Hellol I have an intact male sugar glider about 10 months old and he is not as active as he used to be and really needs a buddy. I scheduled a date next week to get neutered but now that I think about it I think I should cancel and wait a while because Every time my sugar glider goes to the vet to get his nails clipped he doesn't eat anything for like 3 days and he's scared of everything and than he's back to normal after the 3 days. I just think neutering him wold put him over the edge because he gets so sluggish and lethargic right after he gets his nails cut and he basically kills himself until he starts eating again after days. But anyway he is in need of getting a buddy due to him only coming out to eat and being more depressed now than he used to be. So. Since he's a bit older what are my choices really for getting him a mate? Like could I start him off with another male preferably a little older because he's older than get him neutered so the process won't affect him enough because I don't want to have babies with a female glider. But yet again he's going to get neutered anyway but I think he needs that support of another glider before he gets neutered because of the way he acts after the vet. Thank you everyone! I look forward for hearing from you :)

Keep in mind you can't just but them both in one cage and think it will be ok, you'll have to introduce them slowly which can take weeks. If you don't want to breed him go ahead and get him nuetered and then get him a buddy.

You can look around for people giving away gliders. But you should get him neutered first. That way he can be healed up before he gets his cagemate. Neutered males have a better chance of getting along than intact males. Whatever you choose though you have to do proper introductions. Get a fecal smear done on the new glider to make sure that it isn't brining parasites that could infect your glider. The fecal smear is done once then again in 30 days. During this time you can swap pouches so the gliders can get used to eachothers scent. Hopefully once they meet they won't fight but that's no garuntee. Try to get a glider that's around the same age and size gender really won't matter since you're getting him neutered.

You really would be better off if you get him neutered before you try introing him to a new glider.

Even if you get a neutered male as a buddy for him, he may still be aggressive as he's overrun with testosterone.

If you get him neutered now, you'll have me options with a cage mate; you'll be able to find him a male or female buddy with no issues.

If you're worried that he'll lose weight after the vet trip, you could try offering him some fattier foods leading up to, and after, the vet trip. Chicken boiled in apple juice, honey mixed in yogurt, avocado, mealworms and yogurt chips are all favorites around here :) You could also try handfeeding him more of his dinner and his staple for the first couple days after the neuter, it may encourage him to eat more. Good luck!

Where are you located? We have to give our female away :(. She has been by her self and needs a mate. I am in Washington.

Sebastion where in Washington ? I know a couple people looking for cage mates out there

I am in the Redmond / east side area.

Thank you everyone for the help. I am in western new York. I do understand that sugar gliders get along better when they are neutered but my glider basically stops eating completely and doing things after a nail trimming so. I would really like to get him a cage mate than get him neutered after a few days of them getting along. I talked with the vet yesterday about getting him neutered and based on what I told her she thinks he wouldn't be a good candidate either at the moment. Another question is how could I divide the cage when he gets a buddy? I really am just paranoid right now on the thought of getting him neutered because I think it's going to push him over the edge. He doesn't even stink that the moment nor is he mean or have a bald spot but I'd like to get him neutered after a few days of getting another glider. Thanks

http://www.sugarglider.com/gliderpedia/index.asp?IntroducingNewGliders

Just FYI, about introductions. You'll need a separate cage for the 30 day quarantine.

Sebastian I'm an admin of a group called Sugar Glider Guardians https://www.facebook.com/groups/sugargliderguardians/ We have members in that area looking for cage mates I think, you are welcome to join and make a post with pics to rehome your glider my face book name is Carla Sloan if you need any help feel free to message me.

Supersmash I'm originally from Western New York ( Chautauqua County ) there is a glider rescue up around there run by Trina Finch she is also a breeder and has a couple joeys almost ready to go. She also has neutering done for all the male rescues if you are concerned she might be able to help. It really is in the best interest to get your male neutered before trying to introduce another cage mate and it will likely mellow him out some.

https://www.facebook.com/trinastreasuredrescues?fref=ts

What your describing kind of sounds like he is affected by barometric pressure changes. I have a female that gets all " squirrely " when the barometric pressure changes, her tail snakes, she seems timid or scared, she does laps around the top of the ceiling of the cage. After a few days when the barometric pressure normalizes so does she.

Are you cutting his nails yourself or are you having the vet do it and is the vet giving him anesthesia to do his nails ?

Your options for a cage mate are pretty much wide open providing your male gets neutered. Some males will not accept other males if one or both are intact. Males can be very territorial... as mentioned earlier there is a suggested 30 day quarantine before most people introduce.

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but my glider basically stops eating completely and doing things after a nail trimming

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HOW does your vet trim his nails? Is she just holding him to trim the nails or is he being sedated for the nail trimming? Is his stopping eating after nail trimming something related to being held or a reaction to anesthesia?

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I'd like to get him neutered after a few days of getting another glider.

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Just getting another glider is not going to change anything with respect to how your glider will handle being neutered.

When you get a second glider it is recommended that you follow a 30 day quarantine beginning with a vet exam of the new glider and fecal testing to make sure the new glider is not bringing parasites to be shared with your current glider. (I assume your current glider has already had fecal testing) The 30 day quarantine ends with a second fecal testing to make sure any parasites were not in a dormant phase at the time of the first testing.

THEN you can move the two cages close to each other and begin swapping pouches and toys before attempting a face to face introduction. It may take more than one try to introduce the two gliders - ESPECIALLY if your current glider is intact and maturing which will likely be the case by the time you find a companion and complete the quarantine.

Once your intact glider is mature he will begin to be more territorial so if you choose another intact male glider as a companion - they may not get along at all. If you choose a female companion - and introduce her to your intact male - even for a few days before neutering him - you run the risk of having joeys on the way. (which would mean the cost of neutering any male joeys before they are 4 months OOP)

Waiting to neuter your male until after he has a cage mate could also make things more difficult for him because he would need to be separated from his new companion for the day of the surgery and probably one night for him to recover from the anesthesia after surgery before he could be put back with his new friend.

Separation from his new cage mate would only add to his stress.

Leela

Thanks for the info. I did join up but haven't posted yet. Honestly, after going to the vet and finding this forum I am going to do everything I can to improve her situation here. And if she still shows sign then I will find someone. She is close to 10 we think and our vet suggested that she may be too old to even bond with other glides at this point.

Sebastian : what makes your vet think she could be too old to bond with another glider? has she been a lone glider all her life?

Even if there are (really few) cases of gliders who seem to fare better alone, there are many more cases of older gliders (even really older) bonding quite well with others and improving drastically from then on.

ahh I understand we have many there that can still take her in and keep her single, but we would be more than happy to help you work with her and keep her if that's what you are choosing.

A friend of mine recently took in a single 12 yr old blind male with severe over grooming. He is going to remain a single glider as well and he is thriving and loving life and regrowing hair.... with a new cage/clean cage and toys. There is nothing wrong with single older gliders if you are providing them some enrichment in their cages and giving them lots of attention. Sometimes it's to stressful on a long time single glider to be introduced, sometimes it's not.... depends on the glider https://www.facebook.com/carla.sloan.1 feel free to shoot me a message anytime if you need anything and good luck

sj: yes, the glider has been alone for about 8 years. We took her in when her owner passed away and she was not in good shape. We did good for her but still needs improvement which is where we are at now. We are basically on the fence about keeping her it not. We know it's better typically for her to be with others but we dont want to just pass her on. We plan on giving her the best we can give and and then if we feel that we can't give her what she needs then we will find her a home.

Leela, thanks for the words and support. This site has given us so much great info so hopefully it will work out. If not, we know we can find a good family for her!