Hey guys so I'm getting both of my male sugar gliders fixed in December.
I was wondering if anybody could give me some information on getting them fixed?
Pros and cons?
Experiences?
I'm still debating on if I want to go through with it.

I just got my male neutered last week and so far it has come pretty well! He was a little cranky for the first few days (probably from being sore and confused) but he's come around and has been doing much better. Most important to me, no self mutilation! He's happy as a clam and almost back to 100% He does still seem a bit paranoid whenever I take him out (probably thinks I'm taking him to the vet or something) but calms down once he realizes he's not going anywhere.

Pros:
-No more joeys! I have a male/female pair and it's become hard for me to keep up with all the joeys. I got him fixed primarily for that reason.
-Reduced aggression. Although I never had this problem with my male, Meeko, I know that intact males can be more aggressive towards other gliders, especially to other males (dominance).
-Reduced smell. Neutering males reduces the male hormones thus causing their head and chest scent glands to dry (stop producing the scent oils) which, in turn, reduces their smell.
-Reducing the mating urge. Some neutered males will still go through the motions but, generally, the urges will subside. This is especially important in cases where the male has created mating wounds on females in the past.
-Stop self mutilation cycle when the SM is hormone driven.
-Overall friendliness towards other gliders and humans. Similar to cats and dogs, fixing them typically improves behavior.

Cons:
-They CAN still produce joeys 4-6 weeks after the neuter.
-Self mutilation. My vet told me that SM can occur after a neuter. Meeko got an E collar after surgery to prevent that.
-Money. At least near me, glider neuters are pretty costly.

The most important thing is finding an experienced vet to do the neuter. Definitely make sure to ask about the procedure and medication. My vet told me about some horror stories. To me, the pros certainly outweigh the cons. I hope this helps and good luck!

"-They CAN still produce joeys 4-6 weeks after the neuter" Inaccurate

It is NOT that the males can still produce after a neuter, they CAN'T. Females can hold a pregnancy in stasis for up to 12 months and give birth when she's ready or conditions are right. Sometimes, she gives birth a couple weeks after the male was neutered which make it seem like the male was still producing after his neuter.

Personally I prefer pom off lazer neuters as opposed to pom on traditional neuters. I feel they heal faster with less issues after the procedure, most of the time e collars are not needed or necessary.

If your not sure what method your vet uses, ask them and ask what their procedures are. Will he be sent home with pain meds, do they have e collars, etc... ask your vet....



neutering Does NOT reduce the mating urge if the male is already sexually mature when he gets neutered. However, if he hasn't hit sexual maturity when he is neutered he likely won't have a sex drive. So if the glider is anywhere from 2-4 months or older, has a bald spot he will still likely have a sex drive.

"mating wounds" DON'T only happen when mating, they are also called Dominance wounds, we still don't know the ACTUAL reason the wounds are happening, so now we call them NECK wounds. Males and females get neck wounds, females can give neck wounds so can males it's not gender specific.

Neutering also does NOT stop self mutilating nor does it break the cycle. SM has NOT been DIAGNOSED with a cause either, there are theories, but none of the theories are hormone related what so ever. Not all after neuter issues are considered self mutilating. Some just don't heal great, or a stitch comes undone or the glider grooms off the glue used to seal the site there are several complications that are not considered self mutilating.

I'm not sure where you got your information from, and I'm not trying to be mean or a know it all. However, inaccurate information needs corrected.

I've got pictures and actual self mutilating cases where a neuter did NOT stop the cycle and the glider kept self mutilating and some have died. The self mutilating was present BEFORE the neuter. There is one glider currently in medical foster care still healing and still has potential to self mutilate with out his e jacket and or e collar on.

Myself, and Several veteran glider owners with more medical knowledge than a lot of vets, that are involved in these cases and studies to find out why it's happening.

As for the males still producing vs females holding pregnancies in stasis, check out http://www.suzsugargliders.com/ lots of breeding information there.