normal?
Food, Diet
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Sep 22 2014
02:22:11 PM
rustypossumfart Face Hugger Visit rustypossumfart's Photo Album USA 459 Posts
When handling gliders is good to thoroughly wash your hands(not with scented soap, though), since they could smell something in them and my want to find what it by licking or even biting. Usually gliders give sign when their are about to bite, they will first nibble a little (like a test) and bite harder and harder; to stop her from doing that you could make a PSST sound and/or distract her with a toy. Bear in mind that gliders will also try to "clean" you, they do that not only by licking but by scraping with their teeth too (usually this is a good sign and it means they accept you as part of their colony), but the scraping can hurt some.

As for milk production, if she is eating most of the staple (you should try feeding the amount recommended for a glider plus half) she should be fine for now, as long as this behavior does not continue for long. The staple contains most of the calcium she requires for milk production. Another thing you can do to encourage her eating is to hand feed some of the fruits and veggies, change the presentation, and such. Gliders can be very picky at times, and subtle changes could make a difference. But again, be aware that she is grieving as well, she may need sometime to adjust. Just watch her and the babies as well as you can.

And to help make sure that the joeys are doing well, you should get a scale that measures in grams and weight them (if at all possible daily). Compare their weight to the measures provided in the site below:

www.petsugargliders.com/sggrowth.php

And make sure they are constantly growing. If they are not, there could be an issue with momma's milk production and you may need to supplement feeding.
Food, Diet
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Sep 22 2014
05:33:51 PM
astockd1 Face Hugger Visit astockd1's Photo Album 478 Posts
Gliders will fill up on the foods they like and not eat all they need. HPW tastes like honey, so of course she is eating that, which is very food. Stop giving pellets as those taste great to gliders but are nutritionally useless and she should not be eating those right now. I would give about 1.5 TBSP of the HPW mix while she is lactating, plus a little over 1 TBSP fruit and 1 TBSP veggies because of the babies. Make sure she is getting enough calcium as well (calcium and vitamin D fortified orange juice is great for this). If the male just died and they were bonded then mom will be very sad. Gliders can become very depressed once a mate dies, and it's very sad to see. Obviously you should watch closely for signs of rejection, I hope she pulls through. Don't be too concerned if she eats less for awhile, humans can eat less when depressed too. You do have a water bottle available for her at all times of the day right? If it seems like the joeys aren't getting enough you can go buy some unflavored pedialyte and give it to them with a syringe or eye dropper to help keep them hydrated. You can do the tent test on them to see if that is necessary. Good luck to you and her!
Food, Diet
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Sep 24 2014
04:02:47 AM
Joannietay Joey Visit Joannietay's Photo Album 11 Posts
Thanks guys
Food, Diet
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Sep 27 2014
10:19:36 PM
groomermo Starting Member 3 Posts
I have a question on this subject my cousin gave me her female glider that is pregnant because she began to get depressed after a accident happened to the father. She gave me her because she knew I had a male glider that could be her new mate and since she works two jobs I could give her more attention that she needs. Problem is she is still pregnant with the male glider that passed away's babies her cage is next to my males and she seems to be doing better she is back to eating normally and they talk alot but I'm afraid to put them together just yet because I won't be getting my male fixed for another couple months because I have to save up for it. Will my male help with the Joey's I heard a male takes a big part of the babies lives....
Food, Diet
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Sep 27 2014
10:33:01 PM
Candy Cuddle Bear Visit Candy's Photo Album FL, USA 8110 Posts
Do not attempt to introduce your male to the female until the joeys are at least 8 weeks OOP. It will be much too stressful to put a strange glider into the cage with her while the joeys are very young. The joeys are too small to defend themselves against an adult male.

The male could harm the joeys or the female could defend her joeys and cause serious damage to the male.

The male should definitely be neutered BEFORE you do introductions. The female would probably get pregnant very quickly and your glider population will jump from 4 to 6 gliders in a very short time.

Food, Diet
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Sep 27 2014
10:34:06 PM
astockd1 Face Hugger Visit astockd1's Photo Album 478 Posts
quote:
Originally posted by groomermo

I have a question on this subject my cousin gave me her female glider that is pregnant because she began to get depressed after a accident happened to the father. She gave me her because she knew I had a male glider that could be her new mate and since she works two jobs I could give her more attention that she needs. Problem is she is still pregnant with the male glider that passed away's babies her cage is next to my males and she seems to be doing better she is back to eating normally and they talk alot but I'm afraid to put them together just yet because I won't be getting my male fixed for another couple months because I have to save up for it. Will my male help with the Joey's I heard a male takes a big part of the babies lives....


The dad is a huge part of raising the joeys. Are the joeys still in pouch? You might consider putting them together; I think it will be much less risky if he is there when the joeys come out. Introducing a new male when there are two small joeys may be too risky. However, she will likely become pregnant again. The chances of the joeys surviving are a lot higher with a dad. If there is no dad you will have to do a lot more work to help mom out. Make sure you are feeding her a good diet with plenty of protein. It is likely that your male will think they are his joeys and help raise them. It is possible that the joeys will die with or without him for different reasons, so it's a judgement call. A mom raising joeys alone is hard on her and you, and having gone through that and losing a joey because of it, I would personally put them together to try to avoid that. There are risks either way though. Good luck!
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Sep 28 2014
12:06:49 AM
rustypossumfart Face Hugger Visit rustypossumfart's Photo Album USA 459 Posts
Do not put them together.

Before even thinking about introducing glider, the most responsible thing to do is quarantine the new addition(s) for 30 days or so, taking them to the vet before and after the quarantine. In the first vet visit you need to ask for a health check and fecal test, the fecal is to check for parasites. Parasites can take a while to hatch, that's why you keep them separated for 30 days, and do another fecal test after that period. If the test comes negative, then you can start on introductions.

The female you've receive is probably very stressed. Not only she lost a partner, she was move to an entirely different environment (i.e. your home), and has now to deal with not raising joeys on her own, but a potential threat to her joeys, that is your male. All of this make it likely for her to lose her joeys, and even worse if you put your male with her, since it also introduces the possibility of your male killing the joeys (they are not his joeys, he has never been introduced to them or your female; they are all strangers).

Believe or not, gliders can be very territorial and aggressive, specially a female trying to protect her joeys or a male wanting to become the dominant one. Glider fights can be very nasty, resulting in sever wounds, and even dead (more so for small joeys).

The best you can do now is prepare for in case of joey rejection, and having the need to hand raise them yourself. You can find some info on how to do this here:

www.suzsugargliders.com/handraisingajoey.htm

Here you can find about signs of joeys rejection and more useful information:

www.suzsugargliders.com/helpforrejectedjoeys.htm

In her site you can also find what you need in case of any of this.

It is my opinion, that you should not try to put them together. Is just too much risky, not only for the joeys, but also for the adult gliders.
Food, Diet
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Sep 28 2014
12:40:10 AM
astockd1 Face Hugger Visit astockd1's Photo Album 478 Posts
If you don't put them together, make another post to see what everyone has to say about helping your girl raise them alone. You'll have to put extra work into it every night and monitor them closely. Glider males are known to kill and/or eat joeys that aren't theirs, but this may be because they smell like another male; if the female hasn't been around the male she won't smell like him, so I don't know if he'll want to kill them or raise them. It could go either way. And you should get them tested if you haven't already, but because you know where the girl has been you may not have to wait 30 days, especially if she had been to the vet recently with your friend. In general you can't just throw in another glider and assume they'll become the new parent, but it is possible.
My female with joeys isn't eating much after male died ! Help!

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Sugar Gliders
My female with joeys isn't eating much after male died ! Help!