BACKSTORY: (I'm excited, so skip ahead to "Question" if it's too much haha)
I'm about to be a new sugar glider Mama! However, I don't take adoption lightly. This is a lifelong commitment! I've wanted to adopt sugar gliders for many years now but I was never sure it was right for me. After purchasing and reading "Sugar Gliders, The Complete Sugar Glider Care Guide" by Sandy Duncan and "A Complete Pet Owner's Manual, Sugar Gliders, With a Special Chapter: Living with Sugar Gliders" by Caroline Wightman, I decided I could more than meet their needs. I talked to my boss who said I can bring them to work with me. I purchased their cage, wheel, lots of fleece toys and foraging toys, lots of yummy glider snacks, some apple juice to add to their water on occasion, and 1,000 mealworms (after researching mealworm care). I bought their bonding and sleeping pouches as well as a bonding potion to help speed up the bonding process. I decided on a TPG diet and bought monkey biscuits, cereal, and a calcium mix supplement. I wanted to adopt from a reputable USDA licenced breeder and ended up adopting from "The Pet Glider LLC". I located a great exotic veterinarian for them and I think I have all my bases covered.

QUESTION:
After my research I knew how important it was to have more than one glider, however, some say two is best while others have sworn by three being best. So far, I adopted a little boy who was neutered last week and a little girl. They're best friends already from what I've been told. So is it better to have three instead of two? Not looking for babies, just a happy family to grow up together and live a long happy life. Does a third one change the dynamic for bonding? I'd love to know what your thoughts and/or experiences are!

wow!! congrats sounds like you are very prepaired

personally I prefer trio's rather than pairs.

The reason is, if you lose one of the gliders ( by passing away,not literally losing one ) you still have 2 so your not having one glider grieving alone. The two remaining gliders comfort each other and the loss isn't so hard on them.

Considering their lifespan if you have a pair for 8 or 9 yrs ( hypothetically )and lose one of it's a substantial loss to the surviver and at that point in their life it may be difficult to find a cage mate the survivor will accept. And if the survivor accepts a new glider then your looking at the same scenerio repeating itself when the older glider passes.


My combinations as of right now (things can change at any time lol ) are 3 cages

Cage 1 has a 4or 5 yr old female, 2 of her offspring one is a little over a yr old and the other is turning one on easter, 2 carmel brothers a little over a year old.

Cage 2 a 4 yr female and a 6 yr old male They were in a trio but we lost their cage mate Pico. And this pair seems to do better as a pair. If something happens i can always put one of them in another colony.

Cage 3 5 yr female 4 yr old male ( i think ) and a almost 2 yr old female


All males are neutered.

I once had a colony of 6 ( some of the gliders above in one colony) That I found was a little more difficult to really get a good connection with some of them that weren't already "bonded to me" because lets face it all they needed me for was giving them food they had each other to cuddle and love on.

Trio's are more manageable than 6 (for me ) and I feel the bond is there and just as strong as if it were just a pair.

The two carmel boys in the first cage are still not "bonded" to me but they are with gliders who are very calm and mellow and 2 were raised by me from birth so their trust is instilled into them which rubs off on the newer boys. Which was part of why I put them in that cage.

Congratulations on your new additions! . Such an exciting and special time!

You are certainly going into this with great knowledge and preparation and these little ones are obviously going to be very loved and well taken care of.

The question of 2 or 3 gliders is really a personal preference. Some people find that a trio is a better fit while others prefer a duo. In your case, since it sounds like your 2 are already bonding well, I would probably stick with that, especially for now. You can always add another one later if you decide to.

Enjoy your sweet babies!

Oh, I forgot to add a photo! My baby girl is the Classic and my baby boy is the Leucietic.

Leela,
Thank you! Losing one was one of the main pros for three gliders I had read about and one of my concerns about only having two. It sounds like you have a full house! Caramels are so pretty! I'm sorry about your loss of Pico. Would a certain gender be best when looking at a third? Such as two males (neutered) and a female or two females and a male (neutered)?

TiaKristin3,
Thank you so much! I believe Adoption is like buying a house or any big, lifelong commitment your going to make. You have to be prepared and know what you're committing to before you make a commitment. You don't just take a drive and buy a house just because it's for sale (if that makes sense haha). I went through a similar process before adopting my first and second dog and when starting my community aquarium. Anyways, that's a great point! I know the socialization process gets a bit more difficult later on, which is why I was thinking of getting three together. But they do seem so happy with eachother right now, I'm a bit on the fence about adding a third one to the mix. I just want them to have the best life possible.

3 cages is my limit and sometimes a temp cage if needed.

Gender ( providing males are neutered ) doesn't really matter unless you have a preference, OR your gliders have a preference, sometimes they do.

I have 2 cages I can put new gliders in with little to no fuss. But I have one cage where the female is very picky. Funny enough she is my first glider and the sweetesttttttttt girl I never would have dreamt she'd be my problem child with intros but she is

If you are already leaning towards a trio I'd talk to the breeder, they know their gliders and who would fit with your current pair. If the breeder pairs them and does the intro it means you don't have to. So if it's something your already tossing it around I'd talk to them about it.

If your not ready for a trio that's ok to, there are no shortages of gliders that need good homes and that's not going to change any time soon you can always get more when your ready.

I was only suppossssed to get 2