I got a sugar glider a week ago and he's a shy little thing. He's a little younger (they're both over 8 weeks) than his other friend but they get along just fine. Recently however, I've noticed he's been hiding behind his exercise wheel and not running in it unless everyone is out of the room. The cage I have for them is a little bit bigger than a dresser and they seem fine in it. He's active a little at night but I don't really pay attention to him and do my own thing while he plays with his buddy. He also does not look like how he looked a few days ago. His head fur was whitish-yellow and now it looks cracked and he looks depressed. He's always been shy and I try and interact with him, but he sleeps more than he plays with me. He even sleeps on me most times when we try to bond. His diet contains many vegetables and fruits, along with meat and snacks. I don't overfeed him and make sure to give him small portions if we go out (to eliminate stress). He hasn't been himself lately and I really need someone to let me know what to exactly do.. I can tell 100% that he IS depressed and I would like to know if there are any treatments other than "get him a friend!" because he has one. I'm also working on making his cage a lot more fun for him to be active and whatnot, but could depression kill him? And if I'm not wrong, is he really depressed or am I just overreacting?

What diet are you using? Maybe a vet check asap. There so small the sooner you get him there the better. Is the other glider okie? You said hes younger than 8 weeks?

Depression won't kill him, I wish people would quite telling new owners that.

The diet could be a concern, they may not be getting all the nutrients their bodies need. There are many widely used staple diets out there that provide calcium and other minerals and vitamins gliders need to stay healthy long term. Bml is usually the one I recommend to my mentees, it's easy to make and find the ingredients. http://www.bmldiet.com/ the recipe and instructions can be found on that link. There are other diets out there if you need more options I'd be happy to give you more links. No matter what diet you chose please follow the recipe to the T and serving instructions. One simple ingredient change can throw the whole diet off and make it unbalanced.

what kind of meat ?

What kind of wheel do you have?

Glider safe toys would help them be more stimulated, if you don't have any for them it'd be a good idea to get some or make some.

Sounds like you have very young joeys, please keep in mind it will take some time for them to begin to trust you. Everything they knew has changed and it takes some time to adjust.

As far as the males head being white/yellow he is probably starting to develop his scent gland. Intact males get a "bald spot" on their head which is a scent gland, it excretes oils which can make the fur around the gland turn yellow... completely normal. It would be a good idea to get him neutered and the cage mate if it's a male as well.

Do you have a glider experienced vet near you ?

In reply to Gayle,
The diet I've been using has been recommended by the pet store I bought them from. They gave me a pamphlet of what I should be feeding them on a daily basis, the current setup I have is a cup of Chinese broccoli and I mixed in pairs along with that. They eat their glider mix which contains pellets and dried fruits and veggies, and they get their nectar at night. The other glider Zeus, is okay, he's really active and he's very social since he was from the leftover batch from the pet store. As for Buzz, the younger one, he's still trying to adapt to the place but isn't doing so well. He's less social and isn't very interested in toys yet, I'm hoping that'll change or he'll be less active..

In reply to Leela,
Thank you for this diet link, I will definitely start to slowly change their diet as they adapt to their new home. The meat that I've been feeding him is boiled chicken meat and nothing fried, I've kept the meat at small portions since I want them to eat more of their fruits and vegetables. The wheel I got for them is an open wheel.. I'm going to replace it as the oldest glider has been taking some hard falls from it, but he still insists on running/hopping on it. Both males are neutered and I do have a sugar glider vet near me. I was hoping I could get them checked up next week and get new toys for them.

I would feed diff veggies other than the broc. Would be great to get them on a better diet. Think its like 7 different types of fruits n veggies. Plus the staple. No need for pellets.
Just remember, all gliders are different and bond differently.

I've got the flu so I hope this post makes sense, if it doesn't that is why

I'm not sure what an open wheel is but I'm assuming it's one you found at a pet store. Wheels found in pet stores are not safe nor designed for how gliders use wheels they are meant for and designed for rodents.

I know it may seem like a huge expense, but try to look at a new wheel as an investment. There are a few wheel vendors out there who make glider safe wheels, my favorite is the custom cruiser http://www.cccruiser.com/ They have the highest quality and usually the fastest delivery time the customer service is incomparable. There is also the raptor wheel http://www.mygliderwheelsandmore.com/ Which are excellent as well I have both, however the raptor wheel takes longer to get.

There are a few others, but these two I have personally and recommend. These wheels were designed for how gliders move on the wheels and have been widely used in the community for years.

As for the diet, there is no need to gradually switch diets, just switch as soon as you can. I'm sure you have already invested some money in their current diet but it does sound like it is lacking some vital nutrients. The pellets are just fine one the side as a snack but shouldn't be the main part of their meal. Broccoli isn't a veg I feed often ( like maybe once a year ) because it is a gassy food and my gliders don't care for it... Once you chose a diet the fruits and veg that should be fed with it will be listed on that diets website. Like the bml, there are specific fruits and veg that needs to be feed with it to keep that diet balanced.

Toys, there are some awesome toy vendors

https://www.facebook.com/PaisleysPlayground https://www.facebook.com/michelle.cutler.5496?fref=ts https://www.facebook.com/glidertoys/
www.facebook.com/SugarGliderBangers ( my vending page )