Few weeks ago discovered my female was not fixed, by finding an abandoned joey at the bottom of my cage, cold to the touch, dehydrated, and not well fed. I attempted reuniting them, but Mama tried attacking him as soon as I tried placing the joey on Dad's back, so had to completely pull. Slowly worked my way up from straight pedialite to the full mixture of formula, been feeding properly around the clock, keeping him warm, and even bringing him to work with me every day to make sure he gets the proper treatment. Even so, now that he's (roughly) 3 weeks OOP, his eyes still haven't fully opened, and he's gaining weight very slowly, but perfectly healthy in every other way. I even looked on Suz's site to track growth patterns (when ears pop, when bottom teeth come in, weight, etc.), but his eyes still haven't opened all the way. From what I read, 1-2 weeks OOP is normally when their eyes open. Has this happened to anyone else, and is it an indication of possible issues (and even why Mama rejected)? Any help appreciated, as this is my first (and accidental) Sugar joey.

If his eyes are partially opened then it's possible he's a bit younger than you think or is just a late bloomer. If they're mostly opened but sort of gunked shut you could try washing the eyelids very gently with qtips dipped in warm saline solution like you would with a puppy or kitten to help them degunk so he can fully open them. I don't think it's necessarily a sign that anything is wrong with him. You said he's also gaining weight slowly so it might just be taking him longer to reach those milestones, or he might be a bit of a runt. Mothers can reject for a number of reasons so unless you notice any problems as he gets older you can't really know for sure. It sounds like you're doing a good job with him so I wouldn't worry too much if he's otherwise healthy and gaining weight.

Unless you want more joeys I'd suggest getting dad neutered ASAP. While it's possible for a female to be spayed I've never heard of it being done since it's safer and easier to just neuter the males.

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Originally posted by Scoria

If his eyes are partially opened then it's possible he's a bit younger than you think or is just a late bloomer. If they're mostly opened but sort of gunked shut you could try washing the eyelids very gently with qtips dipped in warm saline solution like you would with a puppy or kitten to help them degunk so he can fully open them. I don't think it's necessarily a sign that anything is wrong with him. You said he's also gaining weight slowly so it might just be taking him longer to reach those milestones, or he might be a bit of a runt.

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I greatly appreciate the response. I was also thinking he might be a late bloomer or a runt, but since this is my first, I just wanted to make sure (and put any fears to rest). There isn't any gunk, crust, or other build up around his eyes, and sometimes opens them a little further than slits, so he's fine in that aspect, as well. As long as he shows no signs of medical issues in the future, pretty sure this little guy is gonna be my Leo the Late Bloomer. (My favorite books as a child). Perfect name for my little bean.

Aww he is absolutely adorable