I woke up this morning to find one of my 8 month old twin gliders dead in the bottom of the cage. I am completely devastated! He was out and playing, taking treats and being his very personable self when I went to bed. Within an hour of removing his body, his brother’s personality changed completely. He went from very shy and sweet to completely crabby and hateful. I know he is grieving and it’s breaking my heart. It has not been 24 hours yet but I’m wondering how soon I can get him another companion? Should I give him some time? Needing some advice. Thanks.

** A necropsy is being performed on my sweet Bunji to find out the cause of death.

I don't know about gliders specifically

But I have read With birds you're supposed to give them time to grieve before you remove their cage mate after they pass

I've never been in that situation I can't imagine I'm very sorry for your loss

Do you know if The other glider saw him after the passing?

Was it just the two of them or did you have a colony ?
I have read sometimes a loan glider will be more defensive
I would think that would go double for one that was initially Shy

I would try to keep normal routine as much as possible
With added toys/out of cage time just to keep him distracted

Maybe keep one pouch dirty so the smell of his brother will still be around for sometime at least until you noticed him calming back down

Hopefully someone that knows a little bit more could offer a little better advice

I am so sorry for your loss

I am so sorry for your loss.

Your left behind glider may have been aware of his brother's passing, if you found the body in the morning it is highly likely. He still may be wondering where he is or what happened to him. When I lost my Lulu, I felt her cage mates looked at me with suspicion and distrust. It was like they held me responsible for her disappearance. But that could have been in my head, I didn't find her the first thing in the morning, it was a little later in the morning and like you, can't be sure they knew of the passing or not.

I do not know for sure, luckily I had a trio, so the passing of one at this time didn't cause me that same concern you have. I believe a little time for him to grieve should be given, but it can take a while to find a new mate, and then you may need/or want to do quarantine, depending on where you find a mate for him, or to make sure he's healthy first. Quarantine is 30 days, and this starts after first fecal at vets, so this can actually take quite a bit of time. Then after all is well, there is the intro preparation, and that can take usually around two weeks, possibly longer. So, it might not hurt to start your search, but I wouldn't commit to any until you get your nec results back or have your little guy checked out or even both.

In the meantime, give him as much attention and love as you can, he's scared and probably feels very alone suddenly. And please keep us posted on how both he and you are doing and any news from the nec, as well as your search for a new cage mate for him.

Thanks for the responses! When I discovered my little guy had passed, his brother was asleep partially on top of his brother’s body! It was heartbreaking! In the days since, I have spent a lot of time with him and made quick work finding him a friend. We now have a 8 week oop female. She has been given a clean bill of health and is settling in. Even though they have to be separated until she is older and bigger, my boy knows she’s around and has perked up quite a bit. He’s scheduled to be neutered Wednesday. No babies for these 2!

Congratulations on your new arrival!. So happy for all of you!!

I'm sorry about your loss, but I have a strange question for you.

Over a year ago I woke up to a dead glider. The worst part was that his eyes were eaten out.

Did yours still have eyes when you found him?

They eat the the eyes out when they are lacking nutrients and at times they will go to instinct and eat the body so predators don’t come around.