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6 Week Old glider doesn't eat much and i think he gets cold
6 Week Old glider doesn't eat much and i think he gets cold
Joeys, birth, parenthood
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Oct 23 2014
09:37:47 AM
I just got a 6 week old male joey this week. I have two more females i got from the same person a few months ago.The two girls were 7 months and 6 weeks old,they were already together so the older one would let the joey ride on her all day. The 6 week old ate and drank good after the first day,did great after that. I figured he would be ok too sense My KoKo is a sweetheart. She will get in the same pouch with him and so will my Nova but he wants to be attached/ride on them outside of the pouch and they aren't having it. He was out exploring his new home lastnight as i watched them all very closely. he went to the bottom of the cage and after a few minutes he didn't go back up top so i got him and his little hands were cold. I got my bonding pouch,put his piece of my scent fleece in there,put him under my shirt and covered up with a fleece blanket to warm him up. I'm concerned the same thing might happen again tonight.He has not really eaten much ,drank a little water today and this morning i gave him about an ounce of milk re-placer,not sure if it was to cold or not. he licked a little then i put a little under his lip to kinda make him eat a little. I also put KoKo in the bonding pouch with him during the day to help keep him warm.I'm really concerned about his water consumption. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Joeys, birth, parenthood
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Oct 23 2014
10:09:22 AM
Kayla_Smith123 Glider Visit Kayla_Smith123's Photo Album Kayla_Smith123's Journal USA 146 Posts
I've never had joeys but from everything I've seen on here over the years 6 weeks is too young to be away from his Mom. That's why he keeps trying to cling to other females. Hopefully someone who has dealt with joeys will come along soon!
Joeys, birth, parenthood
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Oct 23 2014
10:13:18 AM
Blue Nostalgic Fuzzy Wuzzy Visit Blue Nostalgic's Photo Album 1422 Posts
I'm very concerned that this person is apparently frequently sending out joeys that are only 6 weeks OOP. They need to be with their mother for at least 8 weeks. You were lucky that your two females came to you bonded, and that is the reason you did not notice the troubles that your new fellow is having.

Not only is he stressed having been taken away too soon (any age glider is stressed when moved to a new environment) but, he will need extra care from you in order to stay warm, as you know, and ensure that he is able to eat on his own. At 6 weeks he should have been starting to eat the food that his parents ate, depending upon what sort of diet they offered.

This site http://www.suzsugargliders.com/helpforrejectedjoeys.htm is an excellent resource for taking care of joeys, whether rejected immediately or if taken young, as yours has been.

He isn't bonded to your other females and you've skipped the quarantine and introduction process without noticing (I'm presuming, as you said you put him in a pouch with them successfully during the day) any initial aggression toward him. That doesn't mean that they will help take care of him and yes, you will need to be the one to keep him warm and well fed. Take a look at that site and feel free to ask as many questions as you have. There are wonderful and knowledgeable folks here that will be able to help your little guy get through this.
Joeys, birth, parenthood
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Oct 23 2014
10:23:44 AM
NovaKoKo Starting Member TX, USA 2 Posts
Thank you Blue Nostalgic, no i didn't notice the introduction and questioner part. I'm concerned and wanted some advice asap. Again thank you so much
Joeys, birth, parenthood
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Oct 23 2014
01:42:48 PM
Candy Cuddle Bear Visit Candy's Photo Album FL, USA 8110 Posts
What diet do you have your gliders on? Is it the same diet the breeder was feeding her gliders.

It usually takes glider a few days to adjust to a new home and a new diet before they eat well. Unfortunately, this joey is too young to have been taken from his mother and may have still been nursing and therefor not eating a full amount of the nectar like staple part of the feeding. It takes joeys a while before they begin eating the fruits and vegetables that complete the feeding.

If you do not have your gliders on one of the widely used feeding plans that include a nectar like staple that provides the protein, vitamins and calcium your gliders need, you may want to look at those diets and choose one to use for your gliders.

Watch your gliders in the evenings when you have put their food in the cage - make sure the older gliders are letting the joey eat. If they are preventing him from getting all of the staple he wants and needs, put a second dish of the staple at another location in the cage to make sure he can eat all he wants. Offer extra staple if necessary to make sure he gets enough until he begins to eat the fruits and vegetables also.
Joeys, birth, parenthood
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Oct 23 2014
02:31:43 PM
Blue Nostalgic Fuzzy Wuzzy Visit Blue Nostalgic's Photo Album 1422 Posts
Nova...Candy is the resident "go-to" person here! Hit her up with all questions and take her advice!

No worries on the "intro" part of my post...you misunderstood. There is no intro questionnaire here on the site! I was referring to what are accepted standards for quarantining a new glider and slow introductions between the new glider and existing gliders. While you have not noticed fighting and outright aggression right away...it may still occur, and as Candy said, the older gliders could be keeping the joey away from the food.
Joeys, birth, parenthood
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Oct 23 2014
04:54:36 PM
BCChins Super Glider 219 Posts
Another thing to remember is always make sure the Joey is nice and warm before feeding. If he is too cold then he will not eat and/or the food will just sit in his tummy. The food should be at least room temperature but I would make it a bit warmer. Test it on your wrist like you would for a baby it should not feel too warm nor too cold.
Joeys, birth, parenthood
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Oct 28 2014
08:24:40 AM
jmoncil Joey 12 Posts
KoKo,

I have been hand feeding my joey for the past 3 weeks (he is now only 4 weeks OOP). As of right now I go back and forth from puppy formula and then baby food for feedings. At 6 weeks OOP he should be almost done nursing from mom so in order to help if you are going to hand feed him, you should be able to feed him about twice a day. If you want to do formula I was told to start instilling canolia oil into his food to help wean him off of the formula. This is something that mom's body would already be doing for the joey. We are already feeding Tegan every 5-6 hours and he is eating 6-8 ml of formula, but about .5 - .75 teaspoons for the feedings. The best way to see if he is eating is something that was suggested to me and that is to buy a little scale and weigh him. At that age he is suppose to be eating about 20% of his body weight. So if you weigh him you can keep track. Even keep a little record of it each time with his weight and if you are hand feeding his instate so if here is something wrong, you have a detailed account of everything that you have been doing to bring to the vet. Hope it helps!
Joeys, birth, parenthood
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Nov 06 2014
11:37:16 PM
Savannah1363 Glider Visit Savannah1363's Photo Album 68 Posts
Just wanted to point out that last year I got a joey, the guy promised me she was old enough to take... She died after about a month and $600 in vet bills... in hindsight, the only thing she needed was to be fed. I didn't realize it at the time but the poor thing starved to death, she would eat tiny amounts of baby food and I thought it was enough, but it wasn't. If I were you I'd rather be safe than sorry. Get formula and feed him as if he was a rejected joey and consider the possibility that he isn't as old as you were told.

Good luck!
6 Week Old glider doesn't eat much and i think he gets cold

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Sugar Gliders
6 Week Old glider doesn't eat much and i think he gets cold