Introducing Male and Female Gliders

Question
I have a female glider that is almost 2 years old.  She has always been a loner so I have been looking for a cage mate.  Our little girl was extremely aggresive when we got her.  She was in a small hampster cage and her nails had grown into her hands.  We had taken her to the vet.  He said she is healthy though her hands needed some attention.  I was told she was small in size.  We have had her 2 months now.  She has become a very sweet, calm little girl.

I was looking for another female but was talked into getting an intact male.  I think I might try letting them breed and see how that goes.  I don't want her continually breeding and will eventually have him neutered.

He is so much bigger than she is.  We have worked up to having their cages a foot apart.  For the most part they ignore each other.  However, they are beginning to watch each other.  The male barks at her during the night.  We have had individual play time in the tent.  The last couple nights we left him in his cage inside the tent.  I thought our little girl would be to standoff-ish. But after 'crawling' around his cage a few times she began climbing all over it trying to get inside.  At first he stayed back and watched her.  Now they both immediately go to each other and smell.  

We have had their cages next to each other for a week now.  So far I have seen no signs of aggression.  But last night when she went to the side of his cage he started grabbing at her.  Now I'm not sure about putting them together.  He didn't seem like he wanted to hurt her though it did scare her a little.  I am afraid he might be a bit pushy towards her.  And the size difference has me concerned.

What is your take?

Answer
Terri,

It sounds like you are doing all the right things to introduce your two gliders.  Try switching sleeping pouches every day for a couple of days.  The next step would to be to let them smell and feel each other safely during the day while they sleep.  Put each of them into a cotton sock secured with a twist tie or rubber band. Put both socks together into one pouch.  Keep the pouch with you to see if they react to one another.  If all is well, let them sleep this way for a while.

Next, try an actual introduction.  Here is part of the article from my website:

When you are ready to see if they can get along, take both pouches into the bathroom.  Glider-proof the room and hang up some towels, pouches, etc. to provide extra hiding places.  Have a hand towel ready to toss over them in case they start to fight.

Put some vanilla extract on the back of their necks (like perfume).  Put both pouches in the bathtub, with the openings facing each other.   At this point one or both of them will come out to see what's going on.  Just leave them alone, unless they make a fighting furball, in which case you'll need to separate them with the towel and try again another time.  They will sniff at each other, fuss, crab, and probably chase one another. Be patient.  Hopefully they will settle down together. If not, then you'll have to repeat the previous steps.  It takes a lot of time and patience, but, hopefully, it can be done.

Good luck.  Let me know how it goes.

Betty