Desmond and Harrison. Both are nuetered. We've done the pouch swapping, toy swapping, tried meeting them in the bathtub a few times, everything. Their cages are right next to each other's, but they won't do anything other than sniff each other and occasionally crab at the other unless I put blankets on the cages to keep them from seeing each other. There's been one successful time that they met, they went up to each other and sniffed each other and just sat there in the tub for a little bit, Harrison lightly "hugging" Desmond. Then the next time we tried it, they went right back to crabbing and balling up.

We just got Desmond nuetered, about a month ago. He was fully matured when he was nuetered, and I read that that could have an effect on how he would act around Harrison once he got nuetered. I just want them to like each other - we got Harrison specifically for Desmond.

The other thing: Desmond and Harrison are bothbonded with the girls. Desmond was first, but once he matured, we had to separate them into different cages. We got Harrison nuetered, and he met with the girls wonderfully and lives with them now. I thought maybe Desmond could be jealous that Harrison is with his girls, but I think it might just be a more territorial thing than anything. I'm not sure what step to take next... I really hope they can get along soon, it sucks when we have to leave someone out during playroom time because they don't get along with another :(

Are they pom off or pom on neuter? Pom on leaves a bit of testosterone left so that could be a possible cause.

Both were neutered with pom off.

you should have cages 6 to 8 inches apart, NO blanket in the way. Let them see each other, let them smell each other, let them crab if needed.

the only problem I see is you say "one successful time that they met" At this point you should have moved them immediately into a clean unscented cage (it can be one you clean), while they are in tub or a pouch sleeping together.

during our introductions there are a few scared crabbing, then sniffing, that is fine a feeling out moment. the balling up and fighting is bad.

also introductions should be done with all 4, you can start with 2, then add 2 so you have all 4 in the scent free tub, with no smelly pouches.

the best thing I can suggest is go back to cages 8 inches apart, swap sleeping pouch every 2/3 days, give them 2 pouchs to sleep in!! see which one they pick, the one with the other gliders scent or the one without. after 2 weeks, try tub again, if successful KEEP THEM TOGETHER, keep an eye on them the first night, maybe stay up as long as possible and watch them in cage. usually once they are ok in bathtub they are ok in cage, we have had one failure after placing in cage, one female got chased in cage for a few days a few times a night, she would stay in upper corner of cage. so we had to remove her, she would sleep fine with them, just not ok at night.

It takes about a month or so for mature males hormones to decrease AFTER the neuter, it's not an instant kind of thing.

On one of your previous posts May 5th was right after the neuter, it hasn't been quit a month yet. So if you've been trying to intro between then and now that is one reason they aren't gelling.

The hormone level in Desmond is still to high, as his scent gland on top of his head shrinks, his hormones decrease which should be leveling off in the next couple of weeks.

Cages shouldn't be any closer than 12 inches to prevent tail injuries. Their tails are about 6 or 7 inches long, their arm reach from inside the cage is about 3 inches if a tail in one cage is sticking out a glider in another can grab it.
* depending on the cage type.

You have another option, you have 2 girls and 2 neutered boys. You could intro one of the girls to Desmond. He was with them once and they are female.....so that intro should go easier than the 2 boys.

Then you'd still have 2 cages and 2 play times but no single glider. You may have gotten Harrison specifically for Desmond, but gliders have a way of throwing a wrench in the best made plans. If you go this route, let the new pairs be for awhile with continued scent and pouch swapping between the 2 pairs.

Then in a month or two you could try to intro the 2 pairs to have one colony of 4. By then Desmond's hormone will have leveled off and that won't be working against you.

If the boys still don't get a long at that point you may have to come to the understanding that they just aren't going to. But I think that will change once the hormones level off.

Or You can UP your scent swapping game. Let the sleep pouches get good and dirty before you swap them, like smellyyyyyy dirty don't wash them for a couple weeks. Then swap them but don't just put the pouch in the cage. Put the gliders from cage 1 in the pouch from cage 2 (and vice versa) and rub the pouch alll over them (Sort of like washing dedicates by hand) you WANT the stink from the pouch rubbed onto the gliders in both cages. Do this Every time you swap the pouch to the opposite cage.

Especially do this right before intro's it helps. This makes 2 cages with their own distinct smell, one new smell of them combined so the gliders themselves all have the same scent.

BYK_chainsaw, thanks for letting me know. I figured sugar glider meetings would he similar as human to glider meetings: "it can go very well one day and them seem like you've lost all progress the next" kind of thing. Next time, I'll try it.

Leela, I'll definitely do everything you've mentioned, that should help a lot. Desmonds bald spot is almost completely filled in, but he's still a bit rude to us (constant nibbles, always mad when someone he knows enters his cage). I'll give him some more time to let it wear off. We had playtime tonight for a good while and he got together with the girls again. I think they all really missed each other. I'm leaving Pepper in Desmonds cage tonight because she's the most tolerant of the two girls, and it should go fine. I can hear them in the other room if things go south. I'll keep them like that hopefully until we can meet the boys again in a couple months after scent trading and whatnot.

We were hoping to combine the two cages for one big cage; we have another large cage that needs some fixing up just in case it doesn't work well, but I want them to have more space and those itty bitty starter cages from the sugar bear site aren't cutting it for three of them in one. Combining them should be fine though. Thanks for your advice, if you have anymore let me know!