Fighting

Question
QUESTION: Hi Betty,
I have two Sugar Gliders, both are male one is neutered and one is not. I've noticed that they've been figting a lot lately at night. Seeing as how i don't want to neuter my other one do you think it would be a good idea to seperate the two of them and get them each a female for the seperate cages? Or do you think if I got two females I could keep them all together to be more like a colony?

ANSWER: Hi,

How long ago was the male neutered?  It takes a while for his
"maleness" to go away.  Does he still have a bald spot?  Normally a
natural male doesn't feel threatened by a neutered male, so he
probably still has the male hormones that the other male can detect.

Normally, a natural male, two females, and a neutered male could get
along in one colony.  In your case, however, you may need to separate
them.  I can give you better advice if I know more about your gliders.

Please give me more information about your guys:  age, behavior, etc.

Betty


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The one that isn't neutered (biggie) is 3, and the one that is (moe) is 4 and I believe he's been neutered for over 2 years. Biggie had a brother who I previously owned, and he was also not neutered, however he died about a year ago and I got Moe from a sugar glider rescue agency. I was told he was about 3 when I got him and he was neutered. I'm not sure how long he was neutered before that so from what I know he's been neutered for a year possibly more. Biggie is extremelly friendly and well bonded to me, and moe is a little more stand offish but from what i've read he's also bonded to me, just a little more aprehensive than biggie (I believe it's because of his previous owner). It took a little while for them to get used to each other but they've been fine until recently. They've been fighting a lot around the time that I feed them so I started feeding them in seperate dishes. It helped a little but they still go at it. I haven't found any wounds on either of them, but i'm still not sure if they're doing damage to each other. I just think it's kind of weird how they've been together for about a year and the fighting is starting now. I hope that's enough information to help.

Answer
Hi Julia,

Actually, your answers make it even more difficult for me to figure out what the problem could be.  It doesn't make sense.  There must be some kind of change that occurred recently.  Not knowing what may have happened, here's what I would do:  Give the cage and all the toys and bedding a thorough cleaning.  You want to get all the scent out of the cage.  That way there won't be any part of the cage that Moe can claim as "mine."  Put vanilla extract on the back of their necks.  This masks the scent, so they can have a fresh start.  See what happens when they get together, but be prepared to separate them if necessary.  Also, carry their pouch around with you during the day, so you can see if they are sleeping together peacefully.  

I hope something will prove useful to you.  Please keep in touch.

Betty