new gliders

Question
i got a pair of females from a pet store about 2 weeks ago. i have not yet bonded but i am in the process. i think one of the females might be pregnant! i worried about whats going to happen. i haven't even gotten to bond with her and now i may have babies on my hands. this is my first pair. should i still be trying to bond if she is pregnant or wait till after they are oop? is she going to be ok with no male to help her out? will i have to separate the two unfixed females? will the new mom get aggressive? is the other female going to be ok around the babies? so many questions! o and how do i tell for sure if she is pregnant. i don't think she is going to let me flip her over to check since she is not bonded yet and is a bit of a diva!

Answer
Hello Carol,

How old are your gliders?  They are not old enough to mate until they are about 7-8 months of age.  The only way to tell is to very gently rub the sides of the belly to feel for little lumps.  Be very careful when doing this, though, because a joey cannot survive being "disconnected" from the mother's teat.  Perhaps you could do this while she is sleeping in the bonding pouch.

Nothing is definite when it comes to glider behavior, especially when it comes to babies.  Each glider has its own unique personality, just like people.  The best I can do is to tell you what I know from my own experience.  You will need to proceed with caution, noticing the behavior of your own gliders.

Are your two girls bonded with each other?  If so, they should work together to care for the joeys.  Do not separate them.  Continue with your bonding process.  You will want to bond with the two of them as a pair.  Please go to my website and read the article about bonding with (taming) gliders.  nc.sugar.gliders.googlepages.com   

Please keep in touch with me.  If you let me know how things are going, I will be better able to give advice and answer your questions.

I hope this helps,

Betty