JOEY

Question
Hey there, I have 4 sugar gliders. They are all healthy, Im just gonna give you a little run down and some info about my sugies. I bought 2 almost 2 years ago ( Starr and Lola) I bought 2 because of the issues that can happen with just one, and since i work full time, I dont always have time to spend with them so I bought 2 so they can keep each other company! They are such a delight, its amazing :) So one day i read online that a girl was giving away a sugar glider, so of course i contacted her ASAP and she brought the sugie to me( Izzy), I put a t shirt that i had worn the previous day in her cage and she is fine, but when i tried to introduce her to my other 2 they fought, I don't understand why really, i mean they can live in colonies, so a friend I know gave me a male(marley) and him and Izzy got along great! So i have 2 sugars in one big cage and another 2 in another big cage...So i guess you know what happened from there! lol I heard little chirping and when i would take her out to play I could see that she was pregnant, so I would go in to see her everyday and talk to her and I heard little noises, I knew it was the babies, now i always do my research before I get a pet and believe me i researched alot before I got sugars, But i never read anything about the joeys, I mean is it okay for me to take the fam out and let them roam and get some exercise, I know that some animals will eat their young if it interacts with a human so to speak? I just want to make sure everything is okay, I want to make sure she is taking care of it, some animals neglect there young, and I have heard horror stories about sugars eating there young, and I would like to prevent something like that happening, so is it okay to take them out when the joeys are young? I know the joey probably;y wont leave its mommy but I just want to make sure that I wont interfer with their relationship. ! :)

Answer
Erica,

Congratulations on your new joeys!

Sugar Gliders are good parents.  There are cases of joeys not making it during the first few days out of pouch, but having humans around is not the cause.  If the parents trust you, they will be okay with you touching the joeys.  Do not touch them until you can see their little mouths.  That way you can be sure that they are safely detached from the mother.  At that time you can gently pet them, but do not take them away from their parents.  When the parents leave the babies alone in the pouch, it will be okay for you to actually hold them.  Make sure to keep the joeys where the parents can still see them.  The parents will come running if they hear them cry.  The joeys will stop crying if you hold them close, so they feel warm and secure.  

Are your gliders used to going out to play outside the cage?  If so, they might want to come out, but I wouldn't encourage it for a while.  Generally, one parent will stay in the pouch to babysit while the other wanders around.  They never leave joeys alone until they are a couple of weeks OOP.  Here's what I would suggest:  If one of the gliders is out of the pouch and wants to play, take him or her out for only a few minutes.  

If you want to help with the bonding process, you can carry the entire family with you in their pouch.  You can hold them with your hand in the pouch.  That way, all of them will become used to your scent.  

I hope this helps.  Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Betty