Violentte Joey 
Canada
16 Posts
So about a year ago, my 4 year old girl Luna died unexpectedly and very gruesomely. she got sick during a long weekend and unfortunately passed before the vet was opened (emergency places wouldnt take her, long story)
but anyways, she left behind her twin brother, Sol and a white faced blonde, Astrid that I had adopted. Sol and Astrid thereafter had to be separated. I suppose the trauma created a rift between the two and they just would not get along any more. After a few months of searching I finally found another sugar glider for sale in my region and paired him with Astrid (She was more open to accepting a new friend and was also beginning to lose hair due to overgrooming from depression.)
They eventually mated and had baby Nova who is now 7 weeks oop.
Sol, in the last couple of months, has been frantically chewing at the bars of his cage, clawing towards the other cage and doing this strange hip dance (Sol is neutered. Although, he still gave Luna mating wounds which may have contributed to her death with the constant vet visits and antibiotics and he has been quite aggressive and scent rubs EVERYTHING) Sol also very very recently began losing hair.
My thought was to introduce him to baby Nova and see if they could live together when he came of age but that immediately went awry. (This happened last night)
Totally desperate for a solution, I took Pluto (The recently bought male who is still un-neutered) and placed him on the bars of Sols cage. To my surprise, instead of attacking Plutos feet, Sol was very interested. They sniffed each other through the bars and hissing/chattering at each other. I then, standing at the ready to grab them if anything went wrong, placed Pluto in Sols cage. I understand that when two gliders are introduced that the cage must be cleaned and they must meet on neutral ground but Sol seemed so very eager to have a friend that I gave it a try.
What happened was thoroughly fascinating. They immediately interlocked and took turns scent rubbing each other. Sol mounted Pluto a few times and Pluto allowed it. After a few minutes of some intense looking cuddling, Pluto took to Sols wheel while Sol ate dinner. Then Pluto ate, then they went to pouch together. They have so far spent all night and day together without anything more than a few disagreements, and not a scratch on either of them. Sol seems absolutely ecstatic to have a cage-mate and Astrid, although a bit curious as to why her mate is in the other cage, seems fine with sharing her cage with her almost matured joey.
I am hoping to eventually move all five gliders into the main cage, but Sol is obviously in need of some rehab, and Astrid needs to learn not to hate his scent. Perhaps if I alternate which cage Pluto is in every once in a while to slowly get them all used to the idea of living in a community?
I just thought this was an interesting happening as it goes against most of what I've known about my bears. Maybe Sol is reminded of his lost sister when he sees Pluto? (He looks and acts a lot like her, maybe smells like her too) He certainly has hated every other glider I've tried to introduce him to, even Astrid, who he co-existed with just fine before Luna's passing.(I have tried to re-introduce them about 20 times, in every possible method but to no avail)
Has this happened to anyone else? And what was that weird hip wiggle Sol was doing before? Could the vet perhaps not completely neutered him, leaving a bit of a confusing libido?
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