I have 2 sisters (Pip and Squeak), just under 3 years old that I adopted from a woman who was moving and needed to rehome them (in December 2015). Things were great up until about 6 weeks ago when I found a hole on Pip's back that looked like a bite. The vet gave me antibiotics and salve to use for 2 weeks but it did not heal enough and he decided to suture it. He asked me to keep them separate for 2 weeks so that Squeak would not get at her sister's stitches. They slept in separate cages but I allowed them to eat and play together under supervision. This backfired one night when they both crawled into a pouch and stitches were tugged at. Another trip to the vet and I was told no touching till stitches came out.

Fast forward to last Saturday when Pip was given a clean bill of health and told she could reunite with her sister. That night I let them out together for the first time in a couple weeks and they balled up and fought. I separated them a couple times but they continued to fight. During the weeks of separation, pouches were swapped each night as well as toys and their cages were close so that they could see and hear each other. I have tried every introduction technique I've found online (bathtub, clean pouch, vanilla extract, etc) but each time Pip tries to get away from Squeak/Squeak persues her and they ball up and have to be separated. Keeping them in separate cages until I know they can be safe. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. It is breaking my heart to see this once bonded pair fighting like this and I don't know what else to do.

I'm so sorry for what you and your gliders are going through. I understand how heartbreaking it must be. You're doing the right thing making sure Pip is getting good vet care and separating them until you can be sure they will both be safe. If I were you, I would probably contact the vet/clinic and see if they have some suggestions to help your two gliders re-bond. I wish I could offer you more help. There are many experienced moms and dads here and I'm sure you will have other people reaching out and offering support and ideas as well. Wishing you all the best!

I'm sorry to hear all this. Pleaseeeeeee know it is sadly pretty common. As a matter of fact I had a similar situation yet a little different myself . If I go into all the details the post will get long but if you'd like to hear it I will make a separate post with the details.

What I would like to focus on this post is, not all bonded gliders are going to be a permanent, long term, forever pairing. It doesn't happen that way in the wild, colonies don't stay the same for years, they don't mate with the same mate for life, they change partners, they change colonies, they travel sometimes between several colonies within their territory range.

In captivity we expect them to be together for life. We prevent them from leaving their colony and joining another because we keep them in cages ( which is for their safety ). We chose who is going to be their cage mate, who we want them to live with. We don't let them have a choice. We interfere with their natural habits and expect them to adjust to what we want for them. Gliders are not domesticated, they are wild animals who are adapting to captivity. They are categorized as exotic pets for that reason. So it only makes sense that their natural instinct is still present, still applies to them and we the humans are not giving in.

there are cases of gliders who have been together for yearssssssssss all the sudden not getting along, fighting, injuries, sometimes killing the cage mate. This is not meant to scare you, it's just being realistic, it happens.

When this happens, the human needs to understand that they no longer wish to live together. They are asking for you to pay attention to the fact that their dynamic has changed and need you to make changes in how they are housed.

Personally I wouldn't put them back together, I'd keep them in separate cages and make sure each one has a stimulating cage and things to keep them occupied, wheels toys etc

In the last two years, I've had a single glider, then a pair, then 2 pairs, then a quad, then the quad failed and I had a trio and a single injured glider. Then a trio and 2 singles, then a trio and a pair, then a trio a pair and another single. Then two trios, thennnnnnnnnn a colony of 6 which lasted about 3 months, then back to two trios, then 2 trios and a single, next i hope it will be 2 trios and a pair as my single is getting a mate in 2 weeks.

I've made a lot of changes yes, because I listen to the gliders, I recognize when something isn't working and I make changes accordingly. Sometimes I see it early enough and no one suffers any injuries, sometimes I don't.

We neeeeed to recognize when things change for the gliders. Then make our decisions based on what they are telling us.

This is NOT meant to tell you what to do, I can't make that decision for you I don't know your gliders, it's something you need to decide for yourself and your gliders. Look at all the variables, their behaviors, what are they telling you about their relationship?

sounds like you are doing things the way my wife does it.
If you want to keep trying I would suggest maybe changing pouches every 3 days, maybe give them a change to really smell it up. But not really sure if that will help much.
I'd say give it 2 more weeks and try again. Our gliders would usually have a small hissy fit (NOT FIGHT) when first introduced then they would
come around and be friends, but if they balled up we stopped the introductions.
If you can take a bite, you could try petting one, then trying to handle
the aggressor, this MIGHT give them the impression your scent and the other
gliders scent are OK. But I did this by accident and took a small nip from
a very excited glider.

Last night I would pet one in a the bathtub then let the other one smell my hand and then pet her. I did this several times and no one responded negatively (no nips to me). It seems, from what I've observed, that it is more about fear on Pip's part and less about aggression on Squeak's part. I think Squeak wants to sniff her, groom her, etc but Pip's response is total fear so she runs/jumps/generally freaks out as soon as Squeak gets close. I think Pip's fear encourages her sister to fight her or she acts out in defense which becomes a fight. I don't want to separate forever if I can help it, but things aren't looking great.